The REI Co-op Magma 30, a perennial favorite for backpacking, is part of a recent redesign that puts lightweight warmth and having loads of different sizes front and center. If you’re wondering how the co-op got a sub-2-pound bag to rate this warmly, designers will happily tell you­: It’s the 850-fill-power down, which is also highly compressible, so it won’t take up too much space in your pack.

The gear phenoms at REI also redesigned many of the co-op’s otherbeloved sleeping bags this year, creating gender-neutral products that are available in a variety of lengths and widths. Every one of the Magma 30’s nine new sizes is available for the same price and is under 2 pounds. “With so many options, you are basically walking into an REI and having a custom-fit sleeping bag,” says Carlos Rodriguez, a department manager at the REI Wichita, Kansas, store. The fit of your sleeping bag is crucial: too small, and your shoulders and arms could be left vulnerable to the cold. Too large, and you’re likely to have dead air between your body and the bag’s insulation, which can make the bag’s warming properties less efficient. If you’re unsure about your ideal sizing, head to an REI store for an in-person fitting.

An insulated neck baffle helps keep drafts out on cold nights, and a trapezoidal footbox reduces bulk while keeping your precious tootsies warm. One online reviewer from Texas purchased the Magma 30 to replace a well-loved yet heavy older sleeping bag and was impressed with how easily the Magma fit in her pack—once you smash it down into its included stuff sack, it’s scarcely bigger than a 32-ounce water bottle.

The one downside to this sleeping bag is that, with its temperature rating of 30°F (and tested comfort rating of 34°F), it’s probably a low-elevation and summer bag for most hikers, especially if you run cold. However, if you’re on the opposite end of the spectrum and run hot, you’re in luck. The bag’s rating splits the difference between its standard men’s and women’s comfort ranges, meaning that warm sleepers could take this baby as low as 24°F.

The icing on the cake: The Magma comes equipped with a nonfluorinated durable water repellent (DWR) finish on its shell and lining to keep you protected from precipitation, and it features bluesign®-approved materials (so you know the brand took steps to minimize the release of harmful chemicals into the environment during manufacturing). Buy here.

Warm and lofty, the Forte 20 Endless Promise sleeping bag from NEMO has its 100% recycled synthetic insulation to thank for its adaptable comfort. Synthetic insulation allows it to retain its loft and warming power, even when damp. Coupled with the sleeping bag’s top vents, that makes this a phenomenal one for humid or unpredictable climates, where moisture or large temperature swings could threaten your well-earned slumber.

Like many of the brand's sleeping bags, the Forte sports a pair of zippered vents along the front of its shell, making it easy for those who run warm to shed a little heat when they get balmy. “I love the heat vents outside and inside the bag,” says sales specialist Elizabeth Nguyen at the REI store in Atlanta.

From its soft recycled polyester taffeta lining to its trademarked spoon shape that gives side sleepers the space they need at the knees, elbows and shoulders, this is one seriously comfortable sleep sack. “For those backpackers who say, ‘There’s no way I can sleep in a mummy bag,’ you’ll appreciate the extra space you gain with NEMO’s Forte 20,” says Erica Schiller, a sales specialist working at the Denver REI.

Perhaps the most noteworthy thing about the Forte 20 is that it’s designed with the goal of keeping products out of the landfill. The brand has gone through the trouble of making this bag entirely mono-polymer (from a single material family), so it can be easily recycled at the end of its lifespan—just check with NEMO for instructions on how to do so properly. And although this isn’t the lightest sleeping bag among our picks, even the longest size clocks in at less than 4 pounds. Buy the women's and the men's.

Hands down, one of the softest, most plush sleeping bags in stores today is the NEMO Disco 15 Endless Promise down sleeping gag. It’s also lighter and more compressible than the synthetic Forte 20, making it ideal for missions where space and weight are at a premium. Rodriguez has owned three of them: “If you love the feel of down, well, hello, it’s a Disco party,” he says.

“With NEMO, you are paying for sleep quality-of-life features,” Rodriguez says. Creature comforts, like the brand’s oversized collar (also present on the Forte) can make a big difference when it comes to creating a backcountry sleep system that’s as delightful as your trusty mattress and comforter at home. “This is such a cool and heavenly feature,” Rodriguez adds.

As with other bags in the NEMO lineup, the Disco 15 features a shape that gives side and stomach sleepers the extra hip and shoulder room they need to catch some Zs without having to hold their arms in a T. rex position beside their chest all night. Ever thought a mummy bag felt downright claustrophobic? This might be the sleep sack for you.

