Lightest Sleeping Bags

To see most of the sleeping bags on the market sorted by weight and other features, head over to the lightweight sleeping bags list.

When hiking or backpacking, it always pays to bring along the lightest sleeping bag you can find. You will have to carry the thing, after all, and it doesn't make much sense to carry a heavy sleeping bag when you could be carrying a light sleeping bag instead.

Light Sleeping Bags Features

Here are a few features common to many of the lightest sleeping bags on the market that you can look out for when sleeping bag shopping.

Shape - First and foremost, many of the lightest sleeping bags on the market are mummy shaped, rather than rectangular shaped. This cuts down on the amount of fabric needed without sacrificing much in sleep quality.
Insulating Material - Another important feature to look for when trying to find a light sleeping bag is the insulating material used. Synthetic insulation is good because it stands up to water well. Down, however, is much lighter than synthetic insulation, and it will pack down smaller too, saving you space. It's a trade off, but if you want a light sleeping bag, you should go with down.

Lightest Summer Sleeping Bags List

To find even more of the lightest sleeping bags currently on the market, head over to the lightweight sleeping bags list.

Marmot +30 Sleeping Bag - This sleeping bag from Marmot is one of the lightest sleeping bags around chiefly because of the insulation that it uses. It comes with 900 fill goose down, which is extremely high quality stuff. It's good down to about 30 Fahrenheit, as the name implies, and weighs in at just 630 grams, or 21 ounces. And it also won the Backpacker Magazine Editor's Choice Award in 2011. Definitely an excellent light sleeping bag.
Mont Bell U.L. Super Spiral Down #5 - Mont Bell is well known for making excellent goose down products. This light sleeping bag uses 800 fill goose down, and weighs in at just 453 grams, or 1 pound. It;s good down to only 40 Fahrenheit. One of the best features of this bag, however, is the unique spiral design which improves heat retention without adding weight. Definitely innovative, and one of the lightest sleeping bags in its category.
Western Mountaineering HighLite Sleeping Bag - This sleeping bag from manufacturer Western Mountaineering splits the other two above by using 850+ fill goose down. It also uses unique box baffles to cut down on weight while keep the down in the right places. With a minimum temperature of 35 Fahrenheit and a weight of only 455 grams, or 1 pound, this is another of the lightest sleeping bags on the market, and an excellent choice for summer weather.

Lightest Winter Sleeping Bags List

You can see even more of the lightest sleeping bags on the market over at the lightweight sleeping bags list.

Western Mountaineering Bison Gore WS Sleeping Bag - If you absolutely must stay warm in the coldest conditions, then this is an ideal sleeping bag for you. It's not the light sleeping bag, at 2095 grams or 71 ounces, but it is one of the lightest sleeping bags on the market that will keep you warm down to -40 Fahrenheit. It uses 850 fill goose down to get there, which is one of the lightest ways to accomplish such a good temperature rating.
Mont Bell U.L. Spiral Down Hugger #0 Sleeping Bag - This winter weather sleeping bag from Mont Bell won Outside Magazine's Gear of the Year Award in 2009. It uses 880 fill goose down, and the unique spiral design that Mont Bell has pioneered. It's rated down to the 0 Fahrenheit mark, and weighs in at 1162 grams, or 39 ounces. It's without a doubt one of the lightest sleeping bags at the 0 Fahrenheit temperature mark.
Marmot Plasma +15 Sleeping Bag - If you are looking for a good sleeping bag for the fall and spring months, this is one of the lightest sleeping bags around at that temperature range, and a great choice. It comes loaded with 900 fill goose down, which is very high quality, and won the Backpacker Magazine Editor's Choice Award in 2011. It weighs a very respectable 644 grams, or 22 ounces, making it lighter than many warm weather sleeping bags with inferior insulation and construction.