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Our backcountry experts tested women's-specific sleeping bags from Feathered Friends, Western Mountaineering, The North Face, REI, and more to find the very best
The most recent additions to our women's sleeping bag lineup. From left to right, The Cat's Meow, Teton, Cosmic Ultra, Backcountry Bed and Get Down.
Our backpacking experts have tested close to 50 of the best women's sleeping bags over the last 12 years. This review compares 14 models bought and tested for side-by-side analysis. We have carried these bags on our backs and spent many chilly nights snuggled up, sleeping under the stars, under a tarp, and in tents. We have experienced soggy, humid, cold, and dry conditions, putting these products through the paces. We scrutinize specific performance metrics like weight and comfort to give you an objective comparison. Read on to learn what we recommend to keep your pack light, your wallet full, and your body rested for many adventures to come.
A sleeping bag is arguably one of the most important pieces in your camping gear repertoire, and when you're out there on the trails, pair your bag with one of the top-rated women's sleeping pads we've tested. If you're a taller person looking for a wider variety of backpacking sleeping bags, you should check out our men's/all-gender review on the best backpacking sleeping bags. If you're just out for a casual car camping trip, see our best camping sleeping bag review for less technical options. We've got you covered with our picks for the top-rated tents, too.
Editors Note: We updated this review on April 15, 2024, including more information on our testing processes and alternate recommendations for each award-winning bag.
Winning our top marks once again, the Feathered Friends Egret UL 20 continues to stand up to tough competition and comes out on top. This high-end bag sets a high bar that other manufacturers, large and small, have not quite met yet. The Egret has the highest quality, 950+ fill power, which means it is much warmer per square inch, needing less down fill, and therefore saving weight. It is one of the lightest bags in this review and also one of the warmest, a winning combination of warmth to weight ratio. The Egret is also very compressible and packs down into a small, portable package.
It is difficult to find fault with this bag; there are few in this simple, functional package. Our only minor complaint is that this bag comes in lengths of 5'3" (size Small) or 5'9"(size Medium). If you are in between sizes, like our 5'5" tester, the larger bag is a bit too big, and the smaller bag is too small. Other than this small sizing gripe, the Egret beats out other craft companies and mega corporation competitors alike. It is our favorite bag for long trips into the backcountry and can be stretched across spring to fall seasons in most climates. Another bag we love from a small USA manufacturer is the Western Mountaineering AlpinLite. It costs a bit more and is a touch less warm, but it's supremely comfortable and also under two pounds.
The Sierra Designs Get Down 20 is a decent down product at a jaw-droppingly low price. It takes home an award for value because it checks a lot of boxes for a down backpacking bag, all at a great price. The Get Down is lighter and packs down smaller than many other higher-priced down models in this review, and it is just as comfortable, or close to it. It's also roomy enough to wear extra layers when things get chilly, something we appreciate.
The Get Down is made of lower quality, cheaper materials and, for this reason, is not as warm as some of the other bags that have more fill and a higher fill power down than this one. We wouldn't take this bag out when temperatures dip below freezing. However, we think it's a great option for someone on a budget or who doesn't backpack as often or in cold temps. In a similar weight range, the Mountain Hardwear Bishop Pass 15 is a warmer and roomier bag that only costs a bit more.
The North Face Cat's Meow is the warmest synthetic sleeping bag we've used, and the price is right. At 2.5 pounds, it's not ultralight, though it is lighter than several of the down models in this review and almost as compressible. It has an EN comfort rating of 20 degrees Fahrenheit, although we wouldn't recommend pushing its limits beyond freezing. We appreciate that the Meow has most of its insulation placed on top where it won't compress and become useless under a body.
This bag is on the smaller side. Our 5'5" tester was barely able to get the hood over her head, so if you're taller, consider sizing up to the regular size (we tested the short). Also, since this is a synthetic bag, it doesn't have the compressibility of down models, which you might notice when trying to cram everything in your pack. Still, the Cat's Meow has a low price tag and is our favorite synthetic model of the bunch. We think the Marmot Trestles Elite Eco 20 is a more comfortable bag in the same price range, though it's less warm than the Cat's Meow.
