14 Best Cold Weather Sleeping Bags of 2020

Camping in the cold weather can be extremely excited and relaxing, but mother nature shouldn’t be underestimated, we need to be prepared for every condition before our outdoor activities. Choosing the proper gear is the most important thing for being well prepared. Since the sleeping bag is the most important gear for cold weather camping we have researched over 50 products and found 14 best cold weather sleeping bags for backpacking and car camping.

Best Cold Weather Sleeping Bags for Backpacking

For backpacking, we need sleeping bags that have a high “warmth to weight ratio” and small compressed size. Here are the best backpacking sleeping bags for cold weather.

Cold Weather Backpacking Sleeping Bags Comparison Table

Hyke & Byke Eolus 0

• Shape: Mummy
• Weight: 3.2 lbs
• Compressed Size: 7″ x 10″
• Size: 78″ x 28″ (at the shoulders) x 26″ (at the foot)
• Insulation: 800 FP Down (Goose)
• Temperature Rating: 0˚F
• Inner Lining: 400T 20 D Ripstop Nylon Fabric 

Hyke & Byke Eolus 0 Degree is a mummy-shaped Sleeping bag that has vertical baffles to facilitate even temperature distribution from head to toe. It is one of the best backpacking sleeping bags for cold weather, due to its high warmth to weight ratio.

It’s relatively inexpensive than other sleeping bags that provide the same features. It has a snag-free /two-way zip which prevents zipper teeth to tear the fabric off and gives you the freedom of unzipping only from the bottom side for warm nights. It has adjustable drawstrings on the hood to be able to sleep comfortably at both cold and warm nights and comes with the compression sack.

Teton Sports Tracker 5

• Shape: Mummy
• Weight: 3.75 lbs
• Compressed Size: 8″ x 14″
• Size: 87″ x 34″ (at the shoulders) x 22″ (at the foot)
• Insulation: Synthetic (PolarLite Micro Insulation)
• Temperature Rating: 5˚F
• Outer Shell: 75D Diamond Ripstop
• Inner Lining: Double-Brushed P5 Poly Hi-Count

Teton Sports Tracker +5ºF is a synthetic, mummy-shaped sleeping bag. Even though it is extremely budget-friendly it has almost every feature expensive sleeping bags offer, such as water-resistant shell, anti-snag zippers, zipper draft tube, soft liner, and drawstrings on the hood. If you have a small budget and looking for a sleeping bag that can protect you up to 5 ˚ F Teton Sports Tracker 5 is one of the best cold weather sleeping bags.

Hyke and Byke Snowmass 0

• Shape: Mummy
• Weight: 3.38 lbs
• Compressed Size: 8″ x 11″
• Size: 78″ x 28″ (at the shoulders) x 26″ (at the foot)
• Insulation: 650 FP Down (Duck)
• Temperature Rating: 0˚F
• Inner Lining:  400T 20 D Ripstop Nylon Fabric 

Hyke and Byke Snowmass 0 Degree is a down insulated mummy-shaped sleeping bag that has horizontal baffles to facilitate even temperature distribution from head to toe. It also has a small channel along the left side of the sleeping bag to transfer fill from one baffle to another. For instance; if your feet get colder than your upper body you can move fill from the top baffles to bottom baffles.

Its zipper has two sliders; that feature allows you to open the bottom of the sleeping bag while keeping it zipped up around your upper body, so you can walk with the sleeping bag or use it for venting your feet if it gets too warm. It has drawstrings on the hood area to provide the flexibility of sleeping at both cold and warm nights easily. Considering its features Hyke and Byke Snowmass 0 Degree is one of the best cold weather sleeping bags.

Marmot Sawtooth 15

• Shape: Mummy
• Weight: 2 lbs 8 oz
• Compressed Size: 7.5″ x 16″
• Size: 72″ (Length) x 62 ” (Shoulder Girth) x 57″ (Hip Girth)
• Insulation: 650 FP Down (Duck)
• Temperature Rating: 15˚F
• Inner Lining:  20-Denier Mini Ripstop Nylon

Marmot Sawtooth is a 650 FP down insulated mummy-shaped sleeping bag. The hood has drawcords, you can cinch it down to feel warmer in cold conditions. It provides a great amount of space in the foot area to increase comfort. It has a draft tube to reduce heat loss through the zipper. Its two-way zipper design provides ventilation in warm conditions. The main zipper has a anti-snag slider to prevent the zipper from catching the fabric.

