An editor atĚýşÚÁĎłÔąĎÍř once told me about a winter camping trip he took on his birthday. He and a few friends skinned up into a high basin in the Sierra Nevada on skis to camp and tick off lines for the weekend. The only problem was, he took a 20-degree sleeping bag, and the temperatures at night dropped into the single digits. After burning all his energy shivering overnight, he was too exhausted the next day to climb to his ski line and had to head home early. Some birthday weekend.

Getting the right sleeping bag can make or break an adventure. But there are so many factors to nail. How should you think about stated temperature ratings? What the hell is fill power anyway? What arcane witchcraft is a denier number?

Below, we break through the jargon and marketing claims, give you the tools you need to understand how sleeping bags work, and help you find the right one for your unique needs. Consider this the ultimate guide to picking the right sleeping bag.

What Temperatures Will You Use It In?

A sleeping bag’s job is to keep you warm. It does that by preventing convective heat loss. In other words, it keeps your body heat from escaping into the cold air. While you sleep, your body is also subject to conductive heat loss, which comes from contact with the cold ground. That’s why we recommend you think of a sleeping bag and a sleeping pad as a single, cohesive system.

If you want to get into the nitty gritty of how sleeping bag temperature ratings are determined, you can read all about that process here. But the bottom line is that lots of testing goes into determining the three temperature ratings you’ll see on almost every sleeping bag.

• Comfort: This is the range at which your sleeping bag will feel absolutely cozy.
• Limit: This is the range at which you’ll sleep a few hours, but probably not comfortably.
• Extreme: This is the range at which you’ll survive, but it will not feel good.

The bad news is that understanding what performance is being advertised is a little tricky. Most bags highlight the “limit temperature” in their naming conventions. Limit is the absolute lowest temperature you’ll want to use the bag in, and it will not feel comfortable.

So, if you see a bag called the “SuperDuperSleep 10,” you can typically understand that to mean it has a limit temperature of 10 degrees. And that can be confusing because you can’t just climb in that SuperDuperSleep 10 and expect to sleep super duper in 10-degree temperatures. If the limit temperature is 10, the comfort temperature will probably cap out around 20 or 25 degrees. (This is less true in women’s bags, where the model names often reflect the comfort rating.)

One thing we will note about the temperature-rating process is that the pad used to test bags is much warmer than most of the popular pads consumers tend to buy. If you want your bag to perform like the temperature rating that’s written on the side, you’ll need an extremely warm pad, like a .

If you want to ensure warm sleep when it’s cold outside, then buy a bag with a comfort rating at least 10 degrees colder than the lowest temperature you plan to use it in. That way you’ll have a little cushion should the unexpected happen.

How Will You Carry It?

Do you plan to use your new sleeping bag only for car camping, or will you want to take it backpacking? If you want to carry your bag, you’ll need to prioritize packed size and weight. Bags that are both compressible and warm tend to be expensive. Ones that just need to fit in the back of a truck are free to be a little heavier and more spacious. Heavier materials also tend to be more comfortable and less expensive.

If you can only buy one bag—and you live in a mostly dry climate—make it a simple down mummy bag designed for backpacking. Skip any crazy-expensive ultralight materials or designs, and you’ll end up with a versatile solution that can work anywhere from a truck bed to a weekend trek through the mountains.

Can You Keep It Dry?

Down insulation is light, compressible, and durable. But despite recent innovations in chemicals used to coat the down fluffs, it still loses its loft if it gets wet. That means it will wilt and compress, and stop insulating until you dry it out. Despite performance claims, water-repellent coatings only work to shorten the time in which it takes the down to dry. Even with a coating, that typically won’t happen overnight.

Synthetic insulations, on the other hand, perform better when exposed to moisture. But, they also tend to be heavier and less compressible, and they aren’t going to last through decades of use like quality down will.

If you plan to use your bag in a very wet environment like the Pacific Northwest, or are buying a bag to use on float trips, then synthetic insulation may be the better choice. But down will probably work best for most campers due to its superior loft and longevity. If you’re worried about exposure to rain or submersion, consider housing your down bag in a lightweight, silicone-coated nylon dry bag.Ěý The only issue there is that any moisture trapped in the bag in the morning (the human body produces about a quart of water each night), will remain trapped inside a dry bag. So make sure you give your sleeping bag time to dry out between uses. Store any sleeping bag uncompressed, hanging inside a warm closet.

While synthetic insulation is typically thought of as being cheaper than down, there’s actually a wide variety in quality and performance across both material categories. We’ll dive into that below.

How Do You Want It To Fit?

Basic mummy bags are narrow at the feet and wide at the shoulders, and they wrap insulation over your head to prevent heat loss from exposed skin. Rectangular bags are as wide at the feet as they are at the shoulders to give you more space inside. Most also skip the hood. There are seemingly endless twists and combinations on those basic formulas designed to reduce weight, increase warmth, or just catch the eye on crowded shelves.

There are positives and negatives to every change. While a roomier design may allow you to toss, turn and spread out in your sleep, it’ll also be less efficient at trapping body heat. Ultralight quilts that look like mummy bags without backs may seem like a way to cut weight while gaining roominess, but they can be hard to really cinch down on cold nights. That means some heat loss is pretty much inevitable.

There’s also all of our unique body shapes to consider. And while matching a bag’s length to your height is pretty easy, pairing one to your shape is often trickier. Men’s and women’s bags map insulation differently based on differences in physiology. Women’s bags have narrower shoulders and wider hips, for example. It can be a good idea to visit a physical retail location and try different types of bags from multiple brands to find the one that fits you best.

What Features Do You Want?

Let’s start with the functional stuff. Since it’s the job of a sleeping bag to prevent convective heat loss, features like zippers covered by insulated plackets, baffles that close tightly around your neck, and drawcords that allows you to tighten up the head opening are important considerations that can all work together to prevent cold air from being sucked inside the bag every time you toss and turn.

From there, bags may have all sorts of frills like phone pockets (batteries need to be kept in a warm place on cold nights to prevent them from draining quickly), or very Instagram-friendly arm and foot holes so you can take selfies while standing up inside your bag. These things tend to add cost and potential points of failure, while distracting from more important performance metrics like temperature ratings and quality materials.

One area where sleeping bags can functionally differ is in their relationship with sleeping pads. Bags that include pad sleeves help create a unified sleep system in which the bag’s back insulation can be reduced or eliminated since it’ll never be exposed to cold air. Such setups can help eliminate unnecessary weight and bulk while adding space inside the bag, but they typically restrict you to using pads of specific widths and sizes.

Kifaru Slick Bag Os

How Much Money Do You Want To Spend?

After temperature ratings, there’s one other important number that will determine how much money you’ll spend: fill power.

Fill power is not a measure of warmth; it is a measure of compressibility. The number, typically expressed as something between 500 and 1,000, is the amount of cubic inches one ounce of the material in question is capable of lofting to fill. So, one ounce of 650-fill-power down clusters will fill up less space than an ounce of 850-fill-power down. That means a bag filled with 650-fill will generally have to have more clusters—which means it’ll be heavier and less compressible than an 850-fill bag of the same size.

If a bag (or any other item made using lofted insulation) lists its fill weight, you can then surmise how much insulation it’s packing, and use that number as a point of comparison with other products. So an 850-fill bag equipped with 16 ounces of down will come with 13,600 cubic inches of insulation (cubic inches x ounces = total material). Since that’s most of what you’re paying for, this can be a good way to cross-shop on pricing.

For synthetic insulations, you’ll see the insulation power measured in terms of density. Insulation density is listed as grams per square-meter, or GSM. This number lets you compare one insulation to the other.

Of course, all this comparison assumes that you’re talking about insulations of identical quality, and there’s just a ton of variation there. When it comes to down, the ways in which it is sourced, harvested, processed, and treated are all variables that end up being really important to both its performance and longevity.

Cheaper downs will be mechanically harvested in ways that can not only hurt animals, but also damage the product. There will be a higher percentage of feathers to down clusters in the resulting product. That limits warmth and compressibility, since actual feathers are less compressible and less insulating than down fluffs are. More feathers can also damage face fabrics since their sharp quills are prone to poking through. Low-quality down can also be treated harshly with high-temperature processing. This processing removes the natural oils that help down resist moisture and hold up to long term use. To ensure quality, look for down sourced from , or from a source compliant with the voluntary .

With synthetic insulations, quality varies just as widely. The spun polyester inside a bag you buy at a discount store is not going to compress, perform, or last like something made from a high-quality insulation like Climashield Apex or Primaloft Gold. Look for name-brand fabric technology over generic insulation types.

Lastly, let’s go over face fabrics, which contain a bag’s insulation. These are typically listed in terms of denier. Denier is the mass (in grams) of 9,000 meters of the material in questin. In practical terms, it measures how thick and durable the threads are. Low-denier fabrics are gossamer and lightweight. High-denier fabrics are burly and robust.

