How to Choose Sleeping Bags for Backpacking

More comfy than a mummy bag, but still impressively light and compact, the men's NEMO Riff 15 Endless Promise down sleeping bag is cut wider at the elbows and knees so you can easily shift positions.
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Imported.
Best Use | Backpacking |
---|---|
Tested Lower Limit | 17 degrees (F) - ISO |
Tested Comfort | 28 degrees (F) - ISO |
Temperature Rating (F) | 15 degrees (F) |
Temperature Rating (C) | -9 degrees (C) |
Weight | Regular - Left Zip: 2 lbs. 7 oz. Long - Left Zip: 2 lbs. 10 oz. |
Shell | Recycled polyester ripstop with C0 durable water repellent (DWR) |
Zipper Location | Left |
Insulation Type | Down |
Water-Resistant Down | Yes |
Fill | 800-fill-power duck down |
Fill Weight | Regular - Left Zip: 1 lb. 3 oz. Long - Left Zip: 1 lb. 5 oz. |
Sleeping Capacity | 1-person |
Lining | Recycled polyester ripstop with C0 DWR |
Sleeping Bag Shape | Semirectangular |
Fits Up To (in.) | Regular - Left Zip: 72 inches Long - Left Zip: 78 inches |
Shoulder Girth (in.) | Regular - Left Zip: 60 inches Long - Left Zip: 62 inches |
Hip Girth (in.) | 54 inches |
Stuff Sack Size | Regular - Left Zip: 7.5 x 11.5 inches Long - Left Zip: 7.5 x 12 inches |
Stuff Sack Volume | 10.8 liters |
Compressed Volume | Regular - Left Zip: 6.2 liters Long - Left Zip: 7.1 liters |
Gender | Men's |
Sustainability | Contains materials that meet the bluesign® criteria Down certified to the Responsible Down Standard (RDS) Contains recycled materials |
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This is a well made bag with a number of thoughtful features incorporated into its design. One of the first things I noticed with this product was its weight; despite being a warm 3 season bag, this bag is very lightweight which makes it perfect for backpacking. The bag also feels surprisingly durable given how lightweight it is. The zippers are high quality and open and close smoothly. I found that the features this bag offers were all useful and well designed. First, the material on the hood and footbox is waterproof which prevents condensation from your tent from soaking into the bag's fabric. This is a great feature as moisture can cause down to be a less effective insulator. Second, the vents on the front of the bag allow this bag to be easily used in a variety of temperatures. The vents have zippers on the inside and outside of the bag so they can be more finely-tuned. Additionally, the bag has a draft collar that is plush and comfortable. This can be folded in to keep cold air out, or folded out to let some warm air escape. One of my favorite things about this bag is the shape; this bag is designed to give extra room for side sleepers (like myself), which means that there is some added space around the knees and elbows to let you shift around comfortably. As seen in my photo, this bag also packs down nicely. I am easily able to fit this into my pack when going backpacking. The down insulation is lofty and comfortable once you let it sit for a few minutes after unpacking. This product also comes with a nice mesh storage bag as well as a stuff sack. Overall, this is a high quality bag with lots of thoughtful features. The bag is comfortable, warm, lightweight, and packable. This is going to be my go to backpacking sleeping bag for the foreseeable future.
