NEMO Disco 15 Sleeping Bag Assessment

Specs at a Look

• Temperature Score: 15 levels Fahrenheit / -9 levels Celsius
• ISO Decrease Restrict: 14 levels Fahrenheit / -10 levels Celsius
• Gender: Males’s (Lady’s Disco 15 model additionally accessible)
• Measurement: Common (as much as 6’), additionally accessible in Lengthy (6’ to six’6”)
• Shoulder /Hip/Knee Girth: 64″/59″/62″
• Weight: 2 kilos 10.4 ounces (per producer: 2 kilos 11 ounces)
• Fill Weight:1 pound 6 ounces
• Insulation: 650FP down, sourced from an RDS licensed provider
• Draft Collar: Sure
• Draft Tube: Full size
• Zipper: Full size, left facet, YKK #5 anti-snag zipper
• Compressed Quantity: about 7 liters compressed
• Exterior Shell: 30D nylon ripstop with DWR
• Footbox Exterior: 40D Nylon Ripstop OSMO w/ DWR
• Lining: 30D nylon taffeta with DWR

Spoon Form

The Disco 15 is a spoon-shaped mummy sleeping bag, a modification to the normal mummy form invented by NEMO, for facet sleepers. It has an hourglass form that’s extensive throughout the shoulders and ft so you may flip round contained in the again with out feeling encumbered.  The contour follows the standard vary of movement of the knees and shoulders.  Not solely is the spaciousness a profit for sleeping positions, however the further elbow room additionally makes altering positions a lot simpler than a conventional match.

The downside to the extra beneficiant reduce is apparent: a bigger bag means extra materials and extra fill to insulate it, and the bigger inside quantity signifies that it takes longer to heat up.  Whereas the Disco 15 compromises properly between spaciousness and weight, there’s positively a tradeoff that will tip the scales an excessive amount of for many who begrudge each further ounce of their pack.

One other issue contributing to the consolation of the Disco 15 is its tender lining.  The taffeta materials avoids the slickness of many sleeping bag materials, and it feels nice to the contact.  As an added bonus, the inside and exterior materials is comparatively freed from crinkles and rustles, making for a quieter evening’s sleep than many luggage present.

Sleeping Bag Development

The NEMO Disco 15 is insulated with 650FP down fill that has a hydrophobic coating to withstand water.  The down is RDS-certified as responsibly sourced and is PFC-free.  This alternative of fill materials retains the burden sufficiently low to be a backpacking bag whereas maintaining the price down. As compared, a 15 diploma down sleeping bag insulation with 800+ fill energy goose down can price 50-75% greater than the Disco 15. That’s a sizeable sum of money.

Draft administration is neatly dealt with by the Disco 15.  A full-length draft tube prevents lack of warmth alongside the zipper, whereas a flap of down that NEMO calls a “Blanket Fold” replaces a mummy bag draft collar with a flap of insulating materials that may be pulled inside to forestall warmth from escaping across the higher chest or folded outdoors to vent extra heat.  It’s an ideal function, that’s intuitive and straightforward to regulate in the midst of the evening.  In case you’ve ever struggled with a mummy draft collar at evening, you’ll respect it. When mixed with the drawstring closure along side the face opening, the bag’s temperature could be properly fine-tuned.

NEMO  has additionally included what they name “Thermo Gills” to the highest of the sleeping bag over the torso which could be unzipped to launch extra warmth.  Two zippers working lengthwise on prime of the bag permit air flow within the torso space with out exposing the inside of the bag to drafts.  They work very well, offering simply the best cooling once I was too heat.  This extends the helpful temperature vary of the sleeping bag to hotter nights than could be comfy in an identical bag.  The one factor I didn’t take care of with the Thermo Gills was that the zipper pulls had been small, tapered, and barely slick, which made them laborious to find in the dead of night and use with gloves.

Temperature Score

The Disco 15 makes use of the brand new ISO temperature score normal (ISO 23537-1:2016, for all my fellow nerds), which supersedes the EN 13537 score beforehand used.  This testing resulted in a decrease restrict of 14 levels Fahrenheit. This places the Disco 15 firmly within the shoulder season class, able to dealing with cool spring and fall nights however in all probability not a chilly winter one.

The bigger reduce of the Disco 15 makes it extra vulnerable to barely hotter or cooler zones inside the bag, particularly across the legs while you transfer them round.  This can be a signal of the design tradeoff between more room and heat retention; a bag with out room to maneuver has no such zones however is extra confining.

Anti-Snag Zipper

One top-notch function of the Disco 15 is the high-quality zipper that includes an anti-snag plow.  This design virtually completely eliminates snagging, which not solely saves annoyance but additionally protects the shell of the sleeping bag from rips and holes that trigger leaked insulation materials.  I used to be ready to make use of the zipper in any respect angles, with each palms, in the dead of night, and in a wide range of positions and not using a single snag.  The zipper has a gusset at each ends to maintain its metallic away from heat pores and skin on a cold evening. The boys’s mannequin, accessible with left zipper solely, can be ready to connect with the right-zippered ladies’s mannequin for a double sleeping bag.

Extra Considerate Options

Ever woken up at 3 AM with chilly, moist ft as a result of the footbox of the sleeping bag was touching the within of the tent and absorbed condensation?  That’s not a enjoyable expertise!  The Disco 15 encompasses a waterproof/breathable footbox to forestall this case, which is a very nice contact as a result of not solely are moist ft uncomfortable however permitting them to be dry at evening alleviates maceration and helps the pores and skin be much less blister-prone.

When the temperatures drop, maintaining batteries heat is necessary to protect the efficiency of the chemical reactions that ship energy.  The Disco 15 has a small pocket over the left shoulder that may retailer them in an insulated spot.  The pocket was enough to retailer a telephone, a USB energy pack, and some AAs.

One other function I notably like on the Disco 15 is the pocket within the head space that may maintain a pillow or be full of clothes for further padding beneath the pinnacle.  This retains the pillow firmly in place no matter twists and turns, and it’s in the best place to offer correct help to the pinnacle.

Comparable Down Sleeping Baggage

Advice

The NEMO Disco 15 sleeping bag affords luxe comforts, prolonged versatility, and well-considered design, at the price of elevated weight.  It’s an ideal alternative for the facet sleeper or those that really feel confined in a mummy bag.  Its thermal regulation options prolong its vary, making it a good selection for an extended journey that has each hotter and chillier nights.  The additional touches of the pillow pocket and waterproof/breathable footbox present NEMO’s consideration to element.  Whereas heavier than many comparable luggage, the additional weight could make the distinction between getting a snug evening’s sleep or not, particularly in case you’re a facet sleeper.

Disclosure: REI donated a sleeping bag for overview.

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