Very light, very thin face fabrics may help cut weight and packed size, but they also tend to be fragile and expensive. Very heavy canvas materials can be nice to have for car camping as they utterly resist abrasion and penetration, but they can lead to a bag so bulky it can be hard to even fit inside your trunk. A good middle ground tends to come around 20 to 40 Denier, which, when paired with a reasonable fill power down or quality synthetic insulation, will give you that light, durable, affordable, versatile mummy bag that’s probably the answer to most of your needs.

The post Everything You Need to Know to Pick the Perfect Sleeping Bag appeared first on şÚÁĎłÔąĎÍř Online.

As far as we’re concerned, car camping is all about comfort—save the rehydrated meals and paper-thin foam sleeping bags for the backcountry. And if there’s any part of your kit you shouldn’t cut corners with, it’s your bedding. The scenery always looks that much nicer after a good night of sleep.

The good news about shopping for sleeping bags in 2024 is that there’s something for every type of camper, but the downside of that abundance is that it can be hard to parse all the models and features to find what you really want. Our testers, a mix of genders with different sleeping preferences (hot/cold; side, stomach, back sleepers, etc) put 22 different types of bags and bedding to the test on cold, windy shoulder season trips and balmy summer nights. These sleeping bags and quilts came out on top.

Updated June 2024: We’ve swapped in the 2024 Tanami Down Comforter and removed the previous version due to availability.

At a Glance

• Best Overall:
• Most Comfortable:
• Best Two-Person:
• Best Quilt:
• Best Wearable Bag:
• Best Quilt for Couples:
• How to Choose a Sleeping Bag
• How We Test
• Meet Our Lead Testers

All gear in this guide was tested by multiple reviewers. When you buy through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission. This supports our mission to get more people active and outside. Learn more.

Best Overall

Kelty Supernova 20

Weight: 3 lbs (regular)
Sizes: regular and long
Dimensions: 75 inches (regular)
Comfort rating: 20F

Pros and Cons
⊕ Versatile
⊕ Good temperature regulation
⊗ No hood

No single sleeping bag will be optimally comfortable and functional for every body type, sleep style, and trip destination, but for the frontcountry camper, the Kelty Supernova Down comes pretty darn close.

This summer, lead tester Miyo McGinn brought it on a very loosely planned summer road trip that she knew at the outset might include sea kayaking; backpacking in the alpine; and car camping in the mountains, desert, and beach. At each disparate location she stopped for the night, the Supernova worked beautifully—it fit comfortably in a backpacking pack, and felt light and unrestricting even when fully zipped up. The 550-fill down offered ample warmth for high elevation overnights with temps around freezing, opened up flat like a quilt for mild seaside nights with 55-degree lows, and the zipper allowed for plenty of venting for everywhere in between.

The roomy mummy-ish shape (with some extra space around the knees and hips, in addition to the shoulders, before tapering around the feet and lower legs) is particularly comfortable for side sleepers and anyone with wider hips, without sacrificing all the insulating benefits that a form-fitting cut provides.

The recycled 50-denier recycled polyester taffeta liner fabric felt buttery soft next to skin, and 20-denier recycled nylon taffeta exterior held up well over three weeks of constant use. The Supernova isn’t quite ultralight, nor does it pack down as tiny as some dedicated backpacking sleeping bags, but it still tilts the scales at a perfectly respectable 3 pounds and fits in a stuff sack about as big as a family-sized bag of potato chips.

“Most bedding that’s as luxurious as I want on a comfortable car camping trip is too bulky or too delicate for more rugged adventures, like short backpacking or sea kayaking trips” said McGinn. “But the Supernova was great for all of the above—if it replaced all the other three-season quilts and bags in my gear closet, I wouldn’t miss them.”

Most Comfortable

Exped LuxeWool Blanket

Weight: 3.1 lbs
Sizes: single and double
Dimensions: 78.7” x 55.1” (single); 78.7” x 82.7” (double)
Comfort rating: 41F

Pros and Cons
⊕ Natural fiber fabrics are comfortable and durable
⊗ Doesn’t fasten to sleeping pad
⊗ Not versatile

Even diehard sleeping bag-users loved Exped’s LuxeWool Blanket, particularly in conjunction with the inflatable LuxeWool mat. “It was the most comfortable I’ve ever been camping, or anywhere besides my own bed,” said Bozeman-based tester Evan Romasco-Kelly after using it on a five-night climbing trip in Wyoming with overnight lows in the 40s.

The quilt’s organic cotton cover feels like soft bed sheets against the skin, and the 100 percent wool insulation had a slight heft that’s pleasant to sleep under—more like a real duvet than the feather-light down and nylon camping quilts we’re used to. It’s not bulky, despite the extra weight, and packs down to about the size of a small watermelon, almost as small as some of the down options on this list. The 41 degree comfort rating is on the lighter side, but our testers found it perfect on mild summer overnights.

The LuxeWool lacks some of the extra bells and whistles commonly found on sleeping quilts—like the option to fasten it to a sleeping pad or cinch together at the base to form a sleeping bag-like foot pocket; but that didn’t stop our testers from packing it along on a 5-night stay in Western Washington’s San Juan Islands, where the mild 50-degree temperatures and soft materials meant testers barely noticed those missing extras. But by itself, it’s not the best option for trips with any chance of low temperatures. “I wouldn’t take it out in really cold weather, since it doesn’t cocoon,” said Romasco-Kelly. “But it’s perfect for summer.”

Nor would it be our first choice for a long stint somewhere dusty—the cover is removable and machine-washable, but dust and sand doesn’t wipe off the textured face fabric as easily as it does from nylon. In all other settings, the textured cotton face fabric is a plus, since it’s far less slippery than the synthetic fabrics usually used for camping blankets, so sliding wasn’t an issue even without fasteners.

Best Two-Person Bag

Sierra Designs Backcountry Bed 20° Duo

Weight: 4.6 lbs
Sizes: one size
Dimensions: 84” x 120”
Comfort rating: 20F

Pros and Cons
⊕ Zipperless construction is spacious and quiet
⊕ Easy to vent or increase insulation as needed
⊗ Bulky

şÚÁĎłÔąĎÍř editors have had good things to say about the Backcountry Bed—in both its single and double sizes—for over a decade. This season, Sierra Designs remade the popular model using recycled materials, while staying true to the popular, zipperless mummy bag-quilt hybrid design.

Despite its name, Sacramento-based tester Emma Bliska and her partner found the Backcountry Bed was ideal for summer frontcountry camping trips around Lake Tahoe. The 650-fill hydrophobic down offered ample warmth, and foot vents and a hood made temperature regulation easy. The extra-wide opening spanned by a built-in comforter that can be moved separately from the base and sides of the bag, felt spacious in a way traditional zippered double sleeping bags don’t. “The lack of zippers actually made it quieter and easier to get in and out of bed without disturbing my partner,” said Bliska. As an extra bonus, the shell and liner are both made with 20-denier recycled polyester fabric (ripstop and taffeta, respectively).

At just under 5 pounds, the Backcountry Bed isn’t a featherweight, but if two people are splitting their gear, it’s light and warm enough for summer backpacking. Bliska found that the bigger challenge was bulk. “The stuff sack was almost as big as my pack,” she reported, and so recommends picking up a smaller stuff sack than the one it comes with. “We got it down to about the size of a bear can,” she said.

Best Quilt

REI Co-op Trailgate Comforter

Weight: 3.1 lbs
Sizes: single and double
Dimensions: 70.4” x 50.4” (single); 86” x 78” (double)
Warmth rating: N/A

Pros and Cons
⊕ Reasonable price
⊕ Durable
⊕ Doubles as a camp blanket
⊗ Doesn’t couple with other comforters/sleeping pads

The Trailgate is a no-frills synthetic comforter that’s warm enough for anyone looking for a frontcountry quilt that won’t break the bank. The 100 percent recycled polyester taffeta fabric proved durable, showing no signs of wear or tear after 12 nights of use and a dozen more campfires. And the 180-gram synthetic insulation doesn’t need to be handled with kid gloves (unlike down filling).

After trying out the Trailgate comforter on a trip to Yellowston in June, Bozeman-based tester Becca Holdhusen brought it along whenever there was a chance she’d be spending the night in her Subaru Outback. “Sleeping in a sleeping bag can feel a little claustrophobic in my car,” said Holdhusen. “Not to mention overkill, heat-wise.” The simple, no-frills quilt offered plenty of warmth, even when the overnight low was 35 degrees F (although it may not have been up to those temps in a less-insulated tent, instead of a car). Holdhusen also appreciated the soft, cotton-like texture of the face fabric, often using the blanket to stay cozy around camp before going to bed.

