images/Sierra Designs

When shopping for your next backpacking sleeping bag, you will have the urge to purchase the one with the lowest temperature rating. For guys, it’s a measure of their testosterone. On a backpacking trip, each guy will boast about the rating of their bag.

Whoever has a zero or lower-rated bag symbolically pounds their chest as the winner of the warmest bag. At night, the inevitable happens. The “winner” is profusely sweating because he is hot. They fidget all night trying to adjust their bag to reach some level of comfort.

Just as the name implies, Sierra Designs rates the bag at 40 Degrees Fahrenheit. For late spring, summer and early fall backpacking trips, the Verde 40 typically will offer a comfortable night of sleep. The Verde 40 is synthetically filled with Sierra Designs’ ECOPET. The synthetic fill is soft and was a feel similar to down.

The shell and liner consists of recycled polyester. The shell repelled water during testing, so it can handle some dampness from a light rain. The Verde 40 packs down to two pounds and five ounces. Sierra Designs has added a few features for convenience. The Verde 40 has straps to fasten your sleeping pad to the bag. A stuff sack and a bag for storage are included.

The Sierra Designs Verde 40 is recommended for backpacking trips in the warmer weather. For most, it can be the only sleeping bag for your backpacking excursions. Sierra Designs lists the Verde 40 at $149.95.