Be honest: do you tend to car camp, backpack, or use your Sleeping Bag on alpine bivvy ledges? Depending on your usage, the weight and pack size of your Sleeping Bag may greatly differ in importance. If you are mostly going to camp in places where the pack size and weight are not an issue, then consider buying a bigger, more spacious Sleeping Bag.
However, if you are alpine climbing or backpacking and carrying your Sleeping Bag for an extended period of time, then a lightweight Sleeping Bag is really important. Look for a Sleeping Bag under a kilo (2.2lbs) for a Summer Sleeping Bag, under 600g (1.3lbs) if you are really serious about shedding weight.
If you are looking for a year-round Sleeping Bag that’s suitable for a variety of climates, then anything up to about 1.5kg (3.3lbs) will suit you perfectly.
The packed size of a Sleeping Bag is closely allied to its weight, but there is also a huge difference between Down and Synthetic Sleeping Bags. A Down Sleeping Bag with a Good Night’s Sleep rating of -20°C/-4°F may actually compress smaller than a Synthetic Sleeping Bag with a temperature rating of -5°C/23°F!
If you intend on carrying your Sleeping Bag for long amounts of time, but have only ever used a Synthetic Sleeping Bag, consider switching to a Down Sleeping Bag.
But once you’re back from your trip, always make sure to store your Down Sleeping Bag in its storage cube, which we also provide, to ensure your Down maintains its loft. With Synthetic, it’s not quite so important, but it’s best to store a Synthetic Sleeping Bag uncompressed too.