Best Wearable Bag

Mountain Hardwear Yawn Patrol 30 F

Weight: 2.1 lbs
Sizes: regular, long
Dimensions: 72” x 62” (regular); 78” x 64” (long)

Pros and Cons
⊕ Convenient temperature regulation; Packability
⊗ More restrictive than some rectangular bags

Most sleeping bags that also claim to be loungewear tend to be more on the gimmicky end of the spectrum. Not the Yawn Patrol, which is a sleeping bag, quilt, and extra long poncho all in one, thanks to clever zipper design.

One smooth-running zipper extends from the top of the bag to the feet to split it into a quilt. Another runs a third of the way down for easy entry and to create sleeves for reading or drinking while inside the bag. Josie Boulding, a Union Bay, B.C.-based tester, loved the bag’s poncho mode. “I could wear the whole thing in camp to stay warm around the campfire,” she says.

Tougher, 45-denier nylon protected the bottom of the bag from dirt, while a lighter-weight 30-denier nylon top shell and the interior were both soft next to skin. When she actually slept in the nearly rectangular bag, the insulated hood with a pillow pocket, phone pocket, draft collars, and 650-fill down kept Boulding toasty and all those zippers gave the bag a huge comfort range, from the 60s to its 30-degree limit. Bonus: At just 2.1 pounds, it can be pressed into service for short backpacking trips.

Best Quilt for Couples

Sea to Summit Tanami Down Comforter

Weight: 2 lbs (queen)
Sizes: single, queen
Dimensions: 83” x 73” (queen)

Pros and Cons
⊕ Two size options
⊕ Lightweight
⊗ No material to fully close it

The Tanami was our favorite two-person quilt thanks to its ample size, cozy 750-fill duck down insulation, and lightweight simplicity. The biggest difference between the last version (the Tanami Tm II 35F) and this year’s update is the amount of insulation—the 2024 edition is 650-fill hydrophobic duck down instead of 750-fill, with a correspondingly higher temperature rating of 45 degrees (compared to the 2023 model’s 35 degrees). The warmer minimum temp makes it slightly less versatile than the prior version, but it’s still on par with many summer car camping sleeping bags.

Sea to Summit kept the Tanami’s minimalist rectangular design and added boxed quilting to the horizontal baffles to ensure the down insulation stays more evenly distributed. The cinches on the top and bottom of the comforter create little pockets to tuck a sleeping pad, helping to keep the quilt in place during nighttime tossing and turning and sealing in a bit of extra warmth.

Unlike some camping quilts, the Tanami’s sides don’t fasten together, leading to some draftiness that kept our testers from wanting to brave the lower limits of the 45-degree rating. For really cold nights, the Tanami is designed to attach to other Sea to Summit sleeping bags for an added layer of warmth.

“On its own, it’s a great option for summer camping if you don’t have a lot of space,” said lead tester Miyo McGinn, who used the single-sized quilt on a June camping trip on Montana’s Big Hole River.

How to Choose a Sleeping Bag for Camping

Finding the ideal sleeping bag or quilt is a little like finding the ideal life partner. When you start looking, the options might seem overwhelming. But the more you focus on what you really want, the easier it is to narrow down. Here are four aspects to consider.

Seasons and temperature ratingĚý

Bags generally fall into three temperature categories: Summer (rated 30 degrees F and warmer); three-season (rated between 15 and 20 degrees); and winter (rated 15 degrees and lower—some expedition bags are rated as low as -40 degrees). These temperature ratings are based on “average” sleepers and don’t consider external factors like the thickness and rating of your sleeping pad; climatic factors like wind or humidity; or how quickly your body regulates heat loss or gain. Even if you tend to prefer cold sleeping environments, we recommend erring on the side of buying a higher temperature bag—you can always open zippers, but making a bag warmer requires extra layers.

Camping vs. backpacking sleeping bags

Car camping, or camping at a campground or near your vehicle, is about comfort: look to prioritize roominess, fabric feel, and features, like pillow pockets and multiple zippers, rather than weight and packability. Cotton, fleece, or flannel-like interior linings will make sleeping that much more cozy than the usual polyester stickiness you experience with backpacking bags. Pockets help corral slippery pillows right where you want them; an additional pocket to keep a headlamp, phone, or watch close at hand is a nice bonus feature. And extra zippers provide options for customizing warmth and lounging in camp.

What type of insulation is best?

Down bags are generally warmer for their weight and more compressible than bags with synthetic insulation. But if down bags get wet, they lose insulating capacity and take longer to dry out than synthetic bags. Many manufacturers use down processed with a hydrophobic chemical that prevents it from absorbing as much water. Others keep the insulation dry with a water-repellant finish or fabric.

Pay attention to fill power. That number measures the volume taken up by the amount of down in your sleeping bag; the more loft your sleeping bag has, the more efficiently it will trap warm air. It will also weigh less and pack down smaller than bags with a lower fill power rated to the same temperature. Synthetic bags are more affordable, and therefore an excellent choice for new campers who are unsure how often they want to sleep outside, or backpackers who are headed to wet environments.

How much space do I need?

Bags come in many shapes and sizes—rectangles, mummies, modified mummies, and double bags. Mummies are warmer and lighter-weight than rectangular bags, but can also be claustrophobic. Rectangular bags are excellent for restless sleepers who need to move and don’t have space or weight constraints. Some quilts can be opened up to act as comforters, although they require a warm sleeping pad and don’t come with hoods. Women-specific bags often come in modified mummy shapes to accommodate the curvier parts of a woman’s body. Doubles are simply sleeping bags built for two, although many solo bags can be zipped together to create a double bag.

How We Test

• Bags Tested: 22
• Number of testers: 10
• Number of states slept in: 7
• Number of sleeping bags burned by campfires: 1

Sleeping bags are one of those categories of gear where “best” is about personal preferences as much as objective design or construction. There are just so many different body shapes, sleeping positions, and temperature preferences—and so many different environments to camp in. To account for that, we recruited as varied a group of testers as we could for this year’s testing. Young and old; men, women and a couple people who don’t identify with either gender; side sleepers and stomach sleepers and flail-all-over-the-tent sleepers; experienced outdoors people and first-time campers all put on their favorite PJs and got to work catching Z’s.

A handful of our testers wouldn’t ever buy a sleeping bag that they couldn’t also bring backpacking—others wouldn’t be caught dead in a sleeping bag instead of a quilt (or vice versa). Some testers were only too happy to go out of their way to take a nap or bundle themselves up in a camp blanket for “research,” and no one was upset to have the extra motivation to fit in a few more nights under the stars.

After each trip, testers filled out a form with information about the environment they had tested in (location, climate, weather). And what they had and hadn’t liked about the sleeping bag, emphasizing comfort and functionality. After reviewing all the feedback, we picked the winners.

Meet Our Lead Testers

Miyo McGinn is an assistant editor at şÚÁĎłÔąĎÍř based in Bozeman, Montana. She has camped in a dozen different states and four continents, but Washington state, where she grew up, will always be her favorite place to pitch a tent. Miyo got her start reviewing gear as şÚÁĎłÔąĎÍř’s gear editorial assistant in 2021.

After hundreds of nights sleeping under the stars, Ryan Stuart sleeps better in a sleeping bag than he does at home. Based on Vancouver Island, he approaches camping with the same laid-back vibe his island home is known for. As long as it’s quiet, he doesn’t care whether it’s on a beach, a lake, or the middle of a logging road.

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Most quilts designed for the outdoors are created to be used as either throw blankets, or seriously ultralight insulation for backpacking. The former prioritize low prices over performance, while the latter sacrifice versatility in order to save a few ounces. But the traditional sleeping bag also brings limitations, mostly to your ability to spread out, get comfortable, and share a sleeping space with a partner. Surely, there must be a better way. At least that was the thinking that led to the .

The brainchild of Laura and Brandon Davey, the $500 Hoverquilt sets out to be a no-compromises pursuit of comfort in those casual camping situations most of us probably seek out. Scaling a mountain in sub-zero temps? Give me a mummy bag. Spending a night on a beach in Mexico? I’d rather spread out, and sleep without a bunch of nylon and down between me and my wife.

Brandon has been designing sleep systems for brands like Marmot, Nemo, Patagonia and more for 15 years. “My wife and I actually like to sleep together,” he tells şÚÁĎłÔąĎÍř. “And fussing with zippers just isn’t the best way to do it. After designing high end, highly technical sleeping bags, it was time to change things.”

In creating the Hoverquilt, the Daveys have applied the materials and construction used to create the best sleeping bags to a 90-inch-long, 80-inch-wide quilt. The result is lightweight and compressible, but also entirely comfortable down to about 30 degrees, and remains just as useful hanging out around a campfire, or even at home, as it does while spooning inside a rooftop tent.

The Hoverquilt is constructed using 750+ fill power, responsibly sourced goose down insulation housed inside a 20 denier ripstop nylon shell. Critically, it uses box baffle construction, versus the stitch-through arrangement you’ll find on cheaper lofted insulation camp throws. Where sewn-through construction creates cold spots in between pockets of warmth, box baffles allow high-end sleeping bags and the Hoverquilt to achieve a uniform level of insulation.

