It’s also got a handful of features like a no-snag zipper and plush draft collar that add to its appeal. It’s a suitable choice for someone who wants to start camping but doesn’t want to shell out a ton coleman sleeping bag of money for a more performance-oriented sleeping bag. If you’ve ever had a pad deflate or slept directly on the ground in cold weather, you know firsthand the importance of an insulated pad beneath you.
And keep in mind the temperature rating is closer to a survivability rating rather than being comfortable and warm. Other factors to consider are your age—people typically don’t sleep as warm the older they get—and whether you are a cold or warm sleeper. Most campers stick to the warmer months for their coleman canopy outdoor adventuring, and as a result, most of the sleeping bags on this list are rated in the degree range. I love my memory foam mattress at home so I knew I would love the Coleman memory foam sleeping bag. This synthetic sleeping bag has a layer of memory foam for luxurious camping comfort.
You don’t need to wash your sleeping bag after every camping trip, but you should clean it once or twice a year, depending on how much you use it. Using a front-loading washing machine (never use a top-loading agitator-style machine), wash your sleeping bag with a small amount of mild liquid detergent on a warm, gentle cycle and rinse it with cold water. Coleman recommends using a fabric softener, but do not use bleach.
Most of the picks on our list are geared toward three-season use, but for campers who like to get out year-round, a cold-weather bag is essential. In this category, REI Co-op’s Frostbreak 5 stands out for its excellent warmth at a very reasonable price. Other functional additions include a well-insulated hood, draft tube, and differentiated drawcords (one round and one flat) that make it easy to adjust the aperture in the dark. Added up, the Frostbreak is an excellent value for casual winter adventurers.
The sleeping bag is plenty long for my husband and the wide rectangular shape gives him plenty of room to move around. Hello All – I know this is a bit vague, but the Costco near me has coleman canopys for cheap (can’t recall exact price). The one negative we found with the stuff sack is the compression zipper. The idea is that after you’ve stuffed your bag and cinched the top, then you zip the compression zipper to reduce the overall packed size.
It’s a little slippery on the inside, which makes getting in and out easy, but the outside isn’t slick, so it doesn’t slide around on a cot, sleeping pad or air mattress. The Big Bay also has a cinchable hood, no-snag zipper and plush collar, plus it allows for foot ventilation, just like the Forte. The compromises in choosing the cheaper fill type are relatively minimal for camping. With a car or camper to transport all of your gear, the larger stuffed size and extra weight are much less of a concern than when your sleeping bag has to be crammed into a pack and carried on your back. And should the insulation get wet, synthetics continue to keep you warm, unlike down feathers. For a full explanation of the two insulation types, see our article on down vs. synthetics.
You can read my in-depth review of the best sleeping bags, including the Coleman Big Bay 20° as the best value for car camping and general use. If you plan to camp a lot and see backpacking in your future, the Nemo Forte is a worthy upgrade for a synthetic sleeping bag. If you plan to camp a few times a year, and mostly at campsites, the Big Bay will save you money and keep you as warm. The Big Bay is also available in a Big and Tall Contour version for $130, which is a few inches taller and broader in the shoulders, hips and feet, so it’s not quite a mummy bag and not quite a rectangle. I didn’t test the big and tall version, but the hood design, insulation, draft tube, neck collar and zipper are all the same. Sleeping bags inherently are barebones, but we’ve seen an uptick in available features on many mid-range and high-end models of late.