Day 2 …it was closer to 6 degree and I froze…I had to hike into town, replace the bag. I could have gotten better quality from a teenager’s home ec project and lighter weight. Both the Big Agnes Echo Park 20 and the Coleman All-Weather ozark trail canopy Multi-Layer are within striking distance of top scores. The Coleman All-Weather shares a similar layering system to the Polara, which makes it very versatile. One of our favorite features is this bag’s massively roomy footbox.
We combined all of our data to determine the most comfortable contenders. I used this bag two nights last weekend and found it was too cold on its own—lowest temp was 51 degrees each of those nights. The bag uses Climatech fill, a down alternative, making it very light. The roomy bag, 33 inches wide by 75 inches long, rolls up to a compact 14 by 8 inches.
The Kelty Galactic 30 takes the best features of the high-performance mummy and the traditional camping sleeping bag and blends them into one. Its rectangular shape is wide and non-restrictive, and it’s loaded with 550-fill duck down. These two features offer a near-perfect bag for campers desiring better-performing down insulation minus the cocooning nature of narrow mummy-shaped bags. The Galactic kept us warm down to 30 degrees Fahrenheit and maybe a touch colder.
It’s lightweight, packs up nicely, and can be compressed even further in a compression sack. Whether you’re a car camper or a weekend backpacker, the Galactic is worth a look if you prefer down fill but aren’t a fan of constrictive mummy-style bags. Over the last 11 years, we’ve purchased dozens of the best camping sleeping bags, with 14 top models in this review.
Looking at the modest price tag, we expected to be quite underwhelmed by its performance. However, its warmth ratings outperformed several of the more expensive bags. It performed very well in all of our warmth tests, as did the Coleman All-Weather Multi-Layer and The North Face Wawona Bed 20. These three bags were slightly bested by the Kelty ozark trail sleeping bag Catena 30, a somewhat basic, inexpensive bag that somehow performed slightly better during our controlled body-heat tests. It’s easy to use, and has an inside zipper pocket, anti-snag zipper, full neck baffle, and ClimaTech fiber for warmth. The bag is machine-washable and the lightweight design fits easily in both the washer and dryer.
All these things usually add up to costing more overall. The individual metrics we used to assess each sleeping bag are important to a good night’s sleep. They serve as a solid foundation in determining which bag is right for you. However, these metrics become the most helpful when you have a clear idea of the type of camping you plan to do.
This high-quality bag offers a lot of perks at a very reasonable price point. The value of the Polara and Siestra is more rooted in their features and construction. In the case of the Coleman Brazos, ozark trail chair its value stems from an amazing price with rock-solid construction and excellent warmth. Likewise, the Kelty Galactic 30 shows value for offering down insulation at a very reasonable price.
I had to add a fleece sleeping bag for more insulation. I used this bag from February of 2002 to June of 2002 on the Appalachian Trail, and I still have it. The first night out it was less than 14 degrees F, and I had at least 50 nights under 40 degrees F. I can’t say I was warm, but I wasn’t shivering, freezing, or cold either, although I did wear 2 layers of clothing.
If they wanted to skimp on fabric, it should have been used on the outside and bottom of the bag! You can buy those discounted gift cards to use on top of this purchase to save even more. Walmart offers FREE 2 Day Shipping on every order of $35 or more. You can also choose Free In-Store Pick Up on thousands of items on Walmart.com.