The Sierra Designs Backcountry Bed 20 steals the show for comfort. After spending many nights camping and backpacking in this bag, it remains unrivaled in the comfort department. We can't get over how awesome it is at making us feel like we're sleeping in a real bed at home. When weight isn't a factor, we always reach for the Backcountry Bed. Its versatile quilt allows for sleeping in many positions other than in the “mummy” position. When it's warm, you can untuck the quilt and have it draped or fully off of you. When it's cold, you can tuck it into the bag's opening, creating a cozy cradling feeling. All these factors, combined with the soft liner materials, make this the most comfortable bag of the bunch.
The Backcountry Bed isn't the warmest bag overall, and you need to be conscious of keeping the quilt tucked in on cold nights. It also has a lower quality 650 fill power down, making it heavier and less compressible. However, if you feel claustrophobic in a traditional mummy bag and are ok with the extra ounces, the Backcountry Bed is a super comfortable choice and one we recommend. If you can splurge, we also love the Western Mountaineering Alpinlite for its comfort, and it scores high marks across all our test metrics.
The Therm-a-Rest Hyperion 20 is the smallest and lightest package we've reviewed, and for this reason, it earns recognition as our favorite ultralight sleeping bag for women. It is lighter than any other product by at least half a pound. The Hyperion also has the smallest packed size, almost as small as a 1-liter Nalgene bottle. We think it is an excellent choice for summer or warm weather fast-packing when every gram counts.
The main drawback of the Hyperion is the fact that warmth and comfort are sacrificed for weight savings. It has a half zip and a very tight fit in order to reduce weight. While it is among the least warm and cozy bags we've tested, it could be a great choice for some folks looking to shave those precious ounces off their backs. If you don't mind trading half a pound for much higher comfort and warmth scores, we highly recommend the Feathered Friends Egret UL 20.
The Hyperion's half-zip design shaves weight and helps prevent drafts.
Credit: Ian McEleney
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Each bag we test gets carried into the backcountry to test its limits.
Credit: Jessica Haist
How We Test Women's Sleeping Bags
As is our standard practice, we researched hundreds of sleeping bags before purchasing the most compelling models in this review. Then, to create our tests, we needed to identify the most critical factors that contribute to the performance of a women's specific sleeping bag. We identified key performance areas to focus on while testing the bags, then spent months taking them out and using them in the field. We took them on rugged backpacking trips in various mountain ranges and car camping trips to the desert, National Parks, and climbing areas. For additional details on our testing, see our full How We Test article.
Our women's sleeping bags testing is divided across five rating metrics:
Warmth (25% of total score weighting)
Weight (25% weighting)
Comfort (20% weighting)
Packed Size (15% weighting)
Features (15% weighting)
Why Trust GearLab
This review was crafted by outdoor educator and guide Jessica Haist. Jessica holds a Master's Degree in Adventure Education from Prescott College in Arizona. Originally from Canada, she moved to the US after growing up in Toronto, migrating to the mountains of British Columbia. She now resides in Mammoth Lakes, CA, amidst her beloved Sierra Nevada. She frequently goes backpacking, mountain biking, climbing, and skiing. As an avid and multi-faceted mountain athlete who has spent time in cold environments, Jessica has a keen eye for the essential features of a women's specific sleeping bag.
We would take the Cosmic Ultra on short backpacking trips, it's a little on the heavy side for long ones.
All of these bags would be able to pack smaller with a compression sack, or the use of a smaller compression sack as with the Cat's Meow (right).
The Cat's Meow's half length zipper saves some weight but reduces the overall comfort and versatility of the bag.
Analysis and Test Results
Why choose a women's specific bag? It may seem obvious, but physiologically, women are different from men. So when it comes to choosing something as important as a bag that will keep you warm and well-rested for a big day in the mountains, these differences should be taken seriously. Everyone wants to find the most suitable product for themselves; for most women, that will most likely mean choosing a women's specific bag. Shorter humans in general, if you have struggled to find a bag that doesn't have you swimming in extra material, a women's bag may be a good option for you.
Luckily, it turns out that a women's specific bag can be more bang for your buck. Almost all of the bags we tested in this review have at least the same amount of insulation, if not more, than the corresponding men's models. Women's bags are smaller and have less volume, so they often end up having more fill per square inch.
The Western Mountaineering AlpinLite is a great choice for all your fast and light adventures in the mountains.
Credit: Ian McEleney
After many months of testing, we compiled our assessments, compared specifications, and wrote this review. Our testers' experiences with each of these bags while car camping, thru-hiking, and attempting various summits provide us with incredible insight into each bag's performance. All scores here are relative among the bags we tested. Below, we go through each testing metric and highlight which products stood out and why. We'll also discuss the value of the different options so you can get a sense of what to look for when purchasing on a budget.
