Verdict
We marked the Kampa Double Layer Garnet down a notch because it’s a bit bulky and you can’t tumble dry it. There’s nothing wrong with this sleeping bag, but some other rectangular sleeping bags have evolved and now offer a hood section that goes on top of your pillow, which helps to eliminate draughts around your neck. But if you have a lovely heated caravan, this may not matter at all to you.
This could just be the sleeping bag for you if you want the comfort of a duvet, in a neater sleeping bag form. This is a cosy sleeping bag for the money and it will match the décor in many caravans. It’s just a little old fashioned – but perhaps you don’t mind!
Pros
Generous size
Comfortable and soft
Feels a lot like a duvet
Cons
There’s no hood or baffle to keep your head and neck warm
It won’t pack down small
Not suitable for tumble drying
There was a time when caravan interior designers seemed hell-bent on making everything beige or brown, and this sleeping bag’s appearance harks back to that era. In reality, it’s extremely inoffensive, and — all joking aside — it will slot perfectly into many older caravans.
The bag is as traditional as its styling suggests, but in a good way: it is beautifully roomy, and the combination of generous levels of filling, plus the soft polycotton lining, gives the bag an almost duvet-like feel.
The biggest drawbacks, compared to more contemporary designs, are the large pack-down size, the lack of a hood, drawstring and baffle to keep draughts at bay, and the fact that you can’t wash and tumble dry it quickly during your holiday in case of any spillages, because it’s air-dry only.
The Garnet range of sleeping bags from Kampa features both single layer and double layer products. The single layer has 350gsm filling, while this double layer sleeping bag has the delightfully cosy 500gsm filling. The filling is made of ‘soft touch siliconised four hole Hollow Fibre’, which is designed to be softer than normal sleeping bag fillings. The shell and the lining are both made from a soft material that resembles sheets rather than the shiny synthetic finish favoured by other sleeping bag manufacturers. Both the Garnet sleeping bag shell and the lining are 65 per cent Polyester and 35 per cent cotton, with a thread count of 153.
There’s a two-way zip and it undoes completely, so that you have the option of buying two of these sleeping bags and zipping them together to form a large double sleeping bag.
The Kampa Single Layer Garnet weighs 2.75kg, while this Double Layer Garnet weighs 3.4kg.
The size is generous. Each bag is 94cm (37 inches) wide and 200cm (78 inches) long. It comes with its own carry bag.
In our group test of 14 sleeping bags we reviewed several other rectangular sleeping bags that you might like to compare with this one. The judges awarded the highest rating for this shape of bag to the overall test winner, the Outwell Campion, £25. The two next best rectangular sleeping bags were the Vango Serenity, costing £41 and the SunnCamp Deluxe King Size Expression, at £40. The Kampa Double Layer Garnet had two equals in the test, our judges felt, and these were the Coleman Vail Comfort, £53, and the Kampa Single Layer Citrine, £43.
If you’re interested in the tapered body-hugging mummy styles of sleeping bags, consider the Argos 927/6378 Regatta Single Mummy Sleeping Bag, £20, or the Argos 144/1895 Highlander Sleephuggerz 250gsm Single Cowl Sleeping Bag, £25, Easycamp Cosmos, £23, Halfords Urban Escape Tahoe, £20, or the pea pod shaped Argos 144/1895 Highlander Sleephuggerz 250gsm Single Cowl Sleeping Bag, £25. If you want to push the boat out a bit try the Robens Trailhead 1500 sleeping bag, £50, or the Robens Appalachion 1500, £75; the latter being the most expensive and warmest sleeping bag in our test.
We also tested two very unusual sleeping bags shaped to fit the human body like a onesie or padded suit. If you like the more traditional style of this Kampa sleeping bag, it may not be for you, but why not take a look, anyway? The cheaper of the two is the Summit Motion Sac, £50, but the best of the two is the Musucbag Lite, £69.
The bag is as traditional as its styling suggests, but in a good way
