The NEMO Kayu 15 is a down-insulated mummy sleeping bag designed for three-season backpacking and tenting. Weighing 2 lbs 3 oz, the Kayu is just not the lightest weight sleeping bag in its class, however it has a number of options that differentiate it from comparable sleeping baggage with the identical temperature ranking. Chief amongst these are particular thermo-regulation gills on the chest that allow you to vent it in hotter climate with out having to crack open the aspect zipper and let in chilling drafts. It additionally has waterproof/breathable material on the hood and footbox to forestall tent condensation from degrading the bag’s insulation, since these are the components of the sleeping bag probably to be affected.
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Specs at a Glance
- Gender: Men’s
- Tested Lower Limit: 17F / -8C
- Tested Comfort Limit: 27F /-3C
- Insulation: 800 fill energy
- Water-Resistant Down: Yes
- Weight: 2 lbs 3 oz / 992g (Actual weight is 2 lbs 4 oz)
- Down Fill Weight: 17 oz / 480 g
- Length: 72 inches examined (78″ additionally out there)
- Girth: Shoulder (63″), Hip (55″), Footbox (46″)
- Compressed Volume: 5.9L
- Compression Sack Weight: 3.3 oz (included)
- Storage Bag: Included
- Fabric: 20D nylon ripstop with DWR on the shell, 30D nylon taffeta lining, and a 40D nylon ripstop waterproof/breathable footbox.
Sleeping Bag Features
Unlike NEMO’s spoon-shaped baggage that are designed for aspect sleepers, the Kayu is primarily designed for again sleepers who don’t roll onto their sides or curl up after they sleep. To that finish, the bag is minimize considerably slim within the chest, though roomier within the hips and foot field, to cut back the quantity of physique warmth required to warmth it up and preserve it heat when you sleep.
Feature-wise, Kayu 15 (additionally out there in a 30-degree mannequin) has the entire customary options you’d count on on a premium sleeping bag, together with:
- a beefy draft collar that covers the higher chest and again to forestall warmth from popping out the highest once you transfer round contained in the bag
- a 3/4 size, bi-directional zipper to save lots of weight, however enable versatile venting of the legs unbiased of the chest
- a two-way aspect zipper with a draft tube and taped zipper stiffeners. The draft tube prevents chilly air from leaking in between the zipper enamel whereas the stiffeners cut back the possibility of a zipper snag and ripping the inside material.
- a jacket-style insulated hood, which turns with you in the event you roll over in your aspect at night time
- an exterior zippered stash pocket to carry a headlamp at night time
Thermo-Gills
But the factor that basically units the Kayi aside of the therm-gills on its chest, that are zippered down baffles, that when opened launch warmth trapped contained in the bag to chill you off. They’re the equal of pit-zips on a rain jacket though the again of the thermo-gill is just not open however lined with a skinny piece of nylon. Still, when the thermo-gills are unzipped, a few of your core heat is launched by them. When they’re zippered closed, the insulated sides of the thermo-gill fill within the area underneath the zipper, trapping your core heat as soon as once more.
But the true worth of those Thermo-gills is that they improve the efficient temperature vary that the Kayu 15 can be utilized in by about 25-30 levels, so you need to use the identical sleeping bag from 15F as much as 40F, with out having to purchase a second hotter climate sleeping bag. That’s an enormous deal when sleeping baggage value a few hundred {dollars}.
Waterproof hood and footbox
The Kayu 15 has waterproof material on the foot field and the again of the hood to forestall tent condensation from compromising the insulation. This is a neat characteristic that makes a whole lot of sense on multi-day journeys within the spring and late autumn when tent condensation is probably to happen and could have the best influence on bag efficiency.
Comparable Down Sleeping Bags
Recommendation
The NEMO Kayu 15 is a down-insulated sleeping bag that has a a lot wider temperature vary than its identify would counsel. While it’s designed to maintain you heat in 15-degree climate, it has a temperature regulation characteristic referred to as Therm-Gills that allow you to vent heat as much as about 40 levels. That provides a level of flexibility that’s uncommon in a mummy sleeping bag.
Despite that, I’m on the fence about this bag. The Thermo-Gills are a pleasant characteristic to have and so they labored for me, they’re simply not as compelling a characteristic on the Kayu 15 as on a chilly climate bag just like the NEMO Sonic -20 and even the Sonic 0 the place cracking open the aspect zipper isn’t a really comfy different. That stated that Kayu 15 is a superbly respectable 15-degree mummy sleeping bag and a viable choice if you wish to spend lower than a dearer and lighter-weight sleeping bag for a similar temperature vary.
Disclosure: NEMO donated a sleeping bag for evaluate.
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