The Best Backpacking Sleeping Bags of 2024

A good sleeping bag is one of the most important investments an avid outdoors person will make. Our team has collectively tested piles of these puffy down cocoons for more than a decade now, and current authors have put over 100 of the best backpacking sleeping bags through the paces in our search.

From the snow-blasted alpine of Colorado to the open desert in the African savannah — and even while dangling thousands of feet in the air during big wall ascents in Yosemite — we rolled out our mobile beds and compared them side-by-side to find the ideal bags for anyone. Whether you’re after the do-it-all Therm-a-Rest Parsec or more budget-minded Kelty Cosmic Down, we’ve got options for everyone.

To evaluate the best backpacking sleeping bags, we certainly racked up the trail miles, but we also devised a series of bench tests to compare these bags fairly. From comparative temperature and loft testing to moisture resistance and compressed sizes, we got the down-low for ourselves. All of our testing and experience inform our recommendations, and we’re sure that these are the best bags available today.

Editor’s Note: We updated our Backpacking Sleeping Bags guide on September 24, 2024, to add a new Price & Value section, as well as refine our testing regimen.

The Best Backpacking Sleeping Bags of 2024

• Best Overall Backpacking Sleeping Bag: Therm-a-Rest Parsec 20
• Best Budget Backpacking Sleeping Bag: Kelty Cosmic Down 20
• Best Value Backpacking Sleeping Bag: Mountain Hardwear Bishop Pass 15
• Best Ultralight Backpacking Sleeping Bag: Rab Mythic Ultra 180
• Best Backpacking Sleeping Bag for Women: NEMO Disco 15 — Women’s
• Best Backpacking Sleeping Bag for Thru-Hiking: Enlightened Equipment Enigma
• Most Inclusive Sizing Sleeping Bag: REI Co-op Magma 15

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Other Sleeping Bags We’ve Tested and Recommend

There is a huge array of sleeping bags on the market, and while we’ve keyed in on the seven above as award-worthy, there are plenty of other excellent bags out there. Check out the five below as similar options that we stand behind.

Backpacking Sleeping Bag Comparison Chart

Sleeping Bag	Price	Shell Fabric	Weight	Insulation	EN Temperature Rating (Lower Limit)
Therm-a-Rest Parsec 20	$440-500	100% recycled ripstop nylon with DWR	2 lbs., 6 oz.	800-fill down	20°F
Kelty Cosmic Down 20	$150-170	20-denier nylon	2 lbs., 7 oz.	550-fill down	21°F
Mountain Hardwear Bishop Pass 15	$285-305	20-denier ripstop nylon	2 lbs., 5 oz.	650-fill down	15°F
Rab Mythic Ultra 180	$600-740	7-denier ripstop nylon	14.1 oz.	900-fill down	32°F
NEMO Disco 15 — Women’s	$300-330	30-denier ripstop nylon	3 lbs., 5 oz.	650-fill down	17°F (ISO-rating)
Enlightened Equipment Enigma	$355	Ultralight nylon fabric (7D or 10D)	1 lb., 3.2 oz — 1 lb., 5.2 oz.	850 or 950-fill down	20°F (not EN rated)
REI Co-op Magma 15	$429	Pertex 15-denier ripstop nylon	2 lbs., 3.6 oz. (medium size)	850-fill down	9°F (ISO-rating)
Mountain Hardwear Phantom 15	$580-610	15-denier ripstop nylon	2 lbs., 0.6 oz.	800-fill down	15°F
Sierra Designs Mobile Mummy 15	$320-340	20-denier recycled nylon	2 lbs., 6.5 oz.	800-fill DriDown	16°F
Feathered Friends Hummingbird UL 20	$609-629	Pertex Endurance UL	1 lb., 8 oz.	950+ fill goose down	20°F (not EN rated)
Western Mountaineering AlpinLite 20	$670-715	12-denier ripstop nylon	1 lb., 15 oz.	850-fill down	20°F (ISO-rated)
Rab Neutrino 600	$495	20-denier Pertex Quantum recycled nylon ripstop with DWR	2 lbs., 2 oz.	800-fill down	10°F (ISO-rated)

How We Tested the Best Backpacking Sleeping Bags

There are a lot of great sleeping bags to choose from and we are here to narrow the field and help you find the perfect one for you — one that fits your budget and your needs.

It’s not just about putting the gear through a battery of tests to stress it to its limits — although that does occur — it’s about using the gear the way our readers do.

