Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Backpack Hunting Inexpensive 20 deg sleeping bag recommendations?

Any recommendations for an inexpensive 20 F sleeping bag not made in Communist China? Would preferably be 20 F comfort rating, but I'll have a blanket available to put on top to supplement the sleeping bag and a pad underneath. Can be heavy because we can drive right up to the camping spot.

Situation - upcoming Cub Scout polar bear campout. 2 years ago on the same campout, the low temperature was down around 20 F (it was 28 or 29 degrees in the tent). Now have 2 Cub Scouts instead of just 1.

I have a Browning brand -20 F (negative 20) rated bag that worked well for my older son last time, but I bought it cheap on sale online not knowing it was Chicom produced.

Walmart is your friend on this deal. They have a panoply of inexpensive sleeping bags, Im sure they have one just right for you

Thanks. I checked Walmart a couple weeks ago, and they have sleeping bags for warmer weather made in USA, but the colder weather bags I saw were made in China. I'll look again, though.

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I hate mummy bags and it's not easy finding decent rectangular bags.
Coleman has a nice assortment of rectangular bags.
Not sure where they are made.
https://www.coleman.com/sleeping-bags-beds/

Cheap without being from China is a tall order. For 20 degree comfort, get 0 degree bag. Yes, you could go 20 degree bag and add a comforter. And sleep in a hoody. Might toss in a couple of the chemical had warmers to keep your feet warm. Sleeping cold sucks bigly. Maybe go with a China bag to save $ and donate $25 to the Trump campaign. That might even it out in the long run.

Cheap and not made in chicom are 2 words that don't often go together...............................................expensive and made here are.................

Kelty cosmic 20 degree down model used to be a good one, no idea if still made or where.

Excuse this suggestion if you are already aware (since you didn’t ask) - but make sure you have good pads. Doubling up ensolite pads sure makes a huge difference in warmth and if car camping there isn’t any reason not to take a bunch of extra insulating pads. I always throw an extra one for each kid (and my wife) since they all get cold easy

Military sleep system has a 20° bag that's pretty good, made in Murica also.


20° black bag

Thanks everybody.

I checked another Walmart location yesterday, and like the one I had checked in another state, all the cold weather sleeping bags were made in China even though they had more than one model of Made in USA warm weather sleeping bags.

I ended up ordering this bag
https://colemans.com/u-s-g-i-usmc-cold-weather-sleeping-bag

based on LightninHopkins' suggestion of a similar military sleeping bag. With the Black Friday discount code SAVE25 for 25% off, the price was less than $100 for a factory new condition Made in USA sleeping bag in the temperature range I wanted. I added a USMC sleeping pad for less than $10. Shipping was reasonable (less than $20) for the sleeping bag and pad, but if I added another pad the shipping jumped by more than $50, so I ordered just one pad with the bag.

I still need to add another inflatable sleeping pad to our gear (have a foam pad for each sleeping bag).

What do you consider to be inexpensive? I've used bags from Wiggy's for years on trips and deployments. They're made in the USA, and meet or beat and other bag I've had.

I considered a Wiggy's bag on special for $165, but with the discount code I was able to get a durable bag with comparable temperature rating for 40% less. If I hadn't been able to find factory new at a good price in the military bag, I probably would have gone above my intended budget and bought the Wiggy's bag. .

If it says 20 degrees it's good for 40 degrees at best. If you really want it to be comfortable for 20 degrees get a good sleeping bag that's rated for zero degrees. I have a Northface down bag rated to zero, i put it in side an LL Bean rectangular Hollowfill bag, it's good to 10 below .

Check out Sportsmans Warehouse for sleeping bags made by Teton Sports. Several variations and reasonable prices.

I agree with previous posted who told you to get a 0° bag if you want to be comfortable at 20°.

I looked at Teton Sports bags, too, but they appear to all be made in China, at least in the temperature ratings I looked at (0 to 20 Fahrenheit).

Most Slumberjack sleeping bags are made in the USA. I still like Marmot Mountain for cheap bags.

Check Midway or others for the US military three bag system


Usually well under $200 for two bags and a goretex bivy. Then mix and match to your desire.

REI Co-op is worth a look see.

A few things.

Get your Cub Scouts each a Balaclava just for sleeping in. Make it loose fitting. Balaclavas tend to work better than just a typical watch cap, as those usually come off as you sleep. You lose a bunch of body heat through your head, so cover it. Dry it out during the day. Don't use the same one during the day, as you do at night, since the one you use during the day will have absorbed a bunch of moisture from use.


