Sleeping bags are caravan holiday essentials – but one look at this Musucbag Lite and you might not think it was a sleeping bag at all! Read on and all will be revealed.

This is one of 14 sleeping bags reviewed as part of our group sleeping bag test. Comfort should not be compromised simply because you’re on tour, and no matter what time of year you fancy hooking up your van and heading away on tour, there is no need to be cold at night with the current crop of high-tech sleeping bags. Whether you want a mummy-style sleeping bag designed for extreme conditions, a more traditionally shaped option or something in between, with so much to choose from, you are sure to be able to enjoy a perfectly warm night in your van.

As far as we are concerned, comfort is king when sleeping, so this was our number one consideration when testing these sleeping bags. The roominess and size of each sleeping bag was assessed, and we evaluated the materials used in its construction. Once upon a time, synthetics were sometimes frowned upon for being uncomfortably coarse and shiny, however technology has come on and synthetics can have great benefits.

The materials used to make sleeping bags today can provide amazing thermal performance but still squash down very small, meaning that the sleeping bags are very easy to store – a bonus for all caravan accessories, as it makes packing your tourer all the more simple.

Sleeping bags that can go in the washing machine are also super handy. Yet as they can also be tricky to dry, if they have hanging hooks or, even better, if they have been approved for tumble drying, that’s a huge help and a big plus point when you’re trying to clean your sleeping bag once you’re back home.

The Practical Caravan sleeping bag review team also evaluated the zips on all products tested. We looked at the zip baffles to see how good they are at stopping cold air getting in through the zip. We also prefer sleeping bags that open all the way down one side and all the way across the bottom – it’s easier to join two singles to make a double sleeping bag if the zips are like this, and in general they are far easier to get in to and out of, not to mention easier to clean. We also assessed the performance of each sleeping bag’s hood and drawstrings (if fitted).

Here we are reviewing the Musucbag Lite. This is a complete reinvention of the sleeping bag, thanks to its built-in arms, legs, hood and reinforced nylon feet. Yes, you’ll look like a Teletubbie if you wear one. But the idea works: it’s far easier to climb in and lie on the bed, rather than wriggle your way into a conventional bag. And never again do you need to worry about getting out of a toasty bed into the cold; in effect, the warmth goes with you. But perhaps the biggest bonus is that on restless nights your sleeping bag won’t tie itself in knots.

This does cost you £69, which is a price many might not want to pay, but as our four-star rating proves, this is a very capable sleeping bag.

The Musucbag Lite did much better in our test than the rectangular Coleman Vail Comfort sleeping bag, which was given a two-star score due to the fact that you can’t pop it in a washer-dryer. By contrast, the tidy little cocoon-like Easy Camp Cosmos sleeping bag, at £23, scored a fabulous four stars in our test.  

We also reviewed the Robens Trailhead 1500, a £50 sleeping bag that got a four-star rating, and the £25 Outwell Campion that, with its glittering five-star rating was the winner of the Practical Caravan sleeping bag group test.