Best Sleeping Bag for Hammock in 2020 | Expert Advice

If you quickly want to find out which is the best sleeping bag for hammock, I’d recommend the Western Mountaineering UltraLite 20 Degree Sleeping Bag.

You are going to need one of these in the camp. But how to choose the best sleeping bag for hammock?

So many options and so many things to consider before buying one. We can empathize, it can become easily overwhelming.

Read on for some solid buying advice, a list of 5 recommended hammock sleeping bags and some quick tips for sleeping bags care.

Things to look for

Warmth / Temperature Ratings

EN Ratings

European Norm (EN) is a standardized temperature rating system. It keeps ratings consistent across the industry, but not all companies use EN ratings.

The number listed with most sleeping bags (example: Magma 10) is the EN Lower Limit, which is usually 10-15 degrees lower than the EN Comfort Rating.

Choosing a temperature Rating

Unfortunately, the temperature ratings specified by the manufacturers don’t tend to be accurate. Many backpackers buy a sleeping bag with a 20F temperature rating, and get disappointed if it didn’t keep them warm down to 20F.

Bags with a 20F rating tell you that you can survive the cold upto that temperature, and not that you’d be sleeping warm.

Always choose a hammock sleeping bag that is roughly 10F lesser than the temperature you would be camping in.

Increasing the temperature Rating

The warmth from the sleeping bag need not be all.

Go for layers to increase the temperature rating of a sleeping bag. It can be a down jacket or a sleeping bag liner that could instantly boost your warmth.

Other popular choices also include sleeping pads, woolen base layers, etc.

Warm when wet

No sleeping bag can ideally be warm when wet. Though the specifications of a sleeping bag may say it’s waterproof, they are usually not.

They can be water resistant to an extent though, with an additional coating. It’s called the Durable Water repellent coating ( DWR ) that’s a nice feature to have in your bag, but it doesn’t make your bag anywhere near waterproof.

Going by the warm-when-wet specs of a sleeping bag would disappoint you when there’s a rain, so be ready beforehand if you expect a downpour.

Synthetic bags are slightly better than down, when wet. They tend to resist water and retain heat to an non significant level in comparison, but they do.

Comfort – Shape of Sleeping bags

This is one of the key factors when it comes to the best sleeping bag for hammock. Mummy Bags are our first choice when it comes to hammock sleeping bags.

Mummy Bags

Mummy bags come with a slim cut, a tight fit and may or may not have a hood with it. It provides snug comfort, if you like rolling on to the sides with your bag, and not inside it.

It provides great warmth by trapping the heat generated by your body within the small area left inside the bag.

Mummy bags come with versatile options with zippers, and are heavier because of the tight weave and insulation fill within a narrow area. 

Quilts / Rectangular Bags

Quilts allow some wiggle room inside the bag. It doesn’t make you feel constricted. Quilts may be best option for claustrophobic people, people who change sides often while sleeping, people with broad shoulders, etc.

They don’t come with hoods so you might want to purchase one if needed. They also don’t have a zipping system and all of these make quilts lighter than mummy bags.

Quilts have a larger area and cannot trap heat as efficiently as mummy bags, but they provide a fair advantage of comfort.

Semi Rectangular

They come in between mummy bags and quilts, in various levels of comfort and warmth.

Insulation fill

This decides the warmth-to-weight ratio that a sleeping bag provides. So, decide this based on the type of trip you are going for. Is it a car camping trip? Or a backpacking one?

Down

Down insulation is expensive, and provide an unmatchable weight-to-warmth ratio and have good compressing abilities. They also last longer than synthetic bags if taken care of, properly.

Down bags are mainly preferred by backpackers whose primary consideration is weight, or for those who are looking to use them inside hammocks.

Down Fill Power

This is a measure of how well insulated your loft is. The more the down fill power, the more fluffy the down will be, and the lesser in weight. As you might imagine, bags with higher down fill powers cost more.

In general, 800 down fill power and more is considered as good. Some inexpensive bags also advertise higher down fill powers, but they generally aren’t made of good quality materials.

Hydrophobic Down

Untreated down gets wet quickly and also takes a long time to dry. To overcome this, hydrophobic down came into existence.

They are made of a down insulation that’s treated with hydrophobics to make the down fabric resist water for a while. They also dry a little faster than untreated down.

Synthetic

Synthetics can be the best option for car campers, for those who are not going to be carrying the backpacks themselves. Because they tend to be heavier, and also retain heat somewhat better than down bags when wet.

In our opinion, down bags perform far superior to them but if price is your primary consideration and weight is not, you could go for synthetic bags.

Weight

This is one of the most important aspects of choosing a bag, particularly a hammock sleeping bag. Bulky bags may not be the perfect choice to mount up a hammock.

So it’s a good choice to go for lightweight (or) ultralight sleeping bags that are below 3 lbs. Make sure to check on the weight-to-warmth ratio of the bag depending on the season you are hiking in.

If you have a strong hammock, you need not worry too much about the weight and you can focus on the other aspects like warmth, price, comfort, etc while looking for the best sleeping bag for hammocks.

