Thanks to innovators like Cam Brensinger, of Nemo Equipment, who also contributed to the design of NASA’s Bio-Suit for the exploration of Mars, we’re now seeing sleeping bags engineered in entirely new and better ways.

Paul and I found the perfect opportunity to test Nemo’s new Strato Loft 25 dual sleeping bag system (with the Cosmo Air pads) on a recent moto-camping trip up the California coast and into the high elevations of the Sequoia National Park. Several days at altitudes as high as 8,000 feet, along with cold and rainy weather conditions during onslaught of winter, proved to be a good capabilities test.

The bags are constructed of 700 fill Power Down with DownTek, a nanotechnology treatment that makes the down water-repellant with anti-bacterial and anti-microbial protection. With the integrated foot pump, the Cosmo Air three-inch pad inflates in two quick minutes. It’s then stuffed into an integrated sleeve in the bag—a feature that keeps the pad in place and ensures that it doesn’t wander away from you during the night. The Strato Loft 25 is designed to allow two single bags to be zipped together to make one large, twoperson mono-bag. It’s a very comfortable system with the single exception that there’s about a four-inch space between the pads (that I fondly referred to as the “Darien Gap”).

Waterproof and breathable, combined with a roomy rectangular cut, and a “foot-box” to accommodate those of us with large peds, the Strato has features that’ll thrill any “non-mummy” sleeping adventurer who battles condensation build-up from single-walled tents. Also, the never-before-seen insulated “blanket fold” can be tucked in to block out drafts. During the freezing 30°F temps we experienced, the top fold-over downfilled cocoon for the head kept my upper body cozy. Because we didn’t have the Cosmo insulated version of pad, which is the key to keeping this bag reaching its 25°F rating, we had to add additional insulation under the pad to keep the cold temps from sneaking up through the ground. However, this is the case for all pad-in-sleeve sleeping bag systems.

Packing? We used a separately-purchased compression sack that compacted both bags into a tight 12" x 14" ball. Despite their built-in pumps, the two pads also pack down to a relatively small and motorcycle-friendly bundle.

The Nemo Strato Loft 25 bags and Cosmo Air pad dual sleeping bag combination has the most thought-out design of any two-in-one system we’ve seen. Not only is it comfortable but it also meets the size needs of campers up to ~6'5". This rugged, feature-packed system makes it a near-ideal balance between comfort and weight for the adventure motorcycling couple— but with the convenience and economy of being a perfect single bag solution as well. MSRP: $369.95 bag, $139.95 pad NemoEquipment.com

STRATO LOFT 25 SLEEPING BAGS

COSMO AIR PAD