How to Choose Sleeping Bags for Backpacking

The REI Co-op Trailmade 20 sleeping bag checks all the boxes for your weekend backpacking trip (or simply an overnight setup in the car) with its trifecta of warmth, packability and weight.
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Imported.
Best Use | Backpacking Camping |
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Tested Lower Limit | 21 degrees (F) - ISO |
Tested Comfort | 31 degrees (F) - ISO |
Temperature Rating (F) | 21 degrees (F) |
Temperature Rating (C) | -6 degrees (C) |
Weight | Short - Left Zip: 3 lbs. Short Wide - Left Zip: 3 lbs. 4 oz. Regular - Left Zip: 3 lbs. 4.6 oz. Regular Wide - Left Zip: 3 lbs. 9 oz. Long - Left Zip: 3 lbs. 7.4 oz. Long Wide - Left Zip: 3 lbs. 15.9 oz. |
Shell | Recycled polyester (bluesign approved) |
Zipper Location | Left |
Insulation Type | Synthetic |
Fill | Polyester (98% recycled; bluesign approved) |
Fill Weight | Short - Left Zip: 2 lbs. 1 oz. Short Wide - Left Zip: 2 lbs. 3 oz. Regular - Left Zip: 2 lbs. 2.9 oz. Regular Wide - Left Zip: 2 lbs. 7 oz. Long - Left Zip: 2 lbs. 4 oz. Long Wide - Left Zip: 2 lbs. 10.3 oz. |
Sleeping Capacity | 1-person |
Lining | Polyester |
Sleeping Bag Shape | Mummy |
Fits Up To (in.) | Short - Left Zip: 66 inches Short Wide - Left Zip: 66 inches Regular - Left Zip: 72 inches Regular Wide - Left Zip: 72 inches Long - Left Zip: 78 inches Long Wide - Left Zip: 78 inches |
Shoulder Girth (in.) | Short - Left Zip: 60 inches Short Wide - Left Zip: 68 inches Regular - Left Zip: 62 inches Regular Wide - Left Zip: 70 inches Long - Left Zip: 62 inches Long Wide - Left Zip: 70 inches |
Hip Girth (in.) | Short - Left Zip: 56 inches Short Wide - Left Zip: 64 inches Regular - Left Zip: 58 inches Regular Wide - Left Zip: 66 inches Long - Left Zip: 58 inches Long Wide - Left Zip: 66 inches |
Stuff Sack Volume | Short - Left Zip: 13.4 liters Short Wide - Left Zip: 14.4 liters Regular - Left Zip: 14.4 liters Regular Wide - Left Zip: 16.8 liters Long - Left Zip: 14.4 liters Long Wide - Left Zip: 16.8 liters |
Compressed Volume | Short - Left Zip: 8.6 liters Short Wide - Left Zip: 9.5 liters Regular - Left Zip: 9.4 liters Regular Wide - Left Zip: 11.2 liters Long - Left Zip: 10.4 liters Long Wide - Left Zip: 12.5 liters |
Gender | Unisex |
Sustainability | Contains materials that meet the bluesign® criteria Contains recycled materials From a Climate Label Certified brand |
From feedback to field testing, all of our gear is dialed-in by REI Co-op members. Their adventures informed every stitch and detail—making for better, longer-lasting gear.
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Trailmade 20 degree sleeping bag is perfect for tent/car camping. It is very comfortable and kept me warm in 30 degree weather. I like the pocket on the outside for your phone, headlamp, etc. I will not use this bag for my backpacking adventures as it is too heavy and bulky. I will be using this backpack for the days we are getting ready for our backpacking adventures and are camping in the car/tent the night before. This is a nice sleeping bag for my son’s summer camps that he attends. Zipper is nice, it doesn’t catch when you are zipping up.
Due to all the positive reviews, I chose this sleeping bag for my upcoming backpacking trip. I received the package today and when I opened it, I just knew right from the way it was packaged it was not new. The outer bag has some oil stains and it has some smells from being used. I found some dried bodily fluid in it and I am super grossed now. I will return it to the store first thing in the morning.
Overall, great option for a lower price point synthetic bag. The bag performed better than I expected! Overall, this is a bag I will use for shorter, warmer backpacking trips. This is a longer review but I like to include information I myself look for. I am 5'5" 130 pounds. Fit: I chose the "short & wide" version of this bag because I move around a lot at night and need space to move my legs especially in knee area. The bag was very comfortable for this purpose, although naturally I sacrificed a bit of warmth due to extra room in the bag. I had plenty of room in the shoulder area and found the hood generous. Weight/packability: Using the sea-to-summit compression sack (2.9oz) the bag weighed 53.4 oz, for a combined weight of 3 pounds 8 oz, or 3.4 pounds with no stuff sack. This is on the higher end of what I would consider bringing for a backpacking trip, but for an affordable option very acceptable. Using a compression sack, I was able to get the bag down to about 16" x 8", which surprised me as I think of synthetic bags typically bulkier. I was able to stow horizontally in the bottom of backpack. Warmth: I slept in this bag in a range of milder winter conditions - 47 deg high, 28 deg low. At 47 I was actually a bit too warm! I was able to sleep comfortably with only underwear and a cotton sweatshirt. I would NOT recommend sleeping in the bag lower than about 35 with I think the most comfortable about 40 degrees; 28 degrees was seriously uncomfortable and I had to wear 3 layers of winter clothing. (wool long underwear, down jacket, extra fleece layers both top/bottom) On all nights my feet were cold even with extra socks - I think the bag could use extra insulation in foot box, or make it a little smaller. Fabric/color: I found the green/yellow an attractive color combo, and the fabric smooth. On one night the tent I was in had a leak and dripped significantly on the bag - I didn't notice until waking as the bag repelled the water fairly well.
