NEMO - Pulse

I just bought a Nemo bag based on thread comments a few days ago. It’s a hybrid shape with more room around the hips for side sleepers. It just came today. It’s PERFECT.

You got me thinking. I might be safer to just get the Nemo then. Realistically, I doubt I will be outdoors below -20C. At least with the Nemo, it’s pretty versatile

Thanks for the feedback. I’m leaning toward the NEMO -20°F now. A few people told me to go with a -40°F to be safe, but I’d like a bag I can actually use across different conditions. I just don’t want to make the mistake of choosing the wrong one, since this is basically a lifetime purchase, at least I hope. I’m using the Tensor All-Season pad, which I believe is around an R-value of 5.5. Definitely could go higher

I got the Nemo -20!! Went on sale so I had to grab. thank you for everyones help

I vote for Nemo bags. I have 2 and love them. Perfect for side sleeping.

This. I hate mummy bags. I move too much in my sleep. My Nemo takes up a bit more space in my pack but it is so comfortable and a good night’s sleep, where I can fully roll around in my bag, is worth it. I will never go back to a mummy bag.

Nemo for sure

Spoon shape is great, arm zippers in the boost just seem drafty.

It might depend on how you're built, but I can get my leg up like that inside my Nemo bag. I have short legs, though.

I really wanted to love the Nemo, but if OP is a smaller person, Id warn they have too much dead space.

I'm a side/stomach sleeper and love my Nemo sleeping bag. I have a synthetic one and it's quite bulky, but the down ones would compress better.

This! I love the little zippers on top to help with warmer nights. A knee is always moving up or down and I have just enough room for that at 5'10.

If your biggest concern about a sleeping bag is room for your legs to move without feeling constricted, I would try out Nemo or Big Agnes sleeping bags. Both tend to have wider profiles. Definitely go for a bag that is rated at least 10 degrees lower - preferably lower - than the temps you expect to sleep in. Theres multiple problems with layering with clothing like this, one of which is not the warmth specific factor but the breathability. One or two layers is one thing, but with all the listed clothing and then something like the picture on top, you’re going to build up humidity near your body you can’t get rid of, and you’ll become even colder. Next, a sleeping bag basically creates a warm pocket of air around you. The insulation in the bag helps create and maintain this pocket. The more compressed this insulation, the worse it performs. With layering clothing, you compress the insulation, making it less effective. On top of that, insulation is minimal if not nonexistent at the seams. Some puffy jackets and “extreme temp” clothing gets around this by minimizing seams but there’s almost always a few somewhere, which means no air pockets and no warmth. If I could recommend the best case scenario for you, it would be this: find a sleeping bag you can tolerate rated to a temp appropriate for your conditions, 15F at a minimum, best scenario a 0F. Dress in only your smartwool layers, and make sure you have a good pad/sleep set up underneath you. Sources: avid outdoorsmen, backpacker in sub 20 degree temps, and former REI employee who specialized in camping gear.