Teton Sports LEEF 20

• Shape: Mummy
• Weight: 3.45 lbs
• Compressed Size: 6.5″ x 12.5″
• Size: 87″ x 34″ (at the shoulders) x 22″ (at the foot)
• Insulation: Synthetic: PolarLite Micro Insulation
• Temperature Rating: 20˚F
• Outer Shell: 40D Ripstop
• Inner Lining: Double-Brushed P5 Poly Hi-Count

Toton LEEF 20 Ultralight is a synthetic insulated, mummy-shaped sleeping bag. It has drawstrings on the hood so you can cinch it down to keep the heat inside. It has a baffle behind the zipper to reduce the heat loss. Although it is an inexpensive sleeping bag it provides great features like anti-snag zippers, big foot-box, sturdy material. It comes with a stuff sack that has straps to compress the bag even tighter.

Outdoor Vitals Atlas

• Shape: Mummy
• Weight: 3 lbs 13 oz
• Compressed size: 8″ x 11″
• Size: 75″ (Length) x 64″ (Shoulder Girth)
• Insulation: 500 FP Down
• Temperature Rating: 15˚F
• Outer Shell: 30d 320t Nylon DWR Coating
• Inner Lining: 50D 320T Polyester Pongee

Outdoor Vitals Atlas is a 500 FP down insulated mummy-shaped sleeping bag. Even though it is one of the most inexpensive down sleeping bags, it still provides great features, such as drawstrings on the hood to keep the heat inside, DWR coated outer shell to protect the down from getting wet, and draft tube (to reduce the heat loss through the zipper). It has horizontal baffles to facilitate even temperature distribution.

One of the best features it offers is, if you are planning to travel with your loved one, you can purchase one right-hand and one left-hand atlas zip them together to make a double sleeping bag. If you are tight on a budget but still want the features that down provides, it is perfect for you.

Kelty Unisex Cosmic 20

• Shape: Mummy
• Weight: 2lbs 6.6 oz
• Compressed size: 8″ x 15.5″
• Size: 72″ (Length) x 62 ” (Shoulder Girth) x 58″ (Hip Girth)
• Insulation: 600 FP DriDown
• Temperature Rating: 15˚F
• Outer Shell: 50D Polyester Ripstop Shell
• Inner Lining: 50D Polyester Tafetta

Kelty Unisex Cosmic 20 Degree is a mummy-shaped sleeping bag. It has Dridown insulation which works better than traditional down insulation at wet conditions.

Its hood has drawstrings so you can cinch it down on to decrease the heat loss on cold nights. It has a two-way zipper so you can unzip from the bottom side while the upper side is zipped up, if you feel hot you can take your feet or leg out to vent. Cosmic 20 has a draft tube behind the zipper to reduce the heat loss through the zipper. It also has anti-snag material at both sides of the zipper to prevent the zipper from tearing the fabric off.

Nemo Forte 20

• Shape: Semi-Rectangular
• Weight: 3 lbs 5 oz
• Compressed Size: 8.5″ x 12″
• Size: 78″ (Length) x 66″ (Shoulder Girth) x 62″ (Hip Girth)
• Insulation: Synthetic
• Temperature Rating: 20˚F
• Inner Lining: Nylon Taffeta

Nemo Forte 20 is a semi-rectangular shaped, moister resistant, a synthetic sleeping bag. It is one of the most comfortable sleeping bags due to its award-winning design. There are Thermogills on the front side of the sleeping bag which are basically two zippers in the middle area allows you to vent the sleeping bag and adjust the temperature. It also has a draft tube to reduce heat loss through the zipper. The hood of the sleeping bag has drawcords to simplify adjustment. If you are looking for the most comfortable sleeping bag for 20-30F temperatures Nemo Forte 20 is perfect for you.

