The 8 Best Sleeping Bags for Camping

Whether hunting, mountain biking, motorcycle camping, or backpacking, getting a good night’s rest when spending time in the outdoors is important to keep you alert, refreshed, and at your best. And while bunking in the backcountry may mean foregoing your bed at home, today’s latest and greatest sleeping bags offer surprisingly-comparable warmth and comfort. A slew of advancements over the last few decades has enabled them to perform at remarkable levels, delivering exceptional warmth while still weighing shockingly little and being capable of taking on a highly-compressed form.

However, the varying materials, insulation, and quality of different sleeping bags intended for different applications can make sorting through the scores of available offerings difficult. Furthermore, simply buying the most expensive sleeping bag available is also a bad idea, as utilizing a given model for its intended application and climate is crucial to achieving a comfortable temperature. So no matter what kind of off-grid adventures you’ve got planned, or what type of conditions you’ll be facing, from frigid winter nights to warm, arid summer overnights, this list of the best sleeping bags for camping should help you make the decision easier.

Shell: A sleeping bag’s first line of defense, the shell — as its name suggests — protects the sleeping bag’s internal layers and determines how durable a sleeping bag will be over the years. It also plays a substantial role in both a model’s warmth and ability to protect from the elements. For more extreme, abusive situations, look for shells with higher-denier nylons or ones backed with wind-stopping materials.

Liner: While not always as impactful as insulation or shells, liners can play a pivotal role in a sleeping bag’s quality and/or performance. Not only can materials provide incredible warmth but this mid-layer can also be infused with properties to bolster its heat retention, making for even warmer sleeping bags without the added weight of additional insulation.

Insulation: Unsurprisingly, insulation is a major factor in a sleeping bag’s warmth. While there are a handful of insulation types — all varying in cost — capable of delivering sufficient heat, their weights can differ wildly, as can their efficacy. In this area, you’ll want to keep your eyes peeled for insulation type and fill-power figures.

Weight: Like most camping gear, a sleeping bag’s weight will ultimately determine what applications it’s appropriate for. Sleeping bags weighing more than 10lbs might not be a problem for car camping, though they are certainly less-than-ideal for backpacking trips.

Rating: A sleeping bag’s T-comfort or T-limit (lower limit) tells you how cold of conditions a model can stand up to while still keeping its user safely and comfortably warm. While your first instinct may be to opt for the lowest-rated model available, there is definitely such a thing as a sleeping bag that is too warm. You’ll want to find a sleeping bag with an appropriate T-comfort rating relative to your intended uses. However, there’s also the option of purchasing a modular sleeping bag system that’s conducive to a variety of seasons and conditions.

Big Agnes Lost Ranger 3N1 15 Sleeping Bag

Best Overall: It’s difficult to find a sleeping bag for more than one season. If you’re a fervent outdoor enthusiast, you’ll likely experience nighttime temperatures ranging from below-freezing to upwards of 80° over the course of a year. While you can definitely remove layers in the summertime, adding layers can become a challenge when trying to stay bundled. Big Agnes’ has a solid solution with its Lost Ranger 3-in-1 bag, which gives you options when it comes to layering. Featuring a sack rated for 50° and a second rated for 30°, the unit can keep you warm down to 15° when combining the two. Its versatility and performance garnered the Lost Ranger our title of the Best Overall Sleeping Bag.

Coleman Kompact 40 

Best Budget: For casual campers and those who can sleep anywhere, and in any condition, you won’t need something with an abundance of features and qualifiers when dozing outdoors. When camping on a budget, get yourself Coleman’s Kompact 40-degree sleeping bag. Especially good for big and tall users, the spacious sack is a little heftier at 5.8lbs but is constructed with polyester plain weave and insulated with a synthetic blend of bonded microfibers and imitation silk. It’s also designed with comfort in mind, including extra softness added to the area around your face and a contoured shape to keep your head off the ground when sleeping.

