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Over the last 7 years, we’ve purchased and rigorously tested nearly 15of the best backpacking sleeping bags, with 15 top models in this review. Each bag underwent rigorous hands-on testing in the lab and backcountry, from snowy peaks in the Sierra Nevada to Death Valley’s sweltering desert. Our experts considered every aspect of sleeping bag performance, including warmth, weight, and comfort. You care about your gear choices, and we’ve done our best to make selecting a sleeping bag easy. From the absolute best bag to a good bargain, read on to find your perfect match.
We’ve tested sleeping bags for every type of overnight adventure, every temperature, and every budget, and these are the best of the best
Our Team’s Backpacking Sleeping Bag :
Check out this quick list of our favorite sleeping bags, or continue scrolling to see our full list with in-depth reviews.
- Best sleeping bag overall : Feathered Friends Swallow YF 20 Men’s (529$) & Egret YF 20 Women’s (489$) – Jump to Review ↓
- Exceptionally high-quality & warm : Western Mountaineering UltraLite 20 ($620) – Jump to Review ↓
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Warm sleeping bag with inclusive sizing : REI Magma 15 ($429) & REI Magma 30 ($379) – Jump to Review ↓
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Best backpacking quilt : Enlightened Equipment Revelation Quilt 20 ($345) – Jump to Review
Feathered Friends Swallow YF 20 / Egret YF 20
Best sleeping bag overall
Price : 529$ / 509$
Comfort Rating : N/A
Weight: 1 lb. 12.7 oz. / 1 lb. 13 oz.
Fill Power / Fill Weight : 900+ / 16.8oz., 900+ / 17.3oz.
Pros
- Ultralight for a mummy bag
- Highly packable
- Excellent warmth-to-weight ratio
- Large hood can accommodate a pillow
- Snag-free zipper
- RDS certified
Cons
- Expensive
The Feathered Friends Swallow YF 20 and Egret YF 20 are high-performance down sleeping bags designed for cold-weather camping and backpacking adventures.
Casey Handley, has used the Egret YF in some truly frigid conditions – including a string of 20-degree nights in Utah, a winter campout in Nevada’s Sheep Mountain Range, and a late-season hike on Broken Top Mountain in Oregon with snow on the ground.
These models are very light, feel soft against the skin, and are filled with responsibly sourced 900+ fill-power goose down – which is about as nice as down comes. This is one of the few instances where we would actually trust a 20-degree bag to keep us warm when the temperature drops to 20 degrees (Feathered Friends doesn’t list EN temperature ratings, but we’ve found their ratings to be more conservative than most of the competition).
One of the biggest features that makes them so toasty is the very generous draft tube – a down-filled tube that blocks cool air from entering through the zipper. Many premium sleeping bags include a draft tube, but the one on the Swallow and Egret is beefier than others and really locks in the warmth. Other warmth-preserving features include a draft collar around the neck and hood and a fitted but comfortable cut that eliminates dead space inside the bags.
Certainly the high price is one of the first things you’ll notice about the Swallow YF and Egret YF, but we can assure you they’re worth every penny if you’ll use them often. Ounce-counting hikers might even prefer the Swallow UL and Egret UL which cost a bit more but provide the same reliable warmth as their YF counterparts at an even lower weight. Quality like this definitely doesn’t come cheap, but a warm night’s sleep in the backcountry when temperatures drop is priceless.
Western Mountaineering UltraLite 20
Exceptionally high-quality & warm sleeping bag
Price : 620$
Comfort Rating : 25°F
Weight : 1 lb. 13 oz.
Fill Power / Fill Weight : 850+ / 16 oz.
Pros
- Excellent warmth-to-weight ratio
- Ultralight for a mummy bag
- Very warm
- Generous down collar & draft tube block chill well
- No-snag zipper
Cons
- Expensive
- A bit narrower than some
The Western Moutaineering UltraLite is the star of a lineup full of high-quality construction. This bag is consistently named as a top pick among thru-hikers who need solid gear that can be put through the wringer, Here’s a description of its features and specifications :
The Western Moutaineering UltraLite is the star of a lineup full of high-quality construction. This bag is consistently named as a top pick among thru-hikers who need solid gear that can be put through the wringer.
Every detail on the UltraLite is dialed in – it has a no-snag zipper, a 360° draft collar, and a full-length draft tube that all come together to give it one of the best warmth-to-weight ratios available. As we mentioned is the case with the Feathered Friends Swallow and Egret above, Western Mountaineering temperature-rates its bags more realistically. Many bag makers name their bags with the EN lower limit – the temperature at which the average warm sleeper can sleep for eight hours without waking (not necessarily comfortably). Western Mountaineering uses a more conservative number between the EN Lower Limit and EN Comfort Rating of their bags to better reflect the temperature that most users will find more comfortable.
