The Big Bay is best suited for car camping, road tripping, backyard sleepovers and other adventures where you don’t need to carry it that far. At less than 5 pounds, it’s not overly heavy, and it packs down to a decent size using the compression sack, but the size and weight will take their toll if you’re hiking into camp. If you want to try backpacking, you can get away with hauling the Big Bay for an overnight hiking trip, but you wouldn’t want to take it too far. It’s much smaller than a traditional rectangular bag—especially one that’s fleece-lined—so it stows better in a trunk, and you don’t lose out on comfort.
I’m a journalist who writes about outdoor and fitness gear for several publications, including Outside, Forbes and the REI Co-op Journal. You can read my in-depth review of the best sleeping bags, including the Coleman Big Bay 20° as the best value for car camping and general use. The Coleman Big Bay 20° is rated for a lower temperature limit of 20 degrees Fahrenheit, which seems about right based on my experience. Wearing long johns and wool socks, I crawled into the Big Bay, napped on a cot in 32-degree weather and found it comfortably warm.
My husband is a tall man (6 foot, 4 inches) so thought I better find him a sleeping bag made for tall people so that he would actually stay covered instead of sticking out at the top! I was happy to see that Coleman has a new BIG-N-TALL 30 Sleeping Bag that is just right for him. The Wrap and Roll attached cover makes it easy to pack up and the Dura-Tough tarpauline bottom resists water is great for durability. The sleeping bag is plenty long for my husband and the wide rectangular shape gives him plenty of room to move around. The Coleman Big Game 0°F Cold-Weather Big and Tall Sleeping Bag is designed to comfortably accommodate campers up to 6 feet 5 inches tall. A cozy flannel liner and pillow keep campers extra cozy in temperatures well below freezing.
The TETON Sports LEEF Ultralight Mummy Sleeping Bag is a high-quality and versatile sleeping bag, perfect for backpacking, hiking, and camping adventures. Designed with ultralight materials, this mummy-style sleeping bag provides exceptional warmth and comfort without adding extra weight to your pack. Crafted with high-quality materials, this sleeping pad is designed to be durable, yet lightweight and compact. It inflates quickly and easily with the included inflating bag, allowing you to set up your sleeping space in no time. When deflated, it rolls up into a compact size and fits neatly into the included carry bag, making it convenient to transport and store.
That being said, we feel this is still a great choice for young kids (who sleep through most anything) or teens (who don’t sleep and will most likely be around the campfire all night). Gear designed for the outdoors will get dirty, but there are ways to prevent dirt and oil on your body and clothes from breaking down a bag. That’s not always feasible when camping, but sleeping in a clean base layer or pajamas increases your bag’s longevity.
Whether you’re camping, backpacking, or embarking on a hiking adventure, this sleeping pad offers a convenient and comfortable solution. Coleman Brazos sleeping bag is designed for outdoor camping in moderately cold temperatures. Experience superior comfort and insulation with the Hikenture 4 INCH Thick Self-Inflating Sleeping Pad.
Keep the kids comfortable as they sleep under the stars with the Coleman® Plum Fun™ 45 Youth Sleeping Bag, even when it’s 45 °F outside. The Comfort Cuff™ design makes sure they only have soft fabric around their face while they sleep. Whether you’re camping with your family, friends, or loved ones, the TETON Sports Mammoth Queen-Size Double Sleeping Bag offers a cozy and warm sleeping solution that brings comfort to your outdoor experiences.
Browse through a wide collection of sleeping bags and find the perfect pick. As we touched on above, temperature ratings tend to be fairly generous and often require adding a sizable buffer to ensure you’ll stay warm throughout the night. For those who run cold or simply want to bring their bag into lower temperatures, adding a sleeping bag liner can help keep you cozy without breaking the bank. Liners are made of soft materials like fleece, wool, polyester, or silk and typically add around 5 to 15 degrees to the warmth rating of your bag. They also serve as a barrier between you and your bag’s interior, which can help boost lifespan (you can wash the liner after use rather than getting your bag dirty). Liners typically cost between $30 and $60, and a couple of our favorite options are Sea to Summit’s Thermolite Reactor for mummy bags and their Silk-Cotton Blend Liner for rectangular models.
Once you have that number, it’s a good idea to build in a little buffer (we like an extra degrees) to avoid getting cold. And keep in mind the temperature rating is closer to a survivability rating rather than being comfortable and warm. Other factors to consider are your age—people typically don’t sleep as warm the older they get—and whether you are a cold or warm sleeper. Most campers stick to the warmer months for their outdoor adventuring, and as a result, most of the sleeping bags on this list are rated in the degree range. Anytime a company adds features or upgraded components to a sleeping bag, it adds to the cost.
To crown the Big Bay the best value sleeping bag, I tested it against 12 other models, including mummy bags, rectangular bags, odd-shaped bags and synthetic and down bags (and a combination of the two). In a controlled environment, I ran a heat-retention test using coleman canopy a wire probe thermometer and hot water bottles. I also laundered each bag at home using my front-loading washing machine and dryer. As I was testing, I considered qualities like comfort, warmth, design features, ease of use, durability, packability and versatility.