“We maximize the efficiency of the down through careful three-dimensional box baffle locations to create the best warmth to weight ratio we can get,” Brandon explains. “This thing really is that warm in freezing temps.”

With 21 ounces of that 750+ fill down inside, the Hoverquilt is constructed identically to how the Daveys would design a sleeping bag with a 15 degree comfort rating. Just with larger open spaces underneath the quilt, and the potential for more air ingress, it doesn’t sleep quite as warmly. But that doesn’t mean you can’t use one in sub-freezing temperatures.

“Combine it with your 15 degree sleeping bag and you’ll extend your comfort down to just below zero,” Brandon says. He also claims the quality materials and construction should, “last decades,” just like a good sleeping bag.

The Daveys originally designed the Hoverquilt to use with their kids and dogs inside their rooftop tent. And I’ve been using mine inside my GFC camper for the last couple of years. I’m writing this at the tail end of two-week camping trip, through which my wife and I used nothing else but a couple of pillows inside that camper, while traveling to Todos Santos, Baja Sur from our other home in Bozeman, Montana. The weather on this trip has seen everything from intense atmospheric river storms and temperatures in the high 30s, to relaxed nights on beaches with temperatures in the 60s. And we’ve been comfortable in the Hoverquilt throughout. In fact, the only night we’ve been cold was inside a hotel in Loreto, which didn’t provide bedding beyond a simple top sheet. And I was able to fix that by going outside to my truck, and grabbing the Hoverquilt.

Less serious, but more frequent use cases like these are exactly what the Daveys had in mind when they created this thing. In applying the kind of experienced insights and trained attention to detail they’re able to charge major brands big bucks for, they considered things often overlooked like the size of the included stuff sack. That’s big enough that shoving the quilt inside remains easy, and the end result stays soft and flexible. And that allows you to fit the packed quilt into all sorts of small awkward spaces, like under the seat of a truck, or into the hull of a kayak.

“We’re giving folks the freedom to sleep,” says Brandon. “Anywhere, and any way they want.”

The post The Best Quilt for Overlanding Doesn’t Sacrifice Comfort for Performance appeared first on şÚÁĎłÔąĎÍř Online.

If you’ve never tried it, we’re here to tell you that sleeping outside in the winter is way more fun than it sounds. Today’s winter bags are constructed like mobile sleep spas: Our three favorites for 2024 are so technical and luxurious that they outpuff the comforters at most five-star hotels. With water-repellant outer fabrics and silky, breathable interior liners that keep damp—and stink—at bay, cozy hoods that cradle your noggin on a billowy pile of down, and roomy-yet-swaddling mummy shapes, these three bags put our testers into deep hibernation, even when temps dropped below zero. The challenge was waking up the next morning to face the cold.

The Winners at a Glance

• Most Versatile: NEMO Sonic Down Mummy
• Most Comfortable: Feathered Friends Widgeon ES -10 (men’s), Arctic Finch -10 (women’s)
• Best Expedition Bag: Therm-a-Rest Polar Ranger -20

The Reviews: The Best Winter Sleeping Bags of 2024

Most Versatile: NEMO Sonic Down Mummy ($600)

Weight: 3 lb, 4 oz (Regular)
Size: Short, Regular, Long
Pros:

• Great temperature regulation

Cons:

• Small top vent zipper pulls
• Tiny exterior pocket

The Sonic mountaineering mummy was already Minnesota-based tester Patrick Greehan’s go-to bag for winter camping. And that was before NEMO gave it a significant upgrade last year, improving its ability to adjust to varying temperatures, giving it greater warmth retention, and making it more sustainable. We’re happy to report that over three campouts, nestled in a bivvy sack atop multiple feet of packed snow in northern Minnesota, with temperatures that ranged from three to 20 degrees Fahrenheit, Greehan slept better than ever before.

The most notable upgrade for Greehan was the bag’s redesigned “Thermo Gills,” the two vents on top of the bag that can be opened or closed to regulate body temperature. The improved gills, which run vertically down the top half of the bag, now have internal and external zippers that work independently of each other to more finely tune ventilation and comfort. On the 20-degree nights when he fully unzipped, he was able to prevent himself from overheating. On the three-degree nights, he remained in that same comfort zone by zipping them back up.

To improve warmth retention, NEMO redesigned the draft tube along the side zipper and added a velcro tab to the draft collar to keep cold air from sneaking in. New chevron-shaped baffles hold the 800-fill power hydrophobic down in place and provide more uniform lofting. As a back and side sleeper, Greehan was able to snooze in both positions with no cold spots. A layer of synthetic insulation in the toebox protected the down from wetting out, a common occurrence at the bottom of a bag.

To complete the overhaul, NEMO updated the shell and liner fabrics, using plush, 100-percent recycled, bluesign-approved nylon for the shell and a silky, 100-percent recycled polyester for the liner.

Other exceptional features? The roominess of the hood, which Greeham could cinch tightly if needed, the bag’s excellent packability—it scrunches down to an XXL roll of paper towels despite an only average weight—and a robust zipper that never got caught up on the lining.

Bottom Line: With its versatile temperature range, solid construction, and impressive packability, the NEMO Sonic Down Mummy is the only winter bag most of us will ever need.

Most Comfortable: Feathered Friends Widgeon ES -10 ($889)

Weight: 3 lb, 2 oz (Regular)
Size: Regular, Long
Pros:

• Extremely warm and comfortable

Cons:

• Narrow footbox

The Widgeon cocooned our testers in so much warmth and silky comfort that they could have happily hibernated all day. Already a frigid-weather favorite, the handmade-in-Seattle bag—originally designed for a K2 expedition back in the ’80s—received a major facelift this year. Feathered Friends added three additional ounces of responsibly-sourced 900-fill power goose-down. That down is sandwiched between a gossamer 10-denier nylon Pertex taffeta lining made from PFC-free recycled yarns and a water-resistant, breathable Pertex nylon shell with a DWR coating. The collar and hood keep your face snug, warm, and protected (but not claustrophobic) thanks to a gradually contoured cut. It can be cinched nearly all the way closed using a nylon cord that runs around the perimeter of the top of the bag.

With all that plush comfort, one might think the bag would sleep too hot. But even when camping in late March, Duluth-based tester Brian Hayden and category manager Stephanie Pearson never overheated while cowboy camping in temps that ranged from 15 to 28 degrees—balmy compared to its negative ten degree rating. The reason? An additional Pertex nylon panel over the top of the bag vastly improves its breathability and venting. That Pertex layer blocks moisture, too: Despite waking up to a thick layer of hoar frost, they stayed dry in their bags, even as the morning sun warmed their tent.

Additional small-but-mighty upgrades include a second sidewall to ensure even insulation all around the circumference of the bag; more streamlined internal construction that cuts weight despite the extra down, and a generous draft tube to stop cold air from seeping through the zipper. That might sound like splitting hairs, but every warmth-preserving measure matters when you’re winter camping—especially on the flanks of K2. And, for a bag so lofty, it packs down impressively to the size of a 64-ounce beer growler.

Bottom Line: The Widgeon’s warmth-to-comfort-to-weight ratio is exceptional for nights in the zero-degree range.

Best Expedition Bag: Therm-a-Rest Polar Ranger -20 ($790)

Weight: 3 lb, 4 oz. (Regular)
Size: Regular, Long
Pros:

• Side zips for venting and hand-use

Cons:

• Three-quarter zipper is hard to get in and out of for taller sleepers

The Polar Ranger was one of the best expedition bags on the market when it came out in 2018 thanks to polar explorer Eric Larson, who helped design the mummy for its natural environment. The result was a pioneering three-quarter length zipper straight up the middle to cut weight and increase warmth. Zippered side vents made it possible not only to dump heat, but also sit up, shoot your arms out, and do anything from write in a journal to fiddle with a sat phone. “In an expedition situation, every ounce of energy saved is key,” Larson explained over email. “After spending years of my life in a sleeping bag, I found full length zippers unnecessary in most situations.”

But the Polar Ranger wasn’t without its imperfections. The newest iteration comes with a slew of upgrades that make the bag even more livable. A fresh, 100-percent recycled DWR-coated nylon ripstop shell and a buttery-smooth 100-percent recycled nylon liner are silky to the touch. The newer version is also slightly larger in both length and girth after feedback from the field that the bag was too tight with heavy winter layers on. A redesigned snorkel hood is stiffer and shorter, too, which means improved breathing and ventilation, with a magnetic closure that makes it easy to break free in case of a claustrophobia emergency. Small but critical details? An added internal drawcord in the draft collar for cinching the bag around the neck and shoulders, and an internal pocket for keeping small electronics warm.

