No matter where your travels take you, from nationwide parks to backwoods to back again porches, a camping sleeping bag remains a trusty companion. Since space and pounds are not at a premium when you can drive to your destination, the comfort dial can get turned approach up. There’s you don’t need to suffer through the night time in a constricting mummy tote, so alternatives in this category have a tendency to lean more towards a normal rectangular condition or a roomier mummy. Several lightweight options also execute a nice job pulling dual duty for convenient backpacking trips. Below we rank our major picks for 2018, and if you want some background information our evaluation table and purchasing advice dive into issues like fill type and heat range rating. To entice your camping kit, we’ve as well tested and discussed camping mattresses and tents.
1. REI Co-op Trail Pod 30 ($90)
Type: Mummy
Temperature rating: 29°F
Fill: Synthetic
Weight: 2 lbs. 15 oz.
What we like: Roomy, comfy, and priced right.
What we don’t: Can’t be unzipped completely and opened up as a blanket.
A spacious fit, quality products, and 3-time warmth at a sub-$100 price all results in a well-known camping sleeping bag for 2018. The Trail Pod’s mummy style breaks from classic rectangular camping bags but continues to be roomy more than enough to roll around, while featuring better warmth retention compared to the open top patterns. We also like this the Trail Pod ties in a products sack and is a prospect for the casual short-distance backpacking trip. Excess fat isn’t excessive, and a 29-degree temperature score is plenty for some 3-time camping and light backcountry work with.
Our one gripe with the Trail Pod is we’d prefer if the zipper continued completely around underneath of the foot box to permit the bag to be exposed as a blanket. Turn to the Dolomite below for that alternative. Beyond that, the Trail Pod strikes us as an ideal base camping tote to cozy up in before an evening of adventuring.
2. The North Face Dolomite 20 ($99)
Type: Rectangular
Temperature rating: 20°F
Fill: Synthetic
Weight: 4 lbs. 14 oz.
What we like: Great warmth and build quality.
What we don’t: You can go cheaper for a rectangular bag.
Mummy bags are popular with regard to both camping and trekking, but rectangular bags will certainly give you a sleeping experience that will hit a little closer to home. This will be a competitive category plus we have a number of rectangular options upon this list, but our own top pick may be the Dolomite 20 from The North face jackets. For just under a hundred bucks you obtain a high-quality ladies handbag with a very helpful 20-degree temperature rating, exquisite with regard to 3-season car camping within a number of problems. If you provide the outlined rating a 10-degree barrier or so, you’re taking a look at comfortable sleeping down in order to about freezing. The handbag also offers reduced feel plus build together with great information like a full-length freezer that opens up to be used as a blanket.
Remember that a rectangular bag is heavier than a mummy for the warmth and doesn’t pack away almost as small, therefore the Dolomite 20 won’t fit into a pack or travel significantly from your car. Yet we appreciate the option for a comforter-like system, which gives you a lot of room and versatility with respect to the temperature. For more rectangular sleeping bag options, see the Kelty Breakthrough and others below.
3. Kelty Cosmic Down 20 ($160)
Type: Mummy
Temperature rating: 19°F
Fill: 600-fill DriDown
Weight: 2 lbs. 9 oz.
What we like: Great crossover bag; down insulation at a value price.
What we don’t: Too snug for comfort seekers.
Among our favorite crossover sleeping bags, the Kelty Cosmic 20 has cemented a spot on both our backpacking and camping bag lists. A couple of years ago, the Cosmic got an update, upping the quality of the down (from a low-mid grade 550-fill to 600). The good thing about nicer feathers is an uptick in warmth intended for the weight and compressibility. And considering the common price of a down bag, the high-quality improvement makes what was already a good deal even better.
For improved performance in wet conditions, the Kelty’s down has a hydrophobic treatment, which is a major helper should some normal water enter the tent or if you sleep too close to the wet tent wall surfaces. It still won’t insulate and fabricated insulation when water enters, so that as always, it’s important to keep carefully the tote as dry as it can be, however, the extra amount of coverage and 20-level rating helps it be a fantastic choice for each 3-season trip. Weighed against the Path Pod above, the pricier Cosmic is the better buy if you’ll be backpacking more than 1-2 times yearly.
4. Kelty Galactic 30 ($100)
Type: Rectangular
Temperature rating: 30°F
Fill: 600-fill DriDown
Weight: 2 lbs. 10 oz.
What we like: Cozy down insulation and a roomy rectangular shape.
What we don’t: Less versatile than the Cosmic Down above.
Boulder-based Kelty has been in the camping business intended for a long time, and we like what they’ve come up with in the new Galactic 30. What makes this bag unique is its blend of quality 600-fill power down having a rectangular shape. The majority of traditional camping bags stick to synthetic fill intended for cost savings, but lofty down clusters give you a high-quality feel and warmth that polyester just can’t match. And as we’ve come to expect from Kelty, the Galactic is solidly built and priced right at $100.
What are the downsides in choosing the Galactic 30? First off, even though the down clusters have a hydrophobic treatment, the Galactic will not perform as well as the synthetic Dolomite above in the wet. Further, the rectangular shape and 30-degree temperature rating mean that it isn’t viable for most backpacking trips, which is one of the main reasons to go with a packable and lightweight down bag. As a result, the mummy-shaped Kelty Cosmic Down above is a more versatile crossover camping/backpacking option, but we still love the recipe of cozy down warmth in a roomy design.
5. Teton Sports Tracker +5F ($60)
Type: Mummy
Temperature rating: 5°F
Fill: Synthetic
Weight: 4 lbs. 1.6 oz.
What we like: Awesome price for the specs.
What we don’t: Zipper can be finicky.
Teton Sports is a sneaky-good value brand that is gaining ground in the camping world. On paper, their Tracker sleeping handbag experience it all: 5-degree heat rating, 4-pound total weight, and a soft touch, brushed lining. Tack on a compression stuff bag and interior zippered pocket at a price that regularly hovers around $60, and you have a fantastic budget camping and hiking sleeping bag.
To keep you comfortable, the Tracker has a generous amount of polyester insulation that performs admirably in cold weather. Further, Teton added an extra coating of insulation around the foot box, which is an area prone to getting cold. It’s accurate that the mummy form is a little snug for comfort-concentrated campers (but roomier than a standard mummy bag), and the main zipper can be a little stubborn, but you’ll be hard pressed to find a bag that puts together this impressive of a stat line, and the comfort to back it up, for well under $100.
