I’ve spent my backpacking life cocooned in close-fitting, mummy-shaped sleeping bags which, while saving weight, allow little wriggle room. I was curious, then, to try the Nemo Disco 15’s Classic Spoon shape’s promise of spacious comfort and a relaxed kip.
The Nemo Disco 15 is probably the roomiest bag I’ve used, so much so that I felt a tad overwhelmed, not helped by the neckline “Blanket Fold” draught collar designed to be tucked in for warmth or flipped out to dissipate it: it’s effective but I disliked having that large flap at my chin. The hood was spaciously enveloping, its cord lock – anchored on the collar’s outer rim – fiddly.
John Manning’s verdict
The Disco 15 is probably the roomiest bag I’ve used, so much so that I felt a tad overwhelmed- Price
- Anti-snag main zip
- Weight
- Small fiddly Thermo Gill zips
- Blanket fold
- Excessively roomy
| Quick specs | |
|---|---|
| Price: £319.99 regular, £339.99 long Weight: 1341g (1430g + 89g) (on JM’s scales, regular length) Fill: 650 FP hydrophobic, PFAS-free, Responsible Down Standard-certified down Shell: 30D Nylon Ripstop with DWR; footbox, 40D nylon ripstop with DWR Construction: Stitched-through vertical tubes Zip: Two-way full-length YKK anti-snag zipper (left on men’s bags, right on women’s) Length: 183cm/72 inches (Regular), 198cm/78 inches (Long) Rating: -4°C/25°F (max -9°C/15°F) Sizes: Regular/Long Supplied with: Compressible stuff sack (unsealed seams) and storage bag Women/Men’s version: Both URL: www.nemoequipment.eu |
Torso vents – “Thermo Gills” – enable temperature regulation within the Nemo Disco 15; a thin insulated layer behind ensures they don’t admit draughts. Their zips, however, are positioned on the bag’s outer – I had to reach outside the bag to adjust them, risking releasing warmth or letting in cold – and they’re tiny, not easily located or grasped in the dark. Lacking the wonderful anti-snag tech found on the bag’s main, near-full length zip, they occasionally caught the fabric.
Men’s and women’s bags can be linked by connecting the main zips: men’s zips on the left, women’s on the right, a configuration some might find irksome.
Since sending the Disco 15 sample, Nemo has rebranded it as the Endless Promise Disco 15, and material changes have resulted in a 100% recyclable bag. That Spoon shape is retained, along with Thermo Gills and Blanket Fold, and ratings remain unchanged, but 15D nylon lining has been upgraded to 100% post-consumer recycled/recyclable polyester ripstop; hood and footbox are also in recycled/recyclable waterproof/breathable polyester; even the zip chain is polyester (thought the slider is zinc). According to Nemo’s stats, the Endless Promise is just 12g heavier.
The caveat is that the bag must be returned to Nemo for recycling. In the US, Nemo has partnered with down and fabric recycling partners; similar UK/EU partnerships are anticipated for spring 2024. Nemo also works with US second-hand resale operation Trove (a little like Patagonia’s Worn Wear programme) to find serviceable bags new homes.
