Camping Sleeping Bags Buying Guide
Camping Sleeping Bags Buying Guide
Camping sleeping bags are important for any camping trip, but there is so much you need to take into consideration when shopping for those perfect camping sleeping bags.? We hope that this guide helps you to find the right one for you.
About Camping Sleeping Bags
- When you are on a camping trip, a GOOD NIGHT?S SLEEP is the determining factor of whether or not your stay is an enjoyable one. Taking time to think about and choose the right sleeping bag may seem superficial to some people. To many a camping sleeping bag is just a sleeping bag. If you can fit inside and sleep in it, what else is there to consider?
THERE IS SO MUCH MORE!
Everyone gets grumpy if they?ve had a bad night?s sleep. When you?re tired, there's little energy and little patience for very much. What a happy trip you?ll have if you spend all night tossing and turning, unable to get comfortable, or feeling too cold. Come the morning, you won?t be up for much. You?ll be lethargic and miserable, and it will constantly be on the back of your mind that you have another night of the same to endure. And what if you?re on a hiking trip and you have miles of terrain lying in wait before you? Do you think, with no rest throughout the previous night, that you would look upon this with excited glee? When energy and high spirits are needed, A GOOD NIGHT?S REST IS VITAL. This thought proves the importance in choosing your sleeping bag.
Material
- The definition of a sleeping bag is `a protective bag for a person to sleep in`. Your sleeping bag should be just so. This makes the MATERIAL OF YOUR SLEEPING BAG JUST AS IMPORTANT TO CONSIDER. You can find numerous different fillings, from Goose down, wool, cotton, and synthetic. However, many outdoor experts consider synthetic materials to be the best.
Should a synthetic material sleeping bag become wet, it doesn't readily absorb the water, unlike other materials. It dries quickly and is still able to provide some warmth even when wet, which is an advantage if you are hiking in adverse weather.
Synthetic sleeping bags are also cheaper to purchase than most other material, so if you need to supply an entire family this would be the least expensive way.
Shape
- Nowadays you have a CHOICE IN SHAPE AND SIZE of a sleeping bag. Some people may not like the feel of sleeping in a normal rectangular shaped bag, and may prefer the closeness of a tapered one, whereas others may feel too claustrophobic.
The general choices are the usual RECTANGULAR shape, the TAPERED shape, or the MUMMY bag.
Rectangular bags:
- Rectangular shaped bags are the MOST POPULAR and MOST FAMILAR. These provide you with more room for movement within, reducing that claustrophobic feel to some degree. Because they are of a square shape they can even be ZIPPED TO A SECOND TO PRODUCE A DOUBLE SIZED SLEEPING BAG, large enough for two people to sleep in. Or, if you completely dislike the feel of being zipped up, you can leave the bag unzipped entirely and use as a blanket instead.
However, these bags are often fairly big, and may not be ideal for hiking trips as they can be rather bulky and awkward to carry.
Tapered bags:
- Tapered sleeping bags grow NARROWER TOWARDS THE FEET, providing you with a close fit. The closeness of these bags create more warmth inside whilst sleeping, however, the lack of free space restricts movement and may not suit many people.
Tapered bags are smaller than rectangular ones and can be rolled up more compactly, making them easier to carry whilst on hiking trips.
Mummy Bags:
- Mummy bags are the SMALLEST SLEEPING BAGS and are very light to carry, making them ideal for those hiking trips.
Just like the Tapered bags, they are NARROWER AT THE FEET, but they are also NARROWER IN BODY, making them a very snug fit. They also have a hood to fit around the head to help conserve body heat. Many people may find these bags uncomfortable as they are very restricting, but they are the better choice for camping during cold weather seasons because of their warmth, and hiking trips because of their small size.
Temperature
- When you are going camping, consider the TIME OF YEAR you will be going and whether or not the nights will be cold. Also take into consideration whether you feel hot or cold when you sleep. If you feel the cold, you may want to think about a CAMPING MAT to sleep on which will protect you from the cold night ground and provide you with added warmth. It is far easier to unzip a sleeping bag and cool down if you are feeling hot, than it is to shake off the cold.
Another item you can purchase is a sleeping bag liner. These provide added warmth on cold nights, and can also be removed and washed, saving your sleeping bag from the normal wear and tear.
