How to Choose Sleeping Bags for Backpacking
Therm-a-Rest Parsec 20 Sleeping Bag
$469.95 – to $499.95
When your plans are ambitious, this Therm-a-Rest down sleeping bag is your best friend. It delivers ultralight comfort for alpine nights. And it's now filled with compressible 900-fill-power down.
Key Details
Fill
900-fill-power PFAS-free hydrophobic duck down (RDS)
Weight
Regular: 1 lb. 13 oz.
Long: 1 lb. 15 oz.
Compressed Volume
21.6 liters
Temperature Rating (F)
20 degrees (F)
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- 100% recycled shell and liner fabrics are eco-friendly while being lightweight, soft and durable
- Now with premium 900-fill-power hydrophobic down insulation; more down than ever before provides exceptional warmth
- 900-fill-power down provides excellent loft and compression
- Down is RDS-certified and PFAS-free
- Responsible Down Standard (RDS) certification ensures the waterfowl in the down supply chain are treated humanely
- Bag fit is designed for the ideal blend of comfort, heat retention and packability
- Updated baffle design maximizes warmth and trims weight by concentrating down where you need it most
- Rapidly heat cold feet with a baffled, ergonomic and insulated Toe-asisâ„¢ foot warmer pocket in the footbox that helps concentrate warmth
- YKK® antisnag zipper prevents accidental tears and eases entry and exit
- Quilt and blanket loops let you customize your sleep system by layering quilts or tech blankets for increased warmth
- Internal stash pocket holds your phone to preserve battery against the cold or keeps a small water filter from freezing
- Cinchable hood and draft tubes along zipper and neck help to retain warmth
- Compression and storage sack included
Imported.
Temperature ratings are intended as a guideline to help you compare products, rather than a guarantee of warmth, since many different factors contribute to your comfort while you sleep. Backpacking bags are typically rated for temperature according to an independent testing protocol—currently International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 23537, though some older items followed European Norm (EN) 13537. Testing is based on a person wearing one base layer and a pair of socks, sleeping on an insulated surface with a minimum R-value of 5.38.
Each bag then gets 2 ratings: 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. Some brands determine their own temperature rating by aligning to the Comfort rating for women’s bags, to the Lower Limit rating for men’s bags, or somewhere in the middle for nongendered bags.
View all Therm-a-Rest Backpacking Sleeping BagsEach bag then gets 2 ratings: 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. Some brands determine their own temperature rating by aligning to the Comfort rating for women’s bags, to the Lower Limit rating for men’s bags, or somewhere in the middle for nongendered bags.
| Best Use | Backpacking |
|---|---|
| Tested Lower Limit | 18 degrees (F) - ISO |
| Tested Comfort | 29 degrees (F) - ISO |
| Temperature Rating (F) | 20 degrees (F) |
| Temperature Rating (C) | -6 degrees (C) |
| Weight | Regular: 1 lb. 13 oz. Long: 1 lb. 15 oz. |
| Ultralight | Yes |
| Shell | 20-denier 100% recycled nylon |
| Zipper Location | Left |
| Insulation Type | Down |
| Water-Resistant Down | Yes |
| Fill | 900-fill-power PFAS-free hydrophobic duck down (RDS) |
| Fill Weight | Regular: 1 lb. 1 oz. Long: 1 lb. 3 oz. |
| Sleeping Capacity | 1-person |
| Lining | 20-denier 100% recycled nylon |
| Sleeping Bag Shape | Mummy |
| Fits Up To (in.) | Regular: 72 inches Long: 78 inches |
| Shoulder Girth (in.) | Regular: 62 inches Long: 65 inches |
| Hip Girth (in.) | Regular: 56 inches Long: 58 inches |
| Stuff Sack Size | 7 x 19 inches |
| Stuff Sack Volume | 12 liters |
| Compressed Volume | 21.6 liters |
| Gender | Unisex |
| Sustainability | Contains recycled materials Down certified to the Responsible Down Standard (RDS) |
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Customer Images
Location:San Diego, CA
Weight:125–150 lbs.
Height:5'8"
6 days ago
Roomy and light
Yes , I recommend this product
Just received my Parsec 20, size regular. I haven’t tested it fully yet but since I saw there were no reviews on this bag yet, I thought I’d jump in here with some early observations. It arrived very compressed and took a while to expand. I weighed it and found it to be a tiny bit heavier than the advertised weight. My bag weighed in at one pound, 14.4 ounces. Still, a full eight ounces lighter than my current bag - a 10 year old down bag from another brand. I’ll take it! One of the first things I did was to unzip it and examine the foot-warmer. It’s a baffled (on both sides) pocket at the very end of the bag. As someone who has a hard time warming up my feet (once they get mountain cold), I think this will be a great feature! I was impressed with how roomy the bag actually is. I am 5 feet 8, athletic build female, 130 pounds, and I have plenty of room. I can even do a figure-4 with my leg and not feel like I will pop a seam. The hips and torso are also plenty roomy. The stated bag measurements are part of the reason I picked this bag over a lighter one of a different brand. I am happy with the room in this bag. That being said, if I was any taller, I would have probably returned the bag for a tall version. I think a six foot tall person would not fit comfortably in the regular size. One feature I really like, at first glance, is the zipper housing (for lack of a better term). I think this housing will help keep the zipper from snagging when trying to zip up. In my initial tests, I didn’t get any snags at all. I will not use the included stuff sack so I cannot comment on it. It is nice to have a storage bag to keep it loose when not in use. The second reason I chose this bag over a lighter one is the fabric denier. I can’t yet comment on the durability though. Overall, I like the bag. It’s pretty much as advertised and I am looking forward to getting some dirt on it. If anything changes drastically after some mountain use, I’ll update my review.
Weight:125–150 lbs.
Height:5'8"
Location:San Diego, CA
Weight:125–150 lbs.
Height:5'8"
4 days ago
light and roomy
Yes , I recommend this product
Just received my Parsec 20, size regular. I haven’t tested it fully yet but since I saw there were no reviews on this bag yet, I thought I’d jump in here with some early observations. It arrived very compressed and took a while to expand. I weighed it and found it to be a tiny bit heavier than the advertised weight. My bag weighed in at one pound, 14.4 ounces. Still, a full eight ounces lighter than my current bag - a 10 year old down bag from another brand. I’ll take it! One of the first things I did was to unzip it and examine the foot-warmer. It’s a baffled (on both sides) pocket at the very end of the bag. As someone who has a hard time warming up my feet (once they get mountain cold), I think this will be a great feature! I was impressed with how roomy the bag actually is. I am 5 feet 8, athletic build female, 130 pounds, and I have plenty of room. I can even do a figure-4 with my leg and not feel like I will pop a seam. The hips and torso are also plenty roomy. The stated bag measurements are part of the reason I picked this bag over a lighter one of a different brand. I am happy with the room in this bag. That being said, if I was any taller, I would have probably returned the bag for a tall version. I think a six foot tall person would not fit comfortably in the regular size. One feature I really like, at first glance, is the zipper housing (for lack of a better term). I think this housing will help keep the zipper from snagging when trying to zip up. In my initial tests, I didn’t get any snags at all. I will not use the included stuff sack so I cannot comment on it. It is nice to have a storage bag to keep it loose when not in use. The second reason I chose this bag over a lighter one is the fabric denier. I can’t yet comment on the durability though. Overall, I like the bag. It’s pretty much as advertised and I am looking forward to getting some dirt on it. If anything changes drastically after some mountain use, I’ll update my review.
Weight:125–150 lbs.
Height:5'8"