I have some winter/summer stuff for backpacking and have some very cheap target large air mattresses that I've used car camping. Myself and 5 year old son did a lot better on regular separate inflatable pads than on the large air mattresses - so we weren't disturbing each other while tossing and turning.
Big Agnes has a couple bags with pad sleeves? that they call either a "Padlock" or a "Bag Cinch" system where the sleeping bag basically slides over the sleeping pad itself to prevent your poor kid from sliding off all night. They have kids version and women's versions that I am aware of that I have considered for my family members - I think the Roxy Ann women's version can zip together or be pulled apart to lighten load when you don't need the lower temp rating and can be zipped together for double sleeping? These bags are clocking in around 10-12 liters in stuff sack and pretty heavy - I think like 30-40 oz - so hard to balance.
If money was no options, I'd do 2 zenbivy sleep systems and sleep like kings!
Other note, my son enjoys carrying a light pack - whether it's a very very small camelbak with water or a few liter kids style backpack - he now carries a couple pounds including his snacks, some backup clothes, water, pillows. Saves me some space.
The older I get the thicker the sleeping pad...
Where I live, I need 3 distinct sleeping bags - warm weather (Big Agnes), shoulder seasons/early winter (Nemo), and extreme winter (Big Agnes - takes up the whole backpack!)
I have an REI half dome tent - big enough for weekend camping, small enough that I could backpack with it if I'm not using a hammock. I also have several Coleman Sun Domes as lenders, and my boys each have a Kelty when they don't hammock.
For front country camping, a nice comfy camp chair is worth its weight... consider a lightweight backpacking chair as an addition or alternative. You can enjoy a lightweight camping chair in camp, but hard to take an XXL rocking camp chair backpacking...
Consider hammocking, too, but that's a whole additional rabbit hole to travel down.
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.
sloozeberrypie
