NEMO Eclipse All-Season

For comfort, the Eclipse All-Season uses slightly dimpled vertical baffles to provide support and pressure relief. The baffling combined with the 10.2 cm (4 in) of pad thickness led to the good pressure relief when the pad was inflated to 90% firmness. Paired with a good pillow, I did not experience any pressure points and my arm did not go numb over the course of the night. I consistently only woke up once or twice to shift positions over the course of a night. The Eclipse All-Season is a very stable pad and, even when inflated to 60-70% firmness, does not feel like you are laying on a balloon. Deflating the pad to 60-70% firmness improves pressure relief and resulted in comfort levels where I was able to sleep through the entire night without waking up. Thanks to the thickness, I did not bottom out and touch the ground with my hip or shoulder when the pad was deflated and I was laying on my side. The side tubes of the pad are slightly raised, were effective at keeping me centred on the pad, and provided a cradling effect. The top material of the pad is a ripstop nylon that provides some texture so I did not slide around on the pad, but I would have preferred a soft and stretchy top material. The top material of the Eclipse All-Season does not have any stretch to it. The Eclipse All-Season is good for back, side, or stomach sleepers with no weight limit. Overall, the Eclipse All-Season is a very comfortable pad that I have had some of my best backcountry sleeps on.

Warmth is a little disappointing. The NEMO Eclipse All-Season has an ASTM tested R-value of 6.2, with two layers of reflective film suspended in the pad as insulation. NEMO claims the insulation can provide enough warmth for all-season use, which is the second warmest category on NEMO’s scale. Based on my testing, the NEMO Eclipse All-Season is more of a three season pad. I encountered the warmth limit for the pad at -2°C (28°F) on warm ground. One of the reasons the pad may sleep colder than the R-value would predict is the lack of insulation in the outer tubes; this can lead to less warmth for the pad, especially when using a quilt. Overall, the warmth of the Eclipse All-Season is disappointing considering it has a high R-value.

The Eclipse All-Season weighs slightly less than NEMO's advertised weight on my scale at 558 g (1.2 lb) for the regular/wide size. That weight is about average for ultralight pads, within 30 g (1.1 oz) of the Exped Ultra 6.5R, the NEMO Tensor All-Season, and the Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XLite NXT Max. The NEMO Eclipse All-Season only comes in a rectangular shape, no mummy version. A mummy version would reduce weight by approximately 20%.

NEMO pads are generally very easy to use. The LayLow valve, which sits in the top right corner of the pad, makes inflation and deflation easy - much easier than when pads have the valve(s) on the bottom of the pad. The valve has one flap that opens for inflation and then a second that opens to deflate the pad. With the first flap open, it is possible to press on the valve to slowly let air out and fine-tune the inflation firmness of the pad. The NEMO Eclipse All-Season comes with NEMO’s vortex pump sack, which makes inflating the pad quick and easy. The pad is also compatible with most pad inflator pumps, which is my preferred way to inflate a sleeping pad. The pad dumps air quickly when the valve is opened and is easy to fold, roll, and pack away.

Durability looks to be a strong point for this pad. The NEMO Eclipse All-Season uses a 40D ripstop nylon for the top material and a 40D plain weave nylon for the bottom material. NEMO claims the plain weave bottom material is more puncture and tear resistant than a ripstop would be. NEMO has improved their track record over the last two generations of sleeping pads when it comes to durability. Historically, NEMO had issues with seam welds but that seems to have been resolved. I audited over 100 reviews that have been published on the NEMO Eclipse All-Season and durability does not seem to be an issue. If you do encounter an issue with the Eclipse, you will be covered by NEMO’s lifetime warranty. I have gone through the NEMO warranty process for an older pad and can attest that the process is easy.

NEMO claims the Eclipse All-Season is whisper quiet. The two components of a sleeping pad that usually lead to the pad sounding noisy are the internal insulation (reflective film can sound crinkly) and the outer material (which can squeak on tent floors). Because the two layers of reflective film are suspended independently of each other inside the NEMO Eclipse All-Season, the insulation does not result in any sort of crinkly noise. The plain weave nylon material used for the bottom of the pad has a soft texture and does not squeak when rubbed on tent floors. Overall, the NEMO Eclipse All-Season is a very quiet pad.

The NEMO Eclipse All-Season is primarily a comfort-focused pad while also achieving an ultralight weight. It is not a true all-season pad for warmth; but if you rarely sleep in below freezing temperatures, then it might be the perfect option. At a price that is less than many sleeping pads from major manufacturers, the NEMO Eclipse All-Season is also good value.