The 9 Best Sleeping Bags for Camping of 2026 | Staff Picks

Three-season warmth, thoughtful features and spacious geometry (thinking of you, side sleepers) make the a versatile pick for many types of campers.  

Equipped with 600-fill-power down, the HunkerDown delivers no-nonsense warmth in temperatures as low as 20°F while still compressing (stuff sack included) into a cylinder just a hair over 9 liters (or about the size of an average camp pillow). An oversized hood keeps pillows of all sizes in place (including your favorite headrest from home), while the built-in draft collar retains your body heat if temps dip in the night—and if they don’t, a wraparound zipper offers plenty of ways to ventilate. In keeping with the REI to the planet, the HunkerDown 20 features down insulation, polyester lining and recycled polyester shell. 

Because the HunkerDown 20 features a more traditional, rectangular geometry, there’s ample room for those who shift and shimmy in their sleep, points out Elizabeth N., senior retail specialist in the camping department at the REI store in Atlanta, Georgia. Multiple customer-reviewers agree, including one from Spokane, Washington: “I sleep on my side with an inflatable pillow between my knees, and this bag has enough room to allow that.” Another customer-reviewer says the bag “had plenty of room” for their 5-foot-10-inch frame.  

While this bag isn't the lightest or most compressible option in our lineup, it appeals to campers across experience levels: Its less-restrictive silhouette (compared to a mummy-shaped bag) makes the HunkerDown 20 a great option for those newer to camping who want comfort and movement. Its three-season warmth appeals to more experienced campers who go out more often.  

“That HunkerDown 20 title is well-earned,” says Carlos R., department manager at the REI store in Wichita, Kansas. He gushes over the way the down molds into his body, adding “I have to give [it] a Carlos, double thumbs up. If you’re saying you can only pick one, the HunkerDown 20 is it. That is an extension of my home."

New to camping? The roomy Coleman Arch Bay 30 Sleeping Bag will help you feel right at home. The bag’s rectangular silhouette—which is a spacious 81 by 33 inches—provides room to stretch. It’s also built with a trifecta of stay-warm attributes like a draft tube on the zipper to prevent heat loss, a cozy cuff at the neckline and fully recycled Ecotherm™ fill that keeps users warm on chilly evenings. That temperature rating works well for beginners, who are more likely to try camping for the first time during spring, summer and autumn months, says Elizabeth N., senior retail specialist in the camping department at the REI store in Atlanta.   

Packing up is also a little easier with this sleep sack. Tiny clasps at the edges of the bag allow you to secure it in place before you pack it. Just fold the bag lengthwise, fasten the two sides together, then roll.   

The Arch Bay 30 is simpler than other sleeping bags out there (you won’t find stash pockets or a cinch collar, for example), but thoughtful touches like a contoured layer of fabric above the neckline to keep your head or pillow in place and a ZipPlow zipper to prevent frustrating fabric snags contribute to the bag’s 4.7-star user-review rating (at the time of this writing). Those just-enough features combined with an approachable $80 price point make it the perfect starter bag for someone new to camping or loves slumber parties.

Saving money on gear can come at the expense of comfort, weight or warmth—not with the REI Co-op Trailmade 25.  

“[The Trailmade bags] are really good, economical bags,” says Carlos R., department manager at the REI store in Wichita, Kansas. 

The three-season sleeper is slightly broader in the shoulders compared to more traditional mummy bags, while still delivering a warmth-boosting, weight-reducing kick. A cinchable face muffler, full draft tube and offset quilt construction (this means two or more layers of insulation are layered to prevent cold spots) work together to keep users toasty on chilly nights. Since rainy days are always a possibility in the backcountry, the bag features water-resistant, recycled synthetic fill along with a durable water repellent (DWR) finish on the recycled polyester shell.  

A contoured hood designed to cradle your noggin (or your favorite camp pillow), snag-resistant zippers and an external, zippered pocket placed high on the chest (great for stashing a phone or headlamp) are nice-to-have features. One of our editors appreciated love the long pulls on the zippers, which made it easy to find in the dark. While her campmate complained of feeling some condensation the next morning, she didn't experience that in the Trailmade.

Like all Trailmade apparel and gear, the Trailmade 25 Sleeping Bag is created with “inclusivity, simplicity, approachability and functional design” at the forefront. (Read more about it here.) Case in point: This bag comes in six different size options, depending on the user’s preferred bag height and width. 

“While it certainly isn’t an ultralight bag, its weight still comes in under 4 pounds, even for the long-wide version,” says Tim B., department manager at the REI store in Farmington, Utah. “It’s tough to beat.”