Value
There is a wide spread in prices across the sleeping bags in this lineup. Why such a significant disparity, and what is the difference between them that warrants such a price gap? When it comes to sleeping bags, many of them use various types of down fill. The wholesale price of down varies with the “power” or loft, so a higher-loft down, say 850-fill, will cost the manufacturer more than the same amount of 600-fill. There is also a quality and cost difference associated with the type of down –- duck down is typically much cheaper and less lofty (and therefore heavier) than goose down. Costs, of course, get passed on to you as the consumer. Higher-loft down bags are warmer for their weight, more compressible, and typically end up scoring higher in our testing metrics. The Feathered Friends Egret, which uses 950+ fill power goose down, has a hefty price tag but also has the highest warmth-to-weight ratio.
The Egret from Feathered Friends is one of the warmest bags we tested.
Credit: Jessica Haist
If you are looking for a bag that performs well but does not cost as much as the Egret, you will have to sacrifice fill power, compressibility, weight, or some combination of these factors. For example, the Cat's Meow costs comparatively little and does well across all metrics but is heavier, less warm, and less compressible because of its synthetic materials. Its application for longer, faster, or lighter adventures is more limited than the Egret, but it will fulfill most backpacking needs and also save you a lot of cash.
The Cat's Meow is a warm bag with lots of synthetic insulation. We'd recommend the short version for folks smaller than 5'4".
Credit: Jessica Haist
Warmth
Most bags in this review, except for the Feathered Friends Egret and the Western Mountaineering AlpinLite, have been EN-tested for their warmth rating. The EN rating can serve as a rule of thumb for deciding which bag you should use for a particular season, and it makes it easier to compare between bags that have this rating. That said, during our tests, whether or not a bag had an EN rating was not a huge factor in determining its actual warmth. Instead, we compared these bags side-by-side in similar conditions to determine warmth. We found that even some with the same EN rating differed in warmth because of the fit and additional features like neck baffles. Consider a winter down sleeping bag if you are looking for something to take winter camping on high-altitude expeditions.
Things to consider when evaluating a bag's warmth are the loft, fit, and insulation location. Down bags with a higher fill power and more ounces of down fill will generally be the warmest. The Egret outshines them all with 950+ fill power and 17.4 ounces of super lofty down. This higher fill power requires less total down to create the same warmth, resulting in a loftier and lighter-weight bag.
The Egret is the warmest product we tested, guaranteeing a cozy night's sleep!
Credit: Jessica Haist
A proper fit is essential when shopping for a sleeping bag. If your bag is too large, it can be drafty, which means your body will need to work harder to warm up the dead air space. The Mountain Hardware Phantom 15 fit most of our testers very well, with enough wiggle room to wear a few extra layers when it got below freezing but no spare room for cold air. The fit is one of the most compelling arguments we can make to purchase a women's specific bag. We have noticed that more women's products are entering the market that have a wide or adjustable fit, like the Nemo Disco 15. For smaller folks, these bags will be colder because your body has more internal space to heat up. Draft collars, like the one found on the AlpinLite, block the cold drafts from entering and help retain body heat inside the sleeping bags.
We tested these bags to the margins of each season from early spring to late fall when the snow started falling.
Credit: Jessica Haist
As women are known to sleep colder, manufacturers are putting extra insulation into their women's models — often in the foot box for our cold feet. The Cat's Meow has most of its insulation on the top of the bag where it won't be compressed underneath you, and the Egret and AlpinLite both have continuous baffles that allow you to move all the down on top of you for extra cold nights (or beneath you on warm nights).
As the EN rating system gains popularity and becomes the industry standard, we've noticed a trend in manufacturers naming their bags deceivingly with numbers that reflect the “limit” rating versus the “comfort” rating - we want to use the bag at its comfort level, not its limit! For instance, the Therm-a-Rest Hyperion 20 has an EN comfort rating of 32 degrees Fahrenheit despite the 20-degree designation in the name — that's a pretty big difference, and we would not take the Hyperion out with forecasts of 20°F. It feels a little misleading, but we think this serves as a gentle reminder to always double-check what the numerical qualifier on a sleeping bag actually means when shopping for a new one.