Western Mountaineering Ultralite 20

• Shape: Mummy
• Weight: 1 lb 13 oz
• Compressed Size: 7″ x 13″
• Size: 72″ (Length) x 59 ” (Shoulder Girth) x 51″ (Hip Girth)
• Insulation: 850 FP Down (Goose)
• Temperature Rating: 20˚F
• Outer Shell: Extremelite Shell Fabric

Western Mountaineering Ultralite 20 is one of the lightest mummy-shaped sleeping bag. It is an 850 FP Goose down-filled sleeping bag. It is highly expensive considering other sleeping bags but it has almost every feature you should be looking for on a sleeping bag. Western Mountaineering Ultralite 20 has drawstrings on the hood for adjustment. It is designed to provide maximum efficiency, it has draft tubes behind the zipper and around the neck area to reduce the heat loss.

It has horizontal continuous baffles to transfer down from front to back so you can arrange the amount of heat transfer for a specific area. If the price is not an issue for you Western Mountaineering Ultralite 20 is one of the best cold weather sleeping bags.

Best Cold Weather Car Camping Sleeping Bags

For car camping, compressed size and weight are not as important as backpacking. Therefore, we can choose more comfortable sleeping bags since we have a bigger room to pack. Here are the best sleeping bags for car camping.

Teton Mammoth Double

• Shape: Double
• Weight: 16.5 lbs 
• Compressed Size: 28″ x 15.75″ x 15.75″
• Size: 94″x 62″
• Insulation: Synthetic: SuperLoft Elite Hollow Fiber
• Temperature Rating: 0˚F
• Outer Shell: Taffeta
• Inner Lining: 100% Cotton Flannel

Teton Mammoth Double is a synthetic insulated double size sleeping bag. Even though it is a double sleeping bag, it still provides the same features that single sleeping bags do, such as, anti-snag two-way zippers, zipper & shoulder draft tubes(to reduce heat loss). Teton Mammoth Double has a soft cotton inner liner to increase comfort. If you are looking for a sleeping bag to use with your loved one it is perfect for cold weather trails.

Coleman Palmetto Winter

• Shape: Rectangular
• Weight: 4 lbs
• Size: 71″ (Length)
• Temperature Rating: 50˚F
• Outer Shell: Polyester
• Inner Lining: Soft Tricot Fiber Blend Liner

Coleman Palmetto is an inexpensive rectangular-shaped sleeping bag. It has two-way / snag-free zipper to prevent zipper teeth to tear the fabric off and to give you the freedom of unzipping only from the bottom side for warmer nights. The sleeping bag has a Thermolock feature in order to reduce heat loss through the zipper.

It has a patented design to roll and pack easily. It is heavy and bulky, therefore, not suitable for backpacking. But if you are on a budget Coleman Palmetto is one of the best sleeping bags for car camping.

Browning Mckinley -30

• Shape: Rectangular
• Weight: 10 lbs
• Packed Size: 13″ x 27″
• Size: 90″ x 36″
• Insulation: Synthetic: Techloft
• Temperature Rating: -30˚F
• Outer Shell: 210 Nylon Diamond Ripstop
• Inner Lining: Brushed Polyester Liner

Browning Sleeping Bag is a synthetic rectangular-shaped sleeping bag. Since it has great insulation, two-layer construction, and innovative zipper design; It gives you a great amount of space to sleep comfortably, also keeps you warm even until -30 F.

The good thing about Browning Mckinley -30 F sleeping bag is that you don’t feel like you are sleeping in a coffin in this sleeping bag.  If the big packed size is not an important issue for you, we would strongly recommend Browning Mckinley -30F. Also, a stuff sack comes with the sleeping bag.

Coleman Dunnock

• Shape: Rectangular
• Weight: 5 lbs
• Size: 81″x 39″
• Insulation: Synthetic: Polyester
• Temperature Rating: 20˚F
• Outer Shell: Cotton 
• Inner Lining: Soft Cotton Flannel Liner

Considering its price, the Coleman Dunnock Sleeping bag provides great features. Since it is a rectangular-shaped sleeping bag, it has plenty of space to sleep. One of the features of the sleeping bag is Lock-Control design on the edges to make packing easier and it has Thermolock feature which reduces the heat loss through the zipper. It has a snag-free zipper design to prevent the side zipper’s teeth from tearing the shell fabric off the sleeping bag. It is really sturdy for an inexpensive sleeping bag.

