Sleeping Bags
The ability to have a good time while camping often times has a lot to do with how well you sleep. And because of this paying a lot of attention to your sleeping bag may be one of the biggest decisions in camping. Unfortunately, I always went to Walmart and picked up the cheapest thing. But, that isn’t the right way to go about things. Depending on your plans it may be beneficial to have more than one bag.
It is also a good idea to have bags on hand even if you are glamping with a heater. There are always unforeseen events and if you lose power and your heat, a sleeping bag is a lifesaver.
The main things to think about with sleeping bags is softness, warmth, and size/shape. Of course if you are backpacking you will care about weight as well, but for car camping weight shouldn’t be as big of a deal.
First off I want to talk about size and shape. There are of course youth bags that are smaller, but there are often times women’s bags which can come in 66 inch length while men’s bags will typically come in either 72 or 78 inches. This can be a big deal if you don’t like your feet getting cold, all the empty space in the bottom can trap air.
Outside of the size is also the shape. The traditional sleeping bag is a rectangular bag with a single chamber and no hood. While the mummy bag acts more like a cocoon. It tapers at the feet and typically has a hood that you can sinch up around your mouth and nose. I am a hot sleeper so I like to be able to cool off, I like to have space, and I hate things on my face. With all that, I am not a mummy bag person.
I could be a mummy bag person if I camped in the right climate. Which brings me to warmth. Most bags are rated for what temperature they should be used at. You will typically see a comfort temperature and a limit temperature. The comfort temp is typically for women who tend to sleep cold (cold body needing more warmth). The limit temperature is typically for men who sleep hot, but those are suggestions. Sometimes there will be a third temperature they may call a risk temp. The lowest temp should be considered the temperature that is listed for safety reasons. You need to pay attention to what kind of camping you are doing. If you are camping in the Rockies in January where the low is typically in mid-twenties you want a bag that has a limit temperature or risk temperature of the mid-twenties or lower. Using a bag that isn’t rated for cold can be a dangerous plan. In the warmer months or locations it is easier to use a low temp bag if it isn’t a mummy bag because you can typically open them up and use them as either a blanket or a bottom sheet.
That brings us to softness. This is typically a function of warmth. Often times the warmer bags have more insulation and therefore more padding. There are some exceptions especially with the low end bags. When you are considering the difference between a cotton and a down bag not only is a big difference in warmth, but the way it cushions you also takes a big hit. If you aren't comfy in a sleeping bag check out the article about sleeping pads as they can help quite a bit for comfort.
There are some other small things like the material of the bag, if it is flannel or cotton on the inside, or nylon or cotton on the outside. There is which side the zipper is on, but these are small issues that are kind of preferential and often times are more of a cost and quality question. In the end if you end up being a backpacker or bush crafting survival camper you may ditch the sleeping bag altogether for a quilt, but that would not be suggested for beginners.