Cosy camping
If you want to stay warm on nippy nights camping in the UK, choose a three-season sleeping bag. But which one suits you best? Here’s a selection to please all, from family campers to solo backpackers
Sierra Designs Night Cap 20 £150, ultralightoutdoorgear.com
BBC Countryfile Magazine favourite
USE FOR: Leisure camping This innovative design demonstrates that the simplest ideas are the best – for the Night Cap excels by simply omitting the zip, to create a hybrid sleeping bag/quilt.
The result is pleasantly spacious. When it’s cold, tuck the loose end in and curl up in it as you would with a duvet at home and cinch the hood down around your head for extra warmth; the bag has a comfort rating of -1.6°C. If you’re hot, open the flap to let in some cool air, or push your foot out through an opening near the bottom of the bag. Both fabric and fill are made from recycled plastics. At a weight of 1,388g, some might be reluctant to bring this on a multi-day walk; consider instead the lighter (though not as cosy) Night Cap 35.
A really smart idea – no doubt soon to have its imitators.
VERDICT: Innovative design – spacious, versatile and comfortable. ★★★★★
Snugpak Travelpak 3 £57, snugpak.com
USE FOR: Leisure camping, travel That’s a great price for a three-season bag. At 1,500g, it is a bit heavier than you might want to carry with you on multi-day walks. But some handy extra features will appeal to travellers. There’s a zipped internal pocket for valuables – reassuring when you’re kipping down with pirates. The inner fabric has an antibacterial treatment, which helps to keep it smelling fresh with repeated use. When the weather warms up and the bugs come out, you can unroll the mosquito net in the hood to keep critters o your face – handy for bivvy-bag adventures.
With a comfort rating of -3°C, an insulated baffle around the shoulders to seal out draughts and a hood to warm your head, you should stay snug. If you overheat, a zip down to your shins lets in cool air.
VERDICT: Warm, versatile and a competitive price. ★★★☆☆
Mammut Perform Fiber Bag -7°C £200, mammut.com
USE FOR: Leisure camping, backpacking At 1,100g, the perform Fiber Bag is light for a synthetic, three-season bag, making it suitable for multi-day backpacking. With a comfort rating of -7°C, it’s also warm enough for chilly nights, when the big hood keeps your head cosy. Use the long, 160cm central zip to cool down when you need to. It brings with it the benefits of synthetic insulation: it stays warm even when wet, and is easy to wash and dry. The internal pocket is a good place to stow your torch and phone (the battery will last longer if kept warm).
Even when crammed into a stuff -sack, synthetic-fill sleeping bags are always bulky when compared to down-filled ones. The stuff sack has only one compression strap – another might have helped squish it down a bit – but it still fitted easily into the bottom part of a 65-litre backpack.
VERDICT: Warm, light, easy-care synthetic bag. ★★★★☆
Outwell Oak Lux £171.99, outwell.com
USE FOR: Leisure camping, travel, backpacking Generosity and comfort are the words that spring to mind with the Oak Lux. The hourglass shape provides bags of room. A deep hood keeps gives space to slot a small pillow into the sleeve provided. On cold nights an insulated flap at the top of the bag can be unfolded and wrapped around your shoulders like a mu er.
Beneath you is a layer of 100% synthetic fill; above, a 50:50 blend of duck down and polyester. The down gives an airy feel; the synthetic fill, moisture-proof insulation.
You should feel comfortable in this bag down to 2°C. It’s pretty compact (at 36cm x 18cm) when tucked into its stuff -sack, and the weight (1,365g) is doable for carry-in overnight camping, if a bit heavier than ideal for multi-day backpacking.
VERDICT: Spacious, comfortable and versatile. ★★★★☆
Therm-A-Rest Parsec 20°F/-6°C £305, thermarest.com
USE FOR: Leisure camping, backpacking This deliciously comfortable down bag is roomy and warm, with a comfort rating of -6°C, and it weighs only 810g (in the regular size).
On chilly nights an insulated ‘draught tube’ (or ba e) can be tightened around your shoulders, and the large hood is big enough to burrow your head into. The down is treated to help it retain its loft and keep insulating even in damp conditions.
A pair of straps can be used to secure the bag to your sleeping mat, so you don’t slide on to the cold ground while you sleep. When it’s time to pack, the bag fits easily into an excellent stuff sack that has four sturdy cinches to help you compress it to a compact 18cm x 24cm.
VERDICT: A high-end price delivers a luxurious, warm, light, airy and compact bag. ★★★★☆
SELK’BAG LITE SLEEPING BAG SUIT £99.99, selkbag.co.uk
I love being cosy, so the concept of a wearable sleeping bag appealed to me. The stylish Selk’Bag comes in Original and Lite versions, both available in a range of great colours with contrasting zips. Handy pockets and detachable booties are clever and thoughtful features.
The Selk’Bag Lite I tried was really comfortable to sleep in. The bag moves with you into any position, and thanks to the fold-over sleeves and booties, there are no gaps for heat to escape or for the cold to get in. The soft polyester fabric is filled with synthetic hollow-fibre insulation designed to keep you comfortable down to 13°C.
Even so, on cooler summer nights, you will want to wear the Selk’Bag Lite inside a lightweight sleeping bag, or try the much warmer Selk’Bag Original (designed to keep you comfortable down to 6°C).
Make sure you get the right fit. The Selk’Bag website recommended a large size for my height – 165cm – but the sleeves and legs were far too long to walk around in.
Out of bed, the medium fitted me much better – but with the booties attached it was less comfortable to sleep in, as the bottom of my feet pushed again them. A size between medium and large would have been perfect for both wearing and sleeping in maximum comfort.
If you can find the right size, the Selk’Bag Lite is a great way to keep warm when you roll out of your tent on colder mornings and get the kettle on; or for sitting by the campfire at night, or for stargazing. But I think I will get the most use out of it at home, where it will help me cut down on those rising heating bills.
Tester: Laura Phillips
For more reviews of outdoor gear, go to countryfile.com/country-kit