Best Backpacking Sleeping Bag

Price: $179.95

Weight: 2.1lb (0.9kg)

Temperature Rating (Lower Limit): 35°F (1°C)

Style: Mummy

Shell: 20D 400T nylon

Lining: Sil-Nylon

Insulation/Fill: 650FP Grey Duck Down (80%)/Synthetic (20%)

Compressed Volume: 7L

What We Like: Very light, Compressible

What We Don’t: Not warm enough for three seasons

You can’t discuss ultralight sleep systems without mentioning Klymit, who has attempted to bridge the gap between ultralight and budget hiking with the $179.95 KSB 35. The KSB 35 is light, it packs up well, and it has some valuable features that we’ve come to appreciate in a quality sleeping bag. However, its temperature rating makes this more of a two-season bag unless you supply yourself with a sleeping bag liner. Ultimately, it provides a decent amount of value to justify its low price tag relative to its much more expensive ultralight competitors. For those hikers who prefer backpacking in the spring and summer (and who doesn’t), this sleeping bag could meet your needs at a significantly lower price point. Its lightweight design and packability made the KSB 35 a natural choice for Best Backpacking Sleeping Bag.

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See Our Best Budget Sleeping Bag Review HERE!

You can’t discuss ultralight sleep systems without mentioning Klymit. Case in point, I’ve been using their Static V four-season sleeping pad (paired with their quilted V sheet) for a few years now, and it’s served me very well. Klymit has attempted to bridge the gap between ultralight and budget hiking with the $179.95 KSB 35. The current version of this sleeping bag is updated from the KSB 35 Down. Whereas the previous version solely used down as insulation, the new bag has a down top and synthetic fill bottom. Its lightweight design and packability made the KSB 35 a natural choice for Best Backpacking Sleeping Bag.

Warmth

Although advertised as a three-season sleeping bag, right off the bat, we questioned this claim, given that the KSB 35 has a temperature rating of 35°F (the temperature rating for a three-season sleeping bag should fall between 15° and 30°F). As mentioned, the insulation for this bag is split 80/20, with the top composed of 650FP Grey Duck Down and the bottom being synthetic fill. The previous all-down model claimed a tested lower limit of 21°F, which was shockingly low. Many reviewers felt that this number was rather inflated; we were unable to find a listed lower limit for the newer version of the bag. We assume that the change to the bottom insulation was to increase its warmth-to-weight ratio and at least come closer to the previously suggested lower limit; for the time being, we’ve used the temperature rating listed on the product as its lower limit.

Comfort

The sleeping bag measures 82”x30” and will accommodate hikers up to 6’6” in height. The shoulder girth is 58”, and while we don’t have numbers for the footbox, the bag does taper down less severely than some of the other mummy bags in our review and found that the footbox was still pretty roomy. The KSB 35 also comes with a unique party piece known as Length Locks, a set of small hook loops on the outside of the bag that enables you to reduce the bag’s length down 7-14” inches. Although not what we’d consider a vital feature—shorter hikers could just as easily opt for a smaller bag rather than an adjustable one that’s too large—it was undoubtedly a creative inclusion.

Weight & Packed Size

Features

Besides its weight, one of our favorite things about the KSB 35 was its full-length zipper. It’s a two-way zipper, so you can open the footbox for ventilation when things get a bit stuffy or even open the bag completely to double as a blanket on warmer nights. There’s also a stash pocket for your cell phone and a mummy hood with a draft collar and drawcord.

The Bottom Line

The Klymit KSB 35 is a bit of a mixed bag. On the one hand, it’s light, it packs up well, and it has some valuable features that we’ve come to appreciate in a quality sleeping bag. On the other hand, its temperature rating makes this more of a two-season bag unless you supply yourself a sleeping bag liner, which adds another 50 or so dollars to your total purchase. For hikers who prefer backpacking in the spring and summer (and who doesn’t), this sleeping bag provides value that justifies its low price tag relative to its much more expensive ultralight competitors.

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