NEMO - Riff Women's Endless Promise Down Sleeping Bag 30

The Western Mountaineering bags look the best to me in terms of quality and specs, but I haven’t tried one. Have a Nemo Riff 30 which isn’t the lightest for its warmth rating, but it’s good quality down, I got a great deal on it and it’s roomy for side sleeping.

I just tried a quilt for the first time. My previous bag is a Nemo Riff 30, which I've used down to pretty close to 30F (And been miserable). I'd say that I'm comfortable in the Riff in the upper 30's. My new quilt is a 40F Enlightened Equipment Enigma (950 FP, 7d/7d fabric). When I took it out of the bag I was extremely leery of it. How is a bag I can see through going to keep me warm at night?!?! But I did a test hike on Saturday and slept in it and was very impressed. The low temp was 50F and I was quite comfortable. My feet got a bit chilly but I wasn't wearing socks. I used the same Tensor Insulated that I've had for a few years now. I'm absolutely a convert now. My quilt is about 21 oz lighter than my sleeping bag! I know that's a 30F bag vs a 40F quilt but there's still a huge difference if I had ordered the 30F quilt. And I'm completely confident in the comfort of the bag at a low of 10F higher than its rating, which is pretty much the same way I feel about bags.

Depending on your specific needs for temps, weight, and filling I'd recommend, Nemo's Rift, Forte, or Tempo bags. They have a "spoon" shape (extra space around knees and elbows and tapers around the waist and feet) rather than mummy shape. They're designed to feel less restrictive and I've found them to be so. Of course the bag will take up a bit more space than a mummy bag, but it's better than a regular rectangle bag. I have the Tempo and I think it's good for regular backpackers and I really like it. They're common at REI too so you may be able to try it out.

For clarity - The Riff (and Disco) are down. While the Forte and Tempo are synthetic. Their spoon/peanut shape is definitely very popular with side sleepers, or people who sleep angular or toss and turn. Much more forgiving than a regular mummy, without the draft issues of a quilt. Recommend people getting into quilts, to buy a wide one. This will help mitigate drafts. You mention REI, all of their sleeping bags now come in "wide" versions. Still a mummy for the most part, but about 5" wider than a regular mummy. Their Magma is an excellent bag, as is their Magma quilt, but it's only rated to 30 degrees.

I’ve been backpacking with my Nemo 30 for about 4 years and I LOVE it. I’m a side sleeper and I toss and turn a lot and I find that it gives me (5’ 0”) plenty of room to move around without getting cold. On warmer nights, I just open the zip and get enough airflow to not overheat. It’s lightweight and packs down super well with the provided compressive bag. Generally speaking, I run warm, and have comfortably used this bag in temps well into the low 30s with wool base layers and not felt cold

Nemo down sleeping bag. My most expensive and by far my favorite sleeping bag.

Nemo down 15F is my favorite. I felt warm sleeping when outside was below 30F. Wait for the next sale in REI you can snag it for nice discount.

I see Nemo has been mentioned a lot, which is what I came here to suggest for a sleeping bag with a Klymit sleep pad. We do a lot of tent camping each summer. Some pack in, some drive in, some canoe in, but always in a tent and always on the ground. As we’ve aged I have been concerned we wouldn’t be able to continue sleeping on the ground, but the Klymit has never let us down. We’ve had our pads for over 11 years and only this year did we finally “upgrade” to the wider version. For sleeping bags, the Nemo spoon, down filled was our choice. Lightweight and has been excellent for MN camping. Good luck!

I like the spoon shape of the Nemo bags. And, I’m currently using a wide deluxe pad from Big Agnes.

I’m a stomach/side sleeper and love my Zenbivy quilt+sheet and their matching pillow system, but it’s quite an investment for a casual camper. I’d recommend looking for a cheaper quilt or even a rectangular sleeping bag on Amazon or Decathlon if you’re not looking to spend a lot. I was really unhappy with my spoon shaped Nemo sleeping bag. Even though it’s wider than a traditional mummy bag, it was still restrictive. There are a lot of other spendy quilt brands out there and most have already been reviewed on r/ultralight.

I have a cot also but would never sleep on it without a pad when it's cold. I need the insulation. I really like the Nemo spoon shaped bags to be able to move around but why not pile up thick blankets for your first time out before dropping the money on a good bag.