Top pick

This roomy, recycled-poly-fill bag is ideal for car camping. It’s warm, moisture-resistant, easy to clean, and simple to stuff away. We’ve tested cheaper bags, but this one is worth the (moderate) investment.

The REI Co-op Siesta Hooded 20 Sleeping Bag has everything you need for car camping. Its classic rectangular shape gives sleepers plenty of room to maneuver, and a capacious “pillow barn” (or loose hood) is large enough to fit a pillow from home. The bag’s smooth polyester shell and lining are moisture-resistant and easy to clean, and they feel nice against the skin.

With a temperature rating of 20 °F, the Siesta is warm enough for most three-season camping conditions. Unlike the cheaper synthetic bags we tested, the Siesta isn’t bulky, and it packs away into a neat and manageable stuff sack. It comes in two sizes: regular and long. In 2023, REI updated this bag to include 98% recycled insulation fill, which we found to be just as warm and durable as the previous version. REI promises only that its REI Co-op goods will have no defects when you buy them, but the store has a generous return policy.

Top pick

Best for people with broad shoulders and narrower hips, this lofty, down-filled bag has diagonal baffles, which make it feel roomier than most mummy-style options. The main flaw: Its draw cords can allow drafty gaps.

Better for more narrow-bodied people who sleep cold, this bag is warm (it’s rated to 15 °F). It’s made with silky-soft fabric and filled with well-lofted, water-resistant down, but it may be too warm for some.

Backpackers need a lighter, more-stuffable bag than car campers need. And we think the Montbell Down Hugger 650 #1 is the best choice for people with broad shoulders and narrower hips who tend to get hot at night, as well as for people who move a lot in their sleep.

It’s rare to find a comfortable down bag that costs less than $400, yet the Down Hugger was softer and had more loft than pricier bags. The bag’s shape and diagonal baffles made it feel far roomier and more accommodating than most of the traditional mummy bags we tested.

We didn’t notice any fraying during our testing period, either, but if you experience any manufacturing defect, this bag is backed by Montbell’s lifetime warranty. And Montbell offers repairs at “a reasonable rate.”

Although it’s billed as a women’s bag, the Marmot Women’s Teton 15° Sleeping Bag is a good fit for any narrow-bodied person who gets cold at night. It’s warmer and slimmer than the Down Hugger, and it’s among the softest, warmest bags we tested: The fluffy, water-resistant down insulation feels plush and almost overstuffed; it swaddles you while you sleep.

The Teton also has thoughtful features, such as a pocket within the bag, to store electronics, and a compression zipper in the footbox that you can unzip to create more room. It’s rated to 15 °F, and after many cold nights of sleeping under the stars, our testers found this number to be accurate.

It’s worth noting, however, that this bag is much warmer than many of the others we tested; at times it was too warm. A lifetime warranty covers manufacturer’s defects.

Top pick

Various zippers and vents on this spacious, two-person car-camping bag allow the occupant to adjust their temperature and position without disturbing their partner. It’s not built for true cold-weather camping, though.

The Kelty TruComfort Doublewide 20 is a queen-size sleeping bag that’s ideal for car campers who prefer to bunk together. It’s one of the roomiest bags we tested, and it has an easy-to-clean, smooth polyester shell and lining.

Its durable synthetic insulation kept us warm in temperatures down to the mid-50s. (We plan to continue testing it in cooler temperatures.) This bag has independent side zippers, foot vents, and two sewn-in interior quilts, so it’s easier for each sleeper to adjust their temperature and position while snuggling to their heart’s content. For an even cozier experience, bring along two standard pillows to house in the hooded “pillow barn.”

When you’re done camping, this lightweight, affordable bag easily packs into a stuff sack. The TruComfort is covered by Kelty’s lifetime warranty and uses a PFC-free water-repellent fabric.

Also great

Designed for side-sleepers, this backpacking bag (which is insulated with a combination of down and synthetic fill) works well for anyone who tosses and turns while they sleep.

The Big Agnes Sidewinder SL 20° is a great bag for side-sleepers and for backpackers who like to shift positions while sleeping. The shell is cut more widely in the middle than that of your average mummy bag, and we found this makes it easier to change positions without feeling constricted.

In addition to the bag’s “main” down insulation, the hip areas have an additional layer of synthetic fill, which compresses less than down does and discourages the fabric from twisting. And behind the hood, the Sidewinder has a pillow sleeve, which holds your pillow steady while you find a comfy sleeping position on your sleeping pad.

Big Agnes offers a limited warranty against manufacturing or material defects.

Also great

This high-quality bag is cut wider, for backpackers who sleep hot. It’s just as warm as other sleeping bags for backpackers, but it’s a whole pound lighter than its backpacking competitors. However, it’s also more expensive.

This bag has all of the advantages of the Swallow—it’s extremely light, very warm, and compressible, but it has a narrower cut. It’s also quite expensive.

The lightweight Feathered Friends Swallow YF 20 Sleeping Bag is a solid choice for people who tend to bring a sleeping bag with them when they’re hiking or traveling. This bag is filled with 900-plus-fill-power goose down, the best quality among the bags we tested. And it’s also one of the lightest, most compressible bags in our cohort, weighing about a pound lighter than the Montbell Down Hugger.

The bag is expensive, but it’s rare to find something of this quality for under $550. The Swallow is rated to 30 °F and offers a looser fit for wide bodies, so it’s good for larger people or those who sleep hot. All Feathered Friends items come with a lifetime warranty (which doesn’t cover regular wear and tear) and are made with RDS-certified down.

Like the Swallow, the Feathered Friends Egret YF 20 Women’s Sleeping Bag is constructed with the same 900-plus fill-power down, yet it’s among the lightest, most compressible bags we tested. It’s also about a full pound lighter than the Marmot Teton. As with the Swallow, though, with this bag you’ll pay more for that lighter weight.

The Egret, which is cut narrower than the Swallow, is billed as a women’s bag, but we think the bag’s extra insulation (it’s rated to 20 °F) makes it a good fit for anyone who sleeps cold, as long as they’re not taller than 5-foot-9. (The bag comes in two sizes: small and medium.) The Egret is backed by Feathered Friends’ lifetime warranty.