Mountain Hardwear Phantom GORE-TEX -40F

Best High-End: The most extreme exploration and conditions call for the most extreme gear, and when it comes to ultra-robust, top-end sleeping bags, it doesn’t get much better than Mountain Hardwear’s Phantom range. Also offered in a 0° F version, this sleeping bag was engineered for high-altitude expeditions, calling on RDS-certified 850-fill-power down with compressibility and warmth-to-weight ratio that’s all the more impressive thanks to a super rugged and protective GORE WINDSTOPPER shell that shields from even the most extreme arctic winds. The Phantom GORE-TEX -40 also sports a 3D anatomical-contoured foot box, a cinch-able face gasket, and tuck-stitching that protects this impressively-rated sleeping bag’s vertical sidewall baffles. Despite its unparalleled performance, the Phantom also benefits from being incredibly lightweight considering its T-comfort rating, along with an impressively compact form of just 14.6L when compressed.

NEMO Disco 15

Best for Side Sleepers: Most experts will tell you that sleeping on your side is better for you, as it reduces neck strain and improves airflow (to reduce snoring). Obviating the restricting mummy shape of most sleeping bags, NEMO has a couple of options designed for side sleepers. With extra space on top for your shoulder and elbow — especially if you toss and turn a lot — the Disco 15 favors comfort more than ever, and at a fair price. Shelled with 30D ripstop nylon that’s finished with durable water-repellent, this 3-season bag has a temp rating of 14ºF and is insulated with 650-fill-power down.

ALPS OutdoorZ Redwood -25° Sleeping Bag

Best for the Cold: Though synthetic materials are king in today’s sleeping bag world, one would still be foolish for overlooking the classic flannel sleeping bag, as this timeless design not only offers incredible comfort but is capable of holding its own against modern synthetic-made offerings when it comes to temperature ratings. This particular flannel item from ALPS OutdoorZ features a workwear-style cotton canvas shell paired with a 100% cotton flannel liner and a liberal amount of TechLoft Silver Insulation that makes this old-school sleeping bag good for trips in conditions as low as -25° F. Sporting a rectangular design that measures 38” x 80”, the Redwood -25° F also has a hardwearing #10 zipper and retro-style roll-up straps with quick-release buckles. Despite its immense warmth and remarkable price point, the one downside to this sack is its hefty weight.

TETON Sports Mammoth Queen-Size Double Sleeping Bag

Best Two-Person: If you and your significant other wouldn’t sleep in separate beds in a hotel room then why should you do the same when sleeping under the stars? A two-person sleeping bag should be spacious and dense enough that it won’t shift too much throughout the night. At 14lbs, the Mammoth Queen-Size bag from TETON is definitely heavier than most other options, but that’s a good thing when there’s more than one of you moving around. Equipped with zipper and shoulder draft tubes to retain the warmth inside, the flannel lining is super cozy and can stand up to temps as low as 20°F. And as far as spaciousness, this sleeper is 94” x 62” — longer and wider than a standard queen-sized mattress.

Rab Mythic Ultra 180 Down Sleeping Bag

Best for Backpacking: Among the newer entries on this list, the Rab Mythic Ultra 180 is another thoroughly modern sleeping bag, calling on advanced materials and manufacturing techniques to deliver an offer that’s incredibly warm and durable, though still extremely lightweight. At just 14oz, the Mythic Ultra 180 from Rab is the best when considering weight and performance, utilizing a specially-developed Fluorocarbon-free 900+-fill hydrophobic down developed by the folks at Nikwax. Upon its release in 2020, it was one of the few to utilize the innovative heat-reflective Thermo Ionic Lining fabric, and still is. The fabric is interwoven with titanium to reflect heat and bolster warmth without adding weight, allowing for a wildly-impressive, featherlight sub-1lb weight. Rab has also implemented this titanium-backed technology into a number of other sleeping bags with different lengths and temperature ratings, too.

Sierra Designs Mobile Mummy 15°

Best Wearable Sleeping Bag: Many of us find it difficult to get out of bed in the morning. Well, thanks to the wearable sleeping bag, we no longer have to. Sure, you might look like the Michelin Man but the benefits of convenience and warmth — especially during colder outdoor trips — are unmatched. Sierra Designs has some quality sleeping bags in its own right, but the Mobile Mummy is unmatched when it comes to wearable sacks. Made with 20D ripstop nylon and 800-fill Allied DriDown insulation, the award-winning bag has zipperless arm ports when you need them, a zippered foot box for when you want to walk around, and a center zipper for getting in and out easily.

The Best Backpacking Sleeping Pads

Now that you’ve got a proper sleeping bag, you’re going to need to get it up off of the ground. Fortunately, we’ve pieced together this handy guide to the best backpacking sleeping pads to help keep you insulated from the earth.