My NEMO Pad Survived 300 Miles on the Ozark Trail
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NEMO Tensor Trail Ultralight
Insulated Sleeping Pad
Size - Regular Wide
Dimensions - 72 x 25 x 3.5 inches
Pack Size - 4 x 10.5 inches
R-Value - 2.8
Insulation - Synthetic
Thickness - 3.5 inches
Pad Type - Air
Capacity - 1-person
Camping atop Goggins Mountain on the Taum Sauk Section of the Ozark Trail.
My Sleep System on the Ozark Trail
I’ve talked a bit about sleeping on the Ozark Trail throughout this blog. What I came to realize is that the nights are kind of like a day in of themselves, in that you get through them the same as putting down miles throughout the day. It’s easy to fall asleep, a little more difficult to stay asleep.
As a side-sleeper I found myself turning over every few hours to relieve the pressure on my hips. I feel like this is just a given whenever I go camping, so I’m used to it. BUT - or HIP - I decided to spurge before my Ozark Trail Thru-Hike and purchase the NEMO Tensor Trail Ultralight Sleeping Pad (Regular Wide) and I was not disappointed.
At 1.1 pounds the NEMO Tensor Trail Ultralight was pretty great keeping my pack-weight down. 3.5 inches fully inflated also gave me ample ground clearance and supported my 6’1, 165lb frame. Add in the 2.8 R-Value and it’s a great 3-season sleeping pad.
I really liked that the pad includes a repair kit, stuff sack, and the Vortex™ pump sack. Once I got the hang of the Vortex™ pump sack the pad became super easy to inflate, needing just under three full pumps. The pad was also super quiet and didn’t have crinkling chip bag sound that some other sleeping pads have.
I pared my NEMO with a standard Therm-a-Rest Z Lite Sol sleeping pad for two reasons:
I laid the Z Lite under the NEMO to provide a little protection on rocky terrain, and
The Z Lite was great to have to layout all my gear at the end of the day and to sit on.
For a pillow I simply used a down stuff blanket that my mom give me years ago. I’ve used this as my camping pillow for a long time and it’s always served me well. Bonus, it’s also a blanket if I ever need it in that capacity, which I never have. I always like gear that serves multiple functions while backpacking.
If you’re in the market for a new backpacking sleeping pad, I recommend the NEMO Tensor Trail Ultralight. I’ll admit, it is a bit on the pricey side, but it’s worth it. If you think about it, you’re spending about 8-hours on it everyday. Worth the investment.
Missouri’s Ozark Trail
I completed the thru-hike of the Ozark Trail, plus the Taum Sauk Section, in October 2024. I filmed the entire experience which I have been releasing on my YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram accounts. Follow along if you’re so inclined!
The Ozark Trail contains over 430 miles of trail divided into 14 mostly connected sections throughout southeast Missouri. The established thru-hike covers eight of the connected sections and runs from Onondaga Cave State Park in Leasburg, roughly 84 miles southwest of St. Louis, to the Eleven Point Terminus near Thomasville, 23 miles north of the Arkansas border. Throw in the off-shoot Taum Sauk Section and you have nearly 300 miles of thru-hikeable trail.