For those of us that have issues sleeping in a mummy bag, the NEMO Riff 15 Endless Promise down sleeping bag is the choice for a light weight 3-season backpacking bag. The Ultralight Spoon shape is a good compromise between a true mummy bag and the Classic Spoon shape bag like the NEMO Disco. It provides enough room to side sleep without having too much space that can create cold spots and adds weight and bulk to the bag. NEMO has made a number of upgrades to the Riff that greatly improve its functionality. - The revised Thermo Gills have zippers on both the outside and inside of the bag. The old system created cold spots on my chest in temperatures below freezing. - The new baffle system has horizontal baffles from the knee area down to the foot of the bag instead of vertical baffles running the length of the bag. This prevents down from shifting from the torso to the foot of the bag. The old design bag was colder than expected due to down shift. - The updated Blanket Fold is more contoured and less obtrusive. - The new 3D footbox feels roomy and allows space to hold your feet vertically, yet is well tapered. - Fully recyclable! This is a game changer. It’s not just that the bag shell and liner are made of recycled polyester, or that the bag’s materials have the potential to be recycled. Instead NEMO actually manages the recycling of all of the bag’s components. NEMO will send a free return shipping label and they will even send you a $20 gift card once they receive your bag. This is how outdoor companies should operate. To test out the bag, I used it for a short weekend backpacking trip in the Cascades. The nighttime temperature were in the mid to low thirties. As expected, the Riff 15 was very comfortable in these temperatures. For me (5’8” 145 lbs), I would expect the bag to work down to the mid twenties. If I needed a true 15 degree bag, I would buy the Riff 15 women’s long bag which has an ISO Comfort ratting of 18 degrees. It has almost twice the fill and weights an additional 26 oz. The Riff 15 packed down to a nice small size using the included compression stuff sack. The waterproof fabric on the foot and partially on the hood of the bag worked well to keep tent condensation off. The 30-denier recycled polyester ripstop fabric was very comfortable to sleep in, but also seems like to will hold up well over time. I look forward to many years of backpacking with the NEMO Riff 15 Endless Promise down sleeping bag knowing that when it is completely worn out it will actually be recycled.
Call me old fashioned, but I kind of just figured a sleeping bag was a sleeping bag. I’ve been using down sleeping bags for years and thought hydrophobic down was the last big leap forward. But the hood, the shape of the draft collar, even the shape of the bag, that’s pretty much the same right? Wrong. So wrong. Let’s start with all the subtle features, the well thought out additions, the new ideas that really make this bag stand out. First, the waterproof fabric at both the head and the foot box to help with condensation transferring from those wet tent walls. So obvious once you see it and a great feature. +1. Next is the more narrow, complex baffle design, which prevents down from shifting as easily. It’s simple to overlook, but this is maybe my favorite feature. The chances of a cold spot from down moving is essentially eliminated. +2. The draft collar. I was shocked how much of a difference this design made. Rather than the old sown in “horse collar” that gets twisted, never lies right and lets warm air out no matter what you do, this new, smartly integrated, draft collar keeps you warm and does a phenomenal job of trapping all that heat, especially as you shift in the night. +3. Lastly, how about that leg room? Need to fold your leg or scratch an itch? It’s not a two minute battle that leaves you sweaty and breathless. And if you’re actually in cold weather, it’s a great spot to stash some extra clothes or a water filter that might freeze. +4. Now is this bag perfect? No, but what bag is? I’ll list a few minor considerations or complaints but know this is a five star bag and I’m just being extra. First, the hood. It’s a little blob like and less contoured than I would like. It makes it hard to tension without having fabric wrapped across your face, which I personally don’t love. Second, it’s a little heavier than your average down mummy bag. Maybe you don’t need that extra room. I also wish they used goose down rather than duck down for the weight savings and improved loft. I’ll not arbitrate the goose down vs duck down pros and cons here but for the price, goose down would have been nice. The one feature that I don’t know how to evaluate is the venting zippers on both the exterior and interior of the bag. It was cold enough (nineteen degrees) that I didn’t want or need them. Will they really allow a wider range of uses through smart venting or is it a gimmick? Jury is still out for me. I will say the small zippers on the vents are hard to use with gloves on and you do have to tension them in order to prevent catching the material in the zipper tracks. Takes a few times to get used to. Overall, I’m very happy with this bag. It’s clear they spent a long time tweaking this bag and the end result is a sleeping bag with features and functionality I haven’t seen before. And yes, those features make enough of a difference collectively that I have no qualms about recommending this bag for anyone. I found a base layer in nineteen degrees was as far as I’d probably go, and twenty two degrees might be a better cut off for most (I sleep very warm). But if you want a well built, top of the line three season bag, look no further.
