choosing a sleeping bag?

M

mr_dove

Joined
Apr 12, 2004
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How do you go about choosing a sleeping bag? There are lots of them out there on the market and the decision could be complicated.

I know that bags have temperature ratings but I don't know what they take in to account.

Is the temperature rating based on me naked in the bag or me wearing warm sweats?

Is the temperature based on me solo in the bag in packed in with another warm body?

Does the temperature take wind into account?

Is a cheap bag as good as an expensive bag? What am I getting for all the extra money?

Should I think about buying a summer and a winter bag or just find one bag that will suit me year around? How should I arrange things with the wife? Two bags that zip together? One double sized bag? Two seperate bags (seems like snuggling would keep us warmer).

I recently saw a double bag that looked intriqueing. It was actually two bags. A warm weather bag and a cold weather bag. They zip together in such a way that one bag is fully on the top and the other is fully on the bottom. In summer you put the warm bag on top of you to keep you cool and the thicker bag under you. Vice veras in the winter. That way you have accomodations for 2 and it works in both winter and summer months.

I really like the look of the Big Agnes bags but I've never read a review of them.

Please clear up my confusion....
 
TEMPERATURE RATINGS
Manufacturers will tell you the rating is based on a normal healthy person out of the wind. Really, it is, at best, a way of ranking that manufacturer's bags compared to each other. I have a 10 f bag far warmer than another brand's 0 f bag.

The military says, as a rule-of-thumb, that the total loft (thickness) of a bag should be 3" for 40 f and add 1/2" for ever ten degrees the temp. falls. (e.g. 5" at 0 f). Again, no wind.

All this assumes non-chrushable insulation under you [layers of dry blankets/dry cardboard/foam pad/self-inflating foam-filled air matress(es)].

Design is a factor. A bag that cinches up tight leaving only a hole to breath is more efficient than a rectangular bag (SO use a blanket to stopper the gaps.). A filled bolster behind the zipper stops leakage of heat.

COST/QUALITY
Like any other garment, sleeping bags are often on sale - 50% off or more.

Boutique brands (Northface; Wilderness Experience) are expensive and made by a company that sells for much less under their own name. Slumberjack will neither confirm nor deny that fact. :D

Branded fillers (Polartech; Quallofill; Polarguard 3D; Hollofill II) are used in better (more expensive) bags and are heat-crimped, hollow, and silicon-treated. That makes them less likely to matt down and more efficient for a given weight of fill. ("Heat-crimped also means don't dry in a clothes drier.) Those better bags have better zippers (less likely to break), zipper arrangements (less likely to snag) and quality of stitching. They often have thicker insulation at the feet -- where you need it.

Having said that, the cheapest polyester-filled bag around today is far superior to the best non-down bag available when I was a Boy Scout. I would, however, stay away from bags using "unknown textile fiber." :eek:

Down? Down is good only where you can expose the bag to dry air and sun every day. Otherwise, it accumulates moisture (loses loft). (Turns out that you perspire all the time, trying to keep 100% relative humidity next to your skin.)

SYSTEMS/MULTIPLE BAGS
Almost any two bags - one inside the other - will be equal to Winter in Northern Ohio, at least. So you don't need an "Artic Bag" if you have a "Fall/Spring" bag and a "Summer" bag.

Bags that zip together are not efficient for real cold.

Try things out and see if you like them. See if the zipper runs smooth and you have enough room, whatever that is for you.

ALSO
Slick liner material is best (unless you like wrestling with the bag).

Store your bag loose in a large trash bag so the insulation doesn't cold-form into reduced thickness. Wash bags by hand and air-dry.
 
Like other gear, bags are such a personal thing to select. It would be best to go to as many retailers as possible and try as many as possible. What you will be using it for, and what season is a big consideration as well. If you will be doing extended backpacking, then weight and compressability will be a big factor. Will you have a shelter around you? WIll you be in the snow, or rain a lot? Just a few more things to make the decision even tougher ;)
 
One tip, always sleep Naked in a sleeping bag! If you wear clothing or other stuff while you're in a sleeping bag, you'll only wake up having cold and you won't be able to warm up easily!!!
Most of the comfort temperatures are measured for non clothing use ...

If you want a cheap but GOOD sleeping back check out Coleman! If you want extremely good sleeping bags, check out the german brand Carinthia! They are the official sleeping bag manufacturers for most European Army units and Special Forces. They Really deliver quality stuff but they are expencive aswell.

