If you've ever looked at the temperature ratings tag of a sleeping bag you'll have noted three different temperatures listed, 'comfort', 'limit' and 'extreme'. Being that the 'limit' and 'extreme' ratings don't indicate a comfortable night's sleep we always prefer to match the sleeping bags 'comfort' rating with the forecast overnight low temperatures.
To fall in to the 3-season category comfort ratings have to be in the -5 degrees c to 2 degrees c bracket. This should provide enough warmth to see you through most of the spring, summer and autumn in the UK.
The sleeping bags on test here have been used in a range of conditions, from wild camping trips high up in the Brecon Beacons to spring family camping trips so that we can bring you our verdict and recommendations on what to buy and why.
The North Face Gold Kazoo sleeping bag
Best for comfort
£200
+ Great shape making for excellent comfort
– On the limit for 3-season use.
The Gold Kazoo just about sneaks into the limit for 3-season use with a comfort rating of 2 degrees C which is a full 7 degrees higher than the Snugpak Softie 9 Hawk also on test. On the plus side, this rating translates into a light weight of only 878g (regular size) which rivals the very lightest of 3-season sleeping bags from other brands.
The Gold Kazoo is stuffed with 650+ Hungarian goose down which meets the Responsible Down Standard. Extra down is sewn into the base on compression resistant thermal pads to help combat heat loss through the ground, and a thermal collar and cinchable hood further help you retain heat. In use, with the sleeping bag fully zipped up, hood over your head and drawcord cinched, the Gold Kazoo feels warmer than the 2 degrees rating would suggest.
The bag has a well cut, comfortable shape with just enough room to shuffle around in, and a 2-way zip gives you options to regulate temperature at the head and foot on warmer nights.
The outer material of the Gold Kazoo is clearly high-end and the specs don’t lie. A nylon ripstop shell guards against rips and tears and the DWR finish helps to protect the down inside the bag from any water or damp ingress.
Overall the Gold Kazoo is a great mid-range option which provides an excellent balance between thermal performance and weight and pack size.
Snugpak Softie 9 Hawk sleeping bag
Best value
£120
+ Light for -5 rating, no frills good value
– Inside lining material is a little rough on the skin
Snugpak’s premium 3-season sleeping bag, the Softie 9 Hawk is filled with their own time-served synthetic Softie Premier filling, which claims to rival Primaloft in terms of weight and thermal performance.
Total package weight is 1.5kg which is good considering the comfort rating of -5 degrees C. The packed bag measures 21cm x 19cm, and it’s a bit of a squeeze to get the Softie into the stuff sack. But once in you can reduce the size with the compression straps; although not as much as a down bag.
The smooth-running 2-way zip allows you to regulate temperature at the top or bottom of the bag, and you can connect two opposite handed Softie 9s together.
Space inside is generous with plenty of elbow room. The hood opening starts out rather large but you can cinch it down plenty using the drawcord. The hood itself could come down over the head a little further as it often feels like it’s sitting too high on the forehead for maximum warmth retention.
Once inside, the inner lining material isn’t exactly silky smooth next to the skin, so if you want to add a little extra comfort, and indeed warmth, slipping in a silk liner would be a good idea.
Unlike the other sleeping bags on test there is no thermal collar in the Softie 9 Hawk but there is a thermal zip baffle which reduces heat loss through the zip area.
The Softie 9 is made in the UK and retails at around £120, which is fantastic value for what we consider to be a high-end sleeping bag that you could happily take hill walking and wild camping throughout most of the year.
Jack Wolfskin Smoozip sleeping bag
Best on a budget
£95
+ Great price for a 3-season rated bag
– Novel zip system doesn’t work
This is the least expensive sleeping bag on test at £95 yet it still manages to achieve a respectable 3-season comfort rating of 1 degrees C from its synthetic fill. Could this make the Smoozip a great bargain buy? The s-shaped zip system is unusual but in practice it can make you feel quite claustrophobic when pulled to the top. You’re left with a tiny head opening and no way of enlarging it without undoing the zip and letting all that lovely heat out. In terms of cut, the body and feet of the Smoozip feel a little too narrow too, not allowing for enough freedom of movement inside the bag.
The 150 weight fleece lining at the arms, foot and head are potentially a nice touch if comfort is your main priority but we feel that it just unnecessarily adds to the weight of the bag, which is the heaviest of those on our test at 1,890g.