To put it simply, most users will find the UltraLite to be comfortable enough for a good night’s rest all the way down to 20°F. During her fall thru-hike of the Arizona Trail, Senior Gear Analyst, Casey Handley (female, warm sleeper), even experienced a couple of evenings that dipped into the teens and she stayed warm and comfortable in the UltraLite.
The UltraLite comes with a sizable price tag, but it will last for decades if treated well. We’ve trusted ours to keep us warm on tons of trips in the backcountry, and we expect it to remain a staple in our packs for years to come.
Though the UltraLite is our favorite Western Mountaineering sleeping bag in terms of warmth-to-weight and comfort, some members of the DeepHiker team find it a bit narrow. If you don’t mind carrying a couple of extra ounces in favor of a roomier bag, you’ll probably love the AlpinLite 20 which is just a wider UltraLite. Cold sleepers who need some extra insulation should also give the VersaLite 10 a look. This bag sits right in between the UltraLite and AlpinLite as far as width since the design is optimized for the best balance of comfort and warmth.0
REI Magma 15 & 30
Warm sleeping bag with inclusive sizing
Price : 429$ / 379$
Comfort Rating : 21°F / 34°F
Weight : 2 lb 3.6 oz / 1 lb 8.4 oz
Fill Power / Fill Weight : 850 / 23.3 oz., 850 / 12.7 oz.
Pros
- Large variety of size options
- Generous draft collar blocks chill well
- No upcharge for long/wide sizes
- Good price for the warmth
- Stash pocket
- No snag zipper
Cons
- Less spacious in the hood and leg than some
The REI Magma 15 and Magma 30 have the most extensive size-run we’ve seen offered for sleeping bags, and we’re really excited about the move to provide inclusive sizing. These unisex bags are warmer than their predecessors and have a refined fit that is comfortable for a wide variety of body shapes.
The Magma 15 is designed to keep both warm and cold sleepers toasty when temperatures dip. It’s comfort-rated to 21°F (as opposed to the 28°F comfort rating of the previous unisex version). A sleeping bag’s EN/ISO Comfort Rating is the temperature at which most cold sleepers will remain comfortable, so those who have a hard time staying warm should be cozy in this bag well below freezing. Warm sleepers can certainly take the Magma 15 into the teens (provided you’re using a well-insulated sleeping pad), so it’s a great winter bag for all.
The Magma 30 is now comfort-rated at 34°F – the previous unisex model was rated at 39°F – so it’s a bit more versatile than the past iteration. The average cold sleeper can expect to stay reasonably warm right down to freezing, and a warm sleeper should remain cozy even as temperatures approach 25°F.
Part of what makes the Magma bags so warm is their trimmed-down design. The true mummy shape is highly efficient because it eliminates the dead space your body would otherwise have to warm up. Though there’s still some room to move in the Magma bags, the leg girth is a bit narrower than many similar models. Some hikers may find the space a bit tight, but there are wide models available for each length option (short, medium, long) for those who need a little more wiggle room.
The 850-fp down is highly compressible for efficient packing, though the down overstuff – meant to keep cold sleepers warm – makes these bags a bit bulkier than their predecessors. However, both the Magma 15 and the Magma 30 are fairly light for their temperature ratings.
Both versions of the Magma regularly find their way into our backpacks depending on the season, but which temperature rating should you choose? If you’re a cold sleeper or you’re looking for a sleeping bag that’ll excel on high alpine and winter adventures, the Magma 15 is an excellent choice. Warm sleepers and those who do most of their backpacking in summer and shoulder seasons will be better off with the lighter-weight Magma 30.
Enlightened Equipment Revelation Quilt 20
Best backpacking quilt overall
Price : 345$
Comfort : N/A
Weight : 1 lb. 6.3 oz.
Fill Power / Fill Weight : 850 / 16.1 oz.
Pros
- Ultralight
- Versatile
- Affordable for the quality
- Stock & customizable options available
- Highly packable
- RDS certified
Cons
- Not warm enough for sub-freezing trips
- Long lead time for custom orders
The Enlightened Equipment Revelation is the sleep system we reach for most often when we want the benefits of an ultralight quilt over a more robust sleeping bag. Its versatile design has been a game changer on our backcountry trips – it can be cinched up tight for cold nights or opened up fully like a blanket when it’s warm out.
Most of the sleeping bags here check in between 1 and 2 pounds and have temperature ratings that extend as low as 20 degrees Fahrenheit. While these are great all-around designs for a range of conditions and backpacking trips, they verge on overkill—both in terms of weight and warmth—for minimalist missions in warm summer weather. For these conditions, we love the Sea to Summit Spark, a 12-ounce, 40-degree bag that packs down to the size of a 1-liter Nalgene bottle. The Spark is surprisingly well-rounded for its weight: Unlike the Feathered Friends Tanager and Enlightened Equipment Enigma below, it comes complete with a hood and zipper, and its hydrophobic down offers great wet-weather assurance. All told, you’d be hard pressed to find a lighter, more functional design without bumping up to the 50-degree category.