Best backpacking sleeping bag for under $200.

If you have no more than $200 to spend on a backpacking sleeping bag, grab the Kelty Cosmic 20. Everything about it is basic, but it will keep you comfortably warm down to freezing. And it does so without entirely taking over your backpack or breaking the bank.

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• Weight: 42 oz
• Price: $165
• Down: 550 fill power hydrophobic duck down
• Fill Weight: 16.4
• Fabric: 20D nylon outer, 50D polyester inner
• ISO tested comfort: 32
  
• Pros: Very affordable. Good value. Durable. Lots of features.
• Cons: Heavy. Bulky.

Features

First of all, the price! Just $165 in a men’s size regular is about all you can ask.

The Kelty Cosmic 20 Sleeping Bag saves the buyer money by utilizing 550 fill power down. We’re glad they’ve treated it to be hydrophobic, and you still get the long-lasting, lightweight compressibility benefits of plumage.

At 42 oz, it ain’t no ultralight sleeping bag, and it costs about 1/3 as much so no complaints. As far as features go, you get double separating zippers and a snag guard, as well as an internal stash pocket and a draft tube. Not bad!

Kelty notes that the Cosmic’s baffles are designed in a trapezoidal configuration which increases thermal efficiency. We’re not sure exactly how or why, but maybe there’s something to it.

The biggest travesty with this recommendation, however, is that the women’s model costs $50 more. That’s because women sleep colder, so to earn the same 20 degree rating/32 degree comfort rating, it requires significantly more down insulation which adds cost. It’s also widened at the hips and narrowed at the shoulders for a better fit.

Verdict

All said and done, this is a popular, easily found sleeping bag for $200 or less that keep campers warm down to freezing. It’s the best budget down bag we know of.

Read about more great options in our guide to the best backpacking sleeping bags, or crank up performance to the next level with our guide to the best backpacking camp quilts.