Best Sleeping Bags For Camping

Choosing a sleeping bag requires one to make a choice in a couple of different areas. The two primary considerations are whether you will be packing your bag via a backpack, and secondly, what temperature conditions will bag need to cover you against. We will cover these factors in detail, and then we will also discuss factors like fill material preference, shell material preference, shape (mummy or rectangular), and dimensions of the sleeping bag.

We will start with a little history of sleeping bags. To the best of my efforts, I have been unable to find evidence of the manufacture of sleeping bags pre- Civil War era. In fact, it appears that the first commercial sleeping bag manufacturer may have started operation in the 1890's. All of this began in Europe. Prior to the use of sleeping bags, bedrolls were the order of the day.

The first big usage of sleeping bags was by mountaineers. Their sleeping bags were very crude compared to today's. Obviously the purpose of their sleeping bags was to be light enough to carry and to keep them warm. These kind of considerations are where your choice of a sleeping bag should begin.

Is Weight a Consideration?

I do not want to oversimplify things here, but a good starting point to narrow down choices, is whether or not you need to rule out sleeping bag choices that are too heavy to pack on a backpack. Sleeping bags that weigh as little as two pounds are available, but at a price. The lighter the bag, the harder (and more expensive) it becomes to purchase one with a low temperature rating. If weight is not a factor because you will not be backpacking, your choices expand greatly.

What Temperatures Will Your Bag be Used In?

The purpose of a sleeping bag is to keep you warm. The purpose of camping is to have fun. It is difficult to have a fun and enjoyable time when freezing through the night. I suggest not wasting your money on any sleeping bag that will not keep you warm. So how do you know if sleeping bag will keep you warm?

The problem with ratings used to be that there was no set standard. Recently this has changed. There is now an EN (European Norm) rating system that has made an attempt, and a pretty good one at that, to establish a better and more consistent rating system.. No rating system is without flaws, but this one gets close.

The temperature rating you should look for is the minimum you expect to encounter on the trips you will take. For example a 20 degree bag should keep you comfortable down to that temperature.

Other Factors

Mummy Bag or Rectangular Bag

Mummy bags are generally the ones that are available for a colder conditions and made in lighter weights for backpacking. They also tend to be more expensive and also can be difficult to fit into for larger people. Make sure that when considering a mummy bag, if you are larger, read the bags' dimensions. Mummy bags are made in a variety of lengths and widths.

Fill Materials

I wish we had time to cover more on this one. Here are the basics. Down fill used to be the only way you could get the warmth you needed for extreme temperatures. The sacrifice you made with down, was that if it got wet, its thermal insulation capacity is almost non-existent. So, now there are synthetics where you get both temperature protection and water-resistance. This time, the sacrifice you will make is in cost. The best synthetic materials are quite expensive, at least by my standards. The best advice I can leave you with, is to accurately gauge your needs and make your decision on fill material with them in mind.

Shell Material

Typically, any good sleeping bag will have a shell made of polyester or rip-stop nylon. One additional feature that can be important is water repellency. While there are bags on the market made with gore-tex and similar breathable water -repellent fabric, the reviews I have read have not been so great. At this stage, I would stick with the water-repellent materials.

Dimensions

In better sleeping bags, men's and women's cut bags are available. As you may have noticed, men and women are shaped differently. These bags represent those differences.

Also, length is a consideration. Get a bag that fits you. In men's bags, the lengths are generally in short (up to 5'6"), regular (5'7"-6'), and long (6'1"-6'6"). If you are taller, there are bag manufacturers out there for you. Look around.

For length in women's bags, the sizes are generally regular and long. Regular runs up to around 5'6" and long runs from 5'7" to 6'.

As previously mentioned, if buying a mummy bag, make sure the lateral dimensions will fit your body size.

Conclusion

There other factors you may need to look at. Some of these include zipper type, hood design, bivvy sacks, etc. The information in this article is a good starting point to get you out there (or online) looking for what you need.

How To Select A Sleeping Bag That Works

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Dominic_Ferrara]Dominic Ferrara

So, the thrill of hiking is what you like and you have decided to enjoy the hiking trails that help you in taking you closer to the nature. You have made all the preparation and this is now the time to set out for the hiking trip. However, before you leave the place it will be better to check whether or not you are carrying all the necessary things that you may need during the course of your hiking trip. A very important item in this list is sleeping bags and you cannot do without it.

Choosing A Suitable One For Your Style

Now, the big question is how to find out what kind of sleeping bag is suitable for your style of hiking. As different people enjoy the hiking in different conditions and in diverse ways so to cater to the needs of these people the sleeping bags are also available in a wide variety. A youngster may like to go out for hiking for days. He may prefer camping in winter when the temperature is below 0 degree. On the other hand, there are people who like to drive up to the last possible point and then take out all the stuff out of the vehicle only in either early fall or late spring.

You will need totally different kind of sleeping bags for hiking in these two kinds of hiking conditions. In the later case, you do not need a sleeping bag required for the extreme winter conditions. Neither will you require a lightweight sleeping bag for the hiking because you do not have to carry it for longer distances. So, the factors that you should take into account while making a buying decision are the weather condition, weight of the sleeping bag, importance of compactness and finally the budget you have decided for it.

Fill Material

Then you also have to consider about the fill material, shell material and the design of the bag at the time of selecting a sleeping bag for hiking. For a long time down bags has been the popular choice among the people going for hiking. However, with the advent of the synthetic bags the things have changed and now people prefer synthetic bags because they can work well even in the wet and damp conditions.

