Carpet choice: Mohawk Triexta/smartstrand?

[Kyle Kipka]

I will be closing on another unit in about a month which will need all new flooring. This unit is suburban townhome built in the mid-2000s that I'd consider a higher end rental for the area and I need to decide what I want to do for flooring. 

The main floor (bathroom, kitchen, family/living room and entryway) will have some type of hard surface either vinyl plank or ceramic tile (wood plank look) but the stairs, upstairs hallway and 3 bedrooms will be carpeted as that is expected in this type of property in Minnesota. 

I'm in the process of getting some bids and need to decide what type of carpet and pad makes the most sense. Doing some reading it seems to that getting a decent 8lb+ pad will allow me to use a cheaper carpet and still have it feel nice underfoot and extend the carpet life somewhat and allow it to be re-used a few times if I do need to re-carpet. Is that the general consesus? I see they now sell some moisture barrier type pads that claim to be even more durable and longer lasting. Any experience with those? 

A flooring guy also told me to check out the Triexta material from Mohawk that is supposedly completely stain resistant and comes with a 25-yr warranty claiming that "you'll eventually end up replacing it because it's an outdated color, not because the carpet failed". I did some reading on the material and it sounds really good for rental properties but it is more expensive and I don't want to buy it if it ends up being kind of a gimmick. It supposedly has been sold now since 2009 so I'm wondering if anyone has any experience with the material and their thoughts.