Adding to the comfort factor are the same zippered, vertical slits situated on the top of the bag as on the Forte 20. The "vents allow for your body heat to escape without you unzipping all of the warmth out of your bag, then getting back to freezing again,” Rodriguez says.

One of the very few downsides of this sleeping bag is that it doesn’t pack down quite as small as a more petite mummy bag. “But it’s not far off,” Schiller says. The men’s size regular version squishes down easily into its included 14.9-liter stuff sack, and from there, you can use the sack’s cinchable buckles to squeeze out any remaining air and save even more volume.

Just like all products in the Endless Promise line, this bag prioritizes sustainable specs. The down in the Disco 15, for instance, is sourced from animals who were treated humanely. Its lining and shell fabrics feature 100% recycled polyester. And you can recycle your bag at the end of its lifespan. Simply pop yours into a box and ship it to NEMO. Buy the women's or the men's.

The Therm-a-Rest Boost 650 sleeping bag is new to the game, but it’s already making waves in the outdoor industry. That’s mainly because it’s a highly adjustable and lightweight bag, featuring a variety of design specs you won’t find anywhere else.

First, there’s the brand’s proprietary center zipper, which allows you to expand the bag for roomy sprawling or comfortable side sleeping. Or zip it up more tightly and warm the bag up to 10°F if the weather takes a sudden turn. In addition to the middle zipper, the Boost 650 has two zippered arm holes along the sides of the bag, meaning you can curl up with a buzzy new novel or sip your morning coffee while still toasty inside your sleep sack.

“Imagine staying warm in your bag, but now your arms are free to play cards or eat ramen,” says Schiller. Even better—every single zipper on the Boost is equipped with an antisnag zipper pull to minimize zipper-caused abrasions and tears.

Because down-filled sleeping bags lose their primo insulating power when wet, Therm-a-Rest has made good efforts to keep it as water-repellent as possible, using PFAS-free hydrophobic duck down insulation and a PFAS-free DWR coating on the bag’s shell. It’s certainly not going to stand up to a rainstorm (no sleeping bag will), but it will help shed mild precipitation or dewdrops inside your tent.

The Boost 650 comes in six gender-neutral sizes to accommodate a range. And the brand added cozy features, like a plush draft collar, a cinchable hood and an insulated tube along the entry zipper line, so you aren’t leaking heat all night. Buy here.

Engineered for backpackers who tend to roll around throughout the night, the Big Agnes Sidewinder SL 20 Sleeping Bag is one of the few true “side sleeper” bags on the market. Rather than winding up with a face-full of fabric and feathers when you turn over and your bag’s face hole doesn’t come with you, the Sidewinder has an entry zipper on the front of the bag (as opposed to the side), so that the entire bag moves with you when you’re tossing and turning. Restless sleepers might also appreciate how designers tucked additional insulation in the feet and hip area to help minimize pressure points when you toss and turn.

“Different than all the other bags, the zipper is located down the front of your body, making it easy for side sleepers to adjust their warmth while on their side,” Schiller says. That zipper also makes it easy to dump heat if you wind up sweaty in the middle of the night.

We like that the Sidewinder is light and highly compressible, stuffed with a combination of synthetic insulation and 650-fill-power down. When combined, the two create a loftier filling that can stand up to unexpected precipitation and moisture better than down alone. “With its true mummy shape, it’ll keep you warm and knock off some ounces to save weight,” Schiller says.

One customer reviewer noted that the insulation on this bag tends to clump. We recommend using a specialty gear detergent, like Nikwax Down Wash Direct, to help the bag maintain its well-distributed loft over time. Buy the women's or the men's.

For the shoulder-season, cool-weather backpackers—or even fair-weather adventurers who run cold—look no further than the Radiant 20 from REI Co-op. This sleep sack’s semi-fitted shape combines 600-fill-power down and synthetic insulation to keep you warm even when temps drop to 25°F (the comfort rating). Patches of synthetic insulation around the face and feet—two places prone to becoming damp from either breathing or tent condensation—help keep the fabric dry and, thus, warmer. A contoured hood can be used to protect your noggin from the cold or to secure pillows in place. One of our editors loved that she had plenty of space to move around while still feeling wrapped in coziness. In fact, the Radiant is the co-op’s roomiest backpacking bag, with the hip girth at 57 inches (regular) and 65 inches (regular wide).

“This amazing lightweight sleeping bag is incredibly soft, so very light and fluffy,” writes one customer-reviewer. “When I used this sleeping bag, it was like sleeping on feathers and having a down comforter wrapped all around you while keeping you extra warm. It is a bed and blanket all wrapped up into one item!”

