NEMO Riff 15 vs Exped Ultra 30
In short: The NEMO Riff 15 is rated 26 °F colder on the figure each maker publishes; the Exped Ultra 30 saves 16.5 oz.
| Spec | NEMO Riff 15 | Exped Ultra 30 |
|---|---|---|
| Approx. price | ~$400 | ~$400 |
| ISO comfort | not published | 43 °F |
| ISO limit | 17 °F | 34 °F |
| Rating on the label | 15 °F | 30 °F |
| Honesty gap | — | 13 °F |
| Rating standard | ISO 23537 | ISO 23537 |
| Weight | 2 lb 7 oz | 1 lb 6.5 oz |
| Warmth per ounce | — | 0.76 °F/oz |
| Fill | 800 fill power down | 850 fill power down |
| Fill weight | not published | not published |
| Loft budget | — | — |
| Shape | mummy | mummy |
| Shoulder girth | not published | 58 in |
| Zipper | full | half |
| Shell fabric | Recycled polyester ripstop, C0 DWR | Recycled 10D ripstop nylon, bluesign approved |
| Hydrophobic down | Yes | No |
| Packed size | 6.2 L | 5.9 × 6.7 × 7.9 in |
Shaded cells mark the row where one has a measurable advantage. Weight, thickness, girth and shape are left unshaded on purpose: heavier is sometimes tougher, wider is sometimes warmer, and calling a winner on those would be an opinion dressed as a measurement.
What each one does well, and costs you
NEMO Riff 15
- 800-fill down cuts four ounces and half a litre off the Disco at the same rated temperature.
- Keeps the Spoon shape, so it is still the side sleeper's bag — just a trimmer version of it.
- ISO lower limit of 17 °F published.
- Thermo Gills let a warm night be survived without unzipping the whole bag.
- $400 against the Disco's $300 for four ounces — the most expensive ounces in this catalogue.
- Only two lengths and no wide option, unlike the Disco's four sizes.
- Like every NEMO bag here, the ISO comfort figure is not published.
- The trimmer cut undoes some of the Spoon's point if you were buying it for room.
Exped Ultra 30
- Publishes comfort (43 °F), limit (34 °F) and extreme (7 °F) side by side, which is full disclosure even though the headline number flatters it.
- 22.5 ounces for a hooded down bag with 850-fill RDS down.
- A genuine wide option at 64-inch shoulder girth, and published girth figures for every size.
- Recycled bluesign-approved 10-denier shell.
- Same price in every size, including the wide.
- The 30 in the name is thirteen degrees off the ISO comfort figure — the largest gap in this catalogue.
- The down is not treated with a hydrophobic finish, which matters more on a bag this light.
- 10-denier shell is fragile.
- $400 for what is, on the lab numbers, a 43-degree summer bag.