Nemo Roamer Review: The Self-Inflating Mattress You Want!

The NEMO Roamer has solved your problems…and mine! After some use, it’s time for the NEMO Roamer review. Love camping, but wish you had a sleeping pad that was like your mattress at home if not better? In 2019 I was asked by my good friend Mike to accompany him on his elk hunt in Colorado. 

NEMO Roamer Review

Of the various things running through my mind on what I needed to do (i.e. Get into hunting shape…yes that’s a thing, gear, hunting clothing, studying elk habits, food, etc) I knew a top of the priority list was a goodnight sleep.  I knew he planned on some long hikes, which translates to long days in the wilderness, and I wanted to ensure my body was able to rest and recover…in order for that to be successful I needed to sleep comfortably. 

While were on the topic, be sure to check out This Years Best Roof Top Tents

Originally we were planning to hike in and setup camp, but with this being my first major hunt, Mike and I agreed to setup base camp next to his vehicle so we had ready access to additional supplies and we didn’t have to worry too much about space in our packs and what we could/could not carry with us. 

Before I go too deep into the NEMO Roamer review I want to first explain how I was introduced to NEMO Equipment.  I began my search at a local outfitters shop here in Charleston, South Carolina…Half-Moon Outfitters.  Then onto REI located in Greenville, South Carolina.  I looked at Thermarest, Megamat Duo, REI, and Nemo products they all had in the store, went home, and started the internet research. 

A few weeks later Half Moon Outfitters had invited a Nemo rep to the store for a demo so I rounded up the family and on we went….not to mention they were offering free beer! 

While the rep did not have the Roamer there for me to try, he raved about it (like a good rep should do), but told me to stick around because he was doing a give-a-way for the 3D Cosmo pad and that he felt that would meet my immediate need for the hunting trip.  The give-a-away entailed who could pump the 3D Cosmo pad via the integrated foot pad the fastest…low and behold after 7 contestants tried, I was victorious!!!! 

Now I do not want to take anything away from the 3D Cosmo pad, but this just was not going to cut it for me.  I needed something a bit more thicker and comfortable.  Call me boujee, but this was an important comfort feature for me with the amount of hiking and walking we were about to be doing each day…not to mention I had never done anything like this before.

NEMO Roamer Purchase

After conducting all my research, I decided on the Roamer Self-Inflating Mattress from Nemo Equipment (link here).  What initially caught my attention was the pack downsize, I keep space (inside my vehicle) as a top-rated criterion when looking at gear.  I was not just buying this for the hunting trip, but for any future camping or overlanding trip, or for the kids when we had guests in town. 

NEMO Roamer Size and Weight

I also was concerned about the cold weather we would encounter, I wanted something that would be well insulated from the cold ground as we would be tent camping.  After watching the video offered by Nemo, and the lifetime warranty, I decided to take the plunge and ordered two of the long-wide (76”x25”x4”)…which when combined would equate to roughly a full-size bed for later trips with the family. 

Once they arrived like any respectable human being receiving their package in the mail, I quickly opened it to find a pad that was not only extremely comfortable, but easily transportable.  Holy cow!  After allowing it to self-inflate, I gave it a couple more breaths of air to firm it up and down I went.  Now, I’m 5’11” and weigh roughly 155lbs, am primarily a stomach and side sleeper, and can honestly say I was blown away. 

The top layer of the pad is soft which was an immediate upgrade from the various other sleeping pads I had experienced in the past.  With both pads inflated and the kids and I enjoying the excitement, it was time to calm down and go over these pads with a fine tooth comb. 

Now I will admit that my initial excitement would have me saying that this was the best product since slice bread, but it needed a field test to provide a true assessment.  After convincing the wife it was time for a weekend camping trip. We and we headed off to Greenville, SC to explore some hiking trails and do some lake swimming. 

The pack down was relatively easy.  Open the deflation valve, do a quick roll to get out the majority of the air, unroll, fold to the dimensions of the carrying bag (use the toggles to connect for a cleaning roll), run the included strap around for securing the roll, insert into the bag and finished.  Seems like a lot of steps, but it does go by quick. 

NEMO Roamer Real World Use

We arrived at camp right before lunch and I began to get everything setup while the kids went out to explore.  The beauty of these pads…simply pull out of the bag, unroll, open the inflation valve and let it do its thing.  Now you will have to throw a couple of breaths in their to get it to the right firmness you wish to achieve, but it is better than hearing that loud buzzing noise of inflating an air mattress. 

Because the wife and I were going to be sleeping on these, the next step was to connect both pads to one another.  This is where I will have to admit I was a little disappointed.  Yes, they are functional and they hold both pads together quite well, but it was a pain to connect.  After a few attempts I quickly realized to get the bottom toggles connected to place the pads back to back and then once connected unfold.  Then once laid out flat, connect the top toggles. 

After spending two nights sleeping on this pad, I knew I had what I was looking for.  Even my wife (who is hard to please concerning comfort at camp) really enjoyed sleeping on it. 

I could not stop there however, as I wanted some other opinions and different sized individuals to test them out.  I asked my father-in-law and a close friend, who are 6’ and 6’2” respectively, with a sizeable weight difference to give a try for a couple of nights. 

My father-in-law is a back sleeper, and my friend is a side sleeper.  Both of them had nothing but great things to say about the quality and comfort of the pads.  While both of them wished they had something like this on their camping and hunting adventures, it was my friend who was not impressed by the price tag.  My father-in-law has even considered using this as an option for truck bed camping on shorter hunting trips…he has a nice hunting rig that he uses for him and his buddies. 

All in all this pad is luxurious.  It is enough to look past the toggle connections, and for me, it was enough to look past the price tag. Unfortunately for us, the hunting trip was called off due to an injury sustained while training.  This did not stop me however from getting a feel for what it would be like to sleep on the pad in colder conditions.  It was a cold rainy weekend in Charleston, with the temperatures dropping into the 30s. 

I sent up the tent in the backyard, deployed the sleeping pads, and my daughter and I gave them another field test.  The pad provided optimum insulation from the ground keeping us both warm, and I slept rock solid through the night.  My daughter on the other hand kept waking up from random car traffic coming through our neighborhood all night. 

Wrap Up

Huge shout out to NEMO for this product!  The best part about all of this is I can use these pads anywhere.  While at home for the kids’ sleepovers, to the park to layout on under a tree, camping, hunting, you name it.  Another item in the house is multi-use and takes up very little space. Well, that’s it, I hope you enjoyed this Nemo Roamer Review and this helped you make a decision in your off-grid sleeping gear selection. Grab yours here.