For those who run cold or simply want to bring their bag into lower temperatures, adding a sleeping bag liner can help keep you cozy without breaking the bank. Liners are made of soft materials like fleece, wool, polyester, or silk and typically add around 5 to 15 degrees to the warmth rating of your bag. They also serve as a barrier between you and your bag’s interior, which can help boost lifespan (you can wash the liner after use rather than getting your bag dirty). Liners typically cost between $30 and $60, and a couple of our favorite options are Sea to Summit’s Thermolite Reactor for mummy bags and their Silk-Cotton Blend Liner for rectangular models. To be clear, liners are totally optional and not everyone needs one, but they do offer added warmth and comfort and help keep your bag in good shape.
Mummy bags typically have a ¾-length side zip that requires some wriggling to get in and out of and can’t be opened up completely should you want to zip the sleeping bag together with another compatible bag. That’s why for camping, we prefer a bag that fully unzips. Not only is it easy to create a large and comfortable space for two if you zip it to another bag, but unzipping the bag on its own opens it up for use as a blanket.
Further, when you lay on a sleeping bag, you compress the insulation, which impacts its ability to warm you (this is particularly true for down fill, but does impact synthetic as well). As a result, it’s important to choose a sleeping mattress or pad that will protect you from the ground if you’ll be camping in cooler temperatures (typically under degrees). That said, we still recommend checking the weight and stuffed size that will be listed in the product specifications to get an idea of just how large and heavy the bags are. Synthetic bags are typically made with thicker fabrics and require more insulation to provide sufficient warmth, which can add up to a surprising amount of bulk. And if you’re considering a double bag (covered in more detail below), you’re talking about packed dimensions listed in feet rather than inches.
The “L” shaped zipper configuration, and the fact that no hoods are involved, allow this simpler sleeping bag design to be mated easily. Your best bet for getting sleeping bags that mate together is to purchase them together, at the same time. Ozark Trail Sleeping Bags Manufacturers sometimes change zipper styles, sizes, lengths etc. with each different model year. So, if you do not purchase your sleeping bags together there is no guarantee that your bag will mate with a bag purchased sometime down the road.
When it is very cold I also use a comforter over the sleeping bags. We wear warm clothes to sleep in, including a beanie. Hand warmers in our socks and body warmers in our shirts are helpful ozark trail tent as well. Our sleeping bags zip together, allowing us to take advantage of the shared body heat. Pairing these strategies together made it reasonably comfortable at that temperature.
If weight and packed size become important, a crossover backpacking/sleeping bag like the still-roomy NEMO Forte reduces both. Colorado-based Kelty has been in the camping business for a long time, and we like what they’ve come up with in the Galactic 30. What makes this bag unique is its combination of quality 550-fill-power down with a rectangular shape.
Mummy bags are popular for both camping and backpacking, but rectangular bags are roomier and can offer an even better sleeping experience. Our top pick in this category is REI Co-op’s Siesta Hooded 20, which replaces the Siesta 25 for 2023. For a reasonable $139, you get a high-quality bag with a useful 20-degree temperature rating, which is great for three-season car camping in a variety of conditions.