Cold Weather Camping Sleeping Bag on a Budget

The first winter camping experience I had with Boy Scouts had record cold temperatures. Several camping programs got canceled even, but as Boy Scouts are supposed to "Be Prepared," the option to camp was ours. The troop opted to go for just one night, but it was still near negative 30 degrees that night with day time temperatures not even reaching single digits.

I was determined to go with the gear we had, even if that meant double-bagging. Thankfully one fantastic friend came to the rescue and lent my son and I two  negative 20-degree bags and other necessary equipment. Since we are in Michigan, there was no surprise that for my next REI dividend refund, I purchased two good Alps Mountaineering negative 20-degree sleeping bags.

Fast forward a couple of years and several toasty camping trips. One of my newest scout families was living on a budget. Although we offered to lend out good cold-weather sleeping bags, the family insisted on buying their son his own. So when I stumbled upon a special deal for the Suisse Sport Everest Sleeping Bag I sent it their way.

The next campout that scout, and two others had gotten the bag so I checked it out. I actually liked it so much, I purchased a third cold weather sleeping bag for my family. I ended up liking it even more than I liked my Alps bag!

I think what really sold me was having a little more room near the toes. I did not feel quiet as claustrophobic. And even though the Suisse Sport Everest sleeping bag is only a 0-degree bag, it feels a bit loftier and warmer than my other bag. I love their chest baffle and drawstring hood too. And mostly I love that the price of the bag is near $30. I paid three times that for my other bags even with the dividend!