Inclusive Sleeping Bags: Does It Really Work For Women

When I first got into backpacking, my choices as a shorter female were men’s, men’s, and more men’s gear. We had no choices in the dark ages. In my first year of backpacking, I wore an awful 5500 ci LLBean backpack that towered above me. It was heavy and cut for a man 6″ taller than me. My daypack was a Lowe Alpine. It was all too long for my short torso, dug into my hips, and was just awful for the straps.

Kirk and I once had a hilariously horrible trip. In early 2003, I saw bags on Campmor that I could zip together. I bought them as a gift, thinking it’d be so romantic if we had a couple’s sleeping bag setup. We went on a trip to the Olympic Coast, and it was a very long night. The bags were unisex, as always, and mine was short, and his tall. We are a foot apart in height. Every time he moved, the wind ran down the center of the bag. It was so bad we converted our bags back to normal. I was the little spoon, to his big spoon, if you will. We still laugh over that awful night.

I upgraded to a Mountainsmith backpack Kirk found me at an REI garage sale around 2003. I was bogged down on my short torso, but there were no real choices, and the Moutainsmith was far lighter than my old LLBean. That hip belt was massive on my frame. Back then, I was carrying gear for myself and my oldest child.

I got excited in 2004 when I bought my first women’s specific backpack, a Marmot pack. It was cut for my torso, my hips, and my breasts. It was a massive game-changer. Suddenly, there were choices for women. I never bought a gender-natural or unisex backpack ever again for myself. And I have owned many backpacks since then.

It was the same for sleeping bags. I had bags that were 6″ too long in the feet, the hood swamped me, and the hips were too tight. And I was always cold in them.

Suddenly, around the start of the 2000s, women’s specific gear for hiking and backpacking was being created and sold.

I also bought my first woman’s sleeping bag. It was a huge investment, but I was backpacking two to three times a month then.

Not only did it weigh under 2 pounds, but it was cut for a woman’s body and curves. I was so happy. That bag came with me on nearly every backpacking trip I went on for years. It kept me warm where I needed it. My feet, hip area, and breast area were appropriately insulated.

But let’s get to the hot topic of inclusive gear. Inclusive of who, though, that is the actual question.

No matter how hard you try to make inclusive gear, someone will get left out. Moreover, when outdoor gear is made inclusive, it becomes nothing more than unisex gear, always cut for a man’s body. I stand by what I say. Women ALWAYS lose.

You can hate me for this, but it’s the truth.

In the end, women suffer for it.

Not all women’s gear is pink or sky blue, but it comes in many colors. What you will pay for is comfort. It won’t be cut for hips, breasts, or warmth.

REI has been touting its inclusive line, claiming you can buy sleeping bags in nine sizes. So, I went to the Alderwood Mall location in Lynwood, Washington. It’s not a huge REI, but they had everything in stock for sleeping bags. I had a very helpful employee who went out of his way to help me. In fact, he recommended the Nemo women’s bag I talk about below.

REI is pushing them (and not just on social media) by having the two bags facing outward while the other bags hang in a closet style. They are meant to be gender neutral (not unisex, but is there an actual difference in words?), and you pick a size from the nine options that might fit you best. These are modified semi-mummy bags, but in my experience, they are not that modified. These are not tight mummy bags, but neither are they roomy.

The REI Co-op Magma 15* sleeping bag (850 down fill) is $429. That is a lot of money for the store brand, and I was taken aback by the cost (more on that later).

They also have the Zephyr 25* synthetic fill, which costs $199.95.

While I looked at the synthetic, I didn’t try it on. I’m not too fond of synthetic sleeping bags, and the rating is too high for me. I sleep cold.

I tried out the Short (Normal) first. It is designed to fit up to 5’4″. I am right on the edge and often find short (or in women’s specific, it would be petite) to be just a tad short if I want to stretch my legs. It has a shoulder width of 61.5″.

The store doesn’t tell you hip sizing, which is often more important for women than shoulder width. But they do it online.

Hip Width:

Short Narrow: 45.5 inches

Short: 53 inches

Short Wide: 61.5 inches

Medium Narrow: 46.5 inches

Medium: 54 inches

Medium Wide: 62.5 inches

Long Narrow: 47.5 inches

Long: 55 inches

Long Wide: 63.5 inches

The bag comes in Odessy Gray. I don’t know how that is a gray color. It was royal blue with purple, and the inside was Hunter Orange. Dual purpose? If you need to be rescued, flip that bag inside out quickly!

The zipper is dual-ended, so you can vent if it is hot. The zipper opens on the left side, which was opposite for me. I am used to right-side zippers. Keep this in mind if you have a bivy.

I tried it on, wearing jeans, a T-shirt, and a lightweight fleece vest. I had my Hill People Gear chest kit bag on. So, obviously, I was wearing more clothing than I would typically wear when camping. But not terribly thicker though.

