Last Updated on 08/02/2024
Why Choose a Sleeping Bag Liner Made From Silk?
In this guide to the best silk sleeping bag liners, we explore what makes silk a good choice of material to line your sleeping bag. We share how the smoothness of the fabric prevents it from getting twisted inside your sleeping bag and also why sleeping in a silk sleeping bag liner is a vibe. You will learn why silk is a great choice for backpackers staying in hostels and the benefits of this amazing fabric.
The importance of a good night’s sleep has been proven in countless studies. and certain products can help you get one while camping. We have covered this topic partly before with our catch-all guide to the best sleeping bag liners and how to sleep in a sleeping bag every night. But can a thin piece of fabric really impact our sleep? To settle our curiosity, we will be zeroing in on the fabric of silk and how it can act as an amazing sleeping bag liner.
Silk is a natural fiber and is perfect for any kind of sleepwear due to its next-to-skin comfort, texture, and properties in dealing with moisture. Another natural fiber that is very popular for sleeping bag liners is merino wool.
Silk pulls moisture from your body, keeping or getting you dry. It also provides a barrier between you and your sleeping bag, with silk being incredibly soft and pleasant to touch against the skin. Another benefit of silk is that when it is hot, silk always feels slightly cool to the touch and is one of the best materials to sleep in hot and humid weather.
The 6 Best Silk Sleeping Bag Liners for Backpacking
Sea to Summit Premium Silk Sleeping Bag Liner
- WEIGHT: 136 g / 0.29 lbs
- MATERIAL: 100% Premium Ripstop Silk
When it comes to a comfortable night’s sleep, it’s hard to beat the Sea to Summit Premium Silk Sleeping Bag Liner. This liner is made from premium-grade silk with ripstop qualities similar to polyester. This provides a luxuriously soft and durable sleeping bag liner that will keep you as comfortable as can be for many years. Additionally, this sleeping bag liner will provide some extra warmth of up to 3 degrees Celsius / 34.7 degrees Fahrenheit.
The Sea to Summit Premium Silk is not only one of the best silk sleeping bag liners on the market. It is super soft and comes in a range of colors along with some additional models that provide extra qualities such as a hood, reduced foot area, panels, or even a double bed version if you like to sleep with your partner. It also includes unique side stretch panels to create an even more comfortable sleeping space that you can stretch out in without restriction.
VERDICT: Given the compact size and extremely low weight of this silk sleeping bag liner, the Sea to Summit silk liner will fit in your backpack, and you won’t even notice it. Until it’s time to sleep, and you will be very happy for its inclusion as you tiredly crawl into your super soft sleeping bag liner for a fantastic night’s sleep. Great for hikers, campers, or anyone anywhere who wants a great sleep in their sleeping bag.
Cocoon Silk Travel Sheet Lightweight Sleeping Bag Liner
- WEIGHT: 160 g / 0.35 lbs
- MATERIAL: Silk
When it comes to a larger and more spacious silk liner that can be used without a sleeping bag – the Cocoon Silk Travel Sheet Lightweight Sleeping Bag Liner is just the piece of equipment you are looking for. The Cocoon comes in larger rectangular shapes that can easily be used inside or outside of a sleeping bag. It also has a pocket for placing a pillow inside, a side zipper, and double stitching to ensure it will last you many uses.
Using high-quality silk, the Cocoon provides up to 5 degrees Celsius / 41 degrees Fahrenheit extra warmth and will even cool you down by wicking away moisture in hotter environments. It’s very lightweight and quite spacious compared to other models. The silk is super soft and will provide a very comfortable sleeping experience with or without clothes on.
VERDICT: This sleeping bag liner made from silk has been designed with more than sleeping bags in mind and this model is more than capable of holding its own in many locations like a hostel dormitory, an alpine chalet, or draped over a passed-out friend asleep on your couch at home. Equally great in hot or cold environments – the Cocoon Silk Travel Sheet is recommended for anyone who likes a great night’s sleep.
Western Mountaineering Tioga Sleep Liner
- WEIGHT: 103 g / 0.22 lbs
- MATERIAL: Silk
Extremely lightweight and incredibly compact describes the Western Mountaineering Tioga Sleep Liner to a T. This is one of the best silk sleeping bag liners on the market for this who want simplicity and have limited space. Primarily designed for use on a hiking trail, the Tioga doesn’t have pillow sacks or extra features. Some of the others do.
