“Imagine putting your product up against a panel of 20 judges—some of them NASA scientists—in hopes it wins an award,” said Outdoor Retailer Daily’s Eugene Buchanan. That’s exactly what the team from NEMO did when they entered their 2020 Flyer™ self-inflating baffled air pad in the 2nd annual Outdoor Retailer Innovation Award competition. Of the 174 brands that entered, just 15 products were bestowed the coveted award. Entries were rated across four categories: Spark, Desire, Function and Impact.
“We are really appreciative of this honor. At NEMO, we have a commitment to bring only new ideas to market, and going down new paths brings both opportunity and challenge,” said founder and CEO, Cam Brensinger. “The Outdoor Retailer show has always been one of our most important tools for sharing our brand message and products. The Innovation Awards have really added another level of reward for brands doing the hard work of keeping this industry fresh and exciting. Thank you OR!”
Sleeping pads have long fallen into two categories: air pads and self-inflating pads. Each approach has its own strengths and weaknesses. NEMO has taken a radical new approach with its patent pending Flyer™ pad series that combines the best aspects of both designs. Utilizing sculpted foam, NEMO has combined the thickness of an air pad with the cushioning, support and coziness of a foam-filled pad.
“We approached Flyer™ with an entirely new construction method,” said NEMO Product Developer, Spar Patton. “NEMO is using a unique CNC cutting machine to produce undulating shapes in foam instead of the flat slabs that form the basis of a traditional self-inflating pad. The undulating cross-sections nest together perfectly to produce zero waste in production. Each undulation, or baffle, is hollowed out in the machining process to produce an air cell. The valleys between the baffles are left solid foam to provide protection from bottoming out, very similar to a progressive spring in an automobile. The sculpting and hollowing amounts to removing 60% of the foam from the total volume of the pad, which is substantially more foam removal than the industry has achieved with more traditional drilling and slicing operations. The result is a very lightweight, but self-inflating pad that has the appearance and behavior of an air pad. In fact, the characteristics of Flyer™ are the most comfortable in its category: it has an initial yield as you begin to press down on it which creates a plushness with a progressive support that keeps you comfortably above the uneven ground below.”
The finish details of Flyer™ are also unique to NEMO with proprietary zero-profile, multi-functional, micro-adjustable valves that enable fine tuning and fast inflation/deflation.
SPECS:
R value: 3.3
72” X 20” X 2”
23 oz.
packed size: 10” x 6.5”
20D PU Polyester
NEMO’s 2020 product line is now available at nemoequipment.com and at retailers across the US. In addition to Flyer™, the line includes new and updated tents and Spoon™ shaped sleeping bags, along with the new Stargaze™ Camp Chair and updated Helio™ Pressure Shower. To find your local dealer, click here.
