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 love his ultralight spirit and disdain for consolation on the path, however I would be prepared to wager that if Muir have been round at this time, he’d convey an excellent down sleeping bag with him, if for no different purpose than they’re lighter than outdated blankets. The tea is important although, I can not argue with that.
Whether or not you are following Muir into the backcountry, are planning the right 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 one of the best sleeping baggage for everybody.
Adrienne So, Martin Cizmar, and Matt Jancer contributed to this information.
You’ll want to learn by way of our different out of doors 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 Go 15
- Finest for Automotive Campers: REI Siesta Hooded 20
- Finest All-in-One Sleep System: Zenbivy Mattress
- Finest Ultralight: Sea to Summit Spark 15
- Finest for Aspect 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 Youngsters: REI Kindercone
- Finest Artificial Bag: Marmot Extremely Elite 20
- How you 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 Go 15 affords one of the best warmth-to-weight ratio whereas additionally managing to pack down small and never be too costly. It is not excellent, nevertheless it strikes one of the best compromise for many backpackers, being heat sufficient for the shoulder seasons and lightweight sufficient (2 kilos and 5.4 ounces) that you simply will not thoughts it even while 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 every thing else, I slept very properly. It is a versatile bag.
The Bishop Go 15 makes use of 650 fill energy down wrapped in a 20-denier waterproof ripstop nylon shell. (Be aware: You may usually see 20-denier written as 20D; see beneath for extra on what these phrases imply.) One of many nice issues about this bag is the draft collar and face gasket function, which does a fantastic job of conserving 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 an excellent 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 an excellent choice for those who’re searching for one thing roomy (see the Therm-a-Relaxation Questar beneath). I additionally do not love the zipper. The pull glows at the hours of darkness, which is nice, and the zipper does not snag a lot, however in my expertise, it additionally does not pull as simply as others. Nonetheless, these are minor gripes a couple of bag that will get the remainder proper.
Specs:
- Temp ranking: 15°F/-9°C
- Consolation ranking: 26°F/-3°C
- Fill: 650 Fill Energy Down
The Finest Sleeping Bag for Automotive Campers
Automotive-camping sleeping baggage aren’t a spot to spend numerous cash. Ought to your greatest efforts to cocoon heat round you fail, there’s, in any case, 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 comfy bag. The Siesta is product of 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 ranking 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 suggests 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 aspect so you’ll be able to have extra airflow while you need it. (You may also now zip two Siestas collectively, which wasn’t attainable with earlier variations.)
Specs:
- Temp ranking: 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 comfy backcountry sleeping expertise I’ve ever had. It would not be my prime choose for excessive conditions, however as long as your anticipated temperatures slot in Zenbivy’s vary, it does not get extra comfy 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 varied methods relying on what you need.
The highest sheet that covers the sleeping pad is product of 50-denier polyester pongee, which is splendidly mushy and appears like your mattress at house. The sheet has the hood portion of the sleeping bag connected to it. Then you definately lay the highest quilt (product of 20D nylon) over that. That is the best, loosest approach to make use of the system, excellent for these heat nights. That is how I did most of my testing since I sleep moderately 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 obtained fairly frigid.