This sleeping bag probably deserves its own fansite. “People come in asking for the Siesta,” says Jenny A., an outfitter at the REI store in Boulder, Colorado. “It’s an outstanding bag, given its features and price point.” Costing $30 to $50 less than comparable bags, the REI Co-op Siesta 20 wins devotees by combining a roomy, rectangular shape with a mummy bag’s hood. “That lets it trap heat like a mummy, while also giving sleepers freedom to move,” explains Adam B., another outfitter at the Boulder REI store. The Siesta comes in four sizes to fit the full spectrum of body types—meaning campers are virtually guaranteed to find a version that provides a blissfully cozy night’s sleep. (There’s also a double-size version.)

The spacious hood accommodates a full-size pillow from home or a camp pillow, and tightening its cinch cord keeps out chilly drafts. Meanwhile, zippers on both ends of the bag allow for bedlike versatility: The foot area can be partially unzipped to improve air flow or fully unzipped so the bag spreads out like a quilt, while two side zippers at the shoulder allow the top of the bag to fold down like a bed sheet (convenient for reading and anytime you want your arms outside the bag). 

The soft lining and shell fabrics are treated with a nonfluorinated durable water repellent (DWR) finish to repel tent-wall condensation or coffee spills. And the offset quilt construction excels at warmth, securing the synthetic fill by stitching one sheet of insulation to the shell fabric and a second sheet to the lining using staggered seams that don’t overlap. That eliminates the cold spots that are common among single-layer baffles with stitch-through seams. 

As for downsides? The spacious cut and synthetic insulation (which isn’t as compressible as down) make the Siesta heavier and bulkier than backpacking-optimized bags. But for car-campers who prioritize comfort over packability, the Siesta feels like home. 

Some sleeping bags are built to shave ounces, but The North Face Wawona Bed 20 Sleeping Bag is built to make you forget you’re sleeping on the ground. At nearly 5 lbs. for the regular, it won’t be joining anyone on a thru-hike (or in any type of backpack, really). But if you’ve ever woken up at 2 a.m. twisted inside a mummy bag like a burrito, the Wawona’s rectangular cut will feel like a revelation. It measures 64 inches around at the shoulders and hips and keeps that width all the way down to your toes.

Expert Advice editor Heather R. tested the Wawona on desert nights in Escalante, Utah, and mountain nights outside Creede, Colo. As a side sleeper, she could roll over inside the bag instead of hauling the whole thing with her. "As I get older, I don't sleep as well in a tent as I used to," she says. "But having the extra space to flop around inside the bag helped out a bit." A plush, fleecy lining near the face and shoulders makes crawling in feel more like home than camp. Even her rescue pup approved: He claimed the foot of the bag for a few nights, and the recycled 50-denier ripstop shell shrugged off his claws without a snag.

The zippers do more work than you’d expect. A full-length zipper wraps around the footbox, so the bag unfolds into a flat comforter for warm nights. "It makes a great blanket!" notes Heather R. A shorter zipper on the opposite side lets you fold the top back, the way you’d turn down the sheets at home. An interior pocket keeps your phone warm overnight. Bring a second Wawona and you can zip the two together into a double, which is handy for couples or parents who find themselves with kiddos in their sleeping bags come morning.

One caveat: The “20” in the name is ambitious. There’s no hood, and all that interior space means more air for your body to heat. Cold sleepers should pack a beanie and plan on cozy nights into the 40s, not the 20s. But at $150, it’s a smart buy for anyone who car camps more than once a summer and refuses to sacrifice a good night’s sleep.

Exped might have more aptly named the MegaSleep Duo the "Quatro": You're getting a bag that can be deployed as a 25° double bag, a 40° double bag, a 25° single bag or a 40° single bag. It can also be used as two camp blankets. It's another well-loved pick among several of our staffers, too, and it's easy to see why a bag that offers this much versatility would garner this much love.

Karen C., a sales lead at the REI Knoxville, Tennessee, store, explains why this Exped bag's concept works so well for her. "I did this exact same thing in the past by buying two sleeping bags with different temperature ratings. Depending on the weather, we'd flip the warmer side up or down. I loved that versatility." Karen C. also adds: "With the Exped, you can also create two separate sleeping bags, which you can't do with a traditional double bag. So, the fact that you can create two separate bags and you have the temperature range—I just think that's awesome."

Matthews agrees, and is especially impressed with the simplicity of temperature adjustment: "All you have to do is flip it on over." Matthews also approves of the brand's performance over the years: "Exped's quality shines in all their gear."

