Find the best ultralight sleeping bag for backpacking! We’ve compiled the lightest and warmest backpacking sleeping bags in existence.
The best backpacking quilt for you is right here! We’ve compiled the warmest, most affordable, ultralight camping quilts of 2023.
In this guide, we showcase the very best sleeping pads on the market, the ones we use the most. We back up these recommendations with a data-based analysis of weight, warmth, & cost as well as extensive field experience in a broad range of conditions. With better sleep comes more spring in your step, more alertness on the trail, and wider smiles all day long. Sweet dreams!
If you want the very best backpacking sleep system (sleeping bag or camping quilt) then you are in the right place. Our top picks offer the best performance and value on the market — ensuring you get a very warm and light bag, but still save money.
In this guide, we showcase the very best sleeping bags and camping quilts on the market. We back up these recommendations with a data-based analysis of weight, warmth, & cost as well as extensive field experience in a broad range of conditions. Save weight and money while still getting a great night’s sleep!
The Hammock Gear Burrow Quilt may well be the best deal on the market for getting a good night’s sleep in the backcountry. It blows most ultralight sleeping bags out of the water, costing 1/2 or less of a similarly rated down sleeping bag.
The Enlightened Equipment Revelation 20 is one of the most popular backpacking quilts in the entire backpacking market for a very good reason. Along with the very similar Enlightened Equipment Enigma it’s our top pick for a backpacking quilt.
Looking for the perfect 2 person backpacking quilt? The Enlightened Equipment Accomplice is a great choice! This double sleeping bag checks all the boxes.
The 15 ounce! Cascade Designs Vesper Quilt debuted last month at the 2018 Outdoor Retailer show. When paired with the new ½ pound Therm-a-Rest NeoAir UberLite Mattress you get a +32 ºF sleep system that weighs a scant 1.5 pounds! That’s less than the individual weight of most sleeping bags or sleeping pads. In summary, with the Therm-a-Rest Vesper Quilt and Therm-a-Rest NeoAir UberLite Mattress you get it all — warmth, comfort AND incredibly low weight. As Therm-a-Rest says, “Comfort that weighs ounces not pounds” and “Better Sleep Guaranteed.” I am looking forward to field testing the Vesper Quilt to see if it meets these claims.
And New 16 oz +32 ºF Therm-a-Rest Hyperion Sleeping Bag!
In addition, Therm-a-Rest introduced two exciting ultralight sleeping bags: the Hyperion 32 Sleeping Bag rated a +32 ºF and just 16 oz in size regular!, and the Therm-a-Rest Hyperion 20 Sleeping Bag rated a +20 ºF and 1 lb 4 oz in size regular (more on this below). These two bags will be strong and exciting competitors to longtime ultralight sleeping bag favorites like the Western Mountaineering SummerLite, or the Marmot Phase 20/30 or Hydrogen and Atom Sleeping Bags.
Finally, an Ultralight Backpacking Quilt For the Masses? The Therm-a-Rest Vesper Quilt
Snug, warm and comfortable: You can see how the Therm-a-Rest Vesper Quilt snugs up around my neck and the side baffles (the obvious bulge on my right) around my sides to keep warm air in. Yes, I am a huge fan of quilts for backpacking. They are cheaper, lighter, and have a higher warmth-to-weight ratio than traditional sleeping bags.
What makes the Therm-a-Rest Vesper Quilt different is that its made by a major manufacturer and will likely be available on-the-shelf at major retailers like REI. Prior to this, for at least 10 years High Quality Ultralight Quilts have been available from a number of cottage manufacturers. These quilts were made to order and took about 4-8 weeks to deliver — an impediment to some prospective buyers. And even if you were OK with the delivery time, some backpackers were still uncomfortable ordering from cottage manufactures. Thus, the on-the-shelf available Therm-a-Rest Vesper Quilts may well open the gates to a new group backpackers to discover the joys and benefits of quilts.
| More reading: Learn about the many advantages of backpacking quilts and top picks like a $159 +20 ºF down quilt! in the 2018 Buyers Guide to Lightweight Backpacking Quilts. |
A 1.5 pound +32 sleeping system! The combined weight of the new Therm-a-Rest NeoAir UberLite Mattress and the with the new 15 ounce Vesper Quilt weighs less than most sleeping bag’s or pad’s individual weights.
