3 BEST SLEEPING BAGS FOR EVERY BUDGET - The internet was RIGHT!

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best sleeping bags for backpacking. down sleeping bags. how to choose a sleeping bag. best budget sleeping bag. for the money. cheap sleeping bag. expensive sleeping bag.

[DanBecker]

It’s entirely possible I took a nap on the table..

[scottgtit]

I hear this a lot ... "why are you wet in the first place? Does synthetic insulation work as well wet as they say? Is it even relevant?" Ok so I'm not saying all synthetics are created equal either but yea it happens, it did to me. Yes it worked better than you'd expect. So yes it's a relevant argument.

Here's the story. It was my first time doing a longer backpacking trip a few years ago. Up to that point I did short one night trips locally in PA. Then my buddy talked me into a 3 day trip in NH on the pemi loop. I had decent gear but nothing special. I had an osprey Atmos backpack that for some reason I assumed was water proof. Up to that point I only hiked in nice weather so I really had no idea. I had no pack liner. It had a forecast of cloudy. Pfft. It rained for 3 days straight. 50 degree days and 30s at night. Rain, sleet, hail, and crazy wind non stop for 3 days. My gear was drenched. Yup horrible rookie mistake. I know better now but still, it happened. So now I go to climb in my tent with me gear saturated and it's 30 something and windy. My sleeping bag was saturated and so we're my spare layers. I done fucked up. I thought I was gonna get hypothermia and die. So I put on every wet later I had, crawled in my sleeping bag, and hoped for the best. All my gear was sythetic. No down gear at all. Well next thing I know I was over heating, sweating actually. I pealed layers off. I was amazed. So yea it works. Or at least my fairly cheap marmot nano 25 did. I now do things smarter and use pack liners and such and I do carry down bags and a down jacket. But if i think there is a chance of crazy weather like that again I'll bring synthetic stuff just in case. It literally did save my life.

I find it funny we as a community say "cotton kills" because it stays wet and makes you cold so don't wear it. Down stays wet and makes you cold when wet but it's the industry standard? Lol food for thought. Yea down is the most compressible and light so I use it too. But is it really that crazy or far fetched to say synthetic insulation is good for the same reason sythetic clothing layers are good? Why do so many consider this taboo? And if you can rock down in the rain safely then I guess you can rock cotton too... Just saying. 🤷

[skalvenner]

As a resident of Western Canada I can tell you that down doesn't need to be "wet" for its performance to be hampered, down is only good for maybe 2 months out of the summer and 2 months in the winter here when it's either too hot or cold to be humid. I switched to synthetics and they are way more consistent across all weather conditions.

[angelulloa]

$150 for a budget sleeping bag bro I thought budget meant like McDonald’s budget not Red Robin budget 😂

[memathews]

Here in Western Oregon we have a name for down bags: sponge. Roughly 8 months a year is rains or snows, and the snow is generally very wet. Down bags are fine for overnight, but they speak up the moisture over a the days or so. Synthetic bags don't some up the moisture as quickly and they dry much faster--sometimes just through body heat.

Yes, I've spent more than one night in a wet bag, both down and synthetic, it's Type 2 fun at best. But a synthetic it's more reliable and lighter weight than a soggy down bag. Each bag has a purpose, there is no universal truth other than the ratings are sketchy at best.

[altitudeiseverything]

I backpack in the CO Rockies. I've had high end +/-15 deg down bags 'wet out' (fail) in the 25-35 deg F range numerous times - it doesn't take "completely wet" to fail - and have gotten cold as a result . I have well ventilated tents (hilleberg, triplex). I'm not sure if I'd say synthetic is 'out' in that temp range. I think light down bags can be really bad in that range. For that range or colder, I've found Feathered Friends bags with WP material work much better than Western Mountaineering bags or like with 'less-than WP' outer material. I use a 0 deg FF bag with WP material from 40 deg F down to 5 deg (with a down jacket when it gets super cold). I use a Marmot bag with WP material for colder temps. There's a range there I'd be very cautious going with a light weight down bag. Just my experiences, and don't get me wrong - I like Dan a lot - just have to disagree a little on this one.

