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 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.
A sleeping bag isn’t
just a sleeping bag. As I stated before,
it is the determining factor of whether or not your camping trip is an
enjoyable one.
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 nights 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. 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 material. 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 the 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
familiar. 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.