The AlpinLite, Egret, and Flame (previously tested) are all slightly different shapes, but all contain high-quality, lofty down.
Credit: Ian McEleney
When planning your backpacking kit, one thing to consider is choosing a sleeping pad that will add warmth, especially if your bag does not have insulation on the underside. The higher the “R-value,” the more the pad will insulate you from the ground and help you stay warm. Check out our best women's sleeping pad review to see our favorites.
Weight
No matter who you are, all advantages are welcome when it comes to reducing pack weight on a long overnight trek. No backpacker wants to add extra weight to their pack if it's unnecessary; we all want a sleeping bag with the greatest weight-to-warmth ratio and no extra material. Of course, if you are looking for a car-camping bag, this metric shouldn't be a deciding factor for you. The weight of a bag is the sum of its fill, shell materials, and added features.
Over the past few years, we've noticed that many manufacturers are labeling their products as “ultralight.” We think this word is overused, and none of the bags in this review are what we consider to be truly ultralight. Synthetic insulation is typically denser, as is down insulation with a lower fill power, like the 550 fill duck down found in the Sierra Designs Get Down, since you need a higher amount to achieve the same warmth. A lightweight shell material will lighten up your bag but will generally be much less durable. Bags with sleeping pad sleeves tend to be heavier, even without insulation in the back of the bag, because this material is usually heavier than insulation. Features such as double zippers and pockets add weight, so it's helpful to decide which amenities are important to you before purchasing anything.
The Therm-a-Rest Hyperion is a great choice for fast and light adventures.
Credit: Ian McEleney
The Hyperion blows the competition out of the water in this category, weighing just 19 ounces. However, it is also the least warm bag in our review, indicating a pretty clear trade-off. The Neutrino and Egret come in around 8 ounces heavier than the Hyperion, but they are both much warmer. These bags' low weights result from their high fill power down (950/800), lightweight shell materials, and streamlined features. The Hyperion, Cat's Meow, and Get Down all have half-length zippers that contribute to some weight savings. But if you're not planning on carrying your bag on your back, consider getting something less expensive, heavier, and with more comfort features. If this option sounds like something you're after, the Nemo Disco, with its many features and roomy cut, is a good choice. Another way to lighten and tighten your load is to find yourself a lightweight compression sack, as the included stuff sacks can be heavy and bulky.
Remember, every ounce you can shave off your pack saves you some suffering down the trail. Ounces equal pounds, and pounds equal pain over a long trip.
Want a small and compressible bag for your minimalist trips? The Neutrino may be right for you.
Credit: Jessica Haist
Comfort
When you're working hard during the day, you want to get a good night's sleep. The most important factors affecting comfort in these bags are the size, shape, and liner materials.
We love the unique built-in quilt design of the Sierra Designs Backcountry Bed and think it is the most comfortable bag we've tested. After many nights evaluating bags, we have found that comfort is a direct correlation between shape and size. Often, the roomier the model is, the more comfortable it feels. Unfortunately, these bags are less warm than tighter-fitting bags, as body heat is wasted filling up the “dead” space.
The comfortable Bishop Pass has plenty of room for lounging and reading your book.
Credit: Ian McEleney
Lately, it seems like manufacturers have been going to great lengths to figure out how to make the traditional mummy design more comfortable. The Mountain Hardwear Bishop Pass 15 has a “Performance Plus” mummy shape that is roomier than a traditional one. Many bags also have added features for comfort, like the innovative foot vent on the Backcountry Bed that you can slide your feet through without letting in cold air and the expansion panels on the Big Agnes Torchlight 20 that you can zip open or closed to tailor the size of the bag to you. Shell and liner materials are also essential factors for comfort. We love the soft, silky material of the Rab Neutrino next to our skin.
The Big Agnes Torchlight UL has interesting expansion panels, that are a unique innovation for folks who need the extra room. They also decrease both warmth and add weight.
Credit: Ian McEleney
Packed Size
When it comes to your sleeping bag, size does matter. If you are carrying it on your back for multiple days, you want it to become as compressed as possible so your pack can remain small for better balance and maneuverability in tricky terrain.
It's a general rule that, per ounce of insulation fill, down fill is much more compressible than synthetic insulation. The down-filled Hyperion has the smallest packed size by far, followed by the Rab Neutrino. Both of these bags have only 15 ounces or less of down fill, though, which means there is less volume to compress, and so the bags are less warm than most of the competition. Impressively, the Mountain Hardwear Phantom 15 has 20 ounces of 850 down fill that compresses down to a similar size as the Neutrino while also providing more loft and warmth.
