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).