I’m going on a camping trip to Moab in early March with a group of friends. We did the same trip a couple years back in April. Well, I froze my butt off in the sleeping bag I took with. This bag was just a generic one lying around the house that is probably 20 yrs old. It’s time to upgrade. I’ve been reading up on new sleeping bags and like everything, everyone has a different opinion. What I’m looking for is something simple and warm since I will seldom use it. Suggestions please.

Well from taking Winter camper s on winter survival trips.

and making a mistake on a hunting trip to Alaska by believlng Manufacturer tags.

*** The Air between layers heats up - traps body heat. A Sleeping bag insideanother bag WILL 100% Keep you warm. Bring one "good" bag and freeze.

#2 Sleep in your Skivies/ Iong undies at most - With your mornings close rolled up next to you inside your bag. Your body aclimates and you will be warm and have warm clothes to put on when you wake.

Sleep bag??? Or bedroll?

The magnum 44 from cabelas has been my choice for a long time. It’s big enough that I can roll around in it and I’ve never been cold. It comes with a zip in insert blanket that I’ve never used.

Hiking in or driving to the campsite?

Have a buddy camps in cold all the time. He swears by sleeping nude with clothes in bag. When the circumstances allow of course! lol

Also, put your dry boots behind your knees in the bag. They will be warm and supple in the am.

Are you going backpacking? If so a wool blanket folded in half between you and the ground helps a bunch. If not take two bags. One of those "trapper" styles to lay on top of whatever your sleeping on. You need good insulation under you.

Mummy or rectangular. I am not comfortable in mummy bags, but they will be rated warmer per pound of bag weight all other things being equal.

Buy a bag with a 20 degree colder rating than what you expect.

You don't sound like you will use it often so stear away from down. For long term storage they need to be loose not compressed.

For a synthetic Take a look at Wiggy's. a bit more expensive than "name brands" . A quality product though that will last a long time.

DON'T forget the sleeping pad, Just as important as the bag

I camp in Alaska every fall, winter. I've learned bag ratings aren't always accurate. Test them out BEFORE.

One big thing people also miss is drying your bag out by the fire after a night or two, (carefully of course) or in the sun/wind. You will add condensation to your bag while you sleep often times. This also goes for your clothing. Always dry what you're going to wear to bed by the fire before crawling into you bag. Don't just jump in with the days long johns and socks. They have moisture in them even though they may feel dry and warm when you go to bed.

Also a DRY pair of wool socks or some booties just for sleeping is a must when it's cold. Once your feet get cold, you're screwed.

Just food for thought.

Get one that is wider than average. Easier to turn over or bend your knees while zipped into the bag.

[/quote]Hiking in or driving to the campsite?[/quote]

Were just driving to the site.

Another tip is to have a dedicated set of sleeping clothes. Don't want to get into your bag wet.

Makes it easy then. no size or weight concerns.

Google says March low temps in the 30s.

I have a few like this for drive in camping. Nice and big so a guy can flip and flop around.
Cabelas Sleeping Bag

most basic bags are 25-30 degree bags so really good for 40-50, but a breeze on your feet will make even a -20 bag make you feel cold at 25 above

you can help yourself a lot with some insulation between you and the ground

it depends what you have for space to pack or what you need to bring in
on the small side something like a therma-rest
but a sheet of 1 inch styrofoam board will get you off the ground and insulate the conduction of cold

a bag cover in nylon or some other wind shell fabric will help the air intrusion and you can make any bag go a little better with a inner bag
either fleece or wool you can just take a wool blanket and fold it in half and sew 2 sides

since your driving .
it would depend what you already have and what you are comfortable sleeping with
if you slept fine on the ground but were cold a sheet of foam board you can cut it and duct tape it so it acordians out for easier transport
some pad or cushion might be nice over that even an air mattress since your not trying for real cold the thicker it is the more air that needs to get heated. like a big roll of egg crate type foam might be around you could use put a sheet around it to keep it clean.
a canvas tarp that you fold into a bag to put your sleeping bag into to help air intrusion
and a wool blanket sewn into an inner bag and you will probably do well

plenty cold to test that combo in MN right now and see how it works for you , you may have half the stuff to do it already. which really makes it cheap.

lots of places selling pre made fleece sleeping bag liners , they make any bag work 10 degrees colder than it did without the liner.

an old wool blanket and a needle and thread can do the same if you have it

fleece makes me sweaty and sweaty is bad

Get a good pad under you and sleep with a knit cap. You lose a lot of heat from your head exposed. Use a liner in your bag and open the bag to air out every day. At 30 degrees you don't need an expensive bag.

If you want to go the cheap route borrow another bag and stick it inside the bag you have. My wife makes bag liners out of polar fleece which are nice. Wiggies makes great sleeping bags but they are spendy, worth it though. I put one of those space blankets on the ground and then a pad, really helps

I like the Cabelas idea. I forgot I have a couple hundred Cabelas bucks to burn up from a Credit card

I have an excellent 3 season bag that I put inside a cheapo Coleman for winter canoe trips. Really works great. Don't forget some emergency fire starting stuff, I would bring 2 RR Flares to drop on some river trash trees that pile up on gravel bars. Never needed them, but nice to know they were handy.

if you have the Cabelas bucks to burn get a pad for under the new xl bag also

I run the klymit aspen 0 degree bag and have used it all summer to -30. Did have a wool blanket above and below me on the really cold nights. I have also used the big Agnes bags and they are really nice also. A little bulky for my liking but for car camping they are great. Have used lots of bags during my career but these two have really stuck out with me. And listen to the folks about a ground/ sleeping bad. They can make a ton of difference. I also carry a liner that if it's cold I can slip inside of my main bag or just use it when it's really warm at nights. Sea to summit have some good options. I just got a cheap one from Walmart right now. Hope this helps.

