Down-insulated sleeping bags are still the most popular nighttime insulation option with backpackers because they’re highly compressible and warmer in cold, damp, or drafty weather particularly in the spring and autumn when temperatures are close to freezing. While mummy bag designs still prevail, there’s a lot more variety in the types of sleeping bags that have become available in the five years, including ones designed for side sleepers, women’s specific sleeping bags, and hoodless quilt-style sleeping bags.
When choosing a sleeping bag for backpacking, you want one that’s lightweight and highly compressible since you’re going to have to haul it in a backpack. Sleeping bags insulated with 800-950 goose or duck down are the best in terms of warmth by weight, but you’ll pay a premium at the top end.
Here are our top 10 down sleeping bag and hybrid sleeping bag picks at a variety of price points.
Be sure to read our recommendations below on how to choose the best sleeping bag for your needs.
1. REI Magma 15 (unisex)
Rather than make a men’s and women’s version of the Magma 15 and Magma 30, REI now offers these sleeping bags in nine sizes (yes nine) so you can choose a bag that’s optimized for your dimensions irrespective of your sex which is the real metric on which men’s and women’s bags are designed. That said, I’d recommend trying this bag in an REI store if you want a perfect fit.
2. Western Mountaineering Versalite 10 (unisex)
3. Therm-a-Rest Parsec 20 (unisex)
4. Mountain Hardwear Phantom 15 (unisex)
5. NEMO Disco 15 (men’s and women’s)
6. Zenbivy Ultralight Bed (unisex)
7. Feathered Friends Flicker UL 20 (unisex)
8. Feathered Friends Egret UL 20 (women’s)
9. Enlightened Equipment Convert (unisex)
10. REI Magma Quilt 30 (unisex)
Sleeping Bag Purchase Criteria
Here is a list of the most important factor to consider when purchasing a sleeping bag for backpacking, so it fits your needs and preferences.
TEMPERATURE RATINGS: The introduction of standardized sleeping bag temperature ratings by the outdoor industry substantially improved their reliability. Bags tested with the European Norm (EN) 13537 get two ratings: a Comfort rating and Lower limit rating. The Comfort rating is the lowest temperature at which the bag will keep the average woman (or “cold sleeper”) comfortable, and the Lower Limit rating is the lowest temperature at which the bag will keep an average man (or “warm sleeper”) comfortable. The difference in the Comfort and Lower Limit ratings is usually about 10 degrees since women feel colder than men when sleeping. If you’re a woman and decide to buy a men’s or unisex bag, get one that’s 10 degrees warmer than you need so you’re comfortable at night
INSULATION and COMPRESSIBILITY: High-quality goose and duck down with fill powers of 800, 850, 900, and 950 provide excellent insulation by weight and are widely preferred by backpackers and base campers because they’re so lightweight. Some manufacturers only offer down that’s been treated with a water-repellent coating, while others prefer to offer it unadulterated. Down is naturally water-resistant so the jury is still out on whether “treated” down makes a difference in the long-term since it’s easy to keep your sleeping bag dry with a little care.
SIZING: The fit of a sleeping bag is usually measured in terms of length and girth. Girth measures the maximum internal circumference of the bag, usually at the shoulders, hips, and feet. Measure yourself at these points and compare them to the girth to see if the bag will fit tightly or loosely. People with bigger shoulders or sides sleepers tend to feel more comfortable in bags with higher shoulder girths, while women typically need a shorter length bag and a smaller shoulder girth because they have narrower shoulders than men. It’s important to get a bag that minimizes the amount of unoccupied interior space relative to your measurements, so your body has less air to heat up to stay warm. If a bag is too large, it will feel colder than one that fits closely, since your body needs to work harder to fill the extra space with hot air.
WEIGHT: While gear weight is important, be careful not to sacrifice your comfort by selecting a sleeping bag that won’t keep you warm or dry in the conditions you need it to. When choosing between bags with different outer shell fabrics, consider their breathability, so they will vent perspiration that can degrade your insulation, and whether they have a DWR coating, which can be important if the foot of your quilt gets wet regularly.
FEATURES: Most sleeping bags are pretty similar when it comes right down to it, but there are some features that set premium sleeping bags better than nonpremium bags. These include draft collars, continuous baffles, very high fill-power goose down, non-snagging zippers, draft tubes positioned behind zippers to seal out the cold, ventable foot boxes, and full-length zippers that help extend the range of a bag in warmer weather.
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