There are a few different options in shape that you have when it comes to sleeping bags, but the mummy shape is by far the best. For those that don’t know, a mummy sleeping bag is tapered towards your feet, so that the areas of your body that aren’t as wide, such as your legs, don’t get as much room as other areas of your body, like your shoulders. By doing this, you save on weight, and also eliminate dead space within the sleeping bag that will take up valuable body heat.
Mummy Sleeping Bag
Features to think about when you're shopping for your next mummy sleeping bag.- Insulation – First and foremost, you need to pay attention to what kind of insulation is in your mummy sleeping bag. The big advantage of a mummy sleeping bag is that it weighs less, but you give that advantage up if you go for synthetic insulation over down. There are some reasons to use synthetic over down, but not many.
- Shape – Even amongst mummy sleeping bags there is a wide variety of shapes. You can get some very thin mummy sleeping bags that offer little room for your legs to move around, and wider ones that give you some more room, but also add weight.
Best Mummy Sleeping Bag
A few of the better mummy sleeping bags out there on the market.- Terra Nova Laser 600 - First up, at the warmer end of the scale is the Laser 600 from the UK manufacturer Terra Nova. This isn't a well known sleeping or a well known company in North America, but it's certainly deserving of a little praise. For starters it uses very high quality 900+ fill down, which helps it get down to just 1 pound 6 ounces, or 630 grams, which is a very respectable weight for a temperature rating of 32 degrees. A seriously good sleeping bag for three season camping.
- Marmot Plasma +30 - Slightly warmer than the Laser 600, with a temperature rating of 30, the Plasma also uses the top quality 900+ fill down. It also won the 2011 Backpacker Magazine Editor's Choice award. It has a few extra features, like a draft collar, which definitely help to keep you warm, but like the Laser 600 the standout feature here is the weight, which is also 1 pound 6 ounces, or 630 grams.
- Western Mountaineering AlpinLite - With a temperature rating of 20 degrees this is a sleeping bag better suited to four season camping and backpacking. And while it doesn't get up to the 900+ fill down mark it uses 850+ fill down, which is better than just about everything else on the sleeping bag market. It also uses a few extras, like a draft collar, to make sure you stay warm at night. And at 31 ounces, or 880 grams, it certainly wont add much weight to your backpack.