The silky touch on the skin ensures a great night’s sleep, as anyone who has used this can attest to, and it will provide some extra warmth to keep you even more comfortable up to 5 degrees Celsius/41 degrees Fahrenheit. Coming in a standard rectangle shape ensures the Western Mountaineering Tigoa will fit in almost any sleeping bag. If you’re wondering if this works inside a mummy sleeping bag, it does, and it doesn’t feel too crowded at your feet.
VERDICT: While being very comfortable and warm, this liner’s greatest asset is its lightweight simplicity. This is perfect for those who like to hike and live out of a backpack for days or weeks on end, but it can still be used for regular use.
RAB Ascent Sleeping Bag Hooded Liner
- WEIGHT: 127 g / 0.27 lbs
- MATERIAL: Silk
The RAB Ascent Sleeping Bag Liner is a silky sleeping bag liner that has been specifically designed to fit inside a sleeping bag easily, without bunching up, twisting, or becoming uncomfortable as you sleep. It achieves this by using a tapered foot section, creating a mummy-style sleeping bag liner, and a hood that keeps your head warm and also keeps the liner in place.
Like the other silk sleeping bag liners, the RAB Ascent ensures a quality night’s sleep with the feel of silk on your skin. It is very lightweight and stuffed into its tiny sack for easy carrying, making the RAB Ascent great for hiking and backpacking.
VERDICT: This liner can be used anywhere from the bedroom to the campsite, but it’s aimed at those who like to hike and camp or head out on expeditions. The tapered bottom and the hood create even extra warmth if at high altitudes and won’t get twisted up on you – which can create issues on a small mountain ledge.
Cocoon Expedition Liner-RipStop Silk MummyLiner
- WEIGHT: 108 g / 0.24 lbs
- MATERIAL: Silk ripstop
The Cocoon Expedition Liner-RipStop Silk Mummy Liner takes the opposite approach to Cocoon’s other silk liner – the Travel Sheet. Instead of a spacious liner with many features that are designed for general use, the Expedition Liner is smaller, more compact, and is primarily designed for use in a sleeping bag on an expedition.
The bag itself uses ripstop silk, which is more durable over the long term but is not quite as smooth and silky as high-quality pure silk. Still, it provides a super comfortable sleep with a tapered bottom, giving it a mummy shape that fits inside any sleeping bag with ease. There is no side zipper, so you need to slide down from the top inside it.
VERDICT: While this is clearly designed and marketed as an expedition-style silk sleeping bag liner, and it’s very well designed for this – it is also suitable as a travel liner for those who like to visit faraway places and sleep comfortably. The Cocoon Expedition is quite spacious and can be used by larger people without feeling restricted.
Snugpak Silk Liner
- WEIGHT: 140g / 0.30 lbs
- MATERIAL: Silk, cotton blend
The Snugpak Silk Liner is a more budget option that utilizes both silk and cotton to provide you with a liner that will keep you warm and dry. It’s very lightweight but also a little heavier than most of the pure silk models and comes in a mummy shape with a tapered bottom, but it lacks a hood to ensure it all stays in place as you sleep.
Due to the combination of silk and cotton, the Snugpak can provide a little extra heat at almost 7 degrees Celsius / 41 degrees Fahrenheit. However, this is not the best silk sleeping bag liner on the market as it’s designed to be simple, a little small, and appeal to the budget conscious. The silk feels itself is not as smooth on the skin when compared to pure quality silks liners like the Cocoons or the RAB.
VERDICT: Everyone should use a sleeping bag liner as there is a load of benefits as we have mentioned here. However, this is on the low end of a silk liner and has been designed with that in mind. If you are a larger or taller person, you may also have issues covering your whole body.
Guide to Silk Sleeping Bag Liners
At a base level, a sleeping bag liner will provide a barrier between you and your sleeping bag; it will increase the warmth of your sleeping setup and should feel more comfortable on your skin. We have previously covered how sleeping bag liners work and other types of liners like Merino Wool, but in this section, we will focus on the properties of silk.
Silk, like merino wool, is a natural fiber that possesses properties that are very hard to manufacture. Silk can make you warmer when you are cold but also cool you down if you are hot, and it achieves this through a process called thermoregulation. This is a process where the silk will absorb your sweat and take it away from your skin, having a cooling effect. When it’s cold, the opposite happens, and the silk will release some moisture that will aid you in warming up.
Silk is by far the most comfortable fabric to sleep in, too, as it feels so good against your skin, something that can’t be dismissed when discussing a perfect night’s sleep.
