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 would be keen to guess that if Muir have been round immediately, he’d carry a great down sleeping bag with him, if for no different cause than they’re lighter than previous 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 the very best sleeping luggage for everybody.
Adrienne So, Martin Cizmar, and Matt Jancer contributed to this information.
Remember to learn by means of 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 Cross 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 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
- Methods to Decide the Good Sleeping Bag
- How We Examined
- What All The Phrases Imply
Particular supply for Gear readers: Get WIRED for simply $5 ($25 off). This consists of limitless entry to WIRED.com, full Gear protection, and subscriber-only newsletters. Subscriptions assist fund the work we do daily.
The Finest Sleeping Bag for Backpackers
Mountain {Hardware}’s Bishop Cross 15 presents the very best warmth-to-weight ratio whereas additionally managing to pack down small and never be too costly. It is not good, however it strikes the very best compromise for many backpackers, being heat sufficient for the shoulder seasons and light-weight sufficient (2 kilos and 5.4 ounces) that you simply 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 all the things else, I slept very properly. It is a versatile bag.
The Bishop Cross 15 makes use of 650 fill energy down wrapped in a 20-denier waterproof ripstop nylon shell. (Word: You will usually 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 function, which does a terrific job of holding your head heat. With the drawcord cinched down, you may preserve much more physique warmth. This is likely one of the few luggage I’ve examined the place I did not really feel the necessity for a hat. The insulation does a great job of staying the place it ought to; I did not discover any dangerous 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 great possibility in the event 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 in the dead of night, 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 Automobile Campers
Automobile-camping sleeping luggage aren’t a spot to spend numerous cash. Ought to your greatest 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 comfy bag. The Siesta is fabricated 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 ranking makes it sufficient for three-season journeys, and in contrast to most rectangular luggage, 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 may flip it right into a quilt on hotter nights, and there is additionally a second partial-length zipper on the opposite facet so you may have extra airflow once you need it. (You can too now zip two Siestas collectively, which wasn’t doable 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 palms down probably the most comfy backcountry sleeping expertise I’ve ever had. It would not be my prime decide 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 fabricated from 50-denier polyester pongee, which is splendidly smooth and looks like your mattress at dwelling. The sheet has the hood portion of the sleeping bag hooked up to it. Then you definately lay the highest quilt (fabricated from 20D nylon) over that. That is the good, loosest manner to make use of the system, good for these heat nights. That is how I did most of my testing since I sleep moderately heat. Ought to the temperature drop, you may 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 bought fairly frigid.
