Skip to main content

Nemo’s Concerto Is The Sleeping Bag You Need Right Now

Nemo Concerto
Getting a good night’s rest while camping is the best way to stay ready for long days on the trail, frustratingly wily trout, or a little too much campfire bourbon. Add in a luxury sleeping pad, and you’ve got a one-way ticket to backcountry Zzzz’s. We’ve been testing the Nemo Concerto ($400) bag this fall, and after putting it through its paces for a couple dozen nights in the mountains, we’ve found our new bed of choice for chilly nights in the woods.

The Concerto is purpose built for nights where you’ll be in basecamp or car camping. At its very narrowest, the bag has a circumference of seventy-two inches – giving you some serious space to stretch out. Generous baffles house DownTek’s hydrophobic treated down. The loft will keep warmth trapped even when wet.

Nemo Puppy

The first thing you’ll notice when you slip in are the comfort additions the Nemo included. Foremost is the sheet insert. This soft, brushed fabric has dual zippers  up both sides, letting you tune your personal warmth level. The duvet-cover style top snaps in place over the sheet and has an oversized blanket flap and hood, perfect for tucking yourself in. We found it especially useful during testing when our little furry buddies decided to commandeer the Concerto for afternoon nap time.

Nemo Concerto

Rather than wrapping down around the back of the bag (where it is essentially wasted), Nemo chose rather to integrate a slip cover for sleeping pads up to twenty-five inches wide, as well as a quilted mattress liner. We augmented our Concerto with a Cosmo Insulated 25L ($160) pad, one of the plushest that Nemo builds.

Nemo Cosmo

The Cosmo features an integrated foot pump for quick insulation and a conventional valve to top it off once you’ve stretched it out a little. At four inches thick, you can sleep on the roughest ground with ease.

Cosmo Pump

Whether you’re a picky sleeper who tosses and turns in a mummy bag, or stone cold snoring machine, the combination of Concerto and Cosmo are positively the best way to get some rest in the backcountry.

Editors' Recommendations

The 7 Best Camping Hammocks to Swing Yourself to Sleep
A man relaxing on a red camping hammock by a body of water.

There is a subculture found in every group of adventurers, from minimalist thru-hikers to expedition backpackers, who swear by their trusty camping hammock. While others are pitching tents out in the open, these woodsmen suspend themselves from the trees and rock the night away. If you've never tried hammocking, it might look impractical and alien, but in truth, there is nothing quite like gently swinging in a warm breeze, reading a great adventure book, and sipping a refreshing camp cocktail. By adding mosquito netting, underquilts, and a rain fly or camping tarp, these hammocks can work as all-season outdoor shelters in almost any climate or terrain. Trust us; there really is no better way to relax in the wilderness. These are the best camping hammocks of 2022.

Read more
The 10 Best Sleeping Pads for Every Kind of Camping
A camping sleeping pad sitting outside at sunrise.

No single piece of outdoor gear has a larger impact on your sleeping comfort than your sleeping pad. Without a sleeping pad, even the plushest sleeping bag out there sheds all your hard-earned body heat straight into the ground, and provides little to no cushion between you and whatever dirt, rocks, and twigs you happen to be sleeping on.

Most sleeping pads fall into one of two categories: Camping pads and backpacking pads. Camping pads are those that focus solely on outright comfort and warmth, while backpacking pads focus on packability and lightness to save room in your back and keep weight off your back. Below we'll break down the best sleeping pads of both disciplines for 2022.

Read more
7 Best Hiking Daypacks For Every Kind of Adventure

After hiking boots or hiking shoes, a quality backpack is easily the most critical piece of equipment a hiker can take on the trail. The best backpacks can mean the difference between a great hike and a miserable one, so it’s worth investing in a good ruck that can efficiently haul everything you need while being easy on your shoulders, back, and hips across any terrain. For minimalist hikers and those who rarely overnight in the backcountry, a daypack is the way to go. These compact, lightweight alternatives to traditional outdoor backpacks are designed to carry everything you need and nothing you don’t. These are our favorite daypacks for toting your most essential gear in 2022.

Read more