This is a comfortable sleeping bag loaded with thoughtful details. Number one on my list is that, yes, as a side sleeper this bag is way more comfy than a traditional mummy bag without feeling too roomy. DWR treatment on the head and feet area is something that never occurred to me, but is brilliant. There is also a pocket to stuff clothes or whatever in to serve as a pillow. I sleep hot and was really curious how the “gills” would perform in terms of heat management. They’re essentially vents with a layer of fabric to avoid generating a draft and zip on both the inside and outside of the bag. I’m not sure how I like having the additional zippers on the inside but they turned out to be pretty unobtrusive. I’d say they’re great for minor temp adjustments.
Used at 12,500ft of elevation, 30 degree F temps, a little windy, inside a tent - it worked fine for me. Let me preface that I get cold easily. I don't eat meat (they say non-meat eaters get cold faster), I'm 137lbs, 5ft 11inches. The bag had more than enough room for me to move around and it kept me warm enough. I just wore long johns, merino wool long sleeve and light pullover. If the temps were in in the teens, I would have been cold for sure, but this is rated to around 30 degrees comfortable and I agree with that. The air vents are nice, you can't go wrong with this bag.
It's a little early in the season for me to be going camping, but I did use this bad to keep warm at a chilly track meet this weekend. It did a stellar job. To review this item, I can compare it to my previous sleeping bag, the REI Magma 15. They are very similar sleeping bags, but the first thing I noticed when getting into this bag is that it is much roomier. I liked that because my biggest complaint with the Magma was that it felt a little too cramped. I toss and turn a lot while sleeping, and it was difficult with the Magma. I expect this sleeping bag to be much more comfortable. The other thing that stood out to me is that this bag is 7 oz heavier. I'm not quite "ultralight," but I am really trying to get my pack weight down. It will come down to the classic conflict between weight and comfort. I think the added comfort with this bag will probably win out.
I absolutely love this sleeping bag. After comparing the specs of the men’s vs women’s version of this, you’ll pay an extra $50 for the women’s long and it’s almost exactly the same as the men’s regular, so do yourself a favor and don’t pay the pink tax! It’s roomy enough to sleep on your side comfortably and the vents provide good airflow yet I stay really warm. It’s lightweight enough for me to carry when I’m backpacking, Nemo all the way!
I want to start off by saying I love this sleeping bag and it is crafted magically. I am 6ft with a broader build and went with the regular and it fits absolutely perfect, spacious enough for me to move around pretty comfortably without getting twisted up. However, it sleeps AT LEAST 15F colder than the comfort temp :( I took it down to 29-30F and absolutely froze, luckily I had an extra 25F quilt to throw over but even with that I was still pretty darn cold. I was wearing 240 Merino wool base layers and down booties, so wasn’t like I was naked. I find the ISO temperature ratings to be all over the place unfortunately. I would probably say this is a 27F LIMIT and 38F COMFORT bag, as opposed to the labeled 17F limit and 28F comfort.
Ordered this bag ahead of a Colorado elk hunt last fall and I was super impressed with the weight to warmth ratio and just how comfy this bag is. Since that trip I’ve used this bag for bike packing trips and several backpacking adventures and I continue to love this bag more and more. I’m a side sleeper so the spoon shape of the riff is a really a nice feature. If you who feel trapped inside of a regular mummy bag, give the riff a shot. I can’t recommend this bag enough and plan on using it for many many years to come.
I compared this bag to my existing Marmot Pinnacle 800-fill down bag, and could not find any reason to keep the new bag. I just couldn't see any advantages over my Marmot to justify the $500 price tag. Its a nice bag, but compared to the marmot, it wasn't worth the $500. I retuned it to a local REI about two hours after receiving it. I thought maybe if I didn't already have a 15-degree, 800-fill sleeping bag, I would have kept this one, but this is not a $500 sleeping bag. I'll just use my existing bag.