What Stands out about the Therm-a-Rest Vesper Quilt (and Hyperion Bags)
What follows also applies for the most part to the new Hyperion Sleeping Bags
- An ultralight backpacking quilt (or sleeping bag) that will be available on-the-shelf from major retailers like REI.
- The highest quality 900 fill power Nikwax water resistant down. (Most high end bags and quilts are usually 800 or possibly 850 fill power at best.) And it’s Responsible Down Standard (RDS) certified.
- Therm-a-rest’s ThermaCapture* lining that prevents radiant heat escaping thus increasing warmth. This is also used in the Therm-a-Rest NeoAir Sleeping Pads.
- Side baffles (like wings) on the quilt that better seal around the edges in the critical torso area.
Note: Recently, there have been a few more semi-main-stream quilts available (altho none yet at REI). Most notably, the Western Mountaineering Nanolite +38 ºF Quilt, the Western Mountaineering Astralite +26 ºF Quilt and Feathered Friends line of Flicker Quilts.
Again, for the best of cottage manufacturer’s offerings including a +20 down quilt for only $159 see my 2018 Buyers Guide to Lightweight Backpacking Quilts.
Therm-a-Rest Vesper Quilt Specifications
Therm-a-Rest Vesper 32 Quilt – Regular: 15 oz, +32 ºF, $350 – Long: 1 lb 1 oz, $350
Therm-a-Rest Vesper 20 Quilt – Regular: 1 lb 3 oz, +20 ºF, $380 – Long: 1 lb 5 oz, $400
- Highest quality 900 fill power Nikwax water resistant down. Responsible Down Standard (RDS) certified.
- ThermaCapture lining that prevents radiant heat escaping thus increasing warmth
- Side baffles and a sewn/insulated foot box to increase warmth
- Very light 10 Denier Nylon DWR shell fabric
- SynergyLink connectors integrate the quilt with your mattress (that is they keep it in place over your pad and reduce drafts).
- Regular: L x W x Foot, 75 x 58 x 18 inches
- Long: L x W x Foot, 79 x 61 x 19 inches
Therm-a-Rest Hyperion Sleeping Bags Specifications
Therm-a-Rest Hyperion 32 Sleeping Bag – Small: 15oz, $349.95; Regular: 1lb, $369.95; Long: 1lb 2oz, $389.95
Therm-a-Rest Hyperion 20 Sleeping Bag – Small: 1lb 3oz, $399.95; Regular: 1lb 4oz, $419.95; Long: 1lb 6 oz, $439.95
- Highest quality 900 fill power Nikwax water resistant down. Responsible Down Standard (RDS) certified.
- ThermaCapture lining that prevents radiant heat escaping thus increasing warmth
- Very light 10 Denier Nylon DWR shell fabric
- Hyperion size regular fits 170cm – 183cm length (5ft 6in to 6ft) , Girth is 145cm (57in) at the shoulder, 126cm (50in) at the hip and 109cm (43in) at the foot.
*THERMACAPTURE™ (from Therm-a-Rest site)
ThermaCapture Radiant Heat Technology is a proprietary reflective coating that we apply to a range of surfaces. By reflecting radiant heat back to your body that is otherwise lost, this extremely lightweight coating turns that surface into a very efficient heat reflector, amplifying warmth without the excess weight or bulk of added, conventional insulating materials. According to Therm-a-Rest the “ThermaCapture lining treatment does not affect breathability. Breathability limited by the fabric.”
Disclaimer
This post contains affilate links. If you make a purchase after clicking on the these links, a portion of the sale helps support this site at no additional cost to you. I do not receive compensation from the companies whose products are listed. For product reviews: unless otherwise noted, products are purchased with my own funds. I am never under an obligation to write a review about any product. Finally, this post expresses my own independent opinion.
Air mattress comfort at foam pad weights! The new Therm-a-Rest NeoAir UberLite Mattress is the lightest insulated backpacking air mattress. To achieve the low weight, the Therm-a-Rest NeoAir UberLite Mattress uses an extremely light high tenacity nylon fabric for its shell. At the show, Jennifer Curto of T-rest assured me that mattresses with the new fabric had gone through extensive testing and had even survived being run over by a Jeep!
