Top 10 Sleeping Bags | The Ultimate Guide to a Cosy Camping Holiday
Best sleeping bags for 2025 | Sleeping bag features and advice
The key to a comfortable and relaxing camping holiday is a sleeping bag that keeps you warm, dry and cosy throughout the night. In this guide, we’ll walk you through everything you need to know before purchasing a sleeping bag, including key features to consider, sleeping bag materials, and our top 10 sleeping bag recommendations.
Psst, remember to keep your eyes peeled for our member-exclusive discounts on a range of sleeping bags. Not a member? Join now and start saving on camping equipment, UK attractions, campsites and more.
The best sleeping bags for 2025
- Quechua Arpenaz 10° Sleeping Bag
- OLPRO Stafford
- Highlander Outdoor Echo 250 Mummy Sleeping Bag
- Rab Neutrino 400 Down Sleeping Bag
- Alpkit SkyeHigh 500
- Vango Cobra 900
- Happy Linen Co Kids Sleeping Bag
- Outwell Camper Lux Double
- Vango Nitestar Alpha Junior
- Sea to Summit Ascent Women's Down Sleeping Bag
Price: from £24.99
The Quechua Arpenaz 10° sleeping bag is suitable for camping in warmer weather as it has a temperature of 10°C. This sleeping bag is breathable, lightweight, and comes in a small pack, making it great for backpackers. It’s also versatile as it can be attached to another Arpenaz to create a double sleeping bag for couples or more room.
Price: from £30.00
In collaboration with English outdoor survivalist Ed Stafford, OLPRO has created a three-season sleeping bag designed to provide comfort and cosiness. It has a comfortable hood to keep heat trapped in, plenty of leg room, and an S stitch style to keep insulation inside.
Price: from £59.99
Designed for lightweight backpackers, the Highlander Outdoor Echo sleeping bag weighs just 1.7kg. Its mummy shape helps retain heat, while the rip-stop polyester fabric enhances durability by preventing tears. This two to three-season sleeping bag is also water-resistant, keeping you warm and dry even in wet and windy conditions.
Price: from £420
If you’re looking for an excellent lightweight and low-bulk sleeping bag, it might be worth investing in the Rab Neutrino 400 Down sleeping bag. This three-season bag comes in several sizes, including regular, long, wide and long wide. Filled with 800FP goose down and covered with a recycled, wind-resistant Pertex® Quantum outer, this waterproof sleeping bag is brilliant for backpackers, mountaineers and lightweight campers.
Price: from £189.99
Perfect for spring, summer and autumn, the Alpkit SkyeHigh 500 sleeping bag has a Responsible Down Standard (RDS) filling that stays evenly spread. The sleeping bag is adjustable, and the head closes, keeping you cosy on cold nights. Its comfort temperature is 1°C.
Price: from £475.00
Although on the pricier side of sleeping bags, the Vango Cobra 900 sets the standard for some of the best sleeping bags. It’s incredibly light, weighing just 1.6kg, and it’s compact, so it can be easily carried in your backpack. This 4-5 season sleeping bag is suitable for all weather. The tapered mummy shape hugs your body to minimise heat loss, and the 700-fill power goose down insulation is treated with a Hydro Barrier finish, keeping you dry and cosy through the worst storms.
Price: from £25
Make camping with kids a delight by purchasing a cosy sleeping bag just for them. The Happy Linen Co. has a range of unique designs for every little explorer.
Price: from £154.99
If you’re enjoying a couples camping trip, you can cosy up together with the Outwell Camper Lux Double sleeping bag. This 3-4-season sleeping bag is perfect for sharing heat and staying warm during those chilly nights. The Lux Double has great features, including a built-in pillow, inside pockets for storing small essentials, a removable hood, and it zips into two single sleeping bags.
Price: from £42.00
This award-winning sleeping bag is designed for children and older toddlers. The mummy-shaped sleeping bag is tapered from the shoulders to the foot, reducing the pack size and increasing thermal efficiency, keeping your little ones toasty throughout the night.
Price: from £485
The Sea to Summit Ascent Women's Down Sleeping Bag comes in regular -1°C, regular -9°C, long -1°C and long -9°C. They are light, compact and shaped in a way which allows for a natural sleeping position. If you’re camping in the cold, these sleeping bags will keep you cosy, but if you’re feeling a little warm, the fabric is also breathable and versatile in both conditions.
How to pick a sleeping bag for you?
When picking a sleeping bag that's right for you, consider what features it has, your budget, how frequently you'll be using it and what season you'll be camping.
Sleeping bag features to consider
Comfort: Ensure the sleeping bag is the correct length and size—there should be enough room to move around but not so much that body heat can escape. Check that the lining keeps you warm without causing irritation, and make sure there are no zips that poke or prod you while sleeping.