Our testers found the 800-fill hydrophobic down bag up to the task of keeping them warm on a -10 degree overnights with lots of wind in Minnesota’s Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. “I used the arm holes way more than I thought I would,” reported Minnesota-based tester Hansi Johnson who, as a side sleeper, was also impressed with the roominess of the bag and how it maintained its loft on all sides as well as on the back. The snorkel hood, on the other hand, took a little getting used to. “It felt claustrophobic at first, but it kept moisture off my face. I was so warm I tossed my Buff.”

Bottom Line: If you have an Arctic expedition or winter mountaineering project in your future, this is the bag to take along.

How to Buy

As a general rule, men tend to run hotter and women tend to run colder—although, as with anything, there is a spectrum. Throw in varying sleeping positions, body shapes, and sizes, and it’s quickly evident that while some bags offer superior materials and design, there’s not one magic winter bag that works for all. To find the one that will work best for you, here are four things to consider that keep you from investing a significant chunk of change in the wrong bag.

Intended Use

Are you purpose-buying the bag for a specific mission like Eric Larson’s 14-day or to climb Denali? If so, you’ll need one with an excellent warmth-to-weight ratio that will be relatively easy to haul, yet keep you warm enough in potentially life-threatening situations. Or do you intend to use it on shorter missions like weekend ice-fishing jaunts into Minnesota’s Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness? In that case, you’ll likely be hauling a sled and will have fewer size and weight restraints. Or maybe you need an ultralight bag for a winter bikepacking trip that you can strap to your handlebars and only use in case of an emergency. Whatever the reason for buying the bag, think through the logistics of the journey and how that will affect the size, weight, and warmth of the bag you want to buy.

Insulation

Down bags are generally warmer for their weight and more compressible than bags with synthetic insulation. But if down bags get wet, they lose insulating capacity and take longer to dry out than synthetic bags. Many manufacturers use down processed with a hydrophobic chemical that prevents it from absorbing as much water. Others keep the insulation dry with a water-repellant finish or fabric. Pay attention to fill power. That number measures the volume taken up by the amount of down in your sleeping bag; the more loft your sleeping bag has, the more efficiently it will trap warm air. It will also weigh less and pack down smaller than bags with a lower fill power rated to the same temperature. Synthetic bags are more affordable, and therefore an excellent choice for new campers who are unsure how often they want to sleep outside, or backpackers who are headed to wet environments.

Shape

Most winter bags are mummy bags or modified mummy bags. Traditional mummies have a hood that gently tapers into the bag, is wide at the shoulders and narrows all the way to the footbox. Mummies are great for winter because they minimize dead space inside the bag and help keep you warmer by giving air less space to circulate. Some people find them cozy and cocoon-like, others find them claustrophobic.

For claustrophobes, a modified mummy comes in handy. While it’s generally tapered like a mummy, it’s cut more loosely in certain areas. Some offer slightly flared footboxes to give your toes more room, while others are wider in the body to accommodate side sleeping. Some have hoods that gently taper into the bag, others have removal hoods.

Temperature Rating

All bags on the market have EN (European Norm) or ISO (International Standards Organization) ratings, which is a standardized, independent test across manufacturers. The most commonly used since 2017 is the ISO rating. Note: ISO stops rating at -20C/-4 F, which means your -20 degree bag may require a test run before you head into truly frigid conditions.

With these standards, most sleeping bag manufacturers use a sliding range of temperatures for which a bag can be used. The “Comfort Range” is roughly the temperature range at which the average female will remain warm. The “Lower Limit” is the temperature range at which the average male can remain comfortable. This Lower Limit number is the temperature rating of the bag. That being said, your temperature tolerance will depend on much more than your gender, so it’s always best to err on the conservative side. Some bags offer a “Risk” range, which indicates the lowest temperature in which the bag should be used. At this temperature, the bag might not prevent hypothermia, but it may prevent death. It’s always best to buy a bag rated ten degrees colder than the average temperatures you intend to use it in. For example, if you plan to camp in conditions no colder than 10 degrees, you’ll want a 0-degree bag.

How We Test

Given the increasingly wild weather swings we’ve experienced from climate change in the last few years, we gave our testers—who were spread out between northern Arizona, Minnesota, and Norway—as much true winter time as possible. We started testing in mid-January and wrapped up the process in mid-April. During that 90-day window, temperatures swung from -20 to a freak 70-degree thaw. Northern Minnesota and northern Arizona had record snow years, which meant wintery wind gusts and white on the ground long after the calendar told us it was officially spring.

Each bag was sent to category manager Stephanie Pearson for testing before heading off to secondary testers around the globe. One tester took his kid ice fishing in Minnesota’s Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in January. Another went to Lillehammer, Norway for a late winter camping trip. Others spread their testing out over the course of the three months, bikepacking and sleeping out in their backyards to catch frequent aurora borealis sightings.

After the season was up, Pearson gathered the data, compared notes, and picked the winners.

• Number of Testers: 6
• Number of Nights Slept şÚÁĎłÔąĎÍř: 20
• Coldest Night: -20
• Warmest Night: 50
• Highest Latitude Tested: 61°6’54.5″N (Lillehammer, Norway)

Meet Our Lead Testers

Stephanie Pearson has winter camped at Mount Everest Base Camp, in the Swedish Arctic, and in northern Minnesota. A fitful sleeper, she often gets better rest outside in a bag than in her own bed.

Hansi Johnson is a lifelong backcountry camper. His go-to winter spot is the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness to camp, ski, and fish. Johnson works for the Minnesota Land Trust advocating for Minnesota’s Natural spaces. He lives in Thomson, Minnesota with his wife Margaret and his son Tae.

Ian Derauf spent a year studying at a Norwegian Folk School based in Tromsø, where he learned the art of survival in the Arctic. He recently graduated from St. Olaf College and is headed to Sitka, Alaska, where his warm winter bag will come in handy.

Chloe Leege, a recent graduate of Duluth East High School, competed on the Duluth Devo Mountain Bike team for six years and is an aspiring bikepacker. She will attend Northland College, an environmentally focused liberal arts school in Ashland, Wisconsin, in the fall.

Patrick Greehan is an assistant coach for the Duluth Devo Mountain Bike Program. He currently races gravel, mountain, and fat bikes with a focus on long distance and ultra events. He is an avid bikepacker who pedals year-round in Northern Minnesota.

Brian Hayden is the founder of the Duluth Devo Mountain Bike Program who has logged a few months in Antarctica in a former life. He’s a reluctant winter camper, but can sleep through just about anything.

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Confession: I love my women’s sleeping bag. It’s made by , before 2016, when that company stopped making gendered options for its pinnacle product, the . My 15-degree women’s version weighs less than two pounds, envelops me in a blissful bubble of down, and fits my particular length and girth. That last detail is crucial, because sleeping in a too-tight mummy bag ranks as its own circle of hell.Ěý

Most companies still make separate sleeping bags for women and men (Mountain Hardwear still offers many women’s bags). But there are signs that, like gender-specific restrooms in some parts of the country, women’s sleeping bags may be on the way out. Led by new initiatives from REI, major brands from The North Face to Big Agnes are debating whether gendered bags do an adequate job of keeping a diverse range of backpackers comfortable—and if using the still widely-accepted binary labels is necessary in a world that seems to be moving away from them. Although companies haven’t officially axed women’s models entirely from their product lineups, many are moving to gender-neutral lines that could serve male, female, and nonbinary-identifying backpackers across the board—which may ultimately mean the end of women’s-specific sleeping bag design.

When the first women’s sleeping bag hit the market in 1995, it was heralded as an empowering piece of gear. Made by Sierra Designs, the 20-degree Calamity Jane was the brainchild of company president Sally McCoy, who had climbed some of the world’s highest mountains and felt poorly served by bags built for men. Her women’s bag was narrower through the shoulders but wider at the hips, shorter in length (it came in 5’ 5” and 5′ 10” options), and generously insulated with beefed-up padding in the core and footbox. Women took its existence as a sign of their inclusion within the male-dominated outdoor culture—and sales soared.

Inspired by the success of Calamity Jane, a flood of companies brought women’s bags to market and promoted shorter lengths, hip-accommodating widths, and extra insulation.Ěý European Norm (EN) ratings for sleeping bags, established in 2005, confirmed through repeated independent testing McCoy’s suspicion that women sleep colder than men on average (although the specific science is still fuzzy) and allowed manufacturers to publish gendered comfort ranges for their sleeping bags. REI embraced the system, and by 2010, the retailer required all brands that manufactured mummy-style bags to reveal the product’s EN rating. Instead of making one unisex bag that didn’t appear to perform as well for women, manufacturers doubled down on gendered bags.

But, as with the ongoing dialogue about traditional gender labeling in everything from political language to high fashion, future product lines suggest a new, less binary direction. When The North Face presented its spring 2023 line to the media in September, women’s bags were part of the assortment—but TNF’s rep also forecast that it might be the brand’s last year making them. NEMO is another sleeping bag manufacturer that’s reevaluating the concept of women’s bags.

