9 Best Sleeping Bags (2024): Ultralight, For Car Campers, Warm Weather, For Kids


What I love most about this bag, and almost all of Nemo’s sleeping bags, is the wider cut from the torso to the knees. Like the Therm-a-Rest Questar above, this bag is almost a hybrid of a mummy bag and your dad’s good old 1970s square sleeping bag. That said, this bag is spacious. The downside is that there is more dead space for your body to heat up, but for someone who sleeps hot anyway, I’d take the extra room.

Details:

  • Classification: -20°F / -7°C
  • Comfort Rating: 30°F / -1.1°C
  • fill in: artificial

How to choose the perfect sleeping bag

Sleeping bags are usually one of the most expensive pieces of camping gear you’ll buy. If none of our picks appeal to you, here are some general guidelines.

How will you use your sleeping bag?

Are you car camping? Hiking through the PCT? Out overnight in the August heat? Planning a winter ski traverse of the Karakoram Himalayas? Which sleeping bag is right for you depends on how you’re going to use it, especially the temperature in which you plan to camp or keep the bag, and how you sleep. There are — hot, cold, in between.

Unfortunately, there is no ideal sleeping bag that works in all seasons. If you encounter a wide range of conditions in your camping, I would consider two bags. Get a good down bag for colder conditions and a cheap, lightweight synthetic-filled bag for summer use.

As with most things in the outdoor world, you’re going to pay more for lightweight materials, so if you don’t need them Because, for example, you’re only car camping, don’t pay extra for an ultralight bag. Maybe don’t even pay for the bottom bag. Synthetic bags are usually the best budget sleeping options for summer campers.

By the same token, if you’re primarily a summer hiker, doing the Appalachian Trail in sections, you don’t need a 0-degree bag. Identify your usage and then find a sleeping bag that is perfect for you. Also, take temperature ratings with a grain of salt. Everyone sleeps differently. I almost always sleep warm, which means I don’t need a 0 degree bag in anything but the harshest of situations. My colleague Adrian Sue is almost the opposite and uses a 0 degree bag in 40 degree weather. None of us are “perfect”, we’ve just learned how we sleep.

Types of Sleeping Bag Insulation

Two types of insulation are used in today’s sleeping bags, down feathers and synthetic fibers. Down comes mainly from geese and ducks. Compositions range from nylon to polyester. Insulation works by creating air pockets, either through a feather texture or a synthetic fiber texture. These pockets of air then trap your body heat, keeping it close, and keeping you warm. The higher—the more air pockets there are—the hotter you’ll be and the lower the sleeping bag’s temperature rating.

In most situations, a down sleeping bag is the best choice. It is warmer to weight, packs smaller and lighter. Where the bottom fails is when it gets wet. Wetting is usually useless—all the air pockets that trap heat are gone. Synthetics, on the other hand, retain more heat when wet. No one wants to sleep in a wet sleeping bag, but if you think it’s a possibility, synthetics are the way to go.


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