Reviews You Can Rely On

How We Tested Ultralight Sleeping Bags

Wednesday February 28, 2024

We test and write these reviews trying to be as objective and specific as possible, and try to cover the bases of how anyone might use these products. However, your goals may differ from ours, so be sure to take a look at the performance metrics that you consider most important for your needs. Below we show you how we tested each product so that you can better understand the ratings we've given.

Warmth


For warmth, we rated each bag on its absolute warmth, ignoring the manufacturer's temperature ratings (which we found were not always very indicative of performance). To do this, we slept in these bags outside in the mountains during the cold spring months and the high desert in late October. The shoulder seasons in the high mountains of the Colorado Rockies, the Colorado Plateau, and the Himalayas are not warm, so we came to understand how well these bags worked by suffering in them. Many people have slept in each bag, and we kept notes on where we slept and what the overnight low was and compared them to how we felt and what clothing we wore inside the bags.

We slept in these bags overnight to see which kept us nice and toasty.
Credit: Justin Simoni

This information helped paint us a clear picture about warmth, but to attempt to verify our findings objectively, we performed the overnight hot bottle test, where we put a piping hot Nalgene water bottle inside each bag and left them lying out overnight. In the morning, we then measured the temperature difference during that time to help us fine-tune our understanding of which bags were the most insulated. We further amended our opinions by analyzing the function of heat-trapping features(or lack thereof), such as draft tubes, fully enclosed zippers, neck baffles, type of baffle construction, and hoods.

ultralight sleeping bag - we took these quilts and bags to the limits of their ratings to...
We took these quilts and bags to the limits of their ratings to verify manufacturer's claims.
Credit: Justin Simoni

Weight


To test for weight, we took each product and weighed it on our independent scale, accurate down to 1/100th of an ounce. Sometimes the readings matched the manufacturer's listed weight; sometimes it didn't. We included all integral pad straps and attachment parts, but we did not factor in the weight of stuff sacks, although those are listed on the specs table. Lower weights scored higher.

We weighed every sleeping bag, with and without the stuff sack, to...
We weighed every sleeping bag, with and without the stuff sack, to see which lives up to its ultralight title.
We weighed each bag and also took note on how much volume they took in their included stuff sack

Comfort


When it came to comfort, field testing was once again our bread and butter for determining what worked and what didn't. To ensure objective testing, we had multiple people use each bag and discuss their opinions afterward. A primary consideration was the fit of a bag, and we ordered all bags to the same size specifications so that we could compare them fairly. We attempted to assess for how loose or restrictive a bag was, how pleasant the interior fabric felt against skin and clothing, and whether features like Velcro, zippers, or drawcords affected the comfort level.

ultralight sleeping bag - after the gear has dried out, why not compare some quilts in the...
After the gear has dried out, why not compare some quilts in the sun! Here assessing the relative similarities and differences between the Backcountry Quilt 700 and the Katabatic Palisade 30, in Nepal.

Versatility


When it came to assessing versatility, we first attempted to identify how many different situations a bag could be appropriately used in, and then did our best to test the bag in all those conditions. Our countless nights out in the field were essential for determining how truly versatile a sleeping bag was. For quilts or blankets that had the option of sleeping wrapped up, attached to a pad, or fully spread out, we slept in them each way.

ultralight sleeping bag - in may in the dark canyon wilderness area in utah, we experience low...
In May in the Dark Canyon Wilderness area in Utah, we experience low temperatures at night in the mid to upper 50s and were perfectly comfortable without a bunch of extra clothes in the Spark I.

Features


It is easy to take a new sleeping bag out of the box at home and start to play around with it, but not so apparent is whether the neck cinch cord will really stay tightly cinched around your neck all night when you are cold, or whether the hood truly covers your entire head and forehead comfortably, or whether the pad straps will stay fastened and tight all night, rather than coming loose and allowing in cold air. The only way to truly know these things is to test them in the field, which is what we did, over and over again.

Some ultralight bags have a full-length zipper, allowing them to be used as both a mummy bag or quilt.
Credit: Justin Simoni