Wouldn't winter camp without a closed cell foam mat between the sleeping bag & the ground.

Amazing how much heat the ground wicks away from even a high quality sleeping bag.

Warm, light, and cheap.

Pick two.


I guide winter camping some winters, and I use high quality down bags because we move camp on hand drawn toboggans every day. You can be warm for cheap, but it will be heavy.

While there are many down bag manufacturers, I always pay a bit more and get the lightest, warmest I can find. A good down bag will last a lifetime of occasional use if stored properly. We hot tent camp with lightweight titanium wood stoves and light tents, so keeping the down dry is easy. If you don't have access to heat or aren't moving much a Wiggys synthetic is a good bag. I have one.

As for the down mummy bags, I cant recommend Western Mountianeering enough.

If a bigger, synthetic bag is of use to you, my Wiggys might be for sale as I find them too heavy to hand haul.


For sleeping pad, an insulated thermarest for comfort, and a closed cell foam pad underneath will give you adequate R value.

If your driving get a cowboy bedroll set up

Depends on if you're doing any backwoods or winter camping in the future too. Why spend money on extreme gear if this is the extent of your camping. If drive in camping is it, live large. Long as it fits in your vehicle, why be miserable. Leak free tent you can stand up in, pop up shelter, grill, nice s bag and cot even.

Enjoy it.

I've slept on uneven rock faces and roots in the rain from Maine to Alaska, now, if I can avoid it, I do. Call it sissy camping, I don't care. The wife and kid have fun doing it and don't complain, therefore more time for me to sit and BS and drink beer.

I like to bring my XXL cot with pad and my 2person sleeping bag just for me

could camp almost indefinitely like that I sleep as good as I do at home.

I hate mummy bags. If you're driving, weight won't be an issue so you can get good for cheaper. Good but heavy is cheaper than good but light.

I thought everyone knew to keep your clothes in the fart sack with you. That and your canteen.

This is why you strip down before crawling in the fart sack. Seems counterintuitive to strip down in the cold to sleep but waking up with sweat soaked skivvies won't be fun in the morning.

I'm one of those that breaks a sweat tying my boots so I do everything I can to keep dry anything that touches skin.

Wool rules.

For very cold weather I use a USGI ecws bag. It is a goretex bivvy, a cold weather bag and a lighter weight bag. The whole system snaps together and if very warm. What I like the most about it is, I slip an inflatable pad in between the goretex bivvy, and the cold weather bag. The sleep pad cannot move and you won’t slide off it at all. You don’t even need a tent it can rain all and snow all over it won’t get wet.

https://smithssurplusandsupply.com/product/military-surplus-modular-sleep-system-with-bivy-cover/

https://www.amazon.com/Exped-Dura-Resistant-Insulated-Comfortable/dp/B0BZ3NB2ZK/ref=sr_1_8?adgrpid=1229254992464516&hvadid=76828567361668&hvbmt=bp&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=110586&hvnetw=s&hvqmt=p&hvtargid=kwd-76828688235943%3Aloc-190&hydadcr=20637_13426608&keywords=exped+sleeping+pads&qid=1705816447&sr=8-8

A rectangular bag will retain cold air spaces. Wear a stocking hat. And as someone else said, air out the bag during the day if possible, and very important, have a pad under you. I much prefer a closed cell foam rather than air filled.

Any zero to 30 bag will work
I take 2,,,,,,everywhere and a cot

Don’t forget a pillow…..

Love my ECWS bag! I use mine with a self inflating sleeping pad and it will keep you warm, sometimes too warm. No matter the weather or temp I bring the entire system as it allows me to adjust accordingly. You have enough room in the bag that you can keep your socks and warming layer in there while you sleep so when you wake up in the morning you have something warm to put on. I recommend getting a lightweight flannel sleeping bag liner. When you get in the bag it will warm up quickly and you can go to sleep quicker.

I also use a small memory foam pillow that compresses with the bag for easy storage. I have a flannel cover on my pillow and it makes a world of difference not only for comfort, but for keeping warm.

I have used the ECWS bag above the Artic Circle for three months straight. Most of the time I dug a small trench and covered up in snow. It kept me warm and dry. I've used on 6 out of the 7 continents and had no issue with it. The bag I use now is over 21 years old and it is still going strong.

https://www.coleman.com/sleeping-bags-beds/camp-cots/airbed-cot---queen/SAP_2000020270.html

I like rectangular bags. I unzip my old one and it covers the bed. You need that or the air mattress will freeze you. Bed folds up nice. Been tested with my wife. Wont break. Air mattress is inside a nylon cover. No leaks. Comfortable. Those pads suck. If backpacking I prefer a wool blanket folded in half. Easier to carry and you dont roll off. Its wider. Keeps you warm from the ground just fine.

PS. I never camped above the artic circle.

2 cheap sleeping bags, thickest foam pad u can get or a couple pads. hand warmers in bag or body warmers. Or buy a canvas wall tent and wood stove.

This is really solid advice. I use an old MMS surplus bag. Keep your clothes in with you. I'll add though also fill a bottle or two of hot water and throw it in your bag. Acts as a heater and also don't have to thaw water in the morning.