John Muir notoriously set off for the mountains with “some bread and tea in a set of blankets with some sugar and a tin cup.” I appreciate his ultralight spirit and contempt for convenience on the path, however I ‘d want to wager that if Muir were around today, he ‘d bring a great down sleeping bag with him, if for no other factor than they’re lighter than old blankets. The tea is vital though, I can’t argue with that.
Whether you’re following Muir into the backcountry, are preparing the ideal household outdoor camping journey, or are travelling the Camino de Santiago, there’s a sleeping bag for that. No matter how you take a trip, where you’re headed, or just how much convenience you look for, after years of screening, we’ve discovered the very best bedroll for everybody.
Adrienne So, Martin Cizmar, and Matt Jancer added to this guide.
Make sure to check out our other outside guides, consisting of the Finest Sleeping Pads Finest Tents Finest Camp Stoves, and our Camp Cooking guide.
Tabulation
- Best for Backpackers: Mountain Hardware Bishop Pass 15
- Best for Car Campers: REI Siesta Hooded 20
- Finest All-in-One Sleep System: Zenbivy Bed
- Finest Ultralight: Sea to Summit Spark 15
- Best for Side Sleepers: Therm-a-Rest Questar 20
- Best for Warm Weather: Marmot NanoWave 45
- Best For Spring and Fall Trips: Lava 15 Sleeping Bag
- Finest Expedition Bag: Rab Expedition 1000
- Finest Quilt: Therm-a-rest Vesper 32
- Best for Kids: REI Kindercone
- Finest Synthetic Bag: Marmot Ultra Elite 20
- How to Pick the Perfect Sleeping Bag
- How We Tested
- What All The Terms Mean
Special deal for Gear readers: Get WIRED for simply $5 ($25 off)This consists of endless access to WIRED.comcomplete Gear protection, and subscriber-only newsletters. Memberships assist money the work we do every day.
If you purchase something utilizing links in our stories, we might make a commission. This assists support our journalism. Find out more
The Very Best Sleeping Bag for Backpackers
Mountain Hardwear Bishop Pass 15
Mountain Hardware’s Bishop Pass 15 provides the very best warmth-to-weight ratio while likewise handling to load down little and not be too pricey. It isn’t best, however it strikes the very best compromise for the majority of backpackers, being warm enough for the shoulder seasons and light sufficient (2 pounds and 5.4 ounces) that you will not mind it even when you hardly require it in the summer season. I have actually oversleeped this bag for more than 2 weeks, with nighttime temperatures varying from 28 ° F to 65 ° F, and, yes, it was excessive in the heat as a sleeping bag. On those warmer nights, I unzipped it and covered myself like a warm blanket. For whatever else, I slept extremely well. It’s a flexible bag.
The Bishop Pass 15 usages 650 fill power down covered in a 20-denier waterproof ripstop nylon shell. (Note: You’ll typically see 20-denier composed as 20D; see listed below for more on what those terms imply) Among the fantastic aspects of this bag is the draft collar and face gasket function, which does a terrific task of keeping your head warm. With the drawcord cinched down, you can save much more temperature. This is among the couple of bags I’ve checked where I didn’t feel the requirement for a hat. The insulation does a great task of remaining where it should; I didn’t discover any bad cold areas in this bag.
My only gripe about this bag is that it’s tight– there’s very little space for anything however me. That makes it effective and keeps you warmer, however this is not a great choice if you’re searching for something roomy (see the Therm-a-Rest Questar listed below). I likewise do not enjoy the zipper. The pull shines in the dark, which is terrific, and the zipper does not snag much, however in my experience, it likewise does not pull as quickly as others. Still, those are small gripes about a bag that gets the rest.
Specifications:
- Temperature ranking: 15 ° F/ -9 ° C
- Convenience score: 26 ° F/ -3 ° C
- Fill: 650 Fill Power Down
REI Co-op Siesta Hooded 20
Car-camping sleeping bags aren’t a location to invest great deals of cash. Ought to your best shots to cocoon heat around you stop working, there is, after all, a cars and truck to pull away to. That’s why we enjoy the REI Siesta Hooded 20– it’s plenty warm and inexpensive. It’s likewise not a mummy bag, due to the fact that you’re not climbing up Denali; why constrain yourself if you do not need to? The Siesta’s rectangle-shaped cut produces a much roomier, more comfy bag. The Siesta is made from recycled polyester throughout, with a polyester filling. In spite of that, the lining on this bag is visibly softer than numerous others in this guide.
The Siesta’s 20-degree score makes it enough for three-season journeys, and unlike many rectangle-shaped bags, the Siesta has a hood, which assists on those cold nights. What makes this such a flexible bag, however, is the double zipper system. There’s a full-length zipper, which indicates you can turn it into a quilt on warmer nights, and there’s likewise a 2nd partial-length zipper on the other side so you can have more air flow when you desire it. (You can likewise now zip 2 Siestas together, which wasn’t possible with earlier variations.)
Specifications:
- Temperature ranking: 20 ° F/ -6 ° C
- Fill: 650 Fill Power Down
Finest All-in-One Sleep System
Zenbivy Bed 25 Degree Sleeping Bag and Quilt System
The Zenbivy Bed 25 (9/10, WIRED Recommendsis by far the most comfy backcountry sleeping experience I’ve ever had. It would not be my leading choice for severe scenarios, however so long as your anticipated temperature levels suit Zenbivy’s variety, it does not get more comfy than this. The Zenbivy isn’t simply a sleeping bag. It’s a sheet, hood, and quilt-style bag that can be integrated in different methods depending upon what you desire.
The leading sheet that covers the sleeping pad is made from 50-denier polyester pongee, which is incredibly soft and seems like your bed in your homeThe sheet has the hood part of the sleeping bag connected to it. You lay the leading quilt (made of 20D nylon) over that. This is the coolest, loosest method to utilize the system, best for those warm nights. This is how I did the majority of my screening considering that I sleep rather warm. Must the temperature level drop, you can zip the quilt foot box up into a mummy bag setup and zip the upper sides down sheet. I did this on a number of cooler nights in the Keweenaw Peninsula when it got rather freezing.