Oh yeah the North Face Sleeping bags Suck!! They are expencive, light weight and are only to be used in confortable situations. Never use a North Face sleeping bag in survival conditions, it will let you down bigtime!
 
spiderken said:
One tip, always sleep Naked in a sleeping bag! If you wear clothing or other stuff while you're in a sleeping bag, you'll only wake up having cold and you won't be able to warm up easily!!!
Click to expand...

The bag is a form of clothing. Sleeping in other DRY garments simply provides more insulation. (Do you like warm socks in the morning?) Sleeping in other DAMP garments can be a problem.

spiderken said:
Oh yeah the North Face Sleeping bags Suck!! They are expencive, light weight and are only to be used in confortable situations. Never use a North Face sleeping bag in survival conditions, it will let you down bigtime!
Click to expand...

North Face bags have been sold in a full range of weights, including heavy Artic bags. All I have inspected are of relatively high quality and all are seriously overpriced (unless heavily discounted) as compared to comparable bags with non-boutique names. Many are down insulated and, therefore, are likely to "let you down [ :rolleyes: ] bigtime" for the reason mentioned in my post above.
 
Spiderken, you are obviously not a 53 year old guy with a bladder the size of a walnut!
 
The way around the expense of the Carinthia bags is to buy surplus. Pick up an excellent bag for a very small percentage of it's new bag value. One problem with the military bags is the weight. I'm too danged old to be carrying 8-10# of bag weight. It suits me better to carry a lite weight bag with lots of loft for warmth. Perhaps a silk or other type of liner for added protection. Still under 5# weight total and a much smaller stuff size.

My experience with Coleman bags is that they can have cold spots. Out of the three 20 degree bags that I've used, 2 didn't realize their potential in cold weather while out of the wind. All bags were new in package when I received them.

Insulation between your bag and the ground is extremely important so a good ground mat is without a doubt a necessary part of the equation in my opinion.
 
Have a look at Wiggys bags. I've just ordered the Hunter model as I wanted some extra space. People have told me that the bag needs to be snug to work properly, but I figure if it's THAT cold I want to get in with all my clothes on and maybe a blanket too.

www.wiggys.com

Matt
 
Hey You can have a look at carinthia sleepingbags right here. Didn't know they had a civillian version aswell but I guess they 'll be made out of the same quality products the military bags are. Here's the link: http://www.carinthia-bags.com


Quote:

The bag is a form of clothing. Sleeping in other DRY garments simply provides more insulation. (Do you like warm socks in the morning?) Sleeping in other DAMP garments can be a problem.

I wonder how you go to sleep at home, I'm not going to sleep in my bed wearing my jeans, ... A sleeping bag is just like the blankets you use in your bedroom, it's not a piece of clothing. If it were clothing you 'd run around with it in the streets! Never seen a guy wearing a sleepingbag crossing the streets...

A good sleeping bag adjusts itself to the heat of your body, I'm not saying you can't wear a T-shirt or something light, I'm just saying you shouldn't crawl into a sleeping bag wearing a Jeans or something else... A sleeping bag loses all of it's functions when you crawl into it overdressed. If you don't believe me, well fly over and we'll test it in conditions of - 20 °C ...
 
I've tried the naked route and froze at -5 (equal to -20 C) in a 0 rated bag. I freeze at 15 in that bag naked. Throw on the long johns and slept fine at both temps. I'm also a hot sleeper in comparison to others I know. This experience is from multiple bags of differing brands. The naked thing doesn't work.

I wouldn't be wearing jeans anyway in the temps described.

Some layering in the bag is beneficial as the temps approach the bag's rating.

Phil
 
spiderken said:
Quote:

The bag is a form of clothing. Sleeping in other DRY garments simply provides more insulation. (Do you like warm socks in the morning?) Sleeping in other DAMP garments can be a problem.

I wonder how you go to sleep at home, I'm not going to sleep in my bed wearing my jeans, ... A sleeping bag is just like the blankets you use in your bedroom, it's not a piece of clothing. If it were clothing you 'd run around with it in the streets! Never seen a guy wearing a sleepingbag crossing the streets...

A good sleeping bag adjusts itself to the heat of your body, I'm not saying you can't wear a T-shirt or something light, I'm just saying you shouldn't crawl into a sleeping bag wearing a Jeans or something else... A sleeping bag loses all of it's functions when you crawl into it overdressed. If you don't believe me, well fly over and we'll test it in conditions of - 20 °C ...
Click to expand...

>. You "wonder" about me? While I have tented out in northern Alberta in January and regularly in northern Ohio and Michigan in Winter, I do not use a sleeping bag when "at home."

>. A sleeping bag is -- in function -- just like a quilted parka, just another insulating garment. Some European militaries (IIRC, the Dutch amongst them) have made them with sleeves to wear as parkas. Soldiers used to wear blankets in cold weather - the same blankets they slept in.