Down bags are lighter and have an unmatchable weight-to-warmth ratio as compared to Synthetic bags that are heavy and mostly preferred for car camping.

What’s the best way to use Sleeping bags

Air out the bag

This is a simple yet very useful one to extend the durability of your sleeping bag. When you are at the camp, just air out the bag in mild sun for the loft to retain its fluffiness again.

It also removes the moisture in the bag if any. Make sure to not expose the bags to direct sunlight though, it might spoil the material.

Gentle care

Handle your bag gently, and its life will last long. Small things like making sure your kids don’t jump on the sleeping bag, handling the zippers carefully, keeping it well away from the campfires, take the bag a long way.

Store when dry

Air out the bag at least for 24 hours before storing it. If a bag has been completely wet, it might take more than that for drying, but make sure it’s entirely dry before you store it.

Stuff sacks are efficient while backpacking but it’s not a very good idea to store the bags in them after the trip. Use the storage sacks. If your bag doesn’t come with one, you can purchase one separately or just use a pillow cover for it.

Using a sleeping bag liner

Using a sleeping bag liner inside your bag adds on a little warmth on colder nights, and also prevents the bag from getting dirty.

You’ll just have to wash the liner instead of the sleeping bag. Frequent washing can damage the quality of the bag, so this can be a good alternative.

Liners come in many materials – Cotton, Polycotton, Linen, Silk, etc. Anything lightweight will do.

Top 5 Sleeping bags for hammocks

1. Hyke & Byke Antero Sleeping Bag

Temperature Rating – 15F

Insulation fill – Down

Fit – Mummy Bag

Pros

• Can be used as an under quilt and a top quilt
• 4 season bag built for cold weather camping
• Ultralight and designed to fit perfectly with hammocks
• Has a very good down fill power – 800
• Is 4 inches wide for hammock fit
• Made durable even with compression
• Great no catch zipper design

Cons

• Can get snug inside
• Very warm for mid summer

Bottomline

A 4-season sleeping bag, crafted specifically for hammocks. 

2. ALPS Mountaineering Blaze 0 Degree Mummy Sleeping Bag

Temperature Rating – 0F

Insulation fill – Single-hole synthetic fiber

Fit – Mummy

Pros

• The shell is made of high quality Ripstop polyester and the lining is made of soft polyester that feels great against your skin
• Dries quickly & non allergenic
• Best for car camping trips
• Intended for colder weathers
• Good quality zippers & drawstrings
• Less constricting room space
• Affordable

Cons

• Bulky for backpacking
• Doesn’t come with a compression sack

Bottomline

A mummy style sleeping bag, with synthetic insulation designed for cold weathers. It comes at a reasonable price and is best suited for car camping trips.

3. Coleman North Rim Sleeping Bag

Temperature Rating – 0F

Fit – Quilts

Pros

• Comfortable & toasty bag for 4 seasons
• Best option for tall people: fits up to 6 ft. 2 in
• Quilts design gives you more space to move around inside
• Has a bottom zipper for ventilation on warmer nights
• Traps in heat effectively, despite of the quilt design
• Comes with a limited 5-year warranty

Cons

• Heavy for backpacking

Bottomline

A cost effective cold weather sleeping bag best suited for car camping.

4. Outdoor Vitals Aerie Underquilt Sleeping Bag

Temperature Rating – 5F

Insulation fill – Synthetics/Down ( comes with both options )

Fit – Quilts

Pros

• 5 in 1 use:
  • UnderQuilt ( comes with a Bungee cord )
  • Hammock Pod System
  • Blanket
  • Sleeping Bag
  • Double Sleeping bag (2 of them can be zipped together)
• Easy to setup with hammocks
• Grid baffle design that doesn’t leave cold spots
• Has a great compression size
• Lightweight – weighs only 2.11 lbs

Cons

• Not built for 4 seasons
• Doesn’t come with cords for strapping the underquilt to the hammock

Bottomline

A versatile sleeping bag tons of useful features. Best suited for 4 seasons.

5. OneTigris Light Patrol Down Sleeping Bag

Temperature Rating – 20F

Insulation fill – Duck Down

Fit – Mummy

Pros

• Has a breathable fluffy loft
• Comes with handy pockets and durable zippers
• Excellent compression size
• Keeps you warm up to upper 20’s
• Best value for money

Cons

• Tad heavy for backpacking

Bottomline

Best weight-to-warmth ratio at an affordable price.

Conclusion

Our pick from all of them for the best sleeping bag for hammock would be the Hyke & Byke Antero Sleeping Bag.

It is a durable 4-season bag that has plenty of features that makes it compatible with hammocks. It can be used as an under quilt or as a top one. It performs decent in all the features that make a good sleeping bag for hammock. It’s ultralight that makes it a great option for backpacking. It also has a good compression size and has good quality zippers and string cords. 

And most importantly, it has been found to be a perfect fit for most of the hammocks in the market. Many customers have found this to be highly durable and a solid investment.

Which one did you pick? Let us know in the comments 🙂