Specs Therm-a-Rest NeoAir UberLite Mattress
- 8.8 oz, R 2.0 Size Regular UberLite (72x20x2.5 inches) $180
- 6.0 oz, R 2.0 Size Small UberLite (47x20x2.5 inches) $140
- 12.0 oz, R 2.0 Size Large UberLite (77x25x2.5 inches) $210
- Availability Spring 2019
In comparison To
- 12.0 oz, R 3.2 Size Regular, Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XLite Sleeping Pad $170
- 12.0 oz, R 3.9 Size Regular, Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XLite Sleeping Pad – Women’s $160 (66x20x2.5 in & our current favorite mattress for both men and women — warm and comfortable!)
A 1.5 pound +32 sleeping system! The combined weight of the new Therm-a-Rest NeoAir UberLite Mattress and the with the new 15 ounce Vesper Quilt weighs less than most sleeping bag’s or pad’s individual weights. I will post more soon on the exciting new Vesper +32 and +20 ºF Quilts that were also announced at the 2018 Outdoor Retailer Show this month.
new UberLite vs. XLite – How it Works
With the 1/2 Pound Therm-a-Rest NeoAir UberLite Mattress, Therm-a-Rest dropped the weight of their lightest full-size air mattress by 25%. This was done with a lighter shell fabric, lighter internal baffling film, and by skipping radiant heat reflecting layers.
Warmth: To save weight the new UberLite eliminates the ThermaCapture* radiant heat reflecting layers used in XLite pads. This in part results in an insulating value of R 2.0 vs the R 3.2 for the standard XLite and R 3.9 for the Women’s which has an additional ThermaCapture radiant heat layer. Nonetheless an R 2.0 should be sufficient for most 3-season campers. For four season I would look to the R 3.9 Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XLite Sleeping Pad – Women’s (I’ve been down to +12 ºF with this pad) or for cold sleepers the R 5.7 Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XTherm Sleeping Pad.
Durability: According to Jennifer Curto, the new UberLite uses a 15 Denier High Tenacity Nylon Shell Fabric and the internal material [that creates the heat retaining baffles] is a super unique ultralight film. So the new shell fabric is 1/2 the weigh of the 30D fabric used in the XLite mattresses. Nonetheless, Curto says: “We cycle tested and field tested the NeoAir UberLite, even driving over it with a Jeep!.. We are confident that it meets Therm-a-Rest performance standards. That being said, the mattress deserves to be treated like any premium piece of ultralight gear.”
Conclusion
The success of the new Therm-a-Rest NeoAir UberLite Mattress will most likely hinge on the durability of the new 15 Denier High Tenacity Nylon Shell Fabric. Alison and I have had good luck with the durability of our 30D HT Nylon Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XLite Sleeping Pads  since their introduction. We’ve had only one leaker, and that was a very slow leak that only required topping off once each the night to get us through the trip. Post trip, Therm-a-Rest warranteed us a new sleeping pad. While the 15D UberLite fabric is light, manufactures continue to find better and lighter materials and improved construction techniques with performance equaling or close to that of older heavier materials. I hope this is the case with the new Therm-a-Rest NeoAir UberLite Mattress. I am on the list to be one of the earlier testers, so stay tuned to learn more.
The other thing of note is the R 2.0 of the pad. This is almost 1/2 the insulation of our favored R 3.9 Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XLite Sleeping Pad – Women’s pads. This should be just fine for camping much of the year. But in shoulder seasons where I expect nighttime temperatures to routinely drop below freezing I would consider using the warmer/more insulating R 3.2 to R 3.9 XLite pads.
*THERMACAPTURE™ (from Therm-a-Rest site)
ThermaCapture Radiant Heat Technology is a proprietary reflective coating that we apply to a range of surfaces. By reflecting radiant heat back to your body that is otherwise lost, this extremely lightweight coating turns that surface into a very efficient heat reflector, amplifying warmth without the excess weight or bulk of added, conventional insulating materials.
Disclaimer
This post contains affilate links. If you make a purchase after clicking on the these links, a portion of the sale helps support this site at no additional cost to you. I do not receive compensation from the companies whose products are listed. For product reviews: unless otherwise noted, products are purchased with my own funds. I am never under an obligation to write a review about any product. Finally, this post expresses my own independent opinion.