Sleeping Bag Buying Guide
The right sleeping bag can make or break an adventure.
Explore our guide to help you decide on the best sleeping bag for your next trip.
Down or synthetic?
Your sleeping bag is your packable refuge, allowing you to sleep in remote corners of the wilderness while stashing down small enough for you to carry in your pack. All sleeping bags are designed to keep you warm and comfortable, but the type of insulation they’re filled with can make them particularly well suited to certain environments.
The benefits of down sleeping bags.
With the right amount of care and maintenance, your down sleeping bag should continue to work efficiently for many years, with little degradation to the insulation.
Down has an unrivalled ability to loft and trap warm air in its fibres, creating an impressive thermal barrier for minimal weight and bulk. This means that down sleeping bags will keep you warm, without overly burdening your backpack.
Down sleeping bags can be easily compressed down into a stuff sack, giving them a small pack size for long-distance journeys.
What conditions are down sleeping bags ideal for?
Thanks to their superb insulating properties, down bags are a great choice for cold, dry climates. They’re also highly compressible and lightweight, making them perfect for long-distance treks or multi-day ascents.
The benefits of synthetic insulated sleeping bags.
Synthetic insulation is the best at coping with damp environments, with minimal impact to its performance when wet.
Not only do synthetic bags perform well in damp conditions, they also dry quickly and are easy to clean.
Synthetic insulation tends to stay put if you snag or rip your sleeping bag, instead of escaping through the hole. This means it will continue to keep you warm until you can repair the tear.
What conditions are synthetic sleeping bags ideal for?
Offering outstanding performance in damp weather, synthetic bags are the perfect choice for rainy climates such as a cold, wet Scottish winters.
How many seasons do you need?
It’s no use taking your most expensive, lightest weight, most packable down sleeping bag to an 8000m peak or on a winter expedition – it just won’t be warm enough. When choosing a sleeping bag, consider the forecast and nighttime temperatures in the location you’ll be exploring.
Want to understand our temperature ratings in more detail? Check out our guide to sleeping bag temperature ratings.
One-season sleeping bags
Temperature rating: down to 0°C
Lightweight sleeping bags perfect for summer, low altitudes, and warm climates where conditions are mild throughout the night.
Two-season sleeping bags
Temperature rating: down to -6°C
Offering a little extra warmth for spring or early autumn conditions, these sleeping bags are adapted to cooler temperatures with the possibility of frost. If you’re heading up high, you might want to consider a three-season sleeping bag to keep you warm at altitude.
Three-season sleeping bags
Temperature rating: down to -12°C
Ideal for shoulder season adventures, these warm and versatile bags are built for cold, changeable conditions. They’re also great for summers at high altitude, where temperatures can plummet at night.
All-season sleeping bags
Temperature rating: down to -18°C or even -40°C in our Expedition bags
These ultra-warm bags are designed for severe weather, winter use, and high altitudes in any season. Temperatures are likely to remain sub-zero, day and night.
Our sleeping bag range.
Consider what kind of adventure you’re going on.
Different mountain sports will determine how much weight and space you can afford for your sleeping bag to take up in your pack.
All our synthetic-filled and down sleeping bags are designed to be durable, but you might need a more robust sleeping bag for multi-day treks than you would for a fast and light overnight in the same kind of temperatures. We also use different features to shave weight on lightweight down sleeping bags that are designed for activities where every gram counts.
For a single overnight bivi or wild camping adventures where you don’t have too far to go on foot, you might want to prioritise comfort over low weight and pack size.
Key features to look out for:
A generous mummy fit with a wide foot box provides a spacious feel for an easy night’s sleep.
Durable fabrics that will stand up to the rigours of everyday adventures.
A full-length zip for ease of use, with an insulated baffle to keep draughts out.
Synthetic insulation is great for environments where your bag might get damp, as it stays warm even in the wet.
You need a sleeping bag to keep up with the relentless demands of the trail, balancing warmth and durability with a reasonably low weight for travelling long distances.
Key features to look out for:
Our L.O.F.T™ and L.O.F.T 3D™ baffle technologies maximise down efficiency so we can use less of it to keep you warm, reducing weight and bulk.
A tapered mummy shape also helps to keep weight low.
Internal stash pockets to make your life easier at temporary camp spots.
A two-way zip allows you to control ventilation, ideal for treks with varying climates.
Our ultralight down sleeping bags have slashed weight wherever possible and incorporated clever tech to keep you warm without the bulk.
Key features to look out for:
A narrow, tapered mummy design is incredibly efficient on weight and pack size.
Fine, ultralight fabrics and small, simple adjusters help reduce weight and bulk further.
High fill power down to maximise warmth for weight.
TILT technology reflects heat back onto your body without adding unnecessary extra weight.
You need to strike the perfect balance between warmth and weight for high-altitude temperatures and mountain weather.
Key features to look out for:
L.O.F.T 3D™ construction prevents cold spots, to maximise warmth and ensure all-night comfort.
High fill power down to keep you warm without adding unnecessary weight.
Strategically placed fabrics give you durability and loft where you need them.
An efficient tapered mummy fit so you’re not hauling more weight than you need.
You need a down sleeping bag designed to keep you warm in extremely cold temperatures, that will stand up to regular and prolonged use.
Key features to look out for:
Tough, protective and windproof outer fabrics, especially around the face to avoid condensation freezing.
Durable lining fabrics to cope with bulky footwear and layers.
A generous mummy shape to accommodate extra layers of clothing.
Long, vertical, overlapping baffles to avoid cold spots.
Heat-reflective TILT technology to reduce radiant heat loss for virtually no extra weight.
Some other things to consider.
You will notice some of our sleeping bags are filled with duck down, while others have goose down. Both offer a high-quality warmth-to-weight ratio, yet there’s some differences between them. Goose down is finer and traps more air than duck down, meaning it compresses down smaller for the same level of warmth.
Although none of our bags are made of fully recycled components yet, we do use recycled fabrics and recycled synthetic insulation in some of our sleeping bags.