[Wolf-wnnk]

Me: *Listens to the prices these sleeping bags

Also me: *Remembering sleeping fairly soundly in freezing weather with a smoking jacket and a poncho liner.

[nk]

I love my REI radiant 20. Pro tip for smaller people: larger kids gear works for cheaper.

[SandraOrtmann]

If you are highly allergic against down, it does matter immensely. I can only sleep in synthetic, and as long as my family shares a tent with me, they have to use synthetic, too.

[darrentabor]

The Kelty Cosmic 20 has served me well.

[stonergene]

First time I had chance to use my Kelty Cosmic 20 was during the Texas freeze when it was hi 30s low 40s inside my home. I found myself removing layers of clothes all the way down to nearly nothing and having to partially unzip the bag before I was finally comfortable and not burning up. I can confidently say this bag would easily do you well down to at least 30 with the right pad and proper clothing. I liked it so much that I bought the 40 recently.

[missionwilderness]

I was completely and literally soaked in The Great Smokey Mountains in temps down to the fourties’. It rained for 2 days and I slept in a Coleman Qualifoil bag both nights and without a sleeping pad! It’s a terrible comparison but it was a little like sleeping in your own pee. This was my first backpacking trip! I believe that synthetic Coleman sleeping bag saved my life.

[rypaz]

I'm 6' 165lbs, and I've slept warm and cozy without extra layers in sub 20F in my Kelty Cosmic 20. I used the REI Stratus pad, 2.9 r rating, and wore only long underwear. Mid 30's is obviously super comfortable without even trying, but you can definitely be comfortable with it at 20 degrees and slightly below.

[spider]

The synthetic is good for me in the summer. I live in the southeast in a swampy area. The humidity really kills the down. I just have a 50 degree quilt. I have an overstuffed 20 for winter

[missionwilderness]

I slept in a wet synthetic bag in a survival situation. It was wet but warm, like sleeping in a pool of my own pee. I did not enjoy it, but I was warm and got some good sleep in spite of the wetness. Synthetic really does work when wet. Had I had down in that situation, I might not have made it.

[mobilewintercamp]

Western Mountaineering has an impeccable reputation. If maintained properly, people claim 20 years of unquestionable reliability.

[GooslingGames]

I think with synthetic its more about its ability to dry alot easier then down ifnit does get wet. Also I dont think anyone would be comfortable in a soaking wet bag, but a few days in a dense fog and the down can start to lose insulation value. I like synthetic living in NY. We can get pretty humid in the summer with days of sustained heavy rains at times.

[Sykkra]

Wet performance is important as there are more options than just completely dry or completely wet. Also rain is not the only thing that can get your sleeping bag wet.

[kdicarus]

For budget oriented people there are down sleeping bags on aliexpress for 60-130$. Brand is aegismax. The 10C° small green one, 5C° M2 and 0C° M3 are true to the comfort rating. The down is not the high end treated type but its still goose with good loft. Slept in the small green one rated 10C comfort in 5C with a liner and 2 layer cloths. Was warm. Planing to buy their 0C° one and combine with the 10C° for those rare german nights that are lower than -5C°.
Negatives are long shipping time, 3-6 weeks. The bag smells when new, i read its actually good because its the oil that you smell and its like a natural treatment but I had to air it out 1 weak to make it ok. The smell is very little now. And last the down is good in quality but it is not sourced ethical I assume.

[paul_hd]

Overlanding noob here. I own that last bag... the Kelty. Couple things... I was cold in the 40's with this bag the first night I used it. On the second night we layered up with blankets in the roof top tent, which was cumbersome, cause well... the weight of all the blankets (and a 60lbs Shephard mix) was a bit much, even in a three person Tepui. On the third night, my wife and I made concerted efforts to zip up our bags completely, and even try and use the cranium hood. The effectiveness of the sleeping bag was tremendously better. Our body temps, kept in the heat, which helped make sleeping with less extra blankets manageable. Sure, we were still layered inside...but not as much as the first night. Suppose my point is, make sure you use the bag properly... regardless of the temp rating.