Silk Blends
While many of the liners here are 100% silk, a minority have other fabrics blended into the silk or weaved the silk in a different way for better results. Silk woven with cotton provides a more durable fabric that is great for dryer weather. However, it is heavier and not quite as comfortable.
Ripstop silk is an innovative design where the silk is woven into a grid pattern instead of a traditional weave in lines to create a more durable silk fabric. Ripstop silk is a touch more expensive and has the same silk feel and properties, but it should last you longer.
Warmth Rating
A warmth rating on a sleeping bag liner indicates how much warmer you could be if you used a liner inside a sleeping bag. The temperature ranges are usually 3-9 degrees Celsius / 37-48 degrees Fahrenheit, and this applies too if you are just using the liner. Another way to look at it – is if you have a sleeping bag that is rated to 0 degrees, adding a 5-degree sleeping bag liner will now keep you comfortable at -5 degrees.
Weight and Pack Size
Sleeping bag liners are not big or bulky, and silk liners are the lightest of the lot. Weight and size can be very important if you are hiking or backpacking long distances but less so if you are driving to a campsite. Sleeping bag liners all pack down very small, and for some on this list, you would barely notice the extra weight.
Size and Shape
While all the silk sleeping bag liners are designed to fit inside an actual sleeping bag, they do not come all in the same size. Some have a ‘mummy’ appearance where the feet are significantly narrower than the head section. This keeps the liner in place, reduces the chances of it being twisted up at night, and reduces air space, which can increase warmth.
Square-shaped liners are larger and are designed for use both inside and outside a sleeping bag. Whether it is sleeping at a friend’s house or a cheap hotel, these can be used as normal bedding, provided it is warm enough.
Hood, Zips, and Drawcords
Hoods zip, and drawcords are extra design features that some of the sleeping bag liners have included. Hoods help keep the liner in place and also provide extra warmth – which is very useful if you are mountaineering.
Some of the liners have side zippers, while others do not, and this really is about how you like to get into your bag. Drawcords on a sleeping bag liner or a sleeping bag itself assist with keeping warmth inside your sleeping bag.
Are Silk Sleeping Bag Liners the Warmest?
Silk sleeping bag liners are not the warmest; they are by far the most comfortable and the lightest. However, liners made from Thermolite or merino wool provide more insulation overall. Silk sleeping bags are possibly the coolest type of sleeping bag liner, though, and are the best for warmer weather.
Do Sleeping Bag Liners Add Much Warmth?
Silk liners do add some degrees of heat or combine with a sleeping bag to create a warmer system than either of these used on their own. I have been in a situation before where at night, I start to feel cold and get my silk sleeping bag liner out, and that adds just enough extra warmth to make me totally comfortable again.
How Many Degrees Does a Silk Liner Add?
Silk is towards the lower end of adding extra warmth and generally runs between 3-6 degrees Celsius / 37-41 degrees Fahrenheit. This is sometimes enough to just help your body keep its natural temperate just above where it should be so that you never feel cold. The extra insulation can really make a difference to how warm it feels, even if it is only 1 or 2 degrees more.
Can You Use a Silk Liner as A Sleeping Bag?
You can use the silk liner as a sleeping bag whenever the temperature allows for it. For camping in summer, a silk sleeping bag liner may be all you need, and in a temperature-controlled home, a silk sleeping bag liner can be used for guests too.
Lastly, if you are traveling abroad and like to stay in hostels of rustic accommodation – a sleeping bag liner is a good barrier to use to protect yourself against infestation or dirt and grime.
Is a Silk Sleeping Bag Liner Worth It?
We have spoken numerous times about how sleeping bag liners are amazing bits of kit every camper and backpacker should own. The question is, should you get a silk sleeping bag liner or a different type? Our answer would be that if you are optimizing for comfort and the warmer months of the year, then silk is 100% the way to go. If you are optimizing for warmth, then there are better options available.
Does Silk Stop Bed Bugs?
Silk sleeping bag liners have one giant advantage in that they stop bed bugs by providing a barrier between you and the outside world – a silk sleeping bag liner will not only protect you against bed bugs, but it will also help stop any creepy crawlies from getting inside. This can be a big problem in hostels around the world, and a silk liner can save you from waking up covered in thousands of tiny bites. A hood and drawstring closure help in this scenario.
We hope you enjoyed reading our guide to the best silk sleeping bag liners and have a good idea of whether this is what you want vs other materials.