Weight (Heavy vs Lightweight): If you're backpacking or mountaineering, consider a lightweight, compact sleeping bag that easily fits into your backpack. If you're camping and have room in your car for a bigger and heavier sleeping bag, you can ignore the lightweight options and focus on something cosier and cheaper.
Price: Sleeping bags vary in price depending on the features you prioritise. Lightweight models tend to be more expensive due to specialised materials and design for portability and comfort. Base your budget on how frequently you plan to use the sleeping bag and the type of adventures you'll take it on.
Size: Sleeping bags are designed for different body types—men, women, and children each have tailored options. Women's sleeping bags often have a higher temperature rating and extra insulation as, on average, women have a lower tolerance to cold conditions.
Insulation and temperature rating: A sleeping bag with a temperature rating of around -1.11°C (30°F) is recommended for versatility across different conditions.
Look out for zippers
Zips are often overlooked when choosing the best sleeping bag for your needs. Here are three key things to consider:
- Does the zip stick out? If it does, it may cause discomfort by poking or prodding you during the night. A metal zip can also feel cold against your skin.
- Does the zip catch on the fabric easily? If so, it can snag the material, leading to rips or making it difficult to open and close.
- Is it a two-way zip? A sleeping bag with a two-way zip allows for better ventilation in warmer weather.
Sleeping bag materials and insulation
Sleeping bags are made from various fabrics, each serving a specific purpose. The lining should be warm and comfortable, as sleeping bags work by retaining body heat—meaning they rely on a warm body inside to function efficiently. The outer shell should be durable and weather-resistant while remaining breathable to prevent condensation buildup inside the bag.
Sleeping bag shapes
Sleeping bags come in different shapes. The common ones are rectangular and mummy.
Rectangular sleeping bags are spacious and allow for more movement, but they're not very good at retaining heat.
Mummy sleeping bags are inspired by Egyptian mummies. The sleeping bag design contours your body more to minimise space and maximise heat retention. Mummy sleeping bags are great for camping in colder weather, and you can get some brands which offer men's and women's versions to accommodate different body types.
Types of sleeping bag insulation
There are two main types of insulation used in sleeping bags.
1. Down-filled sleeping bags
Down insulation, sourced from birds such as geese, ducks, and eiders are great for insulation and creating a lightweight product. Higher-quality down offers better insulation, while more affordable options may contain a mix of down and feathers.
There are two issues with down-filled sleeping bags:
Allergies: Some people may be sensitive to natural down.
Moisture Sensitivity: When down gets wet, it loses its loft and insulation, often clumping into a solid mass that is difficult to restore.
2. Synthetic-filled sleeping bags
Many campers opt for synthetic insulation because it's affordable and moisture-resistant. Synthetic sleeping bags use polyester filaments that mimic down by trapping warm air, ensuring the sleeping bag stays insulated even when it's damp.
The main issue with synthetic-filled sleeping bags is that they're heavy, bulky and hard to compress. This is not ideal for lightweight campers, backpackers and mountaineers, as space and weight are of the essence.
Understanding sleeping bag ratings and labels
When you're out shopping for sleeping bags, you'll find some crucial information on the sleeping bag label. The key information to look out for and understand is the season rating.
Season rating on sleeping bags
- One Season: Indicates that the bag is suitable for summer camping in a climate no harsher than we usually experience in Britain.
- Two Seasons: Shows that the bag will keep you comfortable in a normal spring or autumn season.
- Three Seasons: Means that the sleeping bag will keep you cosy in most weather conditions, excluding a hard winter.
- Four Seasons: Is suitable for all-year-round use.
- Five Seasons: Is for expedition use or in the snow at higher altitudes.
European standard temperature ratings
You might come across a new classification on sleeping bags, which is a European standard that gives temperatures in three ranges:
- Comfort
- Limit
- Extreme
The temperature at which a standard adult woman can expect to sleep comfortably in a relaxed position. This rating is based on a standard woman, as a standard woman has a lower tolerance to the cold than a standard man.
The temperature at which a standard man can sleep for eight hours in a curled position without waking. This rating is the lower threshold for an undisturbed night's sleep.
The minimum temperature at which a standard woman can remain for six hours without risk of death from hypothermia. Sleep will be severely disturbed at this temperature, and frostbite is possible.
Please note: Be wary of these European standard ratings. A few manufacturers of lower cost sleeping bags may use similar terms that don't quite conform to the standards. If you're looking for a bag for extreme weather conditions – especially if hypothermia is a real possibility – get specialist advice before buying.
Extra sleeping bag tips
Use a sleeping bag liner for extra comfort and easy clean.
Whatever kind of sleeping bag you choose, you should consider using an easily washable sheet liner. They are available in various fabrics, but the most popular is poly-cotton for comfort and easy washing and drying.
It is perfectly possible to wash and dry most sleeping bags with domestic washing machines and dryers, but it's quite a big job, particularly drying them. Using a liner that can go in with the regular weekly wash is much better.