When winter weather hits you need a sleeping bag that can handle itself in those cold conditions and keep you warm all night long. The temperature needed will depend on where you live and what the conditions are like there, but a 0 degree sleeping bag is a good number to shoot for. It’s a nice round number and there are quite a few excellent 0 degree sleeping bags on the market. So if it matches your needs, definitely consider 0 degrees as a minimum temperature for your next sleeping bag.
0 Degree Sleeping Bag
Features to be looking for when shopping for a 0 degree sleeping bag.- Extras – At 0 degrees you’re don’t need the extras, but they will definitely do a lot to keep you warm. Things like draft collars, for instance, and drawcords on the face opening of the sleeping bag will do a lot to help keep you warm at night when the temperature dips.
- Insulation – As with any sleeping bag you have to make a decision on what insulation you want. Synthetic is good for when it gets wet, which is always a possibility in winter, but if you can keep down dry it offers a better warmth to weight ratio, especially with higher quality down in the 800 to 900 fill range.
Best 0 Degree Sleeping Bag
Some of the best 0 degree sleeping bags out there.- Marmot Lithium 0 Sleeping Bag - First up, the 2008 winner of the Backpacker Magazine Editor's Choice award. It's good down to 0 degrees, of course, and has a draft collar, drawcord around the face and a draft tube along the zipper too so that you can take every possible measure to keep warm air inside the sleeping bag. It uses 850+ fill down, which is a very high quality, and weighs 2 pounds 12 ounces, or 1.24 kilograms, making it one of the lighter 0 degree sleeping bags on the market.
- Mountain Hardwear Phantom +0 Sleeping Bag - Another very lightweight sleeping bag at the 0 degree temperature mark, with a weight of 2 pounds 10 ounces, or 1.2 kilograms. The zipper is insulated, and the drawcord around the face works well with an ergonomically shaped shoulder area to seal out air leaks. It uses 800 fill down, which is not as high as the 850 of the Lithium, but still very good.
- Mont Bell U.L. Super Spiral Hugger #0 - Another excellent 0 degree sleeping bag, this time from Mont Bell. It's another down bag, and uses 800+ fill down. It has all the extras you could ask for, including a a draft tube down the length of the zipper and a draft collar. Mont Bell's unique diagonal cut helps to squeeze the bag around you, providing even more warmth. What stands out here, however, is the DWR, water resistant finish, which will protect the down inside from the water outside. It won the 2009 Gear of the Year award from Outside magazine, and weighs just 2 pounds 11 ounces, or 1.21 kilograms.