I was hitting up on the height, so it was an immediate no. If you are taller than 5’3″, go up to the Medium. I also found the hips to be very tight. Zipping it up was the snake-eating-you feeling. Yes, it went up, but my legs were squashed together.

The Medium Wide. It fits to 5’9″ and has a shoulder width of 62.5″.  I tried out the wide to see the difference in the fit.

Btw, the zipper is supposed to look like that. It is curved and angled. I found the inner baffle (collar) to be thin. Yes, it will help keep out chills, but it isn’t thick or well-insulated.

And yes, I felt like a stuffed sausage in it.

Here’s the thing:

I am a street size of 12/14, and that sleeping bag was TIGHT in the hips and chest. I am not small for my bra size. I get I have breasts, but if it’s supposed to be gender-neutral, you must still account that women using it will have breasts. The hood is too big, as is the foot box – it can handle big feet, as in men’s feet, which was exactly what I had predicted. It is cut for MEN. It’s not inclusive at all. It’s nothing more than a set of sleeping bags branded for everyone but is not—Jack of all trades, master of none, as my Dad would have said.

In the year 2000, I would have been excited because I didn’t know any difference. But 20 years of sleeping in women’s cut bags? I know the difference.

Also This:

“Each bag then gets 2 ratings: the Comfort rating is the lowest temperature at which the bag will keep the average “cold sleeper” comfortable, and the Lower Limit rating is the lowest temperature at which the bag will keep the average “warm sleeper” comfortable. For REI Co-op brand nongendered sleeping bags, we provide an overall temperature rating that falls between the Comfort and Lower Limit ratings.” The testing isn’t done for the zones, as is done for women’s specific bags.

While I might be considered “bigger,” I am not Plus-Size currently. You cannot tell me that a woman who is a size 16 or 18 can fit into these sleeping bags. This is not inclusive at all. If you are past a D cup, the chest will be uncomfortable as well. REI has always made gear and clothing for women who are athletic-framed. I’ve rarely found even hiking pants that fit thick thighs. Very few shirts and jackets fit if you are over a C-cup bra, and they pull up over the stomach due to being too tight. After having 3 children, I wear a 42C or 40D bra, so yes, I understand it only too well.

So instead?

I tried out a Nemo Equipment sleeping bag, cut in women’s, the Disco bag. The employee helping me highly recommended it after he listened to my love of Big Agnes bags, which are cut bigger.

Huh, so women’s gear isn’t always Barbie Pink or Baby Blue. Sometimes it is Banana Slug, er, Birch Bud.

The Disco sleeping bag is rated 15* and fits up to 5’6″. They also have a long version for taller women, up to 6 feet. It retails for $319.95—over $100 less than the REI bag! It comes in 15 and 30-degree versions, though I only tried the 15*.

The color was interesting, but once I got into the bag, I didn’t want to get out of it.

Nemo proudly tells you it is a woman’s sleeping bag and its ratings.

As I lay in it, I was wowed. I have not loved a sleeping bag this much since I bought a Big Agnes Roxy Ann bag, years ago (I want to say that was in 2008).

So, what made it work so much better?

First, the Blanket Fold™ you can see in the lighter color. It folds into the bag and provides a warm collar that covers…your lady lumps. Like, this is an amazing invention. You can also flip it up and use it cover your face if its really cold air. Genius.

A 3D footbox. So cut for women’s feet—even my size 10 gunboats.

Classic Spoon® shape adds room at elbows and knees for versatile comfort. And yes, it does. My knees were not touching in this bag. I could spread my legs. If you have sciatic nerve issues, it’s not comfortable to have to sleep with your legs pinned together.

There are vents on the top, so you can open it for air if it’s hot, but the bag is still sealed. This is a cool touch.

This sleeping bag was designed for women, completely, and their distinct needs. It was roomy for me. A size 18 would fit into this bag. It would fit a far wider range. And it is over $100 less!

The Takeaway:

REI is pandering. It is just Buzzword Bingo, designed to sound good and earn high fives on social media. REI claims the 2024 design “fits more people.”

We have stepped back 20 years in design.

In every attempt at inclusive outdoor gear, women lose. Every. Single. Time. You can call me a terf, if it makes you feel better. But I am tired of getting the bottom of the barrel, where they don’t even try. I have no desire to go back to 2000 when I looked like I was wearing my Dad’s clothing and my boyfriend’s gear.

As I zipped myself up, all I could think of was, “So when do they hand out the gender-free dishwater grey tunics for everyone to wear?”

Ladies, we don’t have to suffer! We can have gear that fits our hips, height, and body shape/size. If you want gender-free gear, buy it by all means. But don’t make women suffer for it. We are not cut the same as men.

~Sarah