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Nemo Tuo Luxury Self Inflating Pad

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Nemo Tuo Luxury Self Inflating Sleep Mat Review

Norwegian beds are an acquired taste, having a wooden frame and a thin foam mattress rather like a Zed Bed. For those of us, like myself that have had back injuries, I found this combination rather uncomfortable.

So I turned off the heating in the bedroom, left it on in the bathroom so the pipes would not freeze, opened all the windows and inflated my Tuo Luxury and put it down on the concrete floor.

As I am 6 foot 3 inches tall, I found the mat supported my entire frame and left enough room to sleep on my side without slipping onto the floor.

With my down sleeping bag, a Western Mountaineering Puma, also from Beyond Hope I enjoyed an excellent night’s sleep, so much so that I used this combination for the rest of the week.

I got a surprise the next morning though, when I got up and went into the bathroom, to see frost on my eyebrows!

The Tuo is also available as a half mat and a mummy shape mat to save size and weight.

I see that Web Togs are selling the Tuo luxury for £50 with free delivery, which is a bargain.

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When I went to Norway back in February, I took the Tuo Luxury Self Inflating Sleep pad from Nemo as part of my kit.

Nemo is represented over here by Beyond Hope and is available in outdoors retailers throughout the UK.

The Tuo pad has a rather clever and unique design, comprising two separate chambers, one for the base and one for the top. This means that you can pump up the base as hard as your lungs will allow and then do the same with the top layer. Then here comes the clever bit, you can lay on top of the mat and gently release air from the top layer until you feel comfortable.

This would really come into its own wild camping or on expedition. Even when you prepare your pitching site carefully, sometimes you can miss a buried stone or a root and only find out when it is too late. The base of the Tuo irons out these problems. Leaving the top layer to provide the comfort. In the event of a puncture the top layer also provides redundancy.

There is a repair kit supplied, but be warned it does not come with any glue. According to the supplied instructions, you should buy some at the hardware store!

The mat is not all that light at 56 ounces, or 1.6kg and is about the size of a winter sleeping bag at 13 x 7 inches, when rolled up.

However, if you are going somewhere very cold, as I did, or you want to make sure that you wake from a good night’s sleep without being as stiff as a board, then the extra ounces, might well be worth your while.

I had hoped to test the Tuo out wild camping in Norway, but my trip did not go according to plan due to illness, but before I succumbed to the dreaded lurgy, I did get a chance to try out the Tuo.

I live in a remote stone cottage in North Wales and sleep with the windows open and the heating turned off. There are no neighbours, so the only sounds I hear are the tumbling waters of the stream outside the window, or the occasional calls of an owl or fox.

On arrival at the remote ski lodge in Norway, the outside temperature was -42C, whilst the inside temperature, with the central heating roaring away was an oppressive 90C.

Dawn Smith - Ed

Nemo Web Page

SRP £100

Nemo Tuo Luxury Self Inflating pad measures 76 inches x 25 and just under 2 ½ inches thick when fully inflated

The mat, pictured here on the kitchen floor, prior to flying out to Norway, is easy to deflate by opening the valves and rolling it up and pressing out the air. Then secure the attached velcro strap and you have a bundle 13 inches x 7 weighing 56 ounces or, 1.6kg