I like this sleeping bag. It's comfortable, warm, lofty, and I can easily sleep on my side in it (I'm a side sleeper). It is a great sleeping bag to use when car camping. It is a bit bulky and heavy, so it would not be a good choice to use for a back packing trip where weight is a concern or pack space is tight. I slept at a tent site in a Texas State Park, so I was within 25 yards of my car, and the sleeping bag functioned perfectly. It is well made, the zipper works great, it was easy to get in and out of, and it fit easily into my Nemo Hornet 2 person backpacking tent. I think it would also be a great sleeping bag to use when sleeping on a cot. I started out sleeping on top of the bag and it was very comfortable, then slipped inside it once it started getting colder. I slept great. Since it is so lofty, it was a bit of a struggle to get it squashed down into the stuff bag, but not something to worry about. Overall, I love this sleeping bag and highly recommend it.
We camped thisbpastbweekend and down in the 40s at night and this was plenty warm
Very warm bag. I slept in 25F-35F temp during December for 2 weeks continuously in T-shirt and shorts. Mich warmer than expected (when paired with a good sleeping pad) I also slept at around 22F, but with wo sleeping pads (Foam pad with 2.0R, Inflatable big Agnes pad with 4.0R values). I slept warm. Bot on the heavy side for backpacking, but it did serve me well on a couple of backpacking trips Synthetic, Vibrant colors, very roomy, and very warm. I purchased it for $70 during one of the sales and can't beat it at the price
If you are the claustrophobic type, avoid at all cost... The bottom and middle part is quite narrow so it might not be 100% comfortable for everyone and might reinforce body image issues (the guy at REI assured me that there was plenty of space in there - I honestly felt that if I were a few extra pounds I would NOT be able to sleep comfortably). If you are very slim and/or ok with being tight, then go for it. The positive point is that it definitely does a great job at keeping you warm! It's also made with recycled materials which is a big plus and the color is very cool.
The short version: This is a solidly made and warm sleeping bag, but as something that is labeled as a backpacking bag, it falls short. The good: I'm coming from a few seasons old Kelty Cosmic Down 20* and I would say that this REI bag and the Kelty are similarly warm (I've put the Kelty to the test down to the mid 20s and survived despite being pretty chilly as a reference point). The construction of the REI bag seems great and I'm sure it will hold up well over time. The materials are sturdy, the length is good for me at 6', and the shape has just the right amount of room for my fairly average build. The not so good: My Kelty bag, which is usually seen as a good entry level bag but somewhat heavy, is almost 500g lighter on my scale than this REI bag. Additionally, I can't get this REI bag to compress enough to fit into my 14L eVent stuff sack and then into the sleeping bag compartment on my backpack (the Kelty fits in perfectly). I know synthetic bags can be heavier and bulkier than down, and this definitely meets that reputation. In the backcountry, extra bulk and weight can really make an impact, even if you aren't an ultralighter, so I just can't see sticking this in my bag nor saddling someone else with it who doesn't have their own gear yet. One more demerit: it doesn't come with a loose storage bag, just a standard, non compression, stuff sack. All is not lost however! I think this would make a great car camping bag for someone who prefers the mummy shape. That's how I plan to use it going forward.
For reference, I am 5'3" tall and about 100 pounds. This sleeping bag in short fit me very well. The length was good and the width was adequate. The only issue I had with the width was when my foot cramped and it was a bit difficult to get my hand down to my foot to massage it because of the narrow width at the bottom. Not a serious issue though. The zipper worked easily both from the inside and the outside. I tend to always be cold but this sleeping bag kept me warm and cozy. I appreciated the zippered pocket on the exterior to put my phone. The drawstring bag it comes in is of good quality. It did take me a few attempts to fit it back in the bag but that is to be expected. Overall I was very impressed with this sleeping bag and would recommend.
I purchased this bag in the Short/Wide size & the Regular/Wide size but opted to keep the Regular/Wide bag because of the extra room. I tend to be a bit claustrophobic as well a bit hefty in size, and this bag is very comfortable for me...I can even sleep on my side! The zipper operates easily & smoothly. The material this bag is made from isn't as slick as most bags which will keep it from slipping & sliding as some bags do. There is a handy stash pocket up top that would fit a phone and a few other things...very convenient feature! It stuffs easily into its included stuff sack, but I will probably get a 20L compression bag to use instead...I will also purchase a large loose storage bag since one isn't included. For the record, the price point is very low for this bag, so spending extra for these optional bags is no big deal. The only negative is that this bag is a bit heavy...probably better suited to short distance backpacking & car camping (which works fine for me) but might be too heavy for multiday longer distance backpacking adventures where weight becomes more of an issue. I hope that REI adds a light weight or down option to this size inclusive line of bags...I would most certainly purchase one.