8 Best Military Army Sleeping Bags & Modular Sleep Systems (MSS)

Searching for the perfect army sleeping bag? Our experts researched and bought the top affordable military sleeping bags available and put them through a battery of side-by-side tests to identify the best. The knowledge gained from this formal testing dwarfs the experience one might gain from a lifetime of casual camping. For this review, we purchased every bag and brought them through a battery of tests. We measured and weighed each one, followed by repeated warmth testing in a temperature-controlled 48°F room, as well as many nights inside tents. We snuggled in each of these bags, shivered under starry skies, and swore at stubbornly snagged zippers, in our quest to find the best. Our lead tester and research analyst has now tested and slept in more than 50 different military army sleeping bags and sleep systems, ranging from insomnia-inducing cheapos to ultra-premium, down-filled dreams. Zipper problems are a frequent complaint among more affordable bags, so we ran each bag's zipper back and forth 100 times to assess whether it had the strength to withstand long-term use. Our recommendations will ensure that you find the ideal military sleeping bag or army modular sleep system for your specific budget and needs.

TOP Army Sleeping Bags Comparison Table

1. The Best Green Cold Weather Military Army Sleeping Bag [Tennier Industries]

Genuine Issue GI US Military Sleeping Bag. 100% Polyester Fill, Cotton Inner Shell. Water Repellent and Wind-Resistant. Mummy Style for Warmth and Comfort. Made in USA.

2. The Best US Weather Resistant Modular Army Sleep System MSS (Military Army Sleeping Bag)

3. The Best Waterproof Wind-Resistant Military Army Sleeping Bag (Recon4) [Elite Survival Systems]

4. The Best US Modular System MSS (Green Patrol Military Army Sleeping Bag) [Tennier Industries]

5. The Best Compact Lightweight Military Army Sleeping Bag [Atlantco]

6. The Best Compact Lightweight Modular Military Army Sleeping Bag System MSS [US Military]

7. The Best Water Repellent Nylon Modular Military Army Sleeping Bag MSS [Military Outdoor Clothing]

8. The Best Wind-Resistant Waterproof Military Military Army Sleeping Bag (Recon5) [Elite Survival Systems]

Analysis and Army Sleeping Bags Test Results

To assess these military army sleeping bags in our hands-on comparison tests, we evaluated them across five metrics: warmth, comfort, versatility, features & design, and packed size. The performance in each is discussed below.

Warmth

The whole idea of a army sleep system is conceived around creating an insulated space to keep you warm. Blankets leave gaps where cold drafts can creep in. A closed bag seals them out. When executed well, you're left with a cozy cocoon at an ideal temperature for maximum rest and recovery. Quantifying military army sleeping bag warmth is trickier than you might imagine. Generally, it is done by assigning a temperature rating, which is meant to mean the temperature at which a specific sleeping bag will keep you warm. Although official standards have been devised for consistently measuring temp ratings, the added costs of such independent testing means that they're not conducted for bargain sleeping bags. The advertised temp ratings listed for all the bags in this review are chosen entirely by the manufacturer. Unfortunately, our testing suggests little consistency or reliability in these temp ratings between manufacturers. We observed bags with identical temp ratings feeling substantially different in terms of warmth. It's also important to acknowledge that maximum warmth is not necessarily desirable. Sweating inside a warm bag can be just as unpleasant as shivering inside a cold one. Instead, it's best to match a bag's warmth with the anticipated temperatures. The warmest military army sleeping bags we tested were the Teton Sports Celsius XXL and Coleman North Rim, which are both advertised with 0°F ratings. The bags are best suited for the colder nights of spring or fall but could be sweltering on a warm summer night. More moderate warmth is provided by the Redcamp Cotton Flannel, HiHiker Mummy, and Teton Sports Mammoth. They all feature reasonably thick insulation but include additional venting possibilities for the hottest nights. A third grouping of cooler bags is the Coleman Palmetto, Sleepingo Double, and Oaskys Three Season. The insulation on these bags is a little thinner. They should still be adequately warm in the summer, but might get too cold during the shoulder seasons of spring and fall. Finally, the Revalcamp supplies the least warmth of any army sleeping bag we tested. That's OK though because it's still a suitable choice for peak summer or indoor sleepovers.

Comfort

There might be nothing more maddening than trying to fall asleep when you're uncomfortable. Military army sleeping bags, with their confined spaces, scratchy fabrics, and annoying drawstrings, have spoiled more than a few nights. We endured all of these issues while testing these bags and we're eager to share our findings so you won't have to do the same. One of the biggest factors affecting comfort is the lining of a bag. Our testers unanimously agree that the soft feel of flannel is superior to the crinkliness of polyester or nylon. The Redcamp Cotton Flannel and both the Teton Sports bags are lined with similarly cozy flannel. The Coleman Palmetto also features flannel, but its particular variety is prone to collecting dirt and sticks which is sure to reduce your comfort. Army sleep systems come in three primary designs: simple rectangle, hooded rectangle, and mummy. Mummy bags save weight by reducing the total materials, but can feel uncomfortably restrictive to many. Another big influence on comfort is the roominess of a bag. Most people are likely to find spacious dimensions more comfortable than overnight confinement. That's why our testers prefer the wider feel of rectangular bags over a tapered mummy shape. A mummy design is useful for trimming materials and weight in a bag intended for human-powered adventure. When car camping, however, ounces don't really matter, so we suggest campers go with a rectangular model. Every bag in this review featured a similarly scratchy tab of velcro to close the zipper. Rectangular sleeping bags are not all the same size, but we found the manufacturers' listed dimensions to generally be accurate. Make sure the length is long enough for your height. Beyond that, wider bags will usually feel more comfortable. With 39 inches of width, the Teton Sports Celsius XXL is notable in this regard. These wide dimensions, combined with its soft flannel, lead us to consider it the most comfortable bag in this review.

