The 10 Best Women’s Sleeping Bag of 2023

One of the most important activities you do while camping/backpacking is merely sleeping. After a long hard day of hiking, sleep will be your biggest ally. Coupled with a critical sleeping pad, the decision of which top-rated sleeping bag to invest in can be a crucial decision. The difference between a sleeping bag that is too warm or not warm enough can make or break your trip. To help you find the best backpacking sleeping bags and camping sleeping bags on the market, I have compiled the 10 Best Women’s Sleeping Bags blog post just for you! Enjoy 🙂

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Comparison Guide: Best Women’s Sleeping Bags 2019

Best Women’s Sleeping Bag Reviews

Feathered Friends Egret UL 20°

The Feathered Friends Egret UL 20° bag is, in my opinion, the best lightweight sleeping bag for backpacking on the market. Overall, the Feathered Friends Egret UL 20° bag provides one of the best warmth to weight ratio on the market. It’s 1 lb 11.2 oz weight coupled with the warm 20° F label makes it the perfect bag for nearly any backpacking occasion.

The bag tests fantastic in all categories, including weight, packability, simplicity, and temperature. It was tough to find any negative characteristics in this sleeping bag. After some research, the most significant complaint about the bag is that it came in two sizes for women 5’3″ and 5’9″. However, for anyone in between those sizes, they had too much room in the bag. A second complaint is that it is a bit noisy, having the “chip bag” effect.

Even with the hefty price tag of $470, the Egret is worth saving every penny to purchase this piece of equipment. The minor negative characteristics are minuscule compared to the warm, lightweight, roomy, and versatile aspects of the bag. The Egret is one of the best ultralight sleeping bags on this list.

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REI Co-op Magma 15 Sleeping Bag – Women’s

The REI Co-op Magma 15 Sleeping Bag is the perfect bag for the alpinists on a budget. For its $370 price tag, the bag is super lightweight and compressible, perfect for the multi-night backcountry excursions even during the winter.

The bag comes in three sizes allowing you to choose the best model to fit your preferences. While inside, the bag is roomy and has a beautiful foot box to allow you to keep warm water or clothes.

Even with its roomy discord, its compression size is tiny, proving helpful during those scenarios when space is limited. When using a proper compression pack, it shrinks down to the size of small melon or cantaloupe.

Another great feature of the Magma is its weather-resistant material. Under light rain or snow, the bag keeps dry, most importantly at the seams. The best bags on the market do perform better than the Magma in this space but are much more expensive.

Overall, the REI Co-op Magma 15 Sleeping Bag is a top-notch REI sleeping bag. It competes with the best bags on the market but falls a little short of the warmth spectrum when compared to its peers. It, however, performs well due to its coziness, weather-resistant material, compressible nature, and low cost. The best uses for the Magma would be 3 season alpine backpacking and mild winter conditions.

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REI Co-op Down Time 25 Down Sleeping Bag – Women’s

The REI Co-op Down Time 25 is one of REI’s newest mid-range sleeping bags. It is great for budget backpackers who are looking for a durable sleeping bag for weekend backpacking trips.

The price is pretty great but it doesn’t compress well and it is not as warm as other bags. The weight is also pretty heavy for a long backpacking trip, so it is probably best for camping or backpacking for a day or two.

Even with those negatives, this backpack is still pretty great for a beginner backpacker. The price is reasonable and I love how good quality the fabric is. Also, the black color looks great and hides dirt and grime well.

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Marmot Phase 20 – Women’s Sleeping Bag

Another great ultralight backpacking sleeping bag is the Marmot Phase 20. The Marmot Phase 20 competes with the best camping sleeping bags in the market. Its 850 fill down provides more than enough warmth for the colder 3-seasons with its 18.5° EN rating. The hood also provides additional warmth due to the clinching ability, sealing in the heat effectively yet comfortably. To reduce weight, Marmot utilized a 10-denier Pertex shell fabric and a small 3/4-length zipper. The warmth-to-weight ratio is one of the best in the market.

Undoubtedly, the Marmot Phase 20 competes with the best in regards to warmth and weight. However, The Phase 20 does have one noteworthy drawback. The 3/4-length zipper reduces weight, but it is troublesome as it snags on the fabric frequently, sometimes tearing the fabric. One additional common criticism is the narrow dimensions, resulting in a constrictive feeling for the side sleepers or restless sleepers.

Overall, the Marmot Phase 20 is lightweight, warm, compact, and comfortable. The bag is one of the warmest sleeping bags available. The best circumstances for the Phase 20 is for colder 3-season excursions only due to its warmth and lack of breathability.