Plus have them wearing very large, oversized socks when they are in their bags. All their sleeping clothes, underwear needs to be loose fitting.

Before bed, take a Nalgene bottle and fill it full of hot/boing water and put it in the bottom of the bag. This will help a lot with cold feet. A second one can be used around the core of your body. 


Get them each a pee bottle so they don't have to leave the tent. If the temps are very cold, sometimes it is pretty hard to get warm again, after you have gone outside, so stay in the tent.

Hope some of this helps.

I'll suggest one extra to fully unzip and cover both scouts with like a blanket (better than a blanket).

Pee bottle for kids? They don't pee often like we old fellers!

https://www.bigagnes.com/products/sidewinder-camp-20

I have this bag. As others said I don’t know if a 20 degree bag would be warm enough at 20 degrees. Big Agnes bags are made in Colorado.

Just find an Army/Navy surplus store..

Bag will be American made and well worth what you pay for them. About 2007 to 2010, I finally had to get rid of one that was made in 1947, got out of my dad's mobility bag before he turned it in, back in 1967. I replaced it with another one from the Army/Navy store.

Have one for down to 20 degrees and another for down to 30 below. I've been in all sorts of weather with these, all over the nation, to include high altitude camping with Scouting. Several times in NoDakota, I've had to spend the night in the vehicle due to weather, more than comfortable and warm at even 45 below... one bag, covered by the other.

tougher than anything you can buy at Walmart or any other store for that matter.

and made in the USA.

20 deg bag isn't warm enough for me @20 deg. Gonna need some clothes on in that bag.

Big Agnes is headquartered in Steamboat Springs. None of their manufacturing is in North America.

Many better bags are rated by the European standard now. It gives a more accurate comparison. When they give a rating, it’s the temperature where the bag will keep you alive, not warm. You need to add 15 to 20 degrees for a comfort zone.

Have you looked on the Sierra Trading Post site?

They often have close-outs and discontinued items that are pretty good if you're not picky about the color.

Colman's Big & Tall Rectangular Bags

Link

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Phil

Klymit we got ours at Costco good bag

They just delivered four of these Coleman Big & Tall rectangular Dunnock™ Cold Weather Sleeping Bags... got a 15% discount on them. Take a 3" twin memory gel cell mattress topper and zip it up in the sleeping bag, and place the whole thing inside a mattress cover. They make great beds for the dogs instead of laying on the cold floor. They'll be sleeping good tonight. Way better than what they make for dog pads, and not much more expensive.


Phil

On sale today

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1...five&utm_campaign=musa-clothing-gear

Add a heavy wool blanket if you can find one from the military surplus store. I still have my fathers from 1945. Add a big heavy down comforter to the mix. Worked for us in 1975 Yellowstone trip when the temps hit around 20 degrees.

Wiggy's

https://www.wiggys.com/specials/sale-select-color-ultra-light-sleeping-bags/

Get the older style US Army Extreme Cold bag. It's down and I've never got cold in one. You can get them one ebay for $100-$150 or surplus store.

I haven't seen one in 50 years but the army used to have a casualty bag. It was a big, bulky down bag with a fur hood and a zipper that could be laid wide open to get an injured man inside. They were super warm and very much in demand. It seemed like only medics with some rank could get their hands on them without being shot first.

For what you are describing I'd go with a 0 degree bag. In my experience sleeping bags never live up to their rating. I always add 20degrees to what I expect. Finding something not made in China will be a chore. Campmor.com has a bunch lf bags to chose from.

I've used this below 20F but was cold. Added a poncho liner and was GTG.

Keep an eye on the clearance sale at Midwayusa.

I wanted a bag that I could stay warm at 20* so I got a Wiggys 0*. If I wanted a 0* bag I’d get a -20*.

^ Sleeping bag ratings are "You won't die", not "You'll be comfy".

THis. Exactly.
Another poster mentioned Teton. We have some for clients. IMHO they are not nearly as good as Wiggys but since they were bought as zero bags they serve fine if its down to the mid 30s or so.

Saw this pop up again.... I've already posted about military sleeping bags. What I did post but left out the biggest thing about staying warm. outside in Cold Weather, the biggest thing that keeps you cold is what you have underneath you, not what you have over or around you.

Cold comes up thru the ground, as it maintains the cold the longest.

