NEMO Tempo 20 vs Marmot Trestles Elite Eco 20
In short: The NEMO Tempo 20 costs $19 less; the NEMO Tempo 20 is rated 3 °F colder on the figure each maker publishes; the Marmot Trestles Elite Eco 20 saves 1.6 oz.
| Spec | NEMO Tempo 20 | Marmot Trestles Elite Eco 20 |
|---|---|---|
| Approx. price | ~$170 | ~$189 |
| ISO comfort | not published | 24 °F |
| ISO limit | 21 °F | 12 °F |
| Rating on the label | 20 °F | 20 °F |
| Honesty gap | — | 4 °F |
| Rating standard | ISO 23537 | ISO 23537 |
| Weight | 3 lb 10 oz | 3 lb 8.4 oz |
| Warmth per ounce | — | 0.64 °F/oz |
| Fill | Synthetic | Synthetic |
| Fill weight | not published | not published |
| Loft budget | — | — |
| Shape | mummy | mummy |
| Shoulder girth | not published | not published |
| Zipper | full | full |
| Shell fabric | 50D recycled polyester ripstop, C0 DWR | 100% recycled polyester |
| Hydrophobic down | — | — |
| Packed size | 12.9 L | not published |
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 Tempo 20
- $170 for a bag with a published ISO figure is the cheapest lab-rated entry in this catalogue.
- 50-denier shell is more than twice the fabric of most backpacking bags — it will survive a tent floor and a dog.
- Synthetic fill that keeps working damp, and no special storage requirements.
- Spoon shape and Thermo Gills carried down from the more expensive bags.
- 58 ounces and 12.9 litres packed is a car-camping bag, no matter what the shape suggests.
- The ISO limit of 21 °F is a survival figure; the comfortable range is more like the mid-30s.
- Only two lengths, no wide option.
- Lower-grade synthetic fill will pack out faster than the Forte's.
Marmot Trestles Elite Eco 20
- ISO comfort of 24 °F for $189 — the cheapest genuinely warm lab-rated bag in this catalogue.
- 100% recycled shell and HL-ElixR Eco fill, which is unusual at this price.
- Synthetic insulation keeps working wet, and doesn't need the careful storage down does.
- A second short zip at the foot lets you vent without opening the whole bag.
- 56.4 ounces — three and a half pounds, and it packs big.
- Synthetic fill loses loft with repeated compression faster than down does.
- Marmot publishes neither fill weight nor shoulder girth.
- Only the Regular's figures were verifiable from published sources; the rest of the size run is not tabulated here.