John Muir went to the mountains with “bread and tea in a pair of blankets with sugar and a tin cup.” I admire his ultralight spirit and disdain for comfort on the trail, but I’d be willing to bet that if Muir were here today, he’d take a good down sleeping bag with him, if only for a another reason: they are lighter. than the old blankets. Tea is essential, I can’t argue with that.
Whether you’re following Muir into the backcountry, planning the perfect family camping trip, or hiking the Camino de Santiago, there’s a sleeping bag for that. No matter how you travel, where you’re going, or what comfort you’re looking for, after years of testing, we’ve found the best sleeping bags for everyone.
Adrienne So, Martin Cizmar and Matt Jancer contributed to this guide.
Be sure to read our other outdoor guides, including the Best sleeping pads, Best tents, Best Camping Stoves, and our Camp kitchen guide.
Contents
- Ideal for backpackers: Mountain Hardware Bishop Pass 15
- Ideal for car campers: REI Siesta Hoodie 20
- Best All-In-One Sleep System: Zenbivy bed
- Best ultralight: Sea to Summit Spark 15
- Best for Side Sleepers: Therm-a-Rest Questar 20
- Ideal for hot weather: Marmotte NanoWave 45
- Ideal for spring and fall trips: Magma 15 sleeping bag
- Best shipping bag: Rab 1000 Expedition
- Best Quilt: Therm-a-rest Vesper 32
- Ideal for children: REI Kindercone
- Best synthetic bag: Marmotte Ultra Elite 20
- How to choose the perfect sleeping bag
- How we tested
- What do all the terms mean?
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The best sleeping bag for backpackers
The Bishop Pass 15 from Mountain Hardware offers the best warmth-to-weight ratio while still managing to be compact and not too expensive. It’s not perfect, but it’s the best compromise for most backpackers, being warm enough for shoulder seasons and light enough (2 pounds, 5.4 ounces) that it won’t bother you even when you have hardly needed in summer. I slept in this bag for over two weeks, with nighttime temperatures ranging from 28°F to 65°F, and, yes, it was too hot of a sleeping bag. But on those warmer nights, I opened it and covered myself like a warm blanket. For everything else, I slept very well. It’s a versatile bag.
The Bishop Pass 15 uses Filling power of 650 wrapped in a 20 denier water-resistant ripstop nylon shell. (Note: You will often see 20 denarii written as 20D; see below for more on what do these terms mean.) One of the best things about this bag is the draw collar and face seal feature, which does a great job of keeping your head warm. With the tightened drawstring, you can retain even more body heat. This is one of the few bags I’ve tested where I didn’t feel the need to wear a hat. The insulation does a good job of staying where it should; I didn’t find any bad cold spots in this bag.
My only complaint about this bag is that it’s tight: there’s not much room for anything other than me. This makes it efficient and keeps you warm, but it’s not a good option if you’re looking for something roomy (see the Therm-a-Rest Questar below). I don’t like the zipper either. The zipper pull glows in the dark, which is great, and the zipper doesn’t snag much, but in my experience it also doesn’t pull as easily as the others. Still, these are minor complaints about a bag that does everything else right.
Specifications:
- Rated temperature: 15°F/-9°C
- Comfort rating: 26°F/-3°C
- Fill: Filling power 650
The Best Sleeping Bag for Car Campers
RV sleeping bags are not a place to spend a lot of money. If your efforts to create a cocoon of warmth around you fail, there is, after all, a car to retreat to. That’s why we like the REI Siesta Hooded 20: it’s very warm and affordable. It’s not a mummy bag either, because you’re not climbing Denali; why hold on if it’s not necessary? The rectangular cut of the Siesta makes it a much more spacious and comfortable bag. The Siesta is made entirely of recycled polyester, with polyester padding. Despite this, the lining of this bag is noticeably softer than many of the other bags in this guide.
The Siesta’s 20-degree temperature makes it sufficient for three-season travel, and unlike most rectangular bags, the Siesta has a hood, making cold nights easier. What makes this such a versatile bag is the double zipper system. There’s a full-length zipper, which means you can turn it into a duvet on warmer nights, and there’s also a second partial zipper on the other side so you can have more circulation air when you want it. (You can also now compress two Siestas together, which wasn’t possible with previous versions.)
Specifications:
- Rated temperature: 20°F/-6°C
- Fill: Filling power 650
Best All-In-One Sleep System
The Zenbivy 25 Bed (9/10, WIRED recommends) is hands down the most comfortable backcountry sleeping experience I’ve ever had. It wouldn’t be my first choice for extreme situations, but as long as the expected temperatures match Zenbivy’s range, it doesn’t get any more comfortable than this. The Zenbivy is not just a sleeping bag, however. This is a sheet, hood and duvet style bag that can be combined in different ways depending on what you want.
The top sheet that covers the sleeping pad is made of 50 denier polyester pongee, which is wonderfully soft and pleasant to the touch. your bed at home. The hood part of the sleeping bag is attached to the sheet. Then you lay the top quilt (20D nylon) on top. It’s the coolest, most relaxed way to use the system, perfect for hot nights. This is how I did most of my tests since I sleep rather warm. If the temperature drops, you can close the comforter’s foot box in a mummy bag configuration and close the top sides to the bottom sheet. I did this on a few cooler nights on the Keweenaw Peninsula when it was getting pretty frigid.
