Last year’s Zero Impact Challenge by Backpacker Magazine focused on eco-friendly backpacks. The challenge was to “create a trail-worthy 3,500-cubic-inch midsize with materials and manufacturing that entail minimal environmental impact.”

Seems pretty simple right? Not so. If you knew anything about pack design you’d understand the enormity of the task. An eco-friendly backpack needs to be light, simple and made of recycled material. Five companies that rose to the challenge were GoLite, JanSport, L.L. Bean, Mountainsmith and Osprey.

Key = Lowest impact (1, Green); Lower impact (2, Blue); Business as usual (3, Orange)

This year, the challenge is focused on something more interesting -  sleeping bags. The goal was to develop a dependable three-season sleeping bag with lower carbon emissions.

Five out of thirty companies rose to the challenge – Big Agnes, Feathered Friends, GoLite, Sierra Designs, and The North Face. The rules are simple:

“Send us a bag rated 20°F, plus an encyclopedia of data on materials, shipping, and energy use.”

This finished sleeping bags have to undergo a three-month evaluation by testers from Colorado, Vermont, Kentucky, New York and Utah. How much the bags impact the environment will be analyzed by Cooler, a pioneer in climate studies and product analysis, and endorsed by three major environmental organization.

Findings

• Recycled polyester produces 35 percent less emissions than virgin poly and 50 percent less than virgin nylon
• Goose down bags are not greener than recycled polyester
• Contestants cut emmissions by 10 percent

The results in alphabetical order:

Big Agnes Tumble Down 20
Less bag where many hikers don’t need it makes a big difference.

Feathered Friends Blue Heron 20
A winning combo: Make it light and local.

GoLite Starlite 20
Recycled materials and fewer trucking miles trim carbon weight.

Sierra Designs Verde 20
No bag in this challenge incorporated more recycled components.

The North Face Green Kazoo 15
How do you replace a legend? Cut its footprint without cutting warmth.

Women-specific sleeping bags as the name suggests are tailored to fit women a little bit better. The really big problem is that women vary is shape and sizes. Some are round, some athletic, some skinny, some curvy and more.

Sleeping bag manufacturers claim that their women-specific sleeping bag dimensions are based on the size of an average women. The problem is, most women I know are not the size of an “average woman”. So where do these “average women” come from?

Most athletic type women have problems with fitting women-specific sleeping bags because while it is made a little wider in the hips and a little narrow at the shoulders, these athlete women are a little narrow at the hips and a little wide at the shoulders.

So what am I saying?

Women-specific sleeping bags are still worth looking into despite the size problems. If it fits, why not?

I need a zero degree sleeping. Which one should I get that’s no more than $300?

Sierra Designs make really good women sleeping bags. The Winema 0 degree sleeping bag is highly recommended. Weighing 3 pounds, 12 ounces, it is made up coconut shell derivatives that are as soft as nylon. Insulation is made of the synthetic Primaloft Eco surrounded by EcoSensor recycled shell material that keeps you comfortable in damp conditions. It has got some of the features of a high end down sleeping bag.

If you want a down sleeping sleeping that is less than $300 then go for the Teton +0 by Marmot. The 600-fill goose down insulation makes it softer, warmer, lighter(3 pounds, 5 ounces) and more durable than synthetic sleeping bags. Considering that the price is about the same as the Winema, this one is a steal.

If the above two are out your range then a good cheap sleeping bag is L.L. Bean’s Katahdin Climashield Women’s Mummy. Despite the fact that the price is about half the maximum budget, this one is still a zero degree sleeping bag that’s highly rated by users. At 3 pounds, 5 ounces, it’s surprisingly light for a synthetic sleeping bag.

Also consider a sleeping pad or two to keep away the cold from the ground and for extra cushioning.