Underneath, I've always used a military poncho. Cover that with a thick blanket etc.

if you are not dealing with snow, I always raked up a bunch of leaves from hardwoods if they are on the ground.. usually just use my foot wear, and pushed them up to make a mattress out of them. Then put the military poncho down, which is thick rubberish. It doesn't breathe real well when you wear it but it will certain keep the damp out. It is good insulation underneath. You won't sweat laying on top of it. Its sweat that makes you cold in low temps, the most.

Cover that with an old blanket, or old cheap sleeping bag. Then put your sleeping bag on top of that. This way, with a 20 degree rated sleeping bag, you'll keep warm. When I was in Scouts as a kid, we used a military shelter half, for a tent. Two guys together, you had a complete pup tent. In cold or wet weather, we covered the tent with a military poncho. However that was not laid on top of the tent, we ran another line of rope OVER the tent anchored to trees via an I bolt. Cleared the tent by 6 to 9 inches or so. Today, you can use a tarp.

I was in Scouts as a military dependent on a military bases, up until I was 18. I've been with scouts as an adult for 30 plus years. I've been out below zero plenty of times... both in scouting, the military and in my travels. In basic training at Ft Sill, we had temps down below zero when we were out in the field. Training from being a scout in my youth, with military guys as scout leaders, helped my platoon survive with that knowledge I had. We had no frost bite etc casualties when other platoons did. I had the others in my platoon sleep in their underwear with military sleeping bags, because wearing all their clothers, they started to sweat, and that is what made them cold. That intensified if they had no ground cloth underneath them that shielded them from the cold. The military in cold weather training, use to teach people to take off their clothes and sleep in their underwear, but to place their clothing under their sleeping bags, to shield them from ground cold, and they had warm clothes to get into in the morning.

And yeah, I've been thru military cold wear training, several times.. but learned nothing that I hadn't learned in Boy Scouts on military bases. Spent 4 years in the Reserves based in Minnesota, and yeah, have been out in the cold in Jan and Feb at Camp Ripley, running the medical support unit outside in tents. Coldest I've done that in was 4 days at 30 below, with the worst day at 37 below to start our day off... and in temps like that, EVERYONE tries to get out of duty by going on sick call.
Even Minnesota people.

Agree on being warm from the bottom up. But beyond that a 20 degree bag will keep you alive at 20. Even with double pads on the ground. Comfortable is not in that statement.

I spend months in the field in Alaska from warm/hot to decently cool on the ground or in a tent on the ground.

20 degree bag at 20, for me, I can probably sleep half the night....

I don't trust the rating of a bag that is cheap and said to keep someone warm at 20 degrees.. by whose standards?

But then, that is going back to what I learned in Scouts as a kid on military bases... but hell, we even had Special Forces soldiers as advisors to our Troops and Explorer posts.. they did so, because many of them had been scouts in their youth.
So I had exposure to cold weather survival, via scouts and via military personnel who were volunteers with BSA.

But how much I knew, even in Basic, kept us from having a fair number of cold weather casualties during Basic Training.
I got a lot more indepth training in the military. Being a corpsman, I was the guy that had to fix these guys up and get them back into duty availability. So how would it look if the medic, made himself a casualty, due to cold weather.

Actually when it gets really cold, and knowing how to deal with it, I sleep like a baby in cold weather. Much more comfortable than in hot high humidity weather.

you should want a bag designed to retain your body warmth, without making you sweat. At the same time, too many folks over insulate, sweat and are then getting chilled as the cheap sleeping bag they bought, doesn't retain all of their own body heat within the sleeping bag. a cover over the sleeping bag, that will not absorb moisture is a better bet than putting another layer of clothes or blankets within the sleeping bag.

Most people get cold, because they either weren't trained or dont think the big picture thru.

In the reserves in both Washington State and Minnesota, our duty stations if war broke out, were either, Alaska, Canada or Scandanavia ( Norway ).. so we were trained to deal with cold weather, in the extreme. and in Minnesota, I was attached to a MASH unit....

Some of us just sleep cold, some hot. You need to find out what type you are, hopefully before you purchase. Some company’s have true ratings, some less so. My Western Mountaineering bag is spot on while my Wiggy’s 5 degree bag won’t keep me comfortable at 20.

I just purchased a Mt. Hardware 0-degree bag cheap.

Lamina Sleeping Bag: 0F Synthetic

Still waiting to use it.

I’ve had decent luck with kelty sleeping bags

If your not a big guy the Kelty cosmic 20 deg down is a great bag for the money

Army surplus? Also if your not back packing into an area, a couple of old army wool blankets over the bags works pretty good.