The Feathered Friends Swallow UL 20 meets
the REI Co-op Siesta Hooded 20
Ranked first by Treeline Review, CleverHiker and GearJunkie, and it weighs 26.6 ounces as a 20-degree bag. We tested it head-to-head against the REI Co-op Siesta Hooded 20 across 6 key dimensions.
Feathered Friends Swallow UL 20
“Ranked first by Treeline Review, CleverHiker and GearJunkie, and it weighs 26.6 ounces as a 20-degree bag”
REI Co-op Siesta Hooded 20
“Four expert guides name it the best camping bag, and the hood holds a full-size pillow from home”
Head-to-Head Breakdown
Strengths & Weaknesses
Feathered Friends Swallow UL 20
- Ranked first by Treeline Review, CleverHiker (4.8/5) and GearJunkie (9.0/10), and Switchback Travel's best premium bag
- 26.6 ounces for a 20-degree bag, and the smallest packed bag in Wirecutter's compression test
- Treeline Review and GearJunkie both found the 20-degree rating conservative
- $659 direct from Feathered Friends, with no Amazon or big-box availability
- Switchback Travel says it lacks some modern features, and CleverHiker lists the minimal feature set as a con
- Outdoor Life's tester found it slipped off the sleeping pad, and stuffing it takes muscle
REI Co-op Siesta Hooded 20
- Best Overall at CleverHiker, GearJunkie, Better Trail and Wirecutter, and a Top Pick at OutdoorGearLab
- The hood fits a full-size pillow from home, which CleverHiker, GearJunkie and Better Trail all mention
- Machine washable synthetic fill that OutdoorGearLab and Wirecutter found easy to clean
- CleverHiker says it isn't comfortable near its 20-degree rating; plan on 35 degrees and up
- 5 lb 7.3 oz and a 25-liter stuff sack, so it stays at the car
- Better Trail found the zippers snaggy, and OutdoorGearLab says the hood cinches unevenly
The Verdict
Our Bottom Line
Treeline Review, CleverHiker and GearJunkie all rank the Feathered Friends Swallow UL 20 first among three-season bags, and GearJunkie's 9.0 out of 10 is the top score in its backpacking guide. Switchback Travel names it the best premium bag. Wirecutter picks the Swallow YF version for serious backpackers who sleep warm, and Outdoor Life calls the Swallow and its women's twin, the Egret, the best ultralight option. Of the 70 models our sources covered, only our value pick collected more first places, and every one of those came from car-camping guides.
Feathered Friends Swallow UL 20
Treeline Review, CleverHiker and GearJunkie all rank the Feathered Friends Swallow UL 20 first among three-season bags, and GearJunkie's 9.0 out of 10 is the top score in its backpacking guide. Switchback Travel names it the best premium bag. Wirecutter picks the Swallow YF version for serious backpackers who sleep warm, and Outdoor Life calls the Swallow and its women's twin, the Egret, the best ultralight option. Of the 70 models our sources covered, only our value pick collected more first places, and every one of those came from car-camping guides.
- Backpackers who carry their bag for miles and count ounces
- Cold sleepers who want a temperature rating they can trust
- You camp in the 20s and 30s in spring and fall
- You'd rather buy one premium bag than replace a cheap one every few seasons
- Back sleepers who don't mind a mummy cut
REI Co-op Siesta Hooded 20
Four guides name the REI Co-op Siesta Hooded 20 the best camping sleeping bag: CleverHiker (4.9 out of 5), GearJunkie (8.7 out of 10), Better Trail (4.7 out of 5) and Wirecutter. OutdoorGearLab adds a Top Pick. That is more first-place finishes than any other bag in our research, and it costs $149.
- Car campers and families at drive-in campgrounds
- Side sleepers who hate the squeeze of a mummy bag
- You want to bring your pillow from home
- You camp from late spring to early fall, above about 35 degrees
- You want a bag you can throw in the washing machine