NEMO Equipment announced today the donation of 1,600 Kyan and the women’s specific Azura sleeping bags to Big City Mountaineers (BCM). BCM serves underserved youths by guiding them on expeditions designed to stretch their comfort zones. And with an additional 1,600 premium quality sleeping bags, NEMO’s generosity will greatly aid in these efforts.
“Big City Mountaineers and their program partners are leaders in breaking down barriers to outdoor access,” said Mike Welch, VP of Global Sales for NEMO. “We’ve been donating a portion of our
sales over the Labor Day Holiday for the last two years to support their mission to get more kids outside. We are incredibly excited to be able to support them further by providing gear that will enable adventures and learning outside for a new generation of students.”
1,600 sleeping bags is a huge burden for a brand the size of NEMO; this donation was made possible by a serendipitous manufacturing error and NEMO’s desire to make something positive out of a negative. The bags were manufactured correctly and met all of the brand’s tight specifications, but the factory affixed the wrong labels. Instead of wasting a huge amount of resources by shipping all the bags back and replacing these labels, NEMO seized the opportunity to contribute to one of their favorite organizations.
The Kyan and Azura bags are first quality, still carry the NEMO lifetime warranty, and utilize the patent-pending FeatherCore construction. FeatherCore takes advantage of PrimaLoft Silver insulation in a way that reduces packed size by 40%. These bags also employ NEMO’s trademark ThermoGills to provide an expanded temperature range.
“We are so grateful for NEMO’s support over the years, and the thoughtfulness of this contribution is a testament to their company culture,” said Bryan Martin, Executive Director for Big City Mountaineers. “Having the technical gear to keep kids safe, warm, and dry when they are being introduced to the outdoors is critical to a successful BCM trip and ensures that the experience will be the start of a lifelong connection to nature. Through NEMO’s generosity, we can spread this donation across 16 partner organizations who share our mission.”