SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2019
56 BACKPACKER.COMField Test
ROUNDUP
BEST WARMTH TO WEIGHT- NEMO Tensor Alpine
COMFORT 3.8 One tester
slept on the Tensor Alpine for a
two-week trip around Quebec’s
Gaspé Peninsula and says it
was the most supportive pad
she’d ever used. Credit polyester
“trusses” on the interior that
connect the top and bottom of
the pad, improving stability.
WARMTH 4.6 NEMO doesn’t
release R-values, but thanks
to a triple layer of metallic fi lm
that retains and refl ects your
body heat, this pad kept one
guide warm on -5°F nights on
Canada’s 19,551-foot Mt. Logan
in a subzero bag.
PACKABILITY 4.7 When
rolled up, the Tensor Alpine is
a smidge taller—but skinnier—
than a 1-liter Nalgene, the best
size-to-warmth ratio in the test.
INFLATION 3.5 Testers used
the included stuff sack to blow
up the bag in three minutes.
OVERALL 4.2
$225; 1 lb. 1 oz.; 72” x 20” x 3”;
nemoequipment.com
WOMEN’S PICK- Sea to Summit
Women’s Etherlight XT
Insulated
COMFORT 4.0 For a pad this
light, 4 inches of thickness is
as cushy as it gets. The weight
savings are due to the pad’s
shape, which is optimized for
the female body: The Etherlight
XT starts narrower (about 20
inches) at the shoulders and
transitions to 21.5 inches wide
through the hips and knees. And
it’s 66 inches long, rather than
the standard 72. (There’s also a
unisex version.)
WARMTH 3.6 Metallic,
heat-refl ecting particles are
laminated to the synthetic fi ll,
which bumps the R-value to 4.2,
compared to 3.8 for the unisex
version. Our tester snoozed
comfortably on 20°F nights in
Olympic National Park.
PACKABILITY 4.3 The Ether-
light XT packs down to slightly
larger than a 1-liter Nalgene (and
slightly larger than the NEMO
Te n s o r A l p i n e).
INFLATION 4.3 We were able
to fi ll the pad in three or four
pumps with the stuff sack that
doubles as an infl ation bag.
OVERALL 4.1
$199; 14.8 oz.; 66” x 21.5” x 4”;
seatosummit.comWARMEST- Exped SynMat TT 9 M
COMFORT 4.0 This pad has
eight individually-infl ating verti-
cal baffl es, allowing testers to
easily dial in custom fi rmness
with separate valves for each.
At 20. 5 inches wide it’s slightly
larger than standard regular-size
pads, and the vertical sidewalls
make it seem even wider.
WARMTH 4.8 With an R-value
of 6.0, thanks to the addition
of microfi ber insulation spread
evenly among the six tubes, the
pad let our tester bivy comfort-
ably on a subzero night outside
of Denali National Park.
PACKABILITY 2.0 This beast
is built for warmth and durabil-
ity, and only compresses down
to the size of a basketball.
INFLATION 3.7 Setup takes
a couple minutes with the
included infl ation sack. Bonus:
if one of the chambers springs
a leak, you can replace it with a
new baffl e (contact Exped).
OVERALL 3.6
$249; 2 lbs. 6 oz.; 72” x 20.5” x
3.5”; exped.com
MOST LUXURIOUS- Klymit Insulated
Static V Luxe SL
COMFORT 4.0 This is one of
the biggest pads we’ve ever slept
on. Compared to a standard pad,
it’s 7 inches wider and 6 inches
longer. We especially love the
width, which let us sleep with
our arms by our sides without
them falling off the pad (the
raised, 4.5-inch-wide side rails
help). Tradeoff : weight, and tak-
ing up extra space (the Static V
Luxe might be a tight squeeze in
a regular tent).
WARMTH 4.5 This pad’s syn-
thetic fi ll gives it an R-value of
6.5. Our tester slept warmly on
wet pine needles—which steal
even more heat than snow—on
a 40°F night in a 32°F quilt and
didn’t get chilled.
PACKABILITY 2.0 There’s a
packing penalty for such a big
pad, of course. The Static V Luxe
compresses to the size of a large
watermelon, bulkiest in the test.
INFLATION 2.5 With manual
infl ation, we had to stop and rest
during the 10-minute eff ort to
blow it up. Klymit off ers a pump
for an additional $25.
OVERALL 3.3
$140; 1 lb. 15 oz.; 78” x 27” x
3.5”; klymit.com
Create the perfect sleep system for cooler autumn nights by
putting the right insulated mat under your sleeping bag.
By William M. Rochfort, Jr.Shoulder-season
Saviors
PHOTO
S^ BY^COURTESY1234