Shell material And Design Of The Sleeping Bag

Similarly, tight weave nylon, polyester, micro fiber and Gore dry loft have replaced the Gore Tex that has been popular in the past. When it comes to choosing the design, you have the choice like mummy bags, semi rectangular bags and old-fashioned rectangular bags.

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Camping Sleeping Bags - How to Choose the Right One

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Adrian_Broadby]Adrian Broadby

There are many more sleeping bags available on the market today than there are purposes for which they are used. The qualities and properties of a sleeping bag that is used for a children's sleepover are vastly different from those required of a bag that is to be used for sleeping during a trek in a freezing mountainous region, and there are many options available for the multitude of purposes which lie somewhere between these two extremes.

Sleeping bags which are for indoor use are obviously not required to be weatherproof, and are often referred to as slumber bags. They are more likely to be manufactured from natural fabrics than from synthetic from which the majority of outdoor bags are made. These are mainly designed to make sleeping on the floor more comfortable, and to provide extra warmth, as would a blanket.

Undoubtedly the technology of sleeping bag manufacture has improved greatly over the years, but sleeping bags date back to 1861 when Francis Fox Tuckett produced his prototype. Initially camel fur and kapok were used for insulation until duck and goose down were introduced. Sleeping bags were not produced commercially until the 1890s when a Norwegian company commenced their manufacture, but consumers had to wait another hundred years for manufacturing standards to be introduced in the United States and Europe.

The two main shaped sleeping bags are the rectangular bags and the mummy bags. The rectangular bags are shaped as their name suggests, and provide more room to move about inside, but on the other hand that extra room means that there is more space inside in which warmth needs to be retained. On the other hand, the mummy bags are tapered in shape so that there is less room at the level of the feet which requires the maintenance of warmth. The mummy bags have a hood which protects your neck and head from the cold, and when fully closed only your mouth and nose are exposed.

Insulation materials for sleeping bags can be classified into two main groups; down and synthetic. Goose down is an excellent insulator and is also excellent in terms of weight and bulk. On the other hand, its insulation qualities are compromised when the bag gets wet, and it is difficult to wash and dry. It is also more expensive than its synthetic counterparts. There is a variety of synthetic fibres which are used for insulation, some of which are Microloft, Hollowfibre, and Polarguard. Synthetic fibres tend to be heavier and bulkier than down, but they are more water-resistant and still provide warmth if wet. The synthetic bags also tend to cost less than the down bags.

When purchasing a sleeping bag, check the rating of the bag and make sure that it meets your requirements. If you are going to be sleeping in alpine conditions you won't want to be stuck with a bag with a temperature rating down to only 40 degrees Fahrenheit. On the other hand, if you are sleeping out in mild conditions you won't need a bag which is rated down to zero degrees. This is obviously simply a matter of common sense. If you match your requirements with the appropriate sleeping bag, your camping experience will be enhanced, rather than spoiled.

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Sleeping Bags - How to Pick the Right One

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Edward_Stewart]Edward Stewart

When shopping for sleeping bags to be used in a camping environment, your first concern is to choose one that will keep you comfortable and able to get a good night's sleep. That usually means keeping you warm and since sleeping bags are designed for specific temperature ranges it is a simple process to select one that is rated to keep you warm at the coldest temperature you expect to encounter. Sleeping bags are an essential part of your camping equipment. They function well in the tent or outside. They are very light and compress to a small size so they are easy to carry if you are backpacking.

Sleeping bags are either synthetic-filled or down-filled. The most important difference between synthetic and down is their ability to dry if wet. The down bags retain moisture longer and the fill tends to clump when wet as opposed to the synthetic which dries faster and does not clump. Nylon is the standard outer shell. It is light, strong, and the most breathable.

Temperature ratings in sleeping bags are general guidelines, not absolutes. The ratings are determined by the manufacturer according to the lowest temperature at which the sleeping bag will keep you comfortable. When deciding on the temperature rating of your bag, it is a good idea to choose one that will keep you warm at the lowest temperature you might expect on your camping excursion. In the spring or summer months you'll probably choose a bag rated at 35 degrees F or higher. On the other hand, for higher altit udes and colder times of the year you can select bags rated at -10 to +20 degrees F. And in extreme winter conditions, you will want a bag rated even lower than -10 degrees F.

The shape of the sleeping bag you choose may depend upon whether you will be camping near your vehicle or backpacking your tent and sleeping bag to your campsite. Camping bags are roomier than backpacking bags and provide greater comfort. Backpacking bags are often the down filled variety and therefore weigh less and are usually of the mummy bag design. Most rectangular bags can be zipped together to form one large sleeping bag, as long as the zippers are compatible. You can buy left and right zipper models for this particular purpose. With two mummy bags it's a little trickier to zip them together, but it is still possible. Rectangular bags are popular with some because they can be converted to a quilt and provide a lot of room to move around. Top-bags have mesh or fabric bottoms with all the insulation on the top of the bag, relying on a sleeping pad to provide insulation. Rectangular bags are those generally used by casual campers or children for sleep overs. These kinds of bags are often of simple rectangular construction, usually without a hood and have a zipper along much of their length.

Whether your choice of sleeping bags is down-filled or synthetic, rectangular or mummy shaped, a necessary accessory is the ground pad. Not only will a pad keep those rocks, roots and other impediments from spoiling your sleep, it will insulate you from the chill or dampness of the ground beneath your sleeping bag. In fact, if you are car camping or only packing your camp supplies a short distance; you may even want to consider an inflatable air mattress. From someone who has spent many weeks tent camping; getting a good night's sleep is critical for an enjoyable camping experience.

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