Having said all that, if you don’t have a problem with feeling so contained, the heat builds up impressively fast in the Smoozip.
The high weight combined with the relatively large pack size of 44 x 25cm preclude the Smoozip from consideration as a backpacking or bike packing sleeping bag but If you can handle the cut and weight issues, then it certainly represents good value for money as an option for car camping throughout most of the year.
RAB Nuetrino Endurance 400 sleeping bag
Best in test
£320
+ Great range of features
– Nothing
The Nuetrino Endurance has a comfort rating of 1.5 degrees C and a weight of only 890g. The down fill is high-quality 800FP European Goose Down with a hydrophobic treatment and is about the best you can get.
You can find Pertex fabrics on much of Rab’s gear these days and the Nuetrino Endurance is no exception, with a water resistant but highly breathable Pertex Endurance fabric adorning the outer as well as the inner fabric on the hood and collar and a Pertex Quantum inner fabric. This mix feels luxurious and comfortable as well as having the benefits of being weather resistant and durable.
Inside, the bag is one of the most comfortable on test with a good amount of elbow room. The bag tapers down into a mummy shape but not so much that you feel too confined. The drawcord adjustable hood and thermal collar are both excellent and fit well providing a useful hit of extra warmth on colder nights.
The trapezoid baffle design seems to work well with no noticeable cold spots when used in conjunction with a good quality sleeping mat.
Although more expensive than some of the other sleeping bags on test the Nuetrino Endurance 400 has the best range of features and the best balance between thermal performance, weight and pack size, which is why of all the sleeping bags here, this is the one that we’d choose to pack before heading out on a camping adventure.
Therm-a-rest Mira HD women’s sleeping bag
Best women's specific
£357
+ Women’s specific cut works well
– Rustly Thermacapture lining is a bit anti-social
The Mira HD has a women’s specific cut which shifts volume from the shoulders to the hips maximising loft and helping retain warmth. It is also shorter than a men’s sleeping bag which reduces potentially cold empty space at the foot. Watch out for sizing as this 5ft 6in tester found space reduced to virtually nothing in the regular size.
The shape works really well, allowing enough freedom of movement for comfort but still staying warm throughout a cold spring night. The thermal collar is thick and the drawcord adjustable hood is effective, and we love the sumptuous, fleecy footwarmer box, which quickly warms and insulates your feet.
The Thermacapture system, which reflects body heat back in towards you, helps to give the Mira HD a comfort rating of -3 degrees C, which is impressive for a 820g bag. The downside is that it makes the sleeping bag quite rustly. It’s not a bad trade-off for a warm night’s sleep though.
You get a large storage bag as well as a stuff sack with the Mira HD, although we would have expected to see compression straps on the stuff sack, considering how compressible the 750 fill hydrophobic down is.
The outer is a highly durable 20d ripstop fabric which completes the overall impression of a top notch bag.
Nordisk Celcius sleeping bag
Best for genuine 3-season wild camping and backpacking use
£260
+ Great performance
– Nothing
It’s all about optimal warmth with the Nordisk Celcius sleeping bag. The high quality 90/10 goose down mix is a good start but all that filling is useless if the warmth is able to escape and the cold able to creep in.
To this end, Nordisk has designed the Celcius with a close-fitting drawcord hood, a thermal heat collar and thermal seams over the zips. The mummy shape keeps the bag close to your body, as does the fairly narrow 83cm width at the shoulders, which is more compact than some – but the closer fitting, the better the heat retention and the warmer you’re likely to be.
The inner is silky smooth next to the skin and lovely to sleep in, while the outer has a water repellent finish on the base, head and foot – making the Celsius an excellent choice for lightweight bivvy outings and microadventures.
The stuff sack is also a dry bag so you can hang it on the outside of your backpack without worrying about the contents getting wet, and all the air can be squeezed out and locked out using the integrated air valve to make for an even smaller packed size.
In terms of weight, the 1,290g of the large version that we tested is not the lightest here but is nonetheless impressive for a sleeping bag with a -4 degrees C comfort rating.
All things considered, we think the Nordisk Celcius could be the ideal companion for backpacking, camping and microadventures in the UK, where it tends to get cold at night, even in the summer.
