Sleep System
A warm bag and a comfortable pad make or break a night outdoors. These are the bags and pads we'd take camping this year, ranked on warmth, comfort, and value.
Your "sleep system" is really two purchases working together: a sleeping bag rated for the temperatures you'll see, and an insulated sleeping pad that cushions you and blocks cold from the ground. Skimp on either and you'll feel it at 3 a.m. Here are our tested picks.
A silky polyester lining, an accurate 30°F comfort rating, and a wider footbox than most mummy bags — real down at a price that undercuts rivals.
Warm, spacious, and packed with user-friendly features at an affordable price. A roomy hooded rectangular bag that doubles as a comforter at home.
An overfilled quilt, a plush draft collar, and a featherbed-style bottom make this the coziest two-person bag we tested. Like bringing your bed outside.
The most comfortable pad we've tested — roughly an inch thicker than the popular Tensor, so side sleepers won't bottom out. Genuinely bed-like.
A thick, self-inflating car-camping pad with a high R-value 7 for cold ground and a near-indestructible exterior. The closest thing to a real mattress.
Lightweight, reasonably comfortable, and a fraction of the price of premium pads. Best for summer trips, since it isn't insulated for cold ground.
A bag's "comfort" rating is the temperature at which an average sleeper stays warm — more useful than the lower "limit" rating. For most three-season camping, a 20°F bag like the Kelty Cosmic or REI Siesta covers everything from summer to chilly fall nights.
A pad's R-value measures how well it blocks ground cold. Summer-only? An uninsulated pad like the Klymit Static V is fine. Shoulder season or cold ground? Choose a high R-value pad like the NEMO Roamer (R-7) — your bag can't keep you warm if the cold ground is pulling heat away.
Side sleepers need thickness to avoid bottoming out at the hips and shoulders. The extra loft of the Therm-a-Rest NeoLoft makes a real difference here.
A 20°F comfort-rated bag covers most three-season camping, from summer nights to chilly fall.
For summer an uninsulated pad is fine; for cold ground or shoulder seasons choose a pad with R-value 4+ (the NEMO Roamer is R-7).
Down is lighter and packs smaller; synthetic is cheaper and still insulates when damp. For car camping either works.
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