Field Testing

The main pillars of our backpacking sleeping bag test are — you guessed it — backpacking and sleeping. The location, trip type, distances covered, and conditions are always different, however, and we aimed to use these bags as they should: rainstorms included.

We’ve slept in these sleeping bags at some wild places across the way. From late autumn traverses in the Chugach Range to spring melt tromping in the Sierra, thru-hiking the Continental Divide Trail, and hiding from storms in Iceland — we’ve gotten around in the testing process.

During field testing, we aim to test these bags relative to their stated temperature ratings and track overnight ambient temps to relate to how we slept. We also regulated our sleeping clothing, and standardized our sleeping pads, aiming for as close to fair as we can manage. We compare notes on performance, and when we’ve got a good feel, we swap bags to form a comprehensive opinion.

Bench Testing

In order to better understand how these sleeping bags size up to one another, we developed a series of tests that aim to cut through the static and hone in on the real-deal differences between these bags.

These include a stuff-sack compression test — where each bag is jammed into the smallest bundle we can muster and the volume measured. Also considered is moisture resistance, which we test by misting the footbox and hood of the bag with a spray bottle. Finally, we weigh each bag on our own scales to ensure that manufacturer claims are accurate.

Why You Should Trust Us

Not only do we have decades of experience among the lot of us, but we are also critical and perceptive to the nuance of the needs of each user. You may not agree with our opinions, but we strive to make our judgments fair and justified. We stick to the same standards and metrics for each product we test.

Editor-in-Chief Adam Ruggiero, a seasoned hiker, bikepacker, and all-around outdoorsman, broke trail with this guide in May 2020, wrangling together our initial selection of 11 top-shelf sleeping bags. Tester Chris Carter took over the reins in 2022 and has been poring through online catalogs, bugging the pros, and hustling to gear shows to narrow in on the most current, deserving selection possible.

Chris has significant experience cocooning himself in down burritos, having thru-hiked the Triple Crown of long trails in the United States: the Pacific Crest Trail, the Continental Divide Trail, and the Appalachian Trail. He knows the importance of a sound night of sleep on a backpacking excursion and doesn’t skimp on any element of his sleeping kit.

Buyer’s Guide: How to Choose a Sleeping Bag

A good sleeping bag is a foundational piece of gear for the outdoor enthusiast. Consider where and when you want to use your bag. Are you planning a summer outing at low elevation or a winter getaway in the mountains?

Not every bag will cover the gamut of conditions you will encounter in the outdoors, but most can cover a broad spectrum. A cold-weather bag will work in the summer, but nasty, stuffy, sweaty nights will ensue. Just as with any piece of gear, choose the right tool for the job.

We utilize five factors to consider when purchasing a sleeping bag: warmth, packed size and weight, materials, extra features, and value. No one bag can excel in all categories without costing you a fortune. Our goal is to direct you toward the perfect sleeping bag for your needs and your budget.

Keep in mind that brands often offer multiple sizes in one bag. There will be short, regular, long, left zip, right zip, or a women’s version. Dead air space in a bag creates more air to warm up, creating a colder bag or at least one that requires more heating time. In some situations, extra space is beneficial.

For example, in cold environments, it is nice to have a few extra inches in the bottom of the bag to stash clothes to keep warm or a water bottle filled with hot water. Deciding what side you want the zipper on can come down to handedness, connecting to a partner’s bag, or preferring a certain side to sleep on.

Women’s bags often have more space in the hips and extra insulation. Usually, that adds extra weight for the same rated bag in a men’s version.

Warmth

Temperature ratings are a great place to start when selecting a sleeping bag. Most of us have a favorite campground, mountain range, or beach that we plan on visiting regularly. Determine the coldest night in that locale, and you have your minimum comfort range.

The Therm-a-Rest Parsec provided excellent warmth in testing with its 800-fill hydrophobic down. Lightweight options such as the REI Co-op Magma 15 and Feathered Friends Hummingbird UL 20 save a lot of weight by using lighter fabrics or shorter zippers. They offer similar temperature ratings but usually have less loft and durability. If you know that you run cold, give yourself a margin of comfort above the listed rating.

Fill ratings for down are determined by measuring the amount of loft one ounce of down will expand to. For example, one ounce of 850-fill down lofts to fill 850 cubic inches. This means that more air is trapped in tiny fibers between the feathers compared to lower ratings, trapping more warmth. Down bags will always be warmer, by weight, than synthetic bags due to the superior loft of the down at any rating.