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NEMO Disco 15 Sleeping Bag – Women’s

The Nemo Disco 15 is a very comfortable, warm bag with a few extra neat features but it comes with a hefty price and weight. This cozy bag has a 650 down fill, resulting in a temperature rating of 17° Fahrenheit. Contrary to its classification, many users suggest the best use for the bag is above 20° Fahrenheit. The bag provides plenty of room due to its spoon-like shape, but some would say a little too much room (which keeps you cooler). But, the bag is plenty comfortable because of the soft lining materials used. Side sleepers love this bag with the extra room and soft linings.

One unique feature of the bag is its “blanket fold” in the place of the traditional baffle. The blanket fold is used to plug up the neck area to block escaping air, creating a nice warm bag. Inversely, the blanket fold can be folded back, creating better ventilation. One other neat feature is the Thermo Gills, zippered vents to allow additional ventilation without exposing the inside of the bag with drafts from outside. Lastly, the common favorite feature is the pillow sleeve. This sleeve will enable you to pack an instant pillow with your clothes.

All in all, the Nemo Rave is a warm sleeping bag with plenty of features but its $300 price tag, and 3lb 1 oz weight brings down its value substantially. The best use for this bag would be a traveler who loves to be comfy and will be doing plenty of car camping.

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Sea to Summit Altitude AtII 15 Sleeping Bag – Women’s

Sea to Summit is well known in the camping community as its products are very high quality. Recently they have added a women’s sleeping bag line called the Altitude. The Altitude is a high-quality 750 feather down, extremely warm, light, and great for backpacking.

The Altitude is exceptionally comfortable and can pack down pretty small. It is a perfect all-around 3 season sleeping bag for women.

One of the negatives is that The Altitude is costly. If you are only backpacking in the summer, there are more lightweight and less expensive sleeping bags out there. But, I am so obsessed with this sleeping bag. It is my new favorite one as it really feels so comfortable and also I love how it has two zippers on both sides. It is great if you just want to sit inside your sleeping bag without being restricted.

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Rab Neutrino 400 – Women’s

The Rab Neutrino is the best summer sleeping bag on this list. I would not use this if the temperature goes below 30 degrees F. It isn’t as warm as some of the other sleeping bags on this list. However, it is lightweight and super compressible. So if you are looking for a women’s backpacking sleeping bag for the summer, then this is a great choice!

This sleeping bag does have some neat features like a small zippered pocket on the inside to store your keys. There are also drawcords and insulated draft tubes around the face that can help keep the cold air out.

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Sierra Designs Cloud 800 – Women’s

This sleeping bag is very similar to the Sierra Backcountry Sleeping Bag. They are both zipperless provide foot ventilation, and they both attach to your sleeping pad. The main difference is that the cloud is narrower and less comfortable than the Sierra Backcountry Sleeping Bag.

What is very interesting is that you can attach this sleeping bag to your sleeping pad. This ensures you stay on the sleeping pad all night. I like this feature as I always have trouble with staying on my sleeping pad. The problem with this is that the area is not insulated, which means that you need a great sleeping pad to sleep comfortably. So If you don’t have a great sleeping pad, I would not purchase this sleeping bag.

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Kelty Cosmic 20 Sleeping Bag – Women’s

The Kelty Cosmic 20 sleeping bag is the most inexpensive sleeping bag on this list. It is perfect for people that are beginner campers/backpackers and who don’t want to spend an arm and a leg on camping. It is pretty heavy and the fill is 550 down, which is the lowest quality fill on this list. Also, it doesn’t compress really well.

But, if you are on a budget this is a great choice. It is even better than the REI Down Time Sleeping bag as they are pretty similar but this one is cheaper.

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Mountain Hardwear Phantom 15 Sleeping Bag

The Mountain Hardwear Phantom Sleeping bag is the newest unisex sleeping bag on the market. This sleeping bag is legit! Even though it is unisex I wanted to list it because this bag is so high quality and it is great for women that are big backpackers. It is lightweight, compressible, and very warm. The snug fit on this backpack will keep you nice and warm, and I also like that you can get a shorter size. And it also comes with its own compression sack!

The main drawback of this sleeping back is the price. Also, since it is so lightweight it isn’t as durable as some of the other sleeping backs on this list. But, this is a legit sleeping bag for any woman that is a hardcore backpacker.

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Important Information On Sleeping Bags

Difference Between Women’s Sleeping Bag VS Men’s Sleeping Bags

Sleeping bags made specifically for women do have features the help us sleep more comfortably. The main difference between men and women’s sleeping bag is the cut. Women’s sleeping bags are narrower around the shoulders while having more room around the hips. This prevents airflow, and it helps insulate us to keep us warmer.

Sleeping bags for women are also made with extra insulation because men produce more body heat than women. Being a woman that runs cold, I always buy sleeping bags specifically made for women. Never Unisex.  

Length

Most sleeping bags usually have options on lengths that range from regular to long. Since I am only 5′-2″ I order the regular sleeping bags. Before ordering, make sure to check the length of the sleeping bag. If the bag is cutting it close to your height, I would order the longer sleeping bag. 

