I'm one inch taller than your gf. I bought a big agnes women's anthracite 20F, it's for max user height 5'6", it feels like the perfect size tbh.
Other 5'6'' sleeping bags I found when searching were:
- Nemo Forte Women's 35F
- Nemo Tempo Women's 35F or 20F
- Big Agnes women's Anthracite 30F
Decathlon makes one (or more?) that comes in a smaller size for users of max height 5'3''. E.g. Decathlon Simond MT500 Trekking Sleeping Bag
These are synthetic bags, but I assume the down equivalents are probably similarly sized
I will test my Anthracite 20 this weekend, temps are predicted to go down to 32, so right on the comfort rating. Will report how it went!
I got it new for just 70€, if this thing works well at that temp it was well invested money!
Happy to report it went really well.
Temps went not as far down as predicted, "only" down to 36F, but I was pretty toasty, couldnt even close the hood , otherwise it was too warm for me.
Used a R4.2 sleeping pad and was wearing long base layers as well as Merino wool socks and hat.
Very confident this would keep me warm even down to 32 or a few degrees below.
I have a Big Agnes single I LOVE so I’m jealous of all the folks here with the double. We have a flatlands fleece double bag and the Klymit double pad because they were the easy buttons through our wedding registry. The bag packs large for my taste but the pad is perfect. We sleep on top of each other at home and love snuggling all the same in the wild. Unless your trips are all ultralight backpacking, it’s quite cozy and romantic!
What you are describing to me just sounds like a poor quality fabric. Not all sleeping bags created the same. I love my big agnes also because of that inner fabric. Maybe try another brand?
Otherwise a liner could help as well
If your biggest concern about a sleeping bag is room for your legs to move without feeling constricted, I would try out Nemo or Big Agnes sleeping bags. Both tend to have wider profiles. Definitely go for a bag that is rated at least 10 degrees lower - preferably lower - than the temps you expect to sleep in.
Theres multiple problems with layering with clothing like this, one of which is not the warmth specific factor but the breathability. One or two layers is one thing, but with all the listed clothing and then something like the picture on top, you’re going to build up humidity near your body you can’t get rid of, and you’ll become even colder.
Next, a sleeping bag basically creates a warm pocket of air around you. The insulation in the bag helps create and maintain this pocket. The more compressed this insulation, the worse it performs. With layering clothing, you compress the insulation, making it less effective. On top of that, insulation is minimal if not nonexistent at the seams. Some puffy jackets and “extreme temp” clothing gets around this by minimizing seams but there’s almost always a few somewhere, which means no air pockets and no warmth.
If I could recommend the best case scenario for you, it would be this: find a sleeping bag you can tolerate rated to a temp appropriate for your conditions, 15F at a minimum, best scenario a 0F. Dress in only your smartwool layers, and make sure you have a good pad/sleep set up underneath you.
Sources: avid outdoorsmen, backpacker in sub 20 degree temps, and former REI employee who specialized in camping gear.
Top Outdoor Sleeping Bags on Reddit
1
NEMO
Disco 15 Series
79% positive of 114 users
Spacious for side sleepers; bulky, temp rating optimistic.
cheesy_bees
