What is the Riff 30?The Riff sits at the top of the NEMO tree and is aimed squarely at those looking for a bag that's as warm as it is lightweight. Despite the low weight and high warmth, it doesn't scrimp on features.
What is it made of?Insulation: The key to the Riff's low weight is primarily down to the use of its ultra-high-quality 800 fill-power, hydrophobically treated, PFC-free, 100% RDS-certified down. There's a lot of information there, so let's break it down a little. Fill-power relates to the loft or 'fluffiness' of the down; the higher the fill, the more space it will occupy and the warmer it'll be. 800 fill-power is about as high as it gets, so you're getting some of the warmest, most packable insulation available. Down, unfortunately, doesn't cope well with moisture in its raw form, so NEMO have given it a hydrophobic treatment; this means it'll loft better and provide more warmth than an untreated bag if it happens to get a little soggy. PFC-free means it doesn't contain any harmful chemicals that'll break down and pollute the ground/air over time. Lastly, RDS (responsible down standard) ensures the down has been collected from birds that haven't been mistreated, live-plucked or lived in inhumane conditions.
Fabrics: Surrounding all of this luxurious down is a lightweight 20D ripstop nylon fabric with a durable water repellent coating. The combination of high-quality insulation and lightweight outer fabrics results in a bag which weighs just under a kilo yet features a comfort limit rating of -1°C. To further enhance the bag's weather-resistance, both the hood and footbox are lined with a fully waterproof 40D ripstop nylon, ensuring condensation from your tent doesn't spoil your night. Finally, the lining fabric is a 30D nylon with a softer, more comfortable finish.
What are its features?You'll notice the front of the bag has two coloured slits — these are actually vents which regulate the internal temperature on warmer nights without letting drafts in. Other features include an external draft collar and tube running down beside the zip to trap warmth inside and seal out cold winds.
How does it fit?The Riff features NEMO's 'ultralight spoon' fit, meaning it's a little trimmer than some of their other bags around your core to maximise performance, but still features plenty of wiggle room around the shoulders and lower legs.
- High-quality insulation
- Draft collar and zip tube
- Thermo Gill zipper vents
- Responsibly sourced 800FP down
- Hydrophobically treated
- Waterproof hood & footbox
- Lightweight ripstop main fabric
- Soft internal fabric
- 'Ultralight spoon' fit
How warm a sleeping bag do you really need? We’ve tried to help you by grouping our sleeping bags by their recognised comfort ratings. These are the ratings supplied by the brands that indicate the temperature at which you will remain comfortable whilst sleeping on an insulated sleep mat. After all, comfort is what you want when it’s cold and wet outside, and you’re all tucked up in your nice warm sleeping bag.
We always recommend that you choose your bag according to the coldest conditions you will experience; you can always unzip a bag if it is too warm, but trying to sleep when you’re too cold is just miserable. Bear in mind that we are all individuals, so we all feel the cold differently and that our own resistance will fluctuate depending on a whole load of factors, including how much we have eaten, whether we have consumed alcohol, whether we need a wee or what kind of mood we are in!
Sleeping bags do not generate heat; they only trap the heat we produce, so it is vital that you get into your bag when you are giving off warmth, don’t go to bed when you are cold, have a hot meal or a hot drink or do some brisk exercise to get you nicely warmed up.
Traditionally sleeping bag manufacturers provided their own temperature ratings based on their experience, the product's intended end-use and the perceived environment. However, each brand tested their bags in different ways, and it was hard to find a fair comparison between models. So, in 2005 a European standard for sleeping bag temperature ratings, EN 13537, was introduced to give consumers a comparable guide to sleeping bag performance across a range of brands and models. The ratings have four different temperature ratings to give you an indication of the bag's performance.
Comfort Rating: This is the temperature at which an average female should experience a comfortable night’s sleep. On average, women sleep colder than men, so this rating is some degrees above the "comfort lower limit" for a man.
Comfort Limit Rating: This is the lowest temperature at which an average male should experience a comfortable night’s sleep whilst laid down in a curled up position.
Extreme: This is a survival rating where the user is likely to suffer health damage such as Hypothermia. It should be treated with the utmost caution and not be relied on for general use.
However, the EN 13537 European Standard does not apply to down-filled sleeping bags with a fill weight of more than 800g; for those bags, you will have to rely on the manufacturer's experience and technical expertise, which is often more accurate!
Most reputable brands still use their own rating system alongside EN 13537, for instance, Mountain Equipment's “Good Night’s Sleep” and Rab’s “Sleep Limit”. These ratings are often the most accurate guide to the overall performance of a sleeping bag being used by an average outdoor enthusiast because they are based on years of expedition heritage, field trials, technological experience, and constant feedback.
But please bear in mind that all ratings are only a guide and, as mentioned earlier, there are a huge range of factors that can affect your comfort; if you are just not sure, it is always wise to go for a warmer model.
The biggest difference you can make to your overall comfort is to use an efficiently insulated sleeping mat. Once you get inside your sleeping bag, you instantly compress all the filling beneath you, greatly reducing its efficiency. Therefore using a quality sleep mat will ensure you are properly insulated from the cold ground, and you will be a lot more comfortable... Basically, there is no point in buying a top-quality sleeping bag if you are just going to lie down on the floor.