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Scroll to the bottom of this page to learn how to pick a sleeping bag.
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Need information to decide what sleeping bag to choose? Let Campersbackpack.com help you pick your next Sleeping bag.
If you want to stay warm on a cold night then you might want to pick the right sleeping bag. A sleeping bag is one of those places where you can either waste money are not spend enough if you do not know what you are looking for. There are three major characteristics of sleeping bags: temperature rating, insulation material and shape.
Temperature ratings are made so you can tell what the warmth of the bag is. The rating basically tells what the comfort range of the bag is. If the rating is 20 degrees (Fahrenheit), then you should be comfortable from about 20-40 degrees. But there is one major problem, sleeping bag companies have not set universal guidelines for ratings. Each company places the rating which they feel is correct for their bag. So this causes a little problem for comparing bags. For general 3 season backpacking, a 20 degree bag is the best place to start. This will keep you warm on cold days, but you won’t burn up on hot summer nights.
Now that you know how warm a bag is, don’t you want to know what makes it warm? There are two major materials, down and synthetics. Down is what has been used since sleeping bags were made. This is probably the warmest material for it’s weight and it compacts very nicely in a stuff sack. But if you ever get down wet, be warned, it loses all it’s warmth. This is where synthetics come in. These new materials are almost as warm as down and compact almost as much as down. The great thing about synthetics though is that if it gets wet, then it will still be warm.
Insulation:
The insulation of a bag will be your next, most important consideration when selecting your bag. Sleeping bags are filled with either down insulation or synthetic insulation. Both categories have their pros and cons, although down sleeping bags are generally more desirable and therefore more expensive. Here's more about the common materials used.
Down is a natural fiber found under the feathers of geese and ducks. Although deserving of an entire article of its own, down has a few defining characteristics, which are important to consider. This article will not go into the details of down, but be aware of "fill power" when considering a down sleeping bag. Fill power is the number of cubic inches one ounce of down will displace. Generally, the higher the number, the better the down. Down sleeping bags have high warmth to weight ratio. This means that you can increase the warmth of the bag without adding a lot of weight. Down bags are also extremely compactable, so even bags with very low temperature ratings will compress to a small size. Down, although expensive compared to its synthetic counterparts, has a long lifetime. A sleeping bag, filled with high quality down and cared for properly may be the only sleeping bag you will ever have to purchase. And the down side to down? You may be in trouble if your sleeping bag gets wet while in the backcountry. Down can take an extremely long time to dry, and must be washed carefully. See "Taking Care of your Sleeping Bag."
Synthetic sleeping bags are filled with plastic threads - again, we're skipping the technical details here. There are a number of variations in synthetic bags - different materials have different names and various grades. Synthetic materials continue to improve, and in today's bags you can find a lightweight, compactable bag for a lot less money than its down counterpart. But, generally, synthetic materials are heavier, bulkier and don't drape as well as down. Synthetic materials will also degrade over time, so you may end up purchasing two synthetic sleeping bags over time, for the price of one down bag. On the up side, though, they insulate while wet, dry faster than down, are non-allergenic and can be less expensive.
Some high-tech synthetic materials (such as Polarguard 3D) closely approach the insulating value of down. These materials will not clump. Also, they don’t absorb moisture, so they can be wrung out and insulate even when damp. And they’re far less expensive.
If weight and bulk are not important considerations for you, it may not be necessary for you to spend the extra money on down. If you anticipate encountering situations where you may end up with a wet sleeping bag, a synthetic bag, especially one with water resistant fabrics, is the far superior choice. But when it comes to weight and bulk, there is no competition for down.
As people strive for lighter weight equipment, down bags look very attractive to many backpackers. The outer materials on most down bags are now very water repellant. So the old fear of getting your bag wet is slowing being discounted. The key factor to down bags is fill weight. This will usually be a number from 600 - 900. The technical definition of fill weight volume 1 ounce of down will displace. So that means that 1 ounce of 600 fill down will displace 600 cubic inches in a standardized test. In other words, the higher number of fill power means more loft. For the same amount of down, a 900 fill bag will be warmer than a 600 fill bag. But, a 900 fill bag will also be more expensive for this very reason.
Shape makes a big difference in sleeping bags. The two shapes, mummy and rectangular each have their own good parts. If you are going to go backpacking, then by all means buy a mummy bag. It is called a mummy bag because it is more form fitting and looks like a wrapped mummy. This close shape keeps you warmer since there is less air to warm up inside the bag. Rectangular bags are usually big, bulky and heavy. They are not as warm as mummies since they are not form fitting. I would only recommend this type if you are going car camping because it can double as a blanket.
Picking a Size: In the history of sleeping bags, size is a fairly new category. Today, you can choose between short, regular and long, as well as wide and women's specific. Short sleeping bags typically fit heights up to 5'10", regular bags fit heights up to 6'0" and long bags fit heights up to 6'6". Size is important, not just for the obvious problem of being too tall to fit in a bag, but also the problem of being too short for a bag. Too much unused, dead space in a bag will detract from the insulating properties of the bag. Plus, there is no reason to carry the extra length, (weight), if you don't need it.
Some of these categories may be more or less important to you when considering your bag, but being aware of all the current features of sleeping bags will help you pick the perfect bag. Although the information above covers the major categories for consideration, don't forget about the distinctive features that make each sleeping bag manufacturer and each sleeping bag unique. Fabrics, colors, stuff sacs, zippers, etc - this category of outdoor gear makes major advances every year. And, don't forget, a sleeping bag can make or break a backcountry or camping trip - so choose carefully!
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