Best Sleeping Bag Liner for Backpacking 2024

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This is a gear review about the Best Sleeping Bag Liners on the market in 2024.

If you’re an experienced backpacker, you may already have noticed that even the Best Down Sleeping Bags and Best Ultralight Backpacking Quilts lose a bit of their loft over time from being dirty. Keeping your sleeping bag clean can be done easily with a quality sleeping bag liner.

Do you find yourself getting cold at night and don’t want to pay extra money for a high-quality Winter Sleeping Bag? The solution could be to get an insulated sleeping bag liner.

To solve all these issues I have put together a list of all the best sleeping bag liners for backpacking, hiking, and camping to help you choose the best one for you.

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How We Tested

All the Sleeping Bag Liners in this review have been extensively evaluated and researched by the expert author who has more than 30 years of experience in Thru-Hiking, Backpacking, and Hiking. He also spent several years managing a hiking retail store that sold and recommended many of the sleeping bag liners in this review. The research, testing, and experience of the author have combined to come up with the best sleeping bag liners for 2024. Read the Review Policy for further details.

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Best Sleeping Bag Liner for Backpacking 2024

The Best Sleeping Bag Liner for Backpacking in 2024 are:

• Sea to Summit Reactor Insulated Sleeping Bag Liner
• Sea to Summit Reactor Extreme Insulated Sleeping Bag Liner
• Western Mountaineering Tioga Silk Sleeping Bag Liner
• Cocoon Merino Wool Mummy Liner
• Sea to Summit Premium Silk Sleeping Bag Liner

The Sea to Summit Reactor Thermolite Insulated Liner is one of the most popular bestselling sleeping bag liners on the market for good reason.

Its special feature is its Reactor Thermolite fabric. It’s made of 100% polyester, and it’s constructed with hollow core fibers to do its best at keeping you warm. The idea behind this is to trap extra warm air for insulation, and it’s designed to add a further 14 degrees Fahrenheit of warmth.

The Sea to Summit Reactor Insulated Liner weighs 8.7 oz / 248 grams, which provides plenty of warmth, but at the same time is also quite lightweight, for carrying to camp.

And is much easier to roll up and pack than a fleece lining. It comes with its own Sil-nylon stuff sack which packs down to the size of a 1-liter water bottle.

It has a mummy shape to it, so it can go under your head and over your pillow, so the pillow will last longer. And it has a drawcord, so you can cinch it in really tight if the weather is super cold.

And because it’s polyester, it’s safe to go in the washing machine when you get home.

It is soft and comfortable, and quite stretchy, which will help prevent wear. Although it will keep you warm, it will not make your sleeping bag into an instant winter sleeping bag. Having said that, it will increase the warmth of your sleeping bag and it is breathable, will wick away any sweat, and will keep your bag clean.

It’s available in two sizes, rectangular, which measures 83 x 35 inches, or compact plus, which measures 72 x 36 inches.

Overall, the Sea to Summit Reactor Insulated Liner is the best sleeping bag liner on the market in 2024 and the best option for most people wanting to keep their sleeping bag clean with a liner and increase the warmth of their bag during the shoulder seasons.

The Sea to Summit Reactor Extreme has a lot in common with the Reactor Original mentioned above. Think of this as being very similar but warmer, bulkier, and heavier.

It uses Thermolite fabric, with hollow core fibers to trap extra warm air for insulation. But the key difference here is in the extra weight. Whereas the original version features 80 g/m² of fabric, the Extreme features a thicker 110 g/m² of fabric. Making the Sea to Summit Reactor Extreme sleeping bag liner weighs a total of 14 oz / 399 grams.

This serves to boost the warmth of your sleeping bag by up to 25 ºF. For some people, this could be all you need to head off on some Winter Backpacking Trips.

Considering the warmth it will provide, the Extreme liner is rather lightweight. Having said that, I would love it to be smaller in size and weigh a little less.

Similar to the original Reactor mentioned above, it’s breathable and wicks away sweat, it’s machine washable, and has that nice mummy shape, complete with drawcord.

It’s available in two sizes, Extreme regular, which measures 82 by 36 inches, and Extreme Long, which measures 92 by 35 inches.

Overall, the Sea to Summit Reactor Extreme is one of the best sleeping bag liners for winter backpacking. It could be all you need to add warmth to your current sleeping bag for winter or shoulder season camping trips or backpacking trips. 

I think everyone loves the feel of silk sheets, so using a silk sleeping bag liner will add a bit of comfort to your night’s sleep and also keep your sleeping bag clean in the process. If you are looking for something to add warmth to your sleeping bag, then the Western Mountaineering Tioga is not the product for you, this is for protection and comfort.

The fabric is 100% pure silk, and not some silk/textile hybrid, hence the relatively high price tag.

The Western Mountaineering Tioga is lightweight at less than 5 ounces and packs up to an acceptable size.

It’s machine washable, but you must follow the care guidelines when washing and drying it.

It’s available in two different shapes, namely rectangular or mummy, and is available in different sizes.

Overall, the Western Mountaineering Tioga is the best silk liner that will increase the comfort and feel of the sleeping bag and can double up as a great sleeping bag liner for traveling.

