John Muir famously set off for the mountains with “some bread and tea in a pair of blankets with some sugar and a tin cup.” I like his ultralight spirit and disdain for consolation on the path, however I might be keen to wager that if Muir have been round immediately, he’d carry a superb down sleeping bag with him, if for no different motive than they’re lighter than previous blankets. The tea is crucial although, I am unable to argue with that.
Whether or not you are following Muir into the backcountry, are planning the proper household tenting journey, or are trekking the Camino de Santiago, there is a sleeping bag for that. Irrespective of the way you journey, the place you are headed, or how a lot consolation you search, after years of testing, we have discovered the most effective sleeping baggage for everybody.
Adrienne So, Martin Cizmar, and Matt Jancer contributed to this information.
Make sure you learn via our different outside guides, together with the Finest Sleeping Pads, Finest Tents, Finest Camp Stoves, and our Camp Cooking information.
Desk of Contents
- Finest for Backpackers: Mountain {Hardware} Bishop Move 15
- Finest for Automobile Campers: REI Siesta Hooded 20
- Finest All-in-One Sleep System: Zenbivy Mattress
- Finest Ultralight: Sea to Summit Spark 15
- Finest for Facet Sleepers: Therm-a-Relaxation Questar 20
- Finest for Heat Climate: Marmot NanoWave 45
- Finest For Spring and Fall Journeys: Magma 15 Sleeping Bag
- Finest Expedition Bag: Rab Expedition 1000
- Finest Quilt: Therm-a-rest Vesper 32
- Finest for Children: REI Kindercone
- Finest Artificial Bag: Marmot Extremely Elite 20
- How one can Decide the Good Sleeping Bag
- How We Examined
- What All The Phrases Imply
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The Finest Sleeping Bag for Backpackers
Mountain {Hardware}’s Bishop Move 15 provides the most effective warmth-to-weight ratio whereas additionally managing to pack down small and never be too costly. It is not good, but it surely strikes the most effective compromise for many backpackers, being heat sufficient for the shoulder seasons and light-weight sufficient (2 kilos and 5.four ounces) that you just will not thoughts it even once you barely want it in the summertime. I’ve slept on this bag for greater than two weeks, with nighttime temps starting from 28°F to 65°F, and, sure, it was an excessive amount of within the warmth as a sleeping bag. However on these hotter nights, I unzipped it and lined myself like a heat blanket. For the whole lot else, I slept very nicely. It is a versatile bag.
The Bishop Move 15 makes use of 650 fill energy down wrapped in a 20-denier waterproof ripstop nylon shell. (Word: You may typically see 20-denier written as 20D; see under for extra on what these phrases imply.) One of many nice issues about this bag is the draft collar and face gasket characteristic, which does an ideal job of holding your head heat. With the drawcord cinched down, you’ll be able to preserve much more physique warmth. This is likely one of the few baggage I’ve examined the place I did not really feel the necessity for a hat. The insulation does a superb job of staying the place it ought to; I did not discover any unhealthy chilly spots on this bag.
My solely gripe about this bag is that it is tight—there’s not a lot room for something however me. That makes it environment friendly and retains you hotter, however this isn’t a superb possibility when you’re on the lookout for one thing roomy (see the Therm-a-Relaxation Questar under). I additionally do not love the zipper. The pull glows at the hours of darkness, which is nice, and the zipper would not snag a lot, however in my expertise, it additionally would not pull as simply as others. Nonetheless, these are minor gripes a few bag that will get the remaining proper.
Specs:
- Temp score: 15°F/-9°C
- Consolation score: 26°F/-3°C
- Fill: 650 Fill Energy Down
The Finest Sleeping Bag for Automobile Campers
Automobile-camping sleeping baggage aren’t a spot to spend a number of cash. Ought to your finest efforts to cocoon heat round you fail, there may be, in spite of everything, a automobile to retreat to. That is why we love the REI Siesta Hooded 20—it is a lot heat and reasonably priced. It is also not a mummy bag, since you’re not climbing Denali; why cramp your self if you do not have to? The Siesta’s rectangular minimize makes for a a lot roomier, extra snug bag. The Siesta is manufactured from recycled polyester all through, with a polyester filling. Regardless of that, the liner on this bag is noticeably softer than many others on this information.
The Siesta’s 20-degree score makes it sufficient for three-season journeys, and in contrast to most rectangular baggage, the Siesta has a hood, which helps on these chilly nights. What makes this such a flexible bag, although, is the double zipper system. There is a full-length zipper, which implies you’ll be able to flip it right into a quilt on hotter nights, and there is additionally a second partial-length zipper on the opposite facet so you’ll be able to have extra airflow once you need it. (You can even now zip two Siestas collectively, which wasn’t attainable with earlier variations.)
Specs:
- Temp score: 20°F/-6°C
- Fill: 650 Fill Energy Down
Finest All-in-One Sleep System
The Zenbivy Mattress 25 (9/10, WIRED Recommends) is fingers down probably the most snug backcountry sleeping expertise I’ve ever had. It would not be my high decide for excessive conditions, however as long as your anticipated temperatures slot in Zenbivy’s vary, it would not get extra snug than this. The Zenbivy is not only a sleeping bag although. It is a sheet, hood, and quilt-style bag that may be mixed in numerous methods relying on what you need.
The highest sheet that covers the sleeping pad is manufactured from 50-denier polyester pongee, which is splendidly delicate and seems like your mattress at residence. The sheet has the hood portion of the sleeping bag connected to it. You then lay the highest quilt (manufactured from 20D nylon) over that. That is the best, loosest means to make use of the system, good for these heat nights. That is how I did most of my testing since I sleep slightly heat. Ought to the temperature drop, you’ll be able to zip the quilt foot field up right into a mummy bag configuration and zip the higher sides to the underside sheet. I did this on a few cooler nights within the Keweenaw Peninsula when it received fairly frigid.