Width

A lot of manufacturers try to cut down on weight by making sleeping bags slimmer. If you don’t like the feeling of being restricted in movement, you might want to think about getting a roomier sleeping bag. The con is more airflow which means warmth is effected. It also means it will be bulkier and heavier. 

Compressibility

When it comes to car camping, compressibility isn’t essential. But if you are backpacking for a few days, you might want to make sure all your gear can fit in your backpack. This is where compressibility is vital for sleeping bags. 

Natural downs like Goose Downs and duck feathers do the best job when it comes to compression. Human-made, cheap, synthetic sleeping bags will not do the job. The more compressible the sleeping bag is, the more expensive it is.

The trim also affects the compressibility. Less fabric means fewer things to stuff in your stuff sack. Also, summer sleeping bags are usually very compressible due to less insulation. 

Pretty much I only recommend thinking about compressibility if you are backpacking.

Also if you are interested in getting a compressibility sack here is the one I use. 

Temperature Ratings

Sleeping bags keep you warm by trapping the body heat your body creates in the sleeping bag. Sleeping bags with high insulation trap heat better to keep you nice and warm at night. The problem is deciding to choose which sleeping bag will help you with this. 

In my opinion, the temperature is one of the most critical factors in choosing a sleeping bag. I have camped in frigid conditions with a terribly insulated sleeping bag, and it is not fun. That is why before you purchase, you need to think about all your future camping spots and the temperatures in that area. 

Sadly the temperature ratings for sleeping bags are misconstrued and not accurate. The temperature rating I provided in the table above does not necessarily mean you will get a good nights sleep. It just means it will keep you alive at that temperature. The temperature usually listed is the lower limit of the sleeping bag. If you want to sleep comfortably, add another 10-15 degrees to the temperature rating. 

I always bring layers with me on camping trips in case it might get too cold. I add hand warmers, hats, jackets to help keep me nice and insulated. 

EN Ratings

Due to the manufacturers providing inaccurate temperatures in their sleeping bag ratings, the Europeans decided to standardize an accurate evaluation. It is called the EN 13537. Many manufacturers have adopted this rating but not all. 

Weight

Like many other factors, weight is essential only if you are backpacking. A sleeping bag can be one of the heaviest items you carry if you are backpacking. The more expensive and lightweight sleeping bags are usually around 1-2 lb range. While cheaper car camping sleeping bags are around the 2-4 lb range. 

Down VS Synthetic Insulation

When it comes to down vs synthetic, down wins in almost every category. Down is more compressible, warmer, weighs less, and can last longer. The only positives about synthetic are that it is cheaper and that it is warmer when wet. 

There are many different quality types of downs. They range from 500-900. Typically the cheaper downs are around 500 while the more expensive ones are around 900. Do not be turned off by a 500 filled down as it is still better quality than a synthetic sleeping bag. 

Storage

Never store your sleeping bag in a compression sack. It can ruin the insulation in the long run. The minute I get home from a backpacking trip, I take the sleeping bag out of the compression sack. 

DWR

Durable Water Repellent is what helps keep water from soaking into the sleeping bag. Nearly all sleeping bags are treated with DWR before you purchase it. DWR will not make your sleeping bag waterproof, but it still helps. Over time the repellent does wear off so you might have to reapply it. You can read about reapplying a coating here. 

Price

The price of your sleeping bag will depend on the type of activity you are using them for. Usually warm, lightweight backpacking sleeping bags are more expensive than car camping sleeping bags. The more lightweight, warm, and compressible the sleeping bag is, the more you will pay. If you are only using your sleeping bag for car camping in the summer, then you don’t need to shell out a ton of money. 

Denier/Durability

You can usually tell how durable your sleeping bag is by looking at the denier of the shell. Most sleeping bags list this on their specs. The higher the number the more durable it is. Usually, the numbers range from 10D-30D.

I have had sleeping bags with low denier ratings and high denier ratings and the lower-rated ones have never ripped on me. Low denier sleeping bags do feel very flimsy though, so I have been extra careful. But since you usually don’t use your sleeping bags outside, the durability should probably be the least of your worries. I would worry more about the weight, compressibility, and price.

Final Thoughts On The Best Sleeping Bag For Women

Alright, I hope this helped make the decision easier on choosing the best sleeping bags! Buying a sleeping bag can be very overwhelming as there is so much to consider. Your sleeping bag can help make or break your camping or backpacking trip. So choosing the right sleeping bag is essential. Let me know if you have any other questions and please check out some of my other blog posts on outdoor buying guides:  

• The Best Backpacking Sleeping Pads
• The Best 4 Person Tents
• The Ultimate Car Camping Essentials Guide
• The Best Backpacking Backpack For Women
• Gear Guide To Day Hiking Essentials
• The Best Backpacking Water Filters

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