When the temperature gets down low you need a sleeping bag that can keep up. Something like a 0 degree down sleeping will keep you warm down to that very low temperature while only taking up a minimal amount of room in your backpack and contributing only a minimal amount of weight, which are the two big advantages of using down. But before you get a 0 degree down sleeping bag you will likely want to do your research and think hard about a few specific features.
0 Degree Down Sleeping Bag
What to look for when you're looking for a 0 degree down sleeping bag.- Shape – If you’re getting a 0 degree down sleeping bag then you’re likely going to be getting a mummy shaped sleeping bag. But just in case you haven’t thought about it already, mummy shaped is definitely the way to go. A 0 degree sleeping bag will weigh enough already, even with it being mummy shaped.
- Water Resistant – At 0 degrees it might be a good idea to get a sleeping bag that is water resistant. With down especially, you definitely do not want to get the insulation wet, because then it wont do a very good job of insulating you anymore. So keep the down inside your sleeping bag dry if you expect to stay warm.
Best 0 Degree Down Sleeping Bag
Some of the very best 0 degree down sleeping bags.- Mountain Hardwear Phantom +0 Sleeping Bag - The Phantom is one excellent 0 degree down sleeping bag. There are quite a few sleeping bags with a minimum temperature of 0, and this is one of the lightest, at just 2 pounds 10 ounces, which is 1.2 kilograms. It uses 800+ fill down, and has a very narrow alpine mummy cut, which eliminates all unnecessary space inside the bag, so that your body heat is as concentrated as possible. It's not water resistant, but then the main draw of this sleeping bag is definitely the weight.
- Marmot Lithium 0 Sleeping Bag - Another impressive 0 degree sleeping bag, this one from Marmot. It won the 2008 Backpacker Magazine Editor's Choice Gold award, and has a few things going for it. For instance, it uses very high quality 850+ fill down, has a narrow cut and a DWR finish on the exterior, to help keep water out. At 2 pounds 12 ounces, or 1.24 kilograms it's slightly heavier than the very lightweight Phantom above, but still a very good choice.
- Mont Bell U.L. Super Spiral Hugger #0 - One more very impressive 0 degree down sleeping bag from Mont Bell, which is a Japanese manufacturer well known for their down products. This particular sleeping bag uses 800+ fill down, a DWR, exterior treatment and weighs in at 2 pounds 11 ounces, or 1.21 kilograms. It's another award winner, this time of the 2009 Gear of the Year award from Outside magazine. Besides those impressive stats, Mont Bell sleeping bags also zip together in an emergency, to conserve body heat.