The Cocoon Merino Wool Liner is made out of Merino Wool, maybe the name gave it away! I’m a fan of Merino Wool for its comfort, natural resistance to bad body odor, and its ability to thermal regulate.

Although it is wool, it’s not at all itchy like other wools. This Merino wool sleeping bag liner will regulate your body heat. This means that it will keep you warm when it’s cold and keep you cool when it’s warm, making it a great liner for all seasons.

But that’s not all. It’s also moisture-wicking, which means your sweat will get wicked away, and it’s also odor-resistant, so it won’t ever smell like body odor when you climb back in. 

It’s also anti-static, hard-wearing, natural, and sustainable. And it’s non-allergenic, breathable, and machine washable.

The mummy version of this sleeping bag liner measures 86 by 32 inches and weighs 17.5 ounces which is a little on the heavy side for a sleeping bag liner.

In addition, to use as a sleeping bag liner, you can also use it in place of a sleeping bag when you’re sleeping somewhere that’s already reasonably warm such as a cabin or a friend’s house. 

Overall, the Cocoon Merino Wool Liner is the best Merino sleeping bag liner on the market. But considering its weight it could be a better option to just purchase one of the Best Merino Wool Base Layers and use them inside your sleeping bag as a liner that is what I do on most occasions.

Sea to Summit is arguably the best brand when it comes to sleeping bag liners.

The Sea to Summit premium silk liner is made from 100% pure premium AA grade ripstop silk and features polyester/lycra stretch panels on each side for added comfort and durability. 

It’s available in a range of shapes and sizes so be sure to check which one is best for you. I prefer the mummy-shaped silk sleeping bag liner which also happens to be one of the lightest at only 4.8 oz / 140 grams. They are also quite compact and come with their own stuff sack.

Overall, the Sea to Summit premium silk liner is another awesome silk sleeping bag liner for backpacking or travel. Like all silk sleeping bag liners, it will only offer a very small amount of warmth but will be comfortable and do a good job of protecting your sleeping bag from dirt, sweat, and body oils.

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Sleeping Bag Liner Comparison Table

Brand	Weight	Material
Sea to Summit Reactor Insulated Sleeping Bag Liner	8.7 oz	100% polyester
Sea to Summit Reactor Extreme Insulated Sleeping Bag Liner	14 oz	100% polyester
Western Mountaineering Tioga Silk Sleeping Bag Liner	3.6 oz	100% Silk
Cocoon Merino Wool Mummy Liner	17.5 oz	100% Merino
Sea to Summit Premium Silk Sleeping Bag Liner	4.8 oz	100% Silk

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Materials

There are a couple of main materials that sleeping bag liners are made out of such as silk, cotton, fleece, microfiber, wool, and synthetic.

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Silk

Silk sleeping bag liners are very soft, feel amazing, and lightweight. They are well suited to both backpacking and traveling. Also, they perform well in cold and warm weather.

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Cotton

Cotton Sleeping bag liners are cheap and comfortable to use. Due to their heavy weight, they are not well suited to backpacking when weight is an issue. But are well suited to travel and camping. They are also the easiest of all to clean, just throw them in the washing machine with the rest of your clothing,

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Fleece

Fleece Sleeping Bag Liners offer good warmth to weight ratio and a comfortable feel. For most people, they will be all you need to add a little bit of warmth and keep your sleeping bag clean. They do not fold up as small as silk or some other materials.

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Merino Wool

Merino Wool Sleeping Liners offer good temperature regulation, being good for both warm and cold weather. They also offer natural body odor control. But they can be quite heavy and don’t pack to a small size for their warmth.

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Microfiber

More common in towels than sleeping bag liners with fleece and Merino being better options.

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Synthetic

Synthetic liners such as polyester and blends offer a good compromise between warmth to weight, packability, and quick drying.

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Season and Warmth Rating

Your first decision should be what season/s you want to use the liner.

If you intend to use the liner in colder climates, you should look for a liner that will provide sufficient insulation. The best options are the Sea to Summit Reactor Extreme and the Sea to Summit Insulated Sleeping Bag Liner. 

If you’re hiking or holidaying in warmer climates, however, the purpose of the liner should be to keep you sufficiently cool, in which case a silk liner might be preferable.

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Brand

You may have noticed that we included one brand 3 times in our shortlist of 5. This is because Sea To Summit is head and shoulders above most of the rest.

They offer excellent quality at a reasonable price and are a prominent bestseller with almost all the leading online retailers in the world.

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Value for Money

Sleeping bag liners can really vary in price – you can get some for as little as $15 or less, and other times you could end up paying upwards of $200.

This is why we recommend our readers to check prices as you go along – especially if you have a budget to stick to.

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Conclusion

Overall, sleeping bag liners make a good choice to protect your sleeping bag and add warmth if and when needed.

The Best Sleeping Bag Liners for Hiking in 2024 are:

• Sea to Summit Reactor Insulated Sleeping Bag Liner
• Sea to Summit Reactor Extreme Insulated Sleeping Bag Liner
• Western Mountaineering Tioga Silk Sleeping Bag Liner
• Cocoon Merino Wool Mummy Liner
• Sea to Summit Premium Silk Sleeping Bag Liner

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Frequently Asked Questions

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