“There’s currently a lot of discussion among brands and retailers about the future of gendered bags and whether gender-neutral options might serve campers better,” says Mike Welch, NEMO’s vice president of global sales.Ěý

Why the sudden sea change? TNF says that REI is urging brands into the new approach with sleeping bags—one that saves shoppers from having to identify as either male or female and still have a bag that keeps them comfortable at night.

“It’s ironic, since REI was behind the creation of women’s bags in the first place,” notes Tim Beck, TNF’s sleeping bags category manager. Indeed, REI’s influence on the outdoor industry can’t be overstated: Given the retailer’s vast scale, it drives the trends that other brands follow. When REI declares a new direction for gendered sleeping bags, it’s a big deal.

Case in point: For spring 2023, REI is introducing a gender-neutral line of backpacking gear and apparel that’s across gender, budget, and body size. The Trailmade 20 sleeping bag won’t be sold in men’s and women’s versions. But it will come in three lengths with a wide-cut option for each, for a total of six possible fits per temperature rating.Ěý

“We didn’t want people to have to choose bags based on their gender, ” says Derek Temple, REI’s camp category merchandise manager. The every-body Trailmade bags allow shorter-than-average men to purchase the right-fitting bag without feeling like they’re getting gear built for women, or allow non-binary shoppers to bypass uncomfortable questions. (Admittedly, some women about the need for gendered bags.)

For now, REI expects to keep selling women’s-specific bags for as long as demand continues.

“We do a strong women’s-specific business,” says Courtney Gearhart, REI’s senior public affairs program manager. But offering women’s models while also developing a broad size-inclusive unisex range creates a glut of sleeping bags—so campers’ purchases over the coming year will likely determine whether women’s bags stay or go.Ěý

REI, along with other brands with growing all-gender lines, like Big Agnes, haven’t determined how their new bags will represent the formerly-gendered temperature ratings. “Comfort” ratings (the temperature threshold for cold sleepers) currently appear on women’s bags, while “limit” ratings indicate the temperature range for warm sleepers and appear on bags that have historically been marketed at men. Test standards for gender-neutral bags don’t yet exist. And although brands aren’t required to use standards verified by the EN or the International Organization for Standardization (ISO is another third-party regulator), these guidelines have become a key factor in how brands market bags—and how campers buy them.Ěý

Consequently, NEMO won’t make firm decisions about gendered bags until it can work out a fair and understandable way to represent temperature ratings. Says Welch, “NEMO is focused on presenting options that create the best shopping experience by speaking clearly about temperature ratings across all bags.”

Campers aren’t likely to know whether women’s bags will remain on the market until 2024 or beyond. In the meantime, people who identify as female—and who want a women’s-specific sleeping bag—might want to start shopping now. And as brands work out temperature ratings for non-gendered bags, these new models may do what women’s bags did decades ago: validate participants’ inclusion in the outdoor realm, while making the actual experience more enjoyable too.

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The Basics

The is designed for fast and light pursuits. It is stuffed with 800-fill Nikwax Hydrophobic Down. Heat-mapped zone insulation combined with a boxed-baffle construction optimize weight and warmth. Spacious hood and foot zone. Side-zippered pocket. Removable straps to secure the bag to a pad.

Size: Regular

Weight: 2 lbs 6 oz

Price: $530

Brand: Therm-a-Rest

ProsĚý

• Warm (like really warm)
• Face fabric is soft and silky
• Made with recycled materials
• Packs down to the size of a bread loafĚý

ConsĚý

• Expensive

Initial Thoughts

This just might be the nicest sleeping bag I’ve ever tested. It’s just so much warmer than any other similarly rated bags I’ve used. And given its low weight and how much it packs down, it works great for any alpine or backcountry endeavor.Ěý

The Lowdown

Big Yellow. That’s what I’ve taken to calling this sleeping bag, Therm-a-Rest’s Parsec 0F/-18C Sleeping Bag, which also just might be the nicest sleeping bag I’ve ever used. Let’s start with the easy descriptions: warm, soft, oh so fluffy.Ěý

The Parsec was designed for fast and light endeavors. It is light, coming in at just 2 pounds 6 ounces. Par for the course, it packs down to the size of a large bread loaf.Ěý

Filled with a highly compressible 800-fill Nikwax Hydrophobic Down, the Parsec absorbs 90 percent less water and dries three times faster than untreated down. On more than one occasion when it was raining hard and the bedding on the perimeter of my truck bed got wet, I stayed warm and dry when my boyfriend, in his lesser bag, did not. Where the Parsec did get wet, it dried off quickly.Ěý

I’m the type of person who wears puffy pants in 60-degree weather; I never leave the house without a coat; and I work next to heat spacers. You could say I run cold. Prior to owning this bag, I used to joke that sleeping bag temperature recommendations were accurate—if you added about 30 degrees. Not so with the Parsec. OK, so the coldest weather I’ve slept in this year was about 35 degrees, not 0, but I was toasty and in shorts and a tank—with the bag half unzipped. I could easily see myself sleeping in 0 degrees with this bag with a few added layers. It’s just plain warmer than other bags I’ve owned with similar temperature recommendations.Ěý

Therm-a-Rest’s boxed baffling construction helps prevent cold spots. Likewise, the fill is distributed to the spots where heat is more likely to be lost: 60 percent on top and 40 percent beneath. Combined, these features optimize both warmth and weight.

I really can’t overstate just how fluffy this bag is. Inside, you’ll feel like you’re lying in the clouds from My Little Pony. It may dawn on you that your comforter at home sucks. You may buy new pillows, like I did. Basically, you’re going to rethink your definition of soft and fluffy.

Oh, and the best part? All that fluff is , meaning that the waterfowl were treated humanely. The shell and liner, too, are made with 100 percent recycled fabrics—they have the certificate. I should add, here, that the 20 denier nylon is soft, silky, and quiet. You don’t really get that super annoying swash swash sound. The shell is tough, too. I accidentally got a strip of duct tape stuck to the outside (like really stuck) and was worried the bag would rip as I pulled it off. I held my breath and tugged gently. The bag remained untorn.

Are you a side sleeper? I am. Two sets of lightweight, stretchy straps located in the top and bottom halves of the bag securely fix it to your sleeping pad. Roll around all you’d like and this thing is staying put. On that note, the bag is fairly roomy, especially for being a standard mummy shape. You can keep layers on and still have toss-and-turn space. I hate feeling constricted when I sleep. In this bag, I never did.

The hood can be cinched down if you want a tighter fit, and it’s so fluffy you can fold it over itself to make a pillow. In addition to the roomy top, the bottom of the Parsec protrudes up to create a noticeably spacey foot pouch, or, as Therm-a-Rest calls it, a Toe-asis Foot Warmer Pocket. It’s warm down there, and I love that I never felt that weird ankle compression flattening thing that you get with less spacious designs.

The zipper has a meaty string attached to it, making it easy to find in the dark. Admittedly, I’ve accidentally cinched it down on the shell a few times now, but never with any casualties to the fabric. There’s a side pouch on the upper part of the bag for convenient storage of small things. It would fit your phone or a headlamp or a nighttime snack.

The Parsec is also available as 20-degree and 32-degree sleeping bags, but I’m glad I went with the zero, since it’s more versatile and the long zipper makes it easy to vent. The Parsec 0F comes with a hefty price tag: $490 to $570, depending on length (it comes in small, regular, and large). But I’ll level with you, dear reader: while I don’t trust gear reviews that don’t discuss at least a few cons, the price is the only that I can think of. To be fair, other sleeping bags with the 0° F recommendation fall in that ballpark as well.Ěý

At the risk of being too complimentary, I leave you with this image: My back was aching, my fingers were fat and swollen from climbing. My boyfriend and I parked the truck in an empty, flat meadow, the dying grass expanding out from us in gentle waves. In the distance, coyotes let out a chorus of howls. Crawling into my truck bed and into the Parsec was truly divine. It was exactly what it should be: a thing to look forward to after everything else.

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şÚÁĎłÔąĎÍř’s gear team exists to bring you information on the best outdoor products on the market. Usually this involves having our testers spend months in the field with them—it’s difficult to know what really works until we’ve actually tried products in the wild. But a couple times a year at the Summer and Winter Outdoor Retailer shows, brands announce so many product launches at once that we can’t help but make some educated guesses about what will be our favorites. Here are the four items that we can’t wait to test from this show.

NEMO Forte Endless Promise Sleeping Bags ($180-$240)

There are a lot of new products out there that are made partially of recycled materials, and this is certainly a welcome trend. The holy grail these days: products that are made entirely from recycled materials and that are also recyclable at the end of their lives. NEMO accomplished just that with an upgrade to its popular Forte sleeping bag line. The new Endless Promise bags (men’s and women’s in 20- and 30-degree versions) are manufactured with zero waste practices. Each bag is made completely with Bluesign-approved recycled materials and insulated with recycled PrimaLoft synthetics. The kicker: 95 percent of the bag is made from a single polyester polymer, so that portion be recycled when it can’t be repaired anymore. Nemo will send the bag to their partner Unifi and give consumers $20 toward new gear. These bags hit the market in the spring of 2023.

