I’ve laundered the Big Bay once, and the insulation has stayed in place. This bag should last you for many years, and to ensure it does, it comes with a 5-year limited warranty against manufacturer defects and workmanship. The sleeping bag stands out for camping in cooler months or at high altitudes, given you can sleep in comfort at low temperatures coleman sleeping bag (up to 20F). The reason we feel the Brazos is award-worthy is because it perfectly balances cost with basic necessities. If you want a basic bag that can hold its own against bags that are much more expensive, the Brazos is certainly a good option. In particular, it’s great for kids and teens and for any camper who just wants the basics.
For those looking to travel fast and far, or for those traveling into alpine terrain, a lighter-weight bag makes that possible. A bag in the 3- to 4-pound range can be used for backpacking, and these models are often more comfortable to sleep in, but they also take up more space and add weight to an already heavy pack. Anything above 4 pounds is generally best for car camping and recreational use. The Big Bay is best suited for car camping, road tripping, backyard sleepovers and other adventures where you don’t need to carry it that far. At less than 5 pounds, it’s not overly heavy, and it packs down to a decent size using the compression sack, but the size and weight will take their toll if you’re hiking into camp.
In the end, the Brazos scored the lowest for comfort out of all the bags we tested, mostly due to its smaller size and fabrics. That being said, we feel this is still a great choice for young kids (who sleep through most anything) or teens (who don’t sleep and will most likely be around the campfire all night). At $76.00, this sleeping bag is costly to many, but it’s clear what you are paying for. We would have expected that an everyman sleeping bag like the Brazos to fit, well, every man, but unfortunately, that is not the case. Dimensions for this bag are 75”x33”, but the Coleman website states it will only accommodate campers up to 5’11” in height. The 66” girth throughout the bag could have also benefited from a bit of expansion.
We don’t suggest the Brazos for really cold weather; however, for normal late spring, summer, and early fall camping, this bag will work overtime to keep you warm — as long as you can fit in it. During our controlled warmth tests, we used a laser thermometer to measure this bag’s ability to retain heat. You don’t need to wash your sleeping bag after every camping trip, but you should clean it once or twice a year, depending on how much you use it.
Put simply, the in-and-out convenience and ability to use the bag as a blanket with a full-zip sleeping bag is the better answer for most campers. For having a knit liner and far from space-age insulation, the Brazos still managed to come in at a reasonable 4.1lb, which is just a hair lighter than its main competitor on our 2021 list, the $45 Kelty Callisto 30. Packed size, i.e., compressed volume coleman canopy is pretty much negligible with this bag; it’s simply not built for backpacking but rather for camping. That being said, the bag comes with a stuff sack that does a decent job of keeping everything together. The sleeping bag itself also has roll-control fasteners that hold the bag straight as you roll it up as well as no-tie cords to keep the whole package together, making packing up a breeze.