Sarah M., a sales manager at the REI store in Marina, California, points to the story the specs tell: "Width can really play into how much people like a double bag, and this is one of the widest options (133.9 inches at the shoulders) available." The bag's microfiber insulation is indeed extraordinarily light and compressible for a synthetic fill.

"It also has a fun little (duffel bag) carrying case," she says. "Who doesn't love that?"

Buying a single bag for both camping and backpacking makes perfect sense when it's a kids' sleeping bag. A child's preference for camping over backpacking—or vice versa—isn't fully formed yet. They're also going to outgrow any gear you buy in a few years. The co-op's venerated Kindercone backpacking bag is the perfect answer—it comes with built-in growth-spurt insurance. The included stuff sack, which is attached to the bottom of the bag so you won't lose it, can be cinched to make the bag shorter when your child is younger; as your child grows, simply move the cinch point down to lengthen the bag.

Kindercone, which in various iterations has been in the REI Co-op sleeping bag line for more than two decades, has just the right mix of toughness and tech required in a kids' bag. The sturdy shell and two-way antisnag coil zipper resist rough use, while its polyester materials offer resistance to spills and drizzle. The Kindercone is estimated to provide warmth down to 25°F, which should help kids stay comfortable, even on a cool-weather trip. "The slim shape isn't merely a backpacking advantage; it's also a warmth advantage because a kid's small body doesn't have to work so hard to heat the bag up," noted one of our retail sales managers.

Because the sleekly built Kindercone tips the scales at just a hair over 3 pounds, budding backpackers should also be able to carry their bag—just like their adult trip leaders.

Even the material choices in the Kindercone consider your child's future. Both the shell and lining are recycled polyester that's certified to meet bluesign® criteria.

Admittedly, a blanket is an outlier in an article devoted to sleeping bag picks, but Rumpl has created such a beloved piece of gear that we couldn't leave the brand's blankets out of our roundup. Campers use them as a campfire shawl, an impromptu ground cover and, of course, another layer of warmth in their sleep systems. Wheelchair campers often use blankets for their sleep setups, too, because sleeping bags can be hard to manage with limited leg mobility.

Sarah M., a sales manager at the REI store in Marina, California, also points out that a Rumpl works just about anywhere: "It's a camp blanket and it's an office blanket." Miller also explains that Rumpl's many water-resistant flavors work well in both environments: "I spilled so much stuff on that blanket, and still it has persisted. You just wipe it right off and continue." (She also got a Rumpl for her partner to use in his office.) The Original Puffy version is machine washable.

Karen C. says that her Rumpl was one of the first purchases she made after becoming an REI employee. She loves the blanket's practicality: "Because it's a sleeping-bag material, it's great around camp because it doesn't pick up any dirt or grass." Cutter is also impressed with the warmth: "The second you put it around your body, you can feel it starting to heat up. It's super cozy."

The Rumpl might also be available in more versions than any other camping gear. The Original Puffy version has a synthetic material and fill, both of which are made using recycled materials. There's also a Backcountry Puffy. Rumpls come in two basic sizes: 1-person (72" x 52") and 2-person (84" x 80"), plus a travel size (52" x 38"). Most of the variations involve pattern and color: The product page looks more like an art gallery than a gear assortment.

Our experts sing the praises of the REI Co-op Magma 30 Down Trail Quilt, pointing to its minimal weight (just 1 pound 8.5 ounces for the long-wide version) and ability to squish down to roughly the size of a Nalgene water bottle.  

Water-resistant, 850-fill-power goose down and 15-denier recycled ripstop nylon in the shell help trap heat to earn the Magma a 30°F temperature rating. A nonfluorinated durable water repellent (DWR) finish on the shell helps keep the fabric dry so it can retain warmth in rainy conditions. That impressive list of features earned the Magma 30 a spot in the minimal backpacking setup of Tim B., department manager at the REI store in Farmington, Utah. In 2021, he pedaled 187 miles around Lake Tahoe with the quilt. He continues to be impressed by how such a lightweight bag can stand up to the rigors of the trail. “I’m generally pretty tough on my gear,” he says, “but the Magma 30 is still warm, compressible and allows me to move around quite a bit without feeling cold or restricted. And my quilt still looks practically new.” 

Worried about losing your quilt as you sleep? Not with the Magma 30. Two pad cords help keep this top layer in place. For added warmth, create a toe box using the zipper-and-cinch attachment at the quilt's bottom. 

Carlos R., department manager at the REI store in Wichita, Kansas, addresses the higher price point. It’s one of the more expensive options in this lineup, but Tim B. says the features that make it light weight, compressible, breathable and warm are well worth the investment.