Pale Blue Earth Rechargeable Smart Batteries ($30 for 4 AA)

Americans throw away millions of batteries every year, resulting in precious—and toxic–heavy metals sitting in landfills across the country. Rechargeable batteries are nothing new, but we got our hands on lithium ion versions a few months ago and they are the most convenient we’ve tried by far: each battery has an individual micro USB port that charges it within two hours, and a life cycle that takes the place of 1,000 alkaline batteries. And they weigh 40 percent less (17.5 grams for an individual AA)Ěýthan disposables—a boon for weight-conscious athletes. The up front cost is more than a normal pack of batteries but you’ll potentially save hundreds, if not thousands of dollars over their lifetime. And they come in AAA, C, D, and nine-volt versions too.

Aurea Technologies Inc. Shine Turbine ($400)

Portable solar panels keep getting better and better but some limitations remain: in areas with fickle weather and limited sunlight harnessing enough juice can be difficult. Enter the . This three-pound device sets up in minutes and can create power in winds from eight to 28 miles per hour, rain, shine, or through the night. Juice can be stored in the five volt, 12,000 milliampere-hour integrated battery or you can directly charge any USB-chargeable gadget. You could feasibly carry this setup into the backcountry, we think it’d be most handy in base camp situations where you’re in a fairly remote location but still need power. It’s on the market now.

Level Six Ace Spray Skirt ($185)

Spray skirts are a necessary evil for kayakers. They are a life-saving device, keeping you in your boat when you flip, but wrestlingĚý them on is one of the more onerous tasks in the sport. Level Six takes on the latter problem with the , a skirt which has a thinner stitched (instead of glued) rubber band that’s stretchy to fit easily onto any style of cockpit. But it’s still made tough, with thick neoprene and reinforced kevlar panels for durability. We have questions about whether or not it’s too stretchy and could result in unwanted swims, but we’ll have to get it on the water to test that factor. “If it works, it’ll be a game-changer,” says our Gear Guy, Joe Jackson.

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The North Face Chrysalis 20 ($375)

Best for Weight Savings

If pack space is limited and distance is the goal, the Chrysalis is a trustworthy companion. It weighs just under two pounds and packs down to the size of a bread loaf, courtesy of 900-fill down. For this reason, one tester brought it along for 50 miles and two 22-degree nights in Utah’s Bears Ears National Monument. “After beating up my body all day, the anticipation of crawling into this soft cocoon was the motivation I needed to finish the hike back to camp,” our tester said, crediting the 64-inch shoulder, 59-inch hip, and extra-roomy 47.5-inch footbox girths. On another trip, into Wyoming’s Wind River Range, our tester packed the Chrysalis among climbing equipment. Its abrasion-resistant ripstop nylon compression sack emerged unscathed, though the bag’s 15-denier ripstop nylon shell (coated with a non-PFC DWR finish) is finer than most. Weight savings come from reduced insulation in the bottom panels (pair this bag with a high-R-value sleeping pad) and a smaller than average hood, which doesn’t hold a pillow inside. 1.9 lbs (regular); 20°; unisex regular, long

Sitka Kelvin Aerolite 30 ($399)

Best for Versatility

Why choose between a sleeping bag and a parka when you can have both? When zipped, the Kelvin Aerolite takes the shape of a traditional mummy bag. But it’s the multifunctional design that helps justify the admittedly high price: a two-way, full-length center zipper allows you to roll the footbox up and stow it via an aluminum hook and a nylon webbing loop. That, plus zippered arm holes ringed with draft tubes, transform the bag into a knee-length layer for hanging around camp. “Waiting for the sun to warm the Zion West Rim Trail, I converted the bag to a jacket and happily got up to start the group coffee,” one tester said. The synthetic fill kept another tester warm in 32-degree temps in Denali National Park. The bag’s 66-inch chest and 60-inch hip girths offer room to layer. 2.3 lbs (regular); 30°; unisex regular, long

Mammut 32 Trail ($100)

Best Value

Weighing just over three pounds and packing down to the size of a large watermelon, this budget-friendly synthetic bag shines for car camping trips and on short backpacking excursions. The Trail’s 62-inch shoulder and hip girths, plus a 30-inch footbox, kept one tester cozy but not claustrophobic during a rainy, 32-degree night at 11,000 feet on Colorado’s Berthoud Pass. On a 55-degree night in Chatfield State Park, Colorado, the oversize hood fit our tester’s favorite pillow from home and the full-length, two-way zipper kept clamminess at bay. The Trail’s shredded synthetic insulation allows for a baffle-less design, so there are no stitch holes to let heat escape and fewer threads to tear or pull. While this construction doesn’t allow the Trail 32°F to loft up, testers reported the synthetic fill doesn’t clump, and when temps dropped to freezing, the warmth was evenly distributed from head to toe. The bag’s 63-denier polyester shell is more durable than most. 3.1 lbs (regular); 32°; unisex regular

Montbell Seamless Burrow Bag #3 ($159)

Best for Warm Weather

On the hottest nights, we chose the Seamless Burrow Bag. The synthetic insulation is minimal, but it lofts more than similar bags. Credit a combination of cylindrical and angular polyester fibers, which stack like a losing game of Tetris and thus increase airiness. One tester reported that he didn’t sweat out the bag after five 45-degree nights in North Carolina’s Great Smoky Mountains National Park. On a two-week road trip down the Pacific coast, another tester used the full-length, two-way zipper to ventilate and reported that the DWR treatment repelled condensation on muggy mornings. Comfort bonus: the bag’s seamless construction trades baffles for internal elastic stitching that expands and contracts to match your sleeping position. The Seamless Burrow packs down to the size of a rugby ball. 2.1 lbs; 32°; unisex regular, long

Exped Ultra 3R ($150)

Best for Comfort

Striking a balance between lightness and comfort, the Ultra 3R pad helps you go the extra backcountry mile. “It kept my pack weight down for one of my longest mileage days to date,” one tester said after heading into Wyoming’s Titcomb Basin. Another tester, after a trip in Oregon’s Wallowa-Whitman National Forest, lauded the pad’s three-inch thickness, fortified with insulating and cushy microfibers. “It was comfortable in all sleeping positions,” said the tester. “My knees, back, and shoulders never felt uncomfortable.” The 72-by-20.5-inch rectangular pad has lengthwise baffles, wider at the edges and slimmer in the middle, creating a cradling effect to keep sleepers centered. The Ultra 3R’s recycled, 20-denier ripstop polyester face fabric offers average durability, and an inflation sack eases setup. 1 lb (medium); 2.9 R-value; medium, medium/wide, long/wide

NEMO Astro Insulated ($140)

Best for the Environment

After more than a decade of success, this time-tested pad gets a sustainability makeover for 2022. For one thing, its 75-denier polyester shell is now 100 percent recycled. Still, it endured seven nights of sleeping directly on California’s High Sierra granite without signs of abrasion. Its rectangular shape—72 by 20 inches, and 3.5 inches thick—kept testers warm on a ten-day backpacking trip in Colorado’s San Juan Mountains, where temps dropped below 40 degrees. A 2.6 R-value provides three-season comfort, thanks to 100 percent post-consumer recycled synthetic insulation. Still, the Astro Insulated packs down a bit smaller than a Nalgene. The included pump-sack reduces the blowup time from three-plus minutes to just under one and can extend the pad’s life by keeping delamination and mold-growing moisture at bay. (The updated non-insulated Astro now clocks a 1.5 R-value and packs slightly wider than a tube of cinnamon rolls.) 1.5 lbs (regular); 2.6 R-value; regular, long/wide

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Most of the time, choosing a sleeping bag and pad is about compromising comfort for the sake of weight. Car camping eliminates the need for such concessions. There are plenty of great such options on the market, and picking a winner is difficult when every product invites a nap. So we homed in on a few main criteria: packability, portability, and features. Here are the car camping sleeping bags and pads that stood out for delivering both extreme comfort and ease of use.Ěý

NEMO Jazz ($300)

Best Solo Bag

Everything about this 30-degree synthetic bag feels indulgent, from the 77-inch girth (roomy enough for side sleeping) to the removable, washable microfiber liner sheet that buttons into the inside for added coziness. That’s in addition to an oversize draft collar and an extra-large insulated hood. The Jazz is stuffed with synthetic insulation designed to mimic the warmth and packability of down. On a 40-degree night in Tofino, British Columbia, one tester stayed so toasty he had to crack the two full-length zippers for ventilation. When it’s time to break camp, just drop it in the storage duffel, no stuffsack cramming required. Bonus: the fill and silky 50-denier ripstop polyester fabric are fully recycled. 6 lbs

Hest Foamy ($299)