The Mountain Hardwear Phantom 15 in the short length is a great choice for a lightweight women's backpacking bag.
Credit: Ian McEleney
The synthetic Marmot Trestles Elite Eco 20 is the bulkiest model we tested. The other synthetic bag we tested, The North Face Cat's Meow, wasn't as bulky as we had expected for the warmth it provides, though it still stands out as larger in packed size than most down bags we tested. The packed size of these two bags is improved by using the compression sack that comes with your purchase. All of the products in this review come with a stuff sack, but most are not compression sacks. We prefer compression sacks for squeezing the bags into the smallest bundles possible. Other bags that include compression sacks are the Therm-a-Rest Hyperion, Mountain Hardwear Phantom, and the Nemo Disco.
We appreciate bags that include a compression sack so we can pack them down small and free up space in our packs.
Credit: Jessica Haist
When you purchase a new bag, consider getting a separate compression sack that will reduce your bag to the smallest size possible.
Remember that compressing your down bag shortens its lifespan; this is why most manufacturers include a large cotton or mesh storage sack with your purchase. Unfortunately, Kelty does not provide one for the Cosmic Down Ultra. The storage bag that comes with the Backcountry Bed is on the small side, so the down is still slightly compressed and not ideal. Always store your bag as uncompressed as possible.
The Backcountry Bed pictured in its included stuff sack. This bag could be compressed smaller with a different after market compression sack.
Credit: Jessica Haist
Features
For this metric, we evaluated shell material, zippers, pockets, baffles, drawstrings, sleeping pad sleeves, and any other added features. We also note what features are necessary and useful rather than superfluous features that make the bags heavier or more awkward. We like the streamlined features of the Mountain Hardwear Phantom because they are designed with weight savings in mind. The bag is soft, made of lightweight fabric, and has high-quality 850 fill with no other frills, making this our favorite simple-featured bag. The AlpinLite and Egret are also very streamlined.
Almost every down bag in this review comes with some type of hydrophobic down. It seems that manufacturers are on a level playing field in this department. Each company has a proprietary hydrophobic down; Mountain Hardwear has Q Shield, Rab uses Nikwax, Sierra Designs uses DriDown, etc.
We like the hand pockets on the Backcountry Bed. They enable you to easily tuck in the quilt or to wrap it around you blanket style.
Credit: Jessica Haist
The effectiveness of hydrophobic down is difficult to test, and folks trying to do so have done everything from getting in the shower to jumping into frozen lakes to test the effectiveness of a manufacturer's treated down. Some realistic tests are looking promising as to the actual performance of this treated down fill, but skepticism still exists about how beneficial the treatment is. One consideration is that this coating can add around an ounce to your bag's weight, and potentially harmful chemicals may be off-gassing while you sleep. We asked Feathered Friends about why they don't treat their down feathers, and here's what they had to say:
"We made a conscious decision not to treat our down with a water-repellent coating. Although waterproof down has recently become popular in the outdoor industry, we find that it compromises the down's effectiveness and longevity while providing little real-world benefit. We also have concerns about the widespread and excessive use of PFCs, which have a demonstrable negative impact on the environment. Because we take such pains to source high-quality down and take such pride in the quality of our products, we don't have any plans to use down treatments, and, as far as we know, neither do Western Mountaineering, Arc'teryx, or other purveyors of high-quality down products. We do, however, use a DWR on all of our fabrics, which should be effective in keeping out moisture from condensation, ice, or light precipitation."
The burly separating zipper makes sure it won't get caught on the shell material. We think it's slightly overkill, but it works.
Credit: Jessica Haist
A trend we've noticed recently is burly “anti-snag” zippers and extreme measures taken so zippers do not get caught on the bags' shell material. Overall, we prefer these zipper pulls to stiff material along the zipper to prevent snagging.
We've spent hundreds of nights in the backcountry testing out these bags for you.
Credit: Ian McEleney
Conclusion
With so many women's products saturating the market these days, we hope we've weeded through all the industry hype to help you determine what works best for your needs. We've discussed which options are our favorite, and hope you feel confident selecting the right sleeping bag for your adventures. Good luck and happy trails!