If you are planning a trip with your partner, two bags can be zipped together to create a double sleeping bag. It is not a suitable sleeping bag for subzero degrees, and it is bulky. But If you don’t have a big budget and looking for an inexpensive car camping sleeping bag, Coleman Dunnock Cold Weather Sleeping Bag is more than enough for you.

Coleman Silverton 0 Degree

• Shape: Mummy
• Weight: 5.2 lbs
• Size: 82″ x 32″
• Insulation: Synthetic: Coletherm Polyester
• Temperature Rating: 0˚F
• Outer Shell: Polyester 

Coleman Silverton 0 Degree is a synthetic insulated mummy-shaped sleeping bag. It has a great amount of room in the foot box to increase comfort. Coleman Silverton 0 degree provides the Thermolock feature which reduces the heat loss through the zipper. The sleeping bag has a two-way zipper, so, you can open the bottom side for more ventilation. It has a snag-free zipper design to prevent the zipper’s teeth from tearing the shell fabric off. It has drawstrings on the hood.

Since it is heavy and bulky it is not suitable for backpacking. But if you are looking for an inexpensive car camping sleeping bag for cold weathers, Coleman Silverton 0 degree is perfect for you. Also, a stuff sack comes with the sleeping bag.

How to Choose The Best Cold Weather Sleeping Bag

There are things to consider before purchasing a sleeping bag, such as insulation type, shape and provided features. Below we will briefly cover each one of them, but if you would like to know more about sleeping bags, make sure to look at our comprehensive article about different types of sleeping bags.

Shape

Rectangular Sleeping Bags: They are more comfortable than other types of sleeping bags since they provide a great amount of space in the sleeping bag, but they are less efficient for warmth.

Mummy Sleeping Bags: Due to their tapered form they surround the user’s body, therefore, they provide more warmth. Since mummy sleeping bags have less fabric they are lighter but less comfortable than other types of sleeping bags.

Semi-Rectangular Sleeping Bags: They have a tapered form as well, but they are not as narrow as mummy sleeping bags at the bottom. For warmness, they are more efficient compared to rectangular sleeping bags, and they are more comfortable compared to mummy sleeping bags.

Double Sleeping Bags: This type of sleeping bag is made for two-person. They are perfect for camping with your partner.

Insulation

There are two types of sleeping bags when it comes to insulation which is down and synthetic.

Down: Insulation material for down sleeping bags is simply the down of goose or duck (the feathers which keep the egg warm). Down sleeping bags are much lighter and more compressible than synthetic sleeping bags, therefore they are the best type of sleeping bag for backpacking. They are generally more expensive than synthetic sleeping bags due to their warmth to weight ratio and compressibility. The most important thing to look for when purchasing a sleeping bag is fill-power. Fill-power represents the quality of the down insulation. Greater the fill power, the more “warmth to weight ratio”, you will get.

Synthetic: The second type of insulation for sleeping bags is synthetic. They are heavier and less compressible than down sleeping bags, therefore, they are more affordable than down-insulated sleeping bags. The biggest advantage of synthetic sleeping bags is they don’t lose their effectiveness in damp conditions as well.

Features

Cinchable Hood: Some sleeping bags have drawstrings on the hood, that feature allows the user to cinch the hood down to keep the heat inside. So look for a sleeping bag that has drawstrings to feel warmer in cold nights.

Zipper’s Heat Loss Protection: A sleeping bag’s weakest spot is the zipper area when it comes to heat loss. Therefore most of the quality sleeping bags provide a draft tube or a baffle behind the zipper to reduce the heat loss through it.

Two Way Sliders: Even though sleeping bags are made for protection from the cold, sometimes inside of the sleeping bag might be too warm. To obtain the optimum temperature some sleeping bags provide two-way sliders. With two way sliders, you can unzip the bottom of the sleeping bag for ventilation while keeping the upper area zipped.

Inner Pocket: It is not the most important feature to look for, but some sleeping bags provide an inner pocket to keep your valuables from the cold.