Blew $260 on a Nemo sleeping pad for the JMT, swore it was overpriced, then night 3 at Thousand Island Lake happened

Barbara Craig · 2026-09-16T16:15:03.812192+00:00

I almost sent the Nemo Tensor back twice before my 11 day John Muir Trail trip because $260 felt insane for a pad that weighs under a pound. My old $60 pad was fine on weekend trips, so I figured a fancy one was just marketing. Night 3 near Thousand Island Lake it hit 27 degrees and I slept warm on my side, no bottoming out, while a guy two sites over was up at 2am reinflating his cheaper pad and shivering. Did 210 miles total on that trip and never once woke up on the ground. Honestly the weight savings alone changed how my knees felt on the passes. Anyone else sleep on one of these for a full thru hike, does the valve hold up after a season or two?

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Blew $260 on a Nemo sleeping pad for the JMT, swore it was overpriced, then night 3 at Thousand Island Lake happened | Backpacking Routes - Guest Forum