NEMO unfurls its first recyclable sleeping bag

Outdoor gear has historically not been very friendly to the environment that it encourages you to go and enjoy. But outdoor gear maker NEMO aims to change that and has announced its first-ever fully recyclable sleeping bag. The company wanted to get a more eco-friendly bag to consumers faster, so it opted to redesign its already popular three-season Spoon shaped bag instead of creating something entirely new. The bag also is the first in NEMO’s Endless Promise series, which Nemo says is a step toward its goal of cutting emissions intensity in half by 2030. We love to see companies making tangible moves to be more environmentally responsible and have high hopes for this bag.

NEMO Forte

NEMO

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The redesigned Forte is now made using a single material family and is 100% recyclable. It is made up of a recycled liner, bluesign-approved shell fabric, and Zerofiber PCR insulation, which is made from 100% post-consumer recycled materials. As is typically the benefit of synthetic insulation, it maintains loft and warmth even when wet. And it packs down small to save space. 

The new Forte gets NEMO’s Classic Spoon shape, providing extra room at the shoulders and knees for side sleepers. It also features upgraded Thermo Gill vents with a multistage zipper system to expand the usable temperature range of the bag and overall improve comfort. Hot sleepers and warm-weather campers can rejoice about better temperature control. When the weather is cold, the Blanket Fold draft collar will help to keep out cold air. An integrated pillow pocket will keep your pillow in the right place while you sleep. The full-length double slider YKK zipper makes it easy to get in and out. And it can be zipped together with a sleeping bag with a zipper on the opposite side to create a double sleeping bag.

The Forte is available in men’s and women’s versions in two different lengths and either 20- or 35-degree temperature ratings. Pricing ranges from $179.95 to $239.95, depending on what length and temperature rating you go with. They are available now on NEMO’s website and will be available for purchase at retailers worldwide in June 2023. We suspect this will likely be our favorite sustainable sleeping bag, and we’re eager to test it as we refresh our coverage of camping essentials. 

Endless Promise program details

With the launch of the NEMO Forte, the company is also announcing its newest sustainability program. The Endless Promise product line aims to take “responsibility for the entire life cycle of each product.” That starts with reducing resource consumption and ends with keeping gear out of landfills. As a result, products in this series are specifically designed to be repairable, resellable, and recyclable. 

And NEMO plans to incentivize people to take part in this program. When you are done with a new Forte sleeping bag, you can send it back to NEMO for either resale or recycling. If the bag is in good enough condition to be reused, you will receive a NEMO gift card for the resale value of the bag. If the bag instead needs to be recycled, a $20 NEMO gift card will be sent as a thank you for recycling. For bags that go the recycled route, NEMO partnered up with Unifi, a textile recycler, to turn Forte bags into Repreve polyester yarns so that they can live on.