Purchasing a Sleeping Bag

There are lots of points to consider when purchasing a sleeping bag. In the following paragraphs, I'll give an introduction to excellent customer service inside a sleeping bag, and provide tips about which kind of bag is the best for your requirements.

Season & temperature rating - One thing to consider when examining sleeping-bags would be to think about when are you utilizing it probably the most. Have you been annually round camper, or simply escape about the occasional long weekend within the summertime? Bags are usually great for either summer, 3 season, or winter camping. It's a wise decision to purchase a bag which has a rating of some degrees colder than you anticipate to be camping in.

Fill - The fill includes a large effect on the performance from the bag and it is weight. Both kinds of fill are down and synthetic.

* Down: Down is a good natural insulator. It's lightweight and incredibly durable. Down bags could be more expensive than synthetic bags, but possess a considerably longer life ( Three to five times longer). The down-side of down bags (no pun intended) is they lose insulation when wet, so it's crucial you retain them as dry as you possibly can. A vapour barrier liner (discussed below) can sort out this. When examining down bags you should think about the 'fill power', several from 400 - 750. A greater rating provides you with better warmth for the similar weight.

* Synthetic: These vary in weight and sturdiness. Usually the more loft and sturdiness of the synthetic bag, the heavier it's. The benefit of synthetic bags over down is really a cheaper, and remarkable ability to retain heat when wet. On longer back country journeys where it might not be possible to maintain the bag dry, a synthetic might be preferred.

Loft - The loft may be the puffiness or thickness from the bag and it is proportional towards the temperature rating from the bag. The greater loft, the warmer the bag as well as the excess fat. Down offers the best loft for weight.

Shell / Fabric - Fabric ought to be durable and lightweight. The thread-count is usually the very best way of measuring fabric quality. Nylon and polyester are usually used, because they are durable, somewhat water-resistant, but still breathable. If you are planning to become camping a great deal where it might be tough to keep your bag dry, consider a Gore-Tex or Dryloft fabric, for waterproof.

Volume - How big your bag when packed is going to be something to think about for back country camping if you have only a little space inside your backpack. Compression bags might help lessen the volume, particularly with down fill bags.

Weight - Important too to think about for back country camping, and again, down bags will typically be lighter weight than synthetic fill.

Style - You will find 3 types of sleeping-bags: mummy, barrel, and rectangular. The form from the bag affects how comfortable it's, how well it retains heat, and just how well it'll compress.

* Mummy bags: are made to save weight and retain heat. They're tapered in the feet, wider in the shoulders, this will let you rounded hood for that head. The down-side to mummy bags is the fact that many people locate them claustrophobic, and you're simply not able to open them up completely to produce a blanket due to the way the zipper ends round the shin area.

* Barrel bags: really are a hybrid between mummy and rectangular bags. They've no hood, and therefore are just a little roomier, but nonetheless somewhat tapered.

* Rectangular bags: are... well rectangular. They're very roomy, and therefore don't supply the best warmth to weight. They're bulkier than other bags and let lots of body heat escape. They're ideal for warmer weather camping, and never typically suitable for most back country camping. About the plus side they're a great deal cheaper than other bags.

Additional features - Additional features that you might be thinking about.

* Hood: around 40% of body head escapes with the head. A hood is a good feature to assist retain that heat.

* Neck yoke: some bags possess a 'collar' type feature which will contour around your shoulders and neck to help retain heat.

* Zipper and draft tube: zippers could be about the right or left, based on regardless if you are right or left handed for easy frequent lowering and raising. More to the point, if you are planning to become zipping two bags together, make certain the first is a left zipper and also the other the right. The draft tube is really a tube that runs across the back side from the zipper to retain heat.

* Length: This can be a no-brainer, but bags are available in different sizes. Acquire one you'll squeeze into!

Additional factors - So, you've look at this whole article, gone out and obtained a great bag to your requirements. Presently there are several other activities which will factor into its performance:

* Sleeping pad: They are necessary, and temperature rating systems assume you've got a decent sleeping pad.

* Vapour barrier liners (VBL): Best utilized in sub-zero temperatures, a VBL fits within the sleeping bag to prevent heat loss. It may add Five to ten degrees C for your bag's temperature rating.

* Overbags: Work to lessen the quantity of condensation your bag collects, thus keeping the inner fill dryer and warmer. These, like VBLs, can also add Five to ten degrees for your bag's temperature rating.

* Clothing: Wearing fleece clothing, long underwear along with a toque are wonderful methods to stay even warmer on cold nights.

Right now you ought to have a great knowledge of excellent customer service inside a sleeping bag, and what's going to assist you to avoid getting out of bed, teeth chattering, in the center of the night time!