The North Face Cat's Meow 20 Eco Sleeping Bag

Many sleeping bags are rated for temperature by an independent testing protocol. REI and the broader industry now use the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 23537 protocol, which improves on the older European Norm (EN) 13537 standard; you may still see older items in our assortment that were only EN tested. With either protocol, each bag gets a Comfort (or T-Comfort) rating and Lower Limit (or T-Limit) rating. The Comfort rating is the lowest temperature at which the bag will keep the average "cold sleeper" comfortable, and the Lower Limit rating is the lowest temperature at which the bag will keep the average "warm sleeper" comfortable. Ratings are based on a person wearing one long underwear layer and a pair of socks, sleeping on an insulated surface with a minimum R-value of 5.38. Many brands use the Comfort rating for women's bags and the Lower Limit rating for men's and unisex bags. Everyone's body and sleep comfort differ, and conditions of use (posture, clothing, sleeping pad R-value, wind, humidity, etc.) affect total insulation, so EN and ISO ratings are intended as a guideline to help you compare products, rather than a guarantee of warmth.