The International Standards Organization does laboratory testing to attempt to rate sleeping bags scientifically by reducing variables. A mannequin with sensors is placed in the bag to test temperature changes in a controlled environment. Of course, we are not mannequins! Metabolic rates, preference, and tenacity can alter which bag is better for you.

Still, the ratings are a great way to compare warmth across brands. We recommend that cold sleepers choose a bag on the warmer end of the spectrum, even for summer camping.

The duration of your trip and the variety of landscapes and climates you’ll experience along the way also play an important role in narrowing in on the perfect temperature rating. If you’ll be tramping through snow in the mountains and plodding across blistering deserts all in the same trip (and don’t plan on changing bags halfway through), make sure to pick a bag that will keep you comfortable in each environment. You don’t want to overheat in the desert or freeze to death in the highlands. Find the happy medium that will protect you from start to finish.

Sleeping bag liners can help boost the warmth of a summer bag to be suitable for colder temps. This is a possible lightweight solution for long trips like thru-hikes that bring you through a broad spectrum of temperatures. This silk liner from Sea to Summit is one of our personal favorites for this purpose.

Packed Size & Weight

Packed size is of particular importance when backpacking. While regular camping sleeping bags focus more on comfort, you want your backpacking sleeping bag to have an appropriate warmth-to-weight ratio for your adventure. The weight and packed size of a bag are directly tied to the materials it is built from. Down always packs smaller than synthetic insulation at the same temperature rating but is, on average, more expensive.

Anyone looking to minimize pack weight should consider something like the REI Co-op Magma 15. This bag packs down to three liters and weighs just 2 pounds, 3.6 ounces. Compare that to the NEMO Forte with synthetic insulation which is much bulkier at over 3 pounds with a similar temperature rating.

The ability to pack your bag into the smallest stuff sack possible means more room for gear (or snacks!). The Rab Mythic Ultra 180 is insanely compact and is great for warm summer bivvies when you want to be ultralight or to add to another bag to multiply the warmth. It’s a good idea to consider the volume and storage capabilities of the backpacking backpack you plan to use on your excursions before choosing your sleeping bag, as this will be one of the bulkier items in your kit.

Materials and Construction

A bag’s insulating material will greatly alter its weight-to-warmth ratio. The downside of down (ahem) is that if it gets wet, it loses its warming power.

Virtually all modern, high-quality sleeping bags (like those in this guide) use a hydrophobic down, such as the NEMO Disco 15 or Therm-a-Rest Parsec 20. Hydrophobic down requires treating the down material with a durable water-repellent (DWR) product.

This chemical treatment coats the down and inhibits moisture from absorbing into it as readily as untreated down. This treatment also allows damp down to dry more quickly. This is not a waterproofing treatment. Hydrophobic down products will do better at resisting water, but they are not impervious to it.

Unlike down, synthetic insulation stays warm when wet but is bulkier and heavier than down. If you plan to be in heavy rain or on a raft trip, consider the NEMO Forte. The other benefit of synthetic insulation is that it is less expensive to procure than down.

As we said before, down is warmer than synthetic insulation gram for gram. As the fill power (also called CUIN) rating for down climbs higher, so does the price. A 950-fill down does a much better job of trapping heat than a 600-fill down.

That is not to say that a higher value will be warmer. The amount of insulating material is also a factor. For example, a bag with twice as much 600-fill down can maintain heat as well as a bag with half that much in 950-fill, but it will consequently be markedly heavier.

For shell fabrics and liners, most sleeping bags from reputable brands use synthetic materials that repel water and hold warmth when wet. The diameter of the thread itself used in fabrics is measured in deniers. A high denier count correlates pretty strongly with being a stronger material. So, a higher denier rating correlates with more durability.

The caveat to all this is that 20-denier Cuben fiber is stronger than 20-denier polyester because the Dyneema is stronger than the polyester fibers at the same thickness.

Some bags have a breathable membrane, such as a GORE-TEX shell. Ripstop is a way of reinforcing fabric with heavier threads woven in to resist abrasion and tearing.

Taffeta is among the most common fabric choices to line the inside of a bag. Unlike the coarse feel of ripstop, taffeta has a pleasant silky feel and is more breathable. This makes it an ideal choice as a next-to-skin fabric.

Pay attention to the fabric behind the zipper as well. A late-night trip to the bush can cause fumbling and tearing of fabric if it gets caught in the zipper. Top brands will sew sturdier material in the zipper zone to prevent this, but it adds weight.