Versatility

Military army sleeping bags can be used for more than just sleeping, and it can be hard to predict the temperature of your next camping trip when purchasing a bag. For these reasons, we tried to evaluate each bag in terms of versatility. This is assessed based on the range of temps a bag can comfortably be used in and whether its design allows for additional uses. Insulated tubes of fabric, called a draft collar or neck baffle, ensure that heat doesn't escape out the hood on colder nights. An army sleeping bag's usable temp range is determined by an interplay between how well it can seal heat in versus how well it can let excess heat escape. Hoods and draft tubes enhance a bag's capacity to trap heat, while long zippers ensure you don't overheat on warmer nights. Two of the best bags in this regard are the Oaskys Three Season and Teton Sports Celsius because they include the requisite features to adapt to a wide range of temperatures. Which of these fully opened sleeping bags would you rather use as a blanket? The oblong mummy bag or the ordinary rectangle? One of the most common alternative uses for a military sleeping bag is to convert it into a blanket for lounging. Rectangular bags can usually accomplish this with ease, especially if the zipper extends all the way around the foot of the bag. Mummy bags, in contrast, like the HiHiker or Coleman North Rim, cannot unzip to become an ordinary blanket. Many rectangular bags also have the added benefit of allowing them to be zipped together to create a two-person bag. This is easy to do with two Redcamp Cotton Flannel bags and is our recommendation for an affordable double bag option.

Army Military Sleep System's Features & Design

The reality is that when price decreases, quality often does the same. This is certainly true for the top bargain bags in this review. We believe the cheapest bags generally had the most delicate zippers and more glaring stitching mistakes. In our zipper durability test, for example, we ran each bag's zipper back and forth 100 times and observed substantial snagging and misalignment with the Hihiker Mummy, Revalcamp, Sleepingo, and Oaskys bags. These army bags also happen to be some of the cheapest. On the other end of the spectrum, we noticed burlier zippers and higher quality construction in the pricier models, particularly those from Teton Sports. The Redcamp and Coleman bags didn't feel quite as nice structurally but struck a good balance between quality and affordability. We're big fans of internal stash pockets like in the Redcamp Flannel. They ensure you can keep your phone or headlamp batteries warm and fully charged. Related to our observations on quality is the number of features each bag included. More expensive army military sleep systems are likely to include draft tubes and neck baffles which you are sure to appreciate on an unexpectedly cold night. Our favorite bags also come with interior stash pockets for storing a phone or headlamp. The Coleman, Teton Sports, and Redcamp bags all come with velcro stash pockets. Most sleeping bags specify that they meet fire resistance standards under regulation CPAI-75. This HiHiker label clearly states that the bag is "inflammable" (which confusingly means the same thing as flammable). The flammability of mattresses and bedding materials is an understandable concern for many people. Regulations are particularly strict for camping tents sold in the US. Rules are generally looser for sleeping bags, but it's still common to see sleeping bags with law labels stating they meet the industry-standard fire resistance test (CPAI-75). Five of the bags in this review do not clearly state whether they meet this standard. These are the HiHiker, Sleepingo, Revalcamp, Oaskys, and Redcamp bags. Unfortunately, the GearLab does not possess the resources or expertise to conduct our own fire resistance testing. We can confirm the labels on the Teton Sports and Coleman bags claim they meet fire resistance standards (CPAI-75). Packed Size A secondary characteristic to consider when selecting a military sleeping bag is how well it packs down, and thus, how much space it will take up in your car, attic, or suitcase. By and large, the packed sizes we measured corresponded closely with warmth—warmer bags were larger and colder bags packed smaller. The variation between similarly warm bags seems to be small enough that it shouldn't greatly influence a purchasing decision. However, there are two exceptions worth discussing. For most car owners, the size of a packed sleeping bag isn't a concern and we didn't notice enormous differences between models. One exception is the massive Teton Sports Mammoth that's a chore to actually fit into the sack. The Teton Sports Mammoth is our favorite dedicated two-person bag, but it is an absolute pain to pack. Its included stuff sack is borderline too small, and its narrow shape is unnecessarily inconvenient. If/when you finally do get the bag inside the sack, it remains roughly two times larger than any other bag we tried. This still probably won't be a huge problem for most people, but could be a concern for those with limited space. All of the affordable sleeping bags reviewed here featured similarly disappointing stuff sacks. The straps on the Revalcamp sack shown here had an annoying tendency to snag. The Revalcamp, in contrast, distinguishes itself with how impressively small it can stuff down. We measured its minimum volume at 8.5 liters, which is roughly half the size of its closest competitor. And with 2 lbs 9 oz of total weight, this bag is conceivably small and light enough to use for actual backpacking. We must temper this possibility by emphasizing that this military army sleeping bag barely meets its 40°F rating, and the consequences of breaking its fragile zipper miles from your car could be pretty harsh. Nevertheless, you would be hard-pressed to find a cheaper bag that's small enough to take backpacking. Our testers took these bags around to campsites, backyards, and even let some friends crash our couches in them. A lot of work went into this review, but hey, we also got to go camping.

There will never be a perfect military army sleeping bag for everyone. Every material and design decision comes with its own benefits and flaws. Add to that the myriad of uses people have for their sleeping bags, and there is no real hope of ever settling on a single bag above of the others. We simply hope that the information provided in this review helps you obtain the ideal bag for you and your specific needs.

Don’t buy cheap army military sleeping bag

If you buy cheap products, you will end up buying twice. There are some very cheap army sleeping bags on the market, but these are the ones made from poor quality material and components, and they can break down after a few months. Buy more quality model as it will be worth price that you pay.

FAQ

Let's go over some frequently asked questions about army sleeping bags.