Sleeping Bags

Don't Try Camping With an Inferior One!

When you're out camping, one-third of your time will be spent inside your sleeping bag. If you don't get the right kind, you're going to have some uncomfortable and maybe even sleepless nights.

A sleeping bag has to conserve your body heat while allowing natural perspiration to escape in the form of water vapor. So it has to be insulated, yet airy and comfortable.

Basically, there are down bags - which use goose down or duck down as their filling - and synthetic bags which use light pieces of plastic and foam to fill them. Both filling materials perform the same function of trapping air, which is then warmed up by your body. And as long as that warm air stays trapped, you get to feel warm and snug.

If you feel too warm, you can open the sleeping bag zip a bit to get a bit of ventilation. The best bags have zips which can undo at the head and the feet while staying closed in the middle. That way you can fine-tune your comfort level.

Down sleeping bags have been the traditional choice of serious campers for a long time. This is because they compress to a very small size when packed. Down bags are also expensive, but most experienced campers agree it is money well spent. It is also a long-term investment, because if you look after your sleeping bag it will look after you for years.

I have had good bags which lasted ten years or more...

On the down side (pun intended)... If your down sleeping bag gets wet, the tiny feathers just clump together and are no longer fluffy. They don't trap warm air any more. So down or feathers won't keep you warm again until they dry out completely. In extreme conditions in the wild someplace, such as mountain or snow camping, you could die of cold before your wet sleeping bag gets a chance to dry out.

Some bags use a mix of feathers and down. The more feathers in the mix, the cheaper and less effective that sleeping bag will be. If you want a genuine down bag, read the label very carefully and buy a good brand.

And if you can't afford the best, and many of us can't, a good synthetic sleeping bag will be better than a cheap bag filled with some inferior down and feather mixture.

Synthetic sleeping bags will keep you warm whether they are wet or dry, which is their big plus. They are cheaper than most down bags as well… another plus. The down side for synthetic bags is that they are much heavier and bulkier than down sleeping bags. That's fine of you're car camping or using a trailer; but if you're backpacking, then a down bag will almost certainly be your bag of choice.

Sleeping bags are also manufactured in several basic shapes, with minor variants of course. The warmest and most efficient kind is the "mummy" shaped sleeping bag, which is wide for the body and narrower for the legs. The bottom of the bag gets taller to accommodate your feet, and there is an adjustable hood to prevent heat loss from your head.

The cheaper and less efficient bags are straight rectangular shape and have no hood. Neither do they taper for the feet. The zip can be completely undone and the sleeping bag opened up like a duvet or eiderdown - and can be used that way on a normal bed, with sheets, in the home or caravan. Or else two of these rectangular bags can be zipped together to make a double sleeping bag for a couple. You will also find there are ready-made double or twin sleeping bags, as well as children’s sleeping bags.

Just make sure the sleeping bag you decide on is going to be warm enough for the job, since a tent can get really cold at night – even in summer. The ground below sucks away your body heat even through the tent floor or ground sheet. So a foam sleeping pad, camping cot or air mattress is a must. If you don’t have those, fold an extra blanket underneath your sleeping bag or lay out several layers of newspapers. They are a great insulator as long as they’re not wet.

I suggest you learn to hang your sleeping bag out on a washing line to air every day after getting up. This way the dampness from your sweat at night will have a chance to evaporate, and the bag will smell sweeter. Just remember to bring the bag indoors by lunchtime, or if it is likely to rain!

Time to think about a Sleeping Bag Liner.