Best Solo Pad

Three Benjamins for a sleeping mat? Trust us, Hest’s newest offering is worth it. For one, it’s made from a memory foam that’s infused with billions of small air pockets, which help retain gentle support even in subfreezing temps—unlike home-goods varieties that turn hard below 40 degrees. Then there’s the waterproof nylon bottom shell, which paid off when we spilled our Nalgene on the tent floor. A built-in strap system helps roll the pad up for transport. This does little to save space (packed up, the Foamy is more than a foot thick and two feet wide and the size of Oscar the Grouch’s garbage can). But during a 32-degree night on a Rocky Mountain logging road, we slept so soundly we forgot to complain. 11 lbs

REI Camp Dreamer Double Sleep System ($299)

Best Couples Bag

The only thing separating this sleep set from the one you use at home is that REI designed the fitted sheet to stay put on an air mat (its elastic sides are only six inches deep, ideal for double-wide camping pads). The kit pairs that sheet with a synthetic-insulated quilt, removable hood, and cotton top sheet, all of which pack into an included storage bag. Arrange the pieces together to lock in warmth or layer them unattached for easy heat dumping. The set doesn’t have a temperature rating, though one couple slept cozy down to 45 degrees. But the real winning feature is washability: simply remove the sheets to clean your sleep system between trips. 7.19 lbs

Ust Fillmatic Doublewide Air Mat ($180)

Best Couples Pad

Be careful when you pull out this two-person pad. Its three-inch-thick cushioning and large size (four feet two inches across and six feet eight inches long) spell such comfort that the pad had a way of making testers forget what they were supposed to be doing. (Some immediately wanted to lie down and take a nap on the soft, bouncy expanse.) Luckily the Fillmatic mostly self-inflates in a few minutes and thus requires little focus to set up: just open a valve, wait a bit, and then top off the pad with a minute or so of huffing and puffing. The internal foam structure is firm, warm enough for winter use (R-value of 6), and sized to fill most two-person tents. 8.3 lbs

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You have to be a little bit of a masochist to spend much time on Denali. In the early season (beginning of May),Ěýtemperatures regularly plunge to 20 below on the upper mountain. You have to be willing to suffer a tadĚýin that environment, but that suffering can get out of hand quickly without really warm gear.

When my team and I flew onto the Ruth Glacier on May 8 last year, we went prepared for serious cold. We didn’t reach the summit, but we did get a good taste of all the weather Denali had to offer. After two winters in Colorado testing every item, seeking out the best approximations of Alaska (mainly the lowest temps, strongest winds, and most exposed campsites the Rockies have to offer) to double-check that everything performed, I was confident in the gear I took up the mountain. Here’s what kept me warm and comfortable while climbing in Denali’s 40-mph winds and subzero temps.

Scarpa Phantom 6000 Boots ($949)

Choosing what boots to pack for a trip like Denali is tricky. You need a single pair that breathes well enough on the lower glacier, where daytime temps are in the fifties, and can still keep you warm on summit day when it can be 70 degrees colder or worse. I also wanted something with a toe and outsole precise enough for more-technical climbing. A good compromise between limitless warmth (and bulk) and a bit of precision was with . The Phantoms use PrimaLoft Micropile and EVA to insulate enough for 90 percent of the mountain, but on the coldest days I could slip the neoprene overboots over the top for extra insulation. My feet don’t typically have major issues with cold, though. For my climbing partner who suffers from chilly extremities, , with even more insulation and integrated overboots, were a one-stop shop.

Feathered Friends Down Booties ($119)

While the Phantom 6000s do have internal liners, they tended to get wet over the course of the day, especially on the lower mountain, where warmer temps made my feet sweat and mushy snow dampened them on the outside. So I got in the habit of slipping out of them as soon as we arrived at camp and finished digging, dropping the shells in the vestibule of my tent, slipping the sweaty liners into my sleeping bag, and sliding on my . Cozy 800-fill down felt amazing after a long day in constricting boots, and the removable weather-resistant shell made it easy to step outside to pee or hang in the cook tent without getting them wet and ruining my foot warmth.

The North Face Summit Futurelight Belay Mittens ($165)

If there’s any item to bring in excess onto Denali, it’s handwear. I brought three pairs of gloves, plus these beefy , so I could fine-tune my selection for the conditions of the moment and get a set wet without being totally out of luck. Unlike my feet, my fingers get cold quickly. And thanks to an internally split finger compartment, these mittens allowed just enough hand function if I needed to ditch my lighter gloves for something warmer midclimb. This is where gear confidence is key in the Alaska Range. If you know you can reach into your pack and have warm hands whenever you need them, you’ll feel exponentially better about your preparedness.

Smartwool Mountaineering Extra Heavy Crew Socks ($25)

Socks, like gloves, are most effective in numbers. Expect them to get wet and need continuous drying, usually in your sleeping bag near your chest at night. I needed only three pairs of these for a two-week trip: a couple pairs in daily rotation that held their shape and didn’t get smelly thanks to their sturdy woven arch brace and merino’s odor-resistant properties, plus a pair sealed in a Ziploc bag specifically for summit day. The extra-heavy weight was necessary for the colder days (and I sized my boots specifically to fit them), but the breathable, wicking merino kept them from becoming totally useless on warmer days. Setting aside a set that had kept me warm for soggy hikes and windy climbs and unwrapping those summit socks once we made the decision to turn around was definitely bittersweet.

Therm-a-Rest Polar Ranger -20 Sleeping Bag ($750 and up)

Even in a place where the sun never fully sets during the summer, conditions change a lot at night. When the sun is just skimming across the horizon and ducking behind other peaks, all the heat that the sun baked into the snow and rocks during the day evaporates—fast. A sleeping bag like the (designed with the help of Polar explorer Eric Larsen), with 800-fill down insulation (which doesn’t wet out with a little moisture), is crucial for a good night’s sleep in extreme cold and wet. The hood’s magnetic openings made it easy to tuck my face away from chilly air, and on stormy evenings when I was killing time in bed, I could slide my hands out of the arm holes to read a book without unzipping the bag.

Patagonia Grade VII Down Parka ($899)

I brought only three different upper-body layers to Alaska: a lightweight active insulator, a midweight synthetic puffy, and a massive parka. The versatility that would come from adding an additional layer to this kit wasn’t worth the space it’d take up in my pack. But that parka was a doozy. The massive baffles kept the 800-fill down lofted and maximally insulating, and the extra coverage from the long hem and big helmet-compatible hood provided nearly instantaneous warmth during my trip. The snow skirt, elastic cuffs, and elasticized side panels ensured a snug, warmth-retaining fit, but there was still room for my other layers underneath when necessary.

Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XTherm Sleeping Pad ($230 and up) and NEMO Switchback Foam Pad ($55)

Two sleeping pads are better than one, especially on snow or ice. Your sleeping bag isn’t something to skimp on, and neither are your pads—without sufficiently insulating ones, your pricey down bag won’t be as effective at retaining heat. Most climbers you see on Denali use a super-insulating inflatable pad with a foam pad underneath. I went with the , which has a crazy-high 6.9 R-value (the rating for how resistant to heat flow, or insulating, something is; the higher the number, the more resistant to heat transfer) and the , which adds 2, bringing my cumulative R-value up to almost 9. Both pads pack down small (I carried the foam pad strapped to the side of my backpack, and the XTherm is about the size of a disposable water bottle). And, conveniently, the XTherm comes with an inflating bag that makes blowing it up a whole lot easier in the thin air.

Mountain Hardwear Compressor Pants ($175)

are one of those pieces of gear you never knew you needed until you tried them. On chilly overnights in Colorado’s San Juan Mountains, they were an epiphany. Just slap them on over your ski bibs or climbing pants (no need to take your boots off—they have full-length side zips) for instant and appreciable warmth. In Alaska, they were perfect around camp at night or sitting in our group kitchen tent. They’re synthetic (using Mountain Hardwear’s proprietary Thermal.Q Elite insulation), so not as packable as down but more durable than down for sitting or kneeling. The 20-denier nylon ripstop fabric on the knees and seat held up to wear and tear.

40 Below Bottle Boot ($40) and Insulated Food Bag ($20)

Because of the technical route we chose for our trip, it was easier and more time-efficient to pack cook-in-the-bag dehydrated meals rather than bulky ingredients (not to mention the minimal cooking space higher on the mountain). With a stove like the , which has a wind-blocking design and efficiently sips fuel, getting the water hot was no problem—but once we added it to our food, we had to find a way to keep it warm while the food rehydrated (which takes extra time at altitude). The is a neoprene pouch that helps the cook-in bags, which are insulated with much milder climates and shorter cooking times in mind, retain heat while your chili mac rehydrates. A loop on top lets you hang the whole thing in the tent and keep it from tipping or getting crushed. The brand’sĚý is also a staple on Denali to prevent water from freezing. You’ll still want to keep fluids in your backpackĚýon really cold days, but the neoprene sleeve keeps your water from turning to a block of ice.

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