No matter where your travels take you, from national parks to backwoods to back porches, a camping sleeping bag remains a trusty companion. Since space and weight are not at a premium when you can drive to your destination, coleman sleeping bag the comfort dial can get turned way up. There’s no need to suffer through the night in a constricting mummy bag, so options in this category tend to lean more towards a traditional rectangular shape or a roomier mummy.
It’s constructed with lightweight Coletherm® hollow polyester insulation to help keep you warm from top to bottom. An adjustable hood and special quilting construction surround your head and body to help eliminate potential cold spots. The Thermolock™ draft tube blocks heat loss through the zipper, and a box-shaped foot gives you extra room to move your feet.
Looking for the perfect sleeping bag for your next backpacking or camping trip? Look through mummy sleeping bags, semi-rectangular sleeping bags and rectangle sleeping bags. Browse through lightweight sleeping bags that are designed with a warm outer shell and a soft inner liner for comfort. The superior box stitching keeps the insulation from shifting to help eliminate cold spots. Look through sleeping bags that will keep you warm throughout the night thanks to the Thermolock™ draft tube that prevents heat from escaping through the zipper.
When not using the Big Bay sleeping bag, store it in a large, breathable bag. Keeping it compressed in the stuff sack for long periods can reduce the loft of synthetic insulation and cause the bag to develop cold spots. I’m a journalist who writes about outdoor and fitness gear for several publications, including Outside, Forbes and the REI Co-op Journal.
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 coleman sleeping bag 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.
To be clear, liners are totally optional and not everyone needs one, but they do offer added warmth and comfort and help keep your bag in good shape. For campers looking for a sleeping bag that can pull double duty on the occasional backpacking trip, we like Nemo’s Disco. With a 14-degree temperature rating, sub-3-pound weight, and decently packable build (it even includes a compression coleman chair stuff sack), the Disco is fully serviceable for short forays into the backcountry. Just as importantly, it’s supremely comfortable for camping thanks to its unique “spoon” shape, which resembles a mummy bag but with a noticeable boost in space around the knees and elbows. This makes it less restrictive inside, particularly for side sleepers and those prone to tossing and turning.
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.
It has a roll control tab, which keeps the sleeping bag straight while packing it up. Featuring a pillow, it adds comfortable support to the head and neck while not adding too much bulkiness. It has a pillow pocket, which offers you a convenient and safe spot to stash your valuable and small possessions, such as your watch. My husband is a tall man (6 foot, 4 inches) so thought I better find him a sleeping bag made for tall people so that he would actually stay covered instead of sticking out at the top! I was happy to see that Coleman has a new BIG-N-TALL 30 Sleeping Bag that is just right for him. The Wrap and Roll attached cover makes it easy to pack up and the Dura-Tough tarpauline bottom resists water is great for durability.
A third type is the no-zip style, which is limited to a couple designs (none of which made our list), including a handful from Sierra Designs. The large oval opening requires some modest flexibility and patience to get out of, but going zipper-less can be nice. There’s no fumbling in the night for the zipper pull, and you don’t have to worry about snags or heat loss (if the bag lacks a good draft tube).