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.
Let’s start with the conditions.
It’s no use taking your most expensive, lightest weight, most packable down sleeping bag on an expedition to the Arctic – it just won’t be warm enough. When choosing a sleeping bag, first consider the forecast and nighttime temperatures in the location you’ll be exploring.
A note on the seasons.
You’ll often see sleeping bags referred to as 2-season, 3-season, or 4-season sleeping bags, but we’d argue it’s better to look at the temperature rating. Not all seasons are the same throughout the world.
Look out for the Comfort Rating, an industry standard laboratory test which indicates the minimum temperature where an individual can sleep in a relaxed position and get a good night’s sleep.
At Rab, we supplement this information with the Rab Sleep Limit. This represents a more real-world scenario and indicates what we believe the sleeping bag’s most sensible useable limit to be.
Want more information? Understand Sleeping Bag Temperature Ratings in More Detail.
Mild, dry, climates or spring and summer adventures.
Fabrics
Look for breathable, lightweight, and wind-resistant outer fabric.
Fill
Down with a lower fill weight may be sufficient in milder conditions.
Approximately 200g – 400g of down, OR 60gsm – 100gsm of synthetic insulation.
Changeable conditions and shoulder season adventures.
Fabrics
You might need wind- and weather-resistance to cope with condensation and damp conditions.
Fill
Down with a higher fill power offers better warmth for weight.
Approximately 300g – 500g of down, OR 100gsm – 180gsm of synthetic insulation.
Severe weather and cold temperatures on winter adventures.
Fabrics
You might need windproof and water-resistant outer fabric to reduce condensation and the possibility of down freezing.
Heat-reflective TILT Technology will improve heat retention.
Fill
A high fill weight of down to offer maximum warmth.
Approximately 600g – 1200g of down.
Want to understand fill power in more detail? Check out our Video.
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.
A full-length zip with a down baffle will keep the draught out.
A 3D down baffle around the neck effectively keeps the heat sealed inside.
Store your phone or headlamp close at hand inside a zipped internal pocket.
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:
Chevron-style baffles reduce the amount of fabric needed, keeping weight and bulk low.
A ¾ length main zip can reduce weight further.
Internal storage pockets and glow in the dark zip pulls make your life easier at temporary camp spots.
Waterproof compression sacks protect your bag when you’re on the move.
Our ultra-lightweight 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:
The narrow, tapered mummy design saves weight and reduces cold pockets of air inside the bag.
Fine, ultralight fabrics will reduce weight and bulk further.
Small, simple adjustors and zips to keep it featherweight.
Heat-reflective 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 all mountain weather.
Key features to look out for:
The narrow, tapered mummy design saves weight and reduces cold pockets of air inside the bag.
Chevron-style baffles reduce the amount of fabric needed, keeping weight and bulk low.
Baffles built with trapezoidal box wall construction maximises loft and warmth.
Two-way main zips so you can control ventilation.
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.
Wide, mummy shape to accommodate extra layers of clothing.
Long, vertical, overlapping baffles to avoid cold spots.
Heat-reflective TILT technology reflects heat back onto your body without adding unnecessary 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, giving it a better warmth-to-weight ratio and compressing down smaller for the same level of warmth.
Although none of our bags are made of fully recycled components yet, we do use some recycled fabrics and recycled synthetic insulation in some of our sleeping bags.