Best Backpacking Sleeping Bag

Looking for the best backpacking sleeping bag? I love the Western MountaineeringAntelope MF 5 Degree for quality and weight.

If you’re looking for the best backpacking sleeping bag you can possibly invest in, I cannot recommend the Western Mountaineering Antelope MF 5 Degree bag enough! It is an incredible down sleeping bag that will change your perspective and future camping trips for the better. 

Western Mountaineering is a company that is known for its high-quality sleeping bags, and this bag is no exception. What makes it even better is that this sleeping bag is actually handsewn and made in the USA.

This is just another testament of how good the company and quality is, which helps to justify the high costs of the sleeping bag. As expensive as the bag is, it is well worth every penny.

Why This Sleeping Bag Is Ideal For Camping

This down sleeping bag is insulated with goose feathers and because of this, it is a very light material making it a lightweight sleeping bag, which is ideal for camping. What makes it even better is that the lightweight material is capable of compressing really small so that it’s even easier to carry around!

The down fibers in this sleeping bag also take longer to break down than synthetic fibers, which means that it has a much longer lifespan and can keep you insulated for a lot longer than a synthetic sleeping bag could.

Because this bag is so lightweight and compressible, it is ideal for backpacking and camping.

Personal Testament to the Sleeping Bag

I am naturally a very cold sleeper, so I struggle to stay warm most nights. Despite this, I actually stay warm when using this Western Mountaineering sleeping bag. I take this bag with me when I go backpacking in the summer to a high elevation (10,000+feet) area and I’m still completely fine.

I personally used this sleeping bag in 5 degree weather using a liner and wearing fleece pants, and even with being a cold sleeper I was actually very warm. If you’re a warm sleeper like most people are, then you may actually feel hot when you use this sleeping bag. That’s how well it keeps you insulated!

Additional Perks of This Western Mountaineering Sleeping Bag

There are several key factors included in this sleeping bag that help it to be the most amazing lightweight and high quality sleeping bag on the market.

• There’s a hard tape layer
  • Along the zipper, there is a hard tape layer to keep the zipper from snagging on the sleeping bag. 
• The draft tube is great
  • There is a draft tube that runs the full length of the zipper, keeping the warm air in and preventing cold air drafts from coming in through the zipper.
• There is a draft collar
  • Unlike open-ended sleeping bags, this one has a draft collar around the neck that goes around the shoulders and neck area, helping to seal in the warmth from your neck down.
• The material is thin but great
  • With thin microfiber material, you’d think that it wouldn’t hold up well and would be more fragile but this sleeping bag holds up extremely well. I’ve used my bag hundreds of times and never given it any special treatment and it has still held up very well!

Another Amazing Thing To Note

This is a baffled sleeping bag. What that means is that the down filling can be compartmentalized so that you can adjust how much of the down is on the top or bottom.

You can work the down through the baffles to adjust for how you like to sleep. You could also move more down underneath you if you prefer less insulation on top thus being able to “cool” the bag on warm summer nights and work it back on top for those chilly spring and fall trips. 

That being said, it’s important to remember that the insulation on the bottom of the sleeping bag does very little to insulate you from the cold ground underneath you. That is the job of the sleeping pad.

My Only Complaint

The only complaint that I can think of for this amazing camping sleeping bag is that I wish the hood on it was a little bit bigger. It feels like my head is slightly smashed when I pull the drawcord down around my face but I also have a lot of hair and like to sleep with a hat on. So these could play a part in my struggle.

That being said, I am 6 feet tall and 170 pounds and the space inside of the sleeping bag is nice. It’s not so tight that it feels uncomfortably restrictive but it is small enough that the entire bag can retain your body heat and stay warm.

Overall, this is an amazing bag. It almost feels unnatural to be so warm at night and to have such little weight on top of you – but that is the whole point of having a lightweight sleeping bag!