Backpacking Sleeping Bags

The first thing I want to point out is that a sleeping bag is absolutely essential to the success of your camping trip. They contribute to you being warm and comfy while you sleep and let’s face it, if you’re not sleeping well when you camp then your trip is going to be far less enjoyable. To be honest, almost every camping horror story I’ve ever heard relates to sleeping in a tent on a rainy night when the sleeping bags get wet. The sleeping bag you choose actually will make a huge difference in a situation like this.

Some sleeping bags are filled with goose down, some are filled with synthetic fibres, while others may be a hybrid of both. Each type of bag has a specific advantage and it’s helpful to know what those advantages are.

Kelty Mistral CloudLoft 0 Degree Sleeping Bag


Mountain Hardwear Lamina 0 Degree Sleeping Bag

Eureka Eagle Point -15 Degree Sleeping Bag

Down filled , or goose down sleeping bags are among the most expensive sleeping bags you’ll find anywhere. I’ve seen them cost as much as $900 and you need to be a serious camper to justify buying one of these things. Down is lightweight and compressible and because of this they can be desirable backpacking sleeping bags. Extreme backpackers count every gram of weight that goes into their pack for the ultimate ultra-light camping experience but for most people they simply don’t make sense. They simply cost far too much money for most recreational campers to even consider buying.

Synthetic bags on the other hand are not as compressible as a down filled bag of the same rating may be, but these days they’re very lightweight sleeping bags and unlike down will still offer some warmth if they get wet. It does rain from time to time when you camp and if you haven’t prepared your tent and campsite properly then you run a pretty good chance of getting water in your tent. Synthetic filled bags help combat that a bit at least. Down, while more compressible offers very little warmth when wet. Synthetic filled bags are also more readily available from more suppliers.

An important point for you to think about is the season in which you wish to camp. Camping in the summer generally implies that your gear doesn’t need to have the same low temperature ratings as what would be needed for camping in the fall or winter. I generally buy my equipment to be rated for three seasons. This way I can camp spring summer or fall. In the summer I just have to unzip my sleeping bag slightly to cool off if needed.

Aside from the point of temperature rating, the best backpacking sleeping bags are fairly compressible too. The advantage of this would be that they take up less room in or on your backpack, therefore making them easier to handle while you’re hiking.

Be sure to check out the bags on the left side of this page to check out why they’re good for you to choose as your sleeping bag.

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