The Right Sleeping Bag And How To Select It

META: A sleeping bag is an essential part of your camping equipment but finding the right kind of sleeping bag is the most important task. It is really important that you find a sleeping bag that suits all your requirements as your comfort is reliant on this.

The efficiency of a sleeping bag is greatly dependent on the type of environment it is going to be used in. You cannot possibly take a thinly padded sleeping bag to a freezing cold area and lie shivering all night. As you are likely to be using the sleeping bag for a number of hours every night, it is important that you have a sleeping bag that does not give you sleepless nights. Ensure that it has proper padding unless you are using an air mattress, so that you do not feel the uncomfortable hard ground below you. If you have taken the time to invest in perhaps 4 season tents, then selecting the sleeping bag should be easier.

Sleeping bags are available in a variety of fabrics, colours. designs, materials, sizes, shapes. All sleeping bags are generally water resistant to a certain extent, but sleeping bags that are completely waterproof are available, if you are prepared to pay that little bit extra. You need to ensure that not only does the outer fabric of the tent need to be waterproof but it needs cross ventilation. Without this, the bag will collect moisture which will result in dampness. This will make the bag very uncomfortable to sleep in.

Also you must check that the fill material used for the stuffing is thick enough because you do not want to be having a hard sleepless night tossing and turning on those sharp rocks and twigs. There are various kinds of stuffing used to fill up a sleeping bag. Polyester fibres and goose down are the most common types of filling materials used.

Sleeping bags with goose down filling are the most lightweight, can be folded into a small convenient roll besides which they keep you very warm. However, these cost a lot more money, are difficult to maintain and inefficient if they get wet. The synthetic filled sleeping bags are quite simple to maintain and can on the other hand retain body heat. The drawback to these types of sleeping bags is that they are very heavy and cumbersome to carry around.

So when you are look for a sleeping bag make sure it has a good heat retention ability. Checking all the minor details as well as the major is really important. Look for how neat the stitching is, the hood, drawstrings and how it’s been stitiched where it’s been filled. This will determine how much it moves when you roll around during the night.

There are three different shapes of sleeping bags available in the market. The sleeping bag that provides the most amount of warmth and comfort is the mummy-shaped. The rectangular-shaped bag can be unzipped and attached to another sleeping bag of the same kind providing for more sleeping space. Comfort and heat however, with this kind of sleeping bag is non-existant. Last is the tapered sleeping bag that allows limited movement but is warmer than the previous sleeping bag.

To have a comfortable night and an enjoyable camping trip ensure that you have the right kind of sleeping bag along with the right tents for camping; this gives you enough warmth and a good rest to your back.