Like the REI Co-op Magma 30, this sleep sack comes in nine inclusive sizes, from short and narrow to long and wide, making it easy to find the best fit to keep you cozy while sealing in warmth. A draft tube, collar and face muffler (like a built-in buff) provide extra warmth on chilly evenings. And at $200, this bag delivers just-right warmth without breaking the bank. Buy here.

The Mountain Hardwear Bishop Pass 0 sleeping bag is a mainstay for hikers who want a cold-weather sleeping bag that strikes a balance between warmth, weight and cost. In addition to its over 2 pounds of down filling, the Bishop Pass has a full-length draft tube and an adjustable down-filled face gasket to keep you snuggly and warm, whether you’re tackling a high-altitude mountaineering objective or simply want to hog heat on a weekend at your favorite alpine lake. And at under $350, the Bishop Pass is priced well below comparable four-season sleeping bags.

In addition to being uber warm, its footbox design offers just enough extra room and warmth to ward off late-night claustrophobia. And at just over 3 pounds, “it’s lightweight for a 0°F bag,” Nguyen says. Our retail specialist is also a fan of the internal stash pockets to store her phone and headlamp, crucial for keeping electronics working on cold trips. Other perks include an antisnag zipper with a glow-in-the-dark pull tab, so you can head out for a midnight snack or bathroom break with ease, and an included 15.5-liter compression sack to help cinch down the bag’s puffy insulation when it’s time to hit the trail.
“The fabric on this bag has a smooth finish with a super fluffy feel all around,” Schiller says of the ripstop nylon shell and fine-woven lining. She adds that after years of working at the REI Denver store, she’s seldom heard complaints about this sleep sack. Though there's one downside: Some have found the mummy bag a bit narrow in the hips and shoulders; the hip girth on the women's regular at 50 inches is narrower than other options in our lineup. Buy the women's or the men's. Other versions include the Bishop Pass 15 Sleeping Bag in women's and men's.

The REI Co-op Magma 30 Down Trail Quilt is the piece of gear that turns even the most skeptical into Team Quilt. With its light weight and lofty 850-fill-power down insulation, it’s a phenomenal choice for gram-counting ultralighters, warm-weather trekking fanatics and anyone who runs hot at night.

“I have to admit, I was skeptical of quilts before owning the Magma 30,” says Tim Bird, a sales specialist out of the REI Farmington, Utah, store. “I move around a lot in my sleep and was worried it wouldn’t keep me warm. However, with the included cords that attach the quilt to a sleeping pad and the transformable foot box, I found that I stayed comfortable and warm all night.”

One of the things that can make backpackers nervous about testing out their first sleeping quilt is the assumption that it’ll be tricky to turn it into a snug sleeping bag, when nighttime temps plummet. (While a sleeping bag generally provides cocoon-like coverage, a quilt relies on your sleeping pad to provide insulation from the ground.) Thankfully, the Magma 30 has a zipper and cinch cord located at the bottom of the footbox, so you can easily get that tucked-in feeling. It also boasts an adjustable draft tube up top, around the shoulder area, to keep your core warm when you need it most.
The Magma 30 quilt comes in four sizes, so backpackers can locate their ideal fit. Because of its weight and high compressibility, this is a great sleep solution for backpackers keen on keeping their weight and pack size low. It stashes away to roughly the size of a large water bottle. Buy here.

Buying a single bag for both camping and backpacking makes perfect sense when it's a kids' sleeping bag. A child's preference for camping over backpacking—or vice versa—isn't fully formed yet. They're also going to outgrow any gear you buy in a few years. The co-op's venerated Kinderconebackpacking bag is the perfect answer—it comes with built-in growth-spurt insurance. The included stuff sack, which is attached to the bottom of the bag so you won't lose it, can be cinched to make the bag shorter when your child is younger; as your child grows, simply move the cinch point down to lengthen the bag.

Kindercone, which in various iterations has been in the REI Co-op sleeping bag line for more than two decades, has just the right mix of toughness and tech required in a kids' bag. The sturdy shell and two-way antisnag coil zipper resist rough use, while its polyester materials offer resistance to spills and drizzle. The Kindercone is estimated to provide warmth down to 25°F, which should help kids stay comfortable, even on a cool-weather trip. "The slim shape isn't merely a backpacking advantage; it's also a warmth advantage because a kid's small body doesn't have to work so hard to heat the bag up," noted one of our retail sales managers.

Because the sleekly built Kindercone tips the scales at just a hair over 3 pounds, budding backpackers should also be able to carry their bag—just like their adult trip leaders.

Even the material choices in the Kindercone consider your child's future. Both the shell and lining are recycled polyester that's certified to meet bluesign® criteria. Buy here.