Baffles in a sleeping bag are sewn separations that keep the down in place to prevent it from bunching up. It is important to consider baffle size and placement in a down bag. After years of use, the feathers tend to migrate into clumps. A little care and proper maintenance can prevent this.

Finally, draft tubes and collars are insulation-stuffed barriers between you and places that lose a lot of heat. This is in places such as along the zipper or around your neck. These barriers are crucial to keeping cold air out. Draft collars rest on the chest and neck area to keep the heat in the bag from escaping.

Extra Features

The budget-friendly Kelty Cosmic Down has a great cellphone pocket, and the Mountain Hardwear Bishop Pass 15 can zip together with another bag that has a zipper on the opposite side. This is great if you want to cuddle with your partner.

A novelty in this category is the NEMO Disco, which stands out because of its expandable zippered gills that increase the bag’s circumference — advantageous if you are a side sleeper or want to draw your knees up at night. Most bags also allow two-way zippers to promote venting at the feet while the majority of the zipper towards the head stays zipped.

Extra features are what we consider to tip the scales between two similar products when making a difficult decision. With so many options on the market, the deciding factor when purchasing a new bag can be the difference between a static cinch cord instead of a bungee.

In our view, extra features are just that, nothing that affects the performance of a bag but only adds flair or novelty.

Women’s-Specific Sleeping Bags

Some sleeping bags, such as the NEMO Disco 15 — Women’s, are designed with women in mind and have features that some may find beneficial. As mentioned above, women’s bags are usually more spacious, accommodate wider hips, and have extra insulation (often in specific areas).

Some sleeping bags have a women’s-specific version that you can choose (which sometimes just means it’s shorter), while other models are designed solely for women. Sometimes the changes make a noticeable difference for women, other times a men’s or unisex model will work just fine.

In recent years, a move away from gendered styles and toward a larger range of sizes has become common, with the REI Co-op paving the way. The Magma 15 series of bags eschews gendered options and instead offers nine different versions with three different lengths and widths to combine.

Price & Value

Buying a quality sleeping bag is as important as buying a good backpacking tent. It is not only a matter of comfort but also safety and well-being. Your sleeping bag is a crucial piece of gear to give you the night’s rest you need to tackle your goals and enjoy the backcountry. You should expect to make a substantial investment for a long-lasting, high-quality sleeping bag. Don’t be surprised to see price tags that approach (or exceed) $500.

Budget

Still, there can be excellent reasons for going with a less expensive sleeping bag, and there are plenty out there to choose from. These bags are often synthetic filled, and while our recommendations mostly focus on down bags, you can save a good amount by going with one of these. Also, expect to see lighter-duty taffeta fabrics used, zippers that lack a slider shed, and simple horizontal baffles. Expect to pay between $150 and $300 for a bag like this.

Down bags will use a lower fill-power insulation, and may be a blend of goose and duck down. Our budget pick, the Kelty Cosmic Down 20 ($150-170) is one of the best deals on a down bag currently and uses 550-fill down. Spending a bit more on something like the Mountain Hardwear Bishop Pass 15 ($285-305) will get you a better 650-fill down, as well as a nicer ripstop nylon shell.

Mid-Tier

Spending a bit more can often get you a warmer, and more tailored sleeping bag. Between $300 and $500, you’ll see bags with nicer and more compressible 650-750-fill power down, high-quality ripstop and Pertex shell fabrics, and dual zipper sliders with covers to avoid snags. These bags will also generally fit better, with additional sizes and zipper options available.

The Therm-a-Rest Parsec 20 ($440-500) is a great all-around sleeping bag, and the 800-fill power hydrophobic down is nicer than some in this price range. Some bags are a bit more on the camp side, like the NEMO Disco 15 — Women’s ($300-330), while others are a bit more specialized, like the Enlightened Equipment Enigma ($355) or Sierra Designs Mobile Mummy ($320-340).

Premium

Premium bags are often from smaller boutique manufacturers, who are able to provide high-quality sleeping bags by charging more for exceptional quality. Brands like Western Mountaineering and Feathered Friends are USA-made companies that hand-craft their bags and make use of high-end materials like Pertex shells and 800-950 fill power downs, and implement novel designs like trapezoidal baffles and 3D foot boxes.

The Feathered Friends Hummingbird UL 20 ($549-629) and Western Mountaineering AlpinLite 20 ($670-715) are certainly some of the nicest bags we’d recommend, but you can also get into a more use-specific bag, like the alpinist-approved Mountain Hardwear Phantom 15 ($570-610).

Frequently Asked Questions