>. No knowledgeable person wears "jeans" in the Winter here - too tight and made of cotton. Jeans are a sign of the unprepared and uninformed. I used to go rescue jeans wearers in the mountains in California. No, I don't wear jeans in bed -- or in a sleeping bag.

>. Over here, a sleeping bag only "adjusts" to body heat if you adjust the zipper and pulls. We don't have the model with the thermostatic vents. (Some polymer fabrics being used for winter parkas are promising in that rergard.)

>. A sleeping bag's function is to provide insulation. Wearing "clothing" simply adds insulation if the "clothing" is dry. I suppose it would be possible to wear so much clothing that you crush all the air out of the bag and the clothing, but how you would do that and still be able to zip the bag closed escapes me.

>. "-20 C"? I've tented out in -40 C in northern Alberta and -36 C one balmy night in Ohio. Be assured that I was wearing fleece inside the bag -- the same fleece that warm-weather bags are made of.
 
I am with thomas on this one, and not just because he and I share the same stomping ground.

Having backpacked all over Alberta and BC, and even into the Yukon, NWT, and Alaska, it has definatly been my experience that you might just want to wear clean dry clothes in your sleeping bag when the mercury plumets.

Now, for me, proper gear in -35 usualy includes a -25 bag, ground insulation, bag-liner, and bivouac or tunnel-tent. You should be wearing poly-thermals, fleece, wool and some water-proof shell.

So assuming that the gear is right, there is absolutly nothing wrong with sleeping in clean dry thermal underwear. I will also put anything else I am going to be wearing the next day (clean) in my sleeping bag, so it is not a bitch to put on.
 
Ok, you might got a point when you're talking about underwear, but clothing is still something that ain't that good imho ...
If you need your sleeping bag to give you that extra warm touch, you can always fit it with a Fleece Inlay and other extra's (if those are available for your sleepingbag that is)
I wonder what kind of bags you guys use, ...
Oh yeah, I forgot, Snugpack has some great 3 season sleeping bags and inlays aswell (www.snugpack.co.uk)

Oh yeah concerning those dutch (and swiss) former sleeping bags ... those sleaves weren't only there to "wear" their sleeping bag. They had another function aswell, mainly they were fit with sleaves so soldiers could fire their rifle when they got surprised by their enemies (altough that's what an old "Dutch" marine told me) without having to "fight" their sleeping bags in order to get to their rifle. Now they don't use them anymore (or shouldn't use them anymore) because of the heat loss due to those sleaves.

But if I'm not mistaking there are some new sleepingbags that can be worn as a parka (on that one you're right) one of it's manufacturers is Nanok ...

I guess we both have another opinion on what a sleeping bag is and what kind of expectations we have of it. But normaly those carinthia's should keep you warm, in harsh conditions up to - 40 °C and even colder (wearing just ur underwear). The only thing that you may not forget to use is a good sleeping pad (I prefer thermarest, but hey that 's me) ...
 
I have 2 sets of Wiggy bags - one rated at 40 deg F and the other rated at Zero deg F. Rating is based on being inside a tent on a sleeping pad. I use them mainly on the Appalachian Trail between WV and Maine. They work very well.

I normally sleep with polypro and socks on. Old metabolism, I guess.
 
I can't imagine why u shouldn't sleep naked in a sleepingbag, u can always put your clothes in your bag too, and not wear them, what i mostly do, is sleep withouth, and in the morning put my clother in my bag and warm then up, so I can put them on withouth suffering too much cold
just my 2 cents.

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www.xtremessentials.be
 
w0rf said:
I can't imagine why u shouldn't sleep naked in a sleepingbag, u can always put your clothes in your bag too, and not wear them, what i mostly do, is sleep withouth, and in the morning put my clother in my bag and warm then up, so I can put them on withouth suffering too much cold
just my 2 cents.

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www.xtremessentials.be
Click to expand...

How cold does it get where you camp?

Anyhow, spiderken has a point about the bag-liner and accessories, you can rig it up so that you should never need to wear the poly-pros, or anything for that matter. It just takes a bit of effort and some more planning ahead.
 
This may come as a surprise, but I use my " North Face" sleeping bag to dry my hunting pants as I sleep. I hunt in cabelas camo bear cloth pants..that's just real fussy fleece.My North Face is an older model rated down to -40. I don't think it would actually insulate to that temp though. Temp. during hunting season here in Alaska is usually 28-60 F. Ive been doing this for about 10 years so I don't think it's just luck, I think that there's just enough insulation to pull off a great drying act..I've used this all over the Brooks range both north and south range.
 
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