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Reprinted from www.camping.com.au
Choosing your sleeping bag is an area where quality should be considered above all else. Sleeping is the second longest activity you'll spend doing while camping. It is a pretty good bet also you've been motivated by your surroundings, are even extra tired from big days. All the more reason to be as happily comfortable as possible for your sleep period. A good night's sleep allows you to recover from the previous day's fatigue, and be prepared for the next round of adventures held in store by the new day. Personally, I think the number one rule for sleeping bags is: it is better to be to hot, than to be cold. You'll discover just how long a night can be when it's spent frozen like a rock. If you're hiking you may wish to compromise some comfort for weight when carrying your gear around. Choosing the right sleeping bag is about balancing your options, before you decide. When you're warm at 3am, you'll be glad you bought quality.
Ideally, the sleeping bag you choose will provide the right combination of warmth, roominess and packability. Here are a few factors to consider during your selection.
Warmth - the warmth of a sleeping bag is called its 'comfort rating', and estimates the lowest temperature at which the bag will provide warmth to the user. When deciding on the right comfort rating, choose the lowest temperatures your likely to encounter while you're out there. Different fillings provide different insulating and packing qualities, and different shapes increase warmth or ventilating. Some zipping options allow you to zip one bag to the inside of another or to join two bags into a double sized bag. You can loose up 50% of your heat through your head, so a hood in cool to cold conditions is a huge help. A internal neck gasket collar above the shoulders helps trap heat inside, while draft tubes are an insulation-filled tube that runs alongside the main sleeping bag zipper to keep warmth from escaping.
Insulation - there two types of insulation - natural goose down, and synthetic fibers. Natural goose down is nature's lightest, most efficient, most compressible and longest-lasting insulation available. However, it is almost useless as an insulator when wet, and takes a long time to dry. Goose down is more expensive than synthetic fills, but offers a reduced packable size for equivalent warmth. Goose down is warmth rated by the term 'loft' which is used to describe how much air can be trapped by the fill. A simple quality test on down is to grab the bag and start rubbing the down against itself - the more hard, spiky bits the poorer quality the down. Good quality down tends to re-loft well time after time, where synthetic fills tend to loose their lofting ability. The better the down, the thicker the sleeping bag will appear, against a bag with an equal amount of filling. For the best warmth, loft out your sleeping bag at least an hour before you go to bed. Synthetic fills insulate more effectively than down when wet, cost less and are easier to clean. Though, they are bulkier, heavier, and tend to be less durable.
Shape - there are three main shapes in sleeping bags - the rectangular, - the semi-rectangular, and - the mummie. Starting with the traditional rectangular shape, these are generally warm weather sleeping bags and are the roomiest of the shapes, as a result though they tend to allow a lot of heat to escape. Generally these bags are too heavy and bulky for most weight and space conscious backpackers. Semi rectangular bags offer more sleeping room than mummies, but are slightly heavier and bulkier. They provide good heat retention, and some room to maneuver. Mummie bags start narrow at the feet, widen toward the shoulder, and then taper to an insulated hood. The slim cut increases insulating efficiency and saves space and weight, while the hood retains warmth. Though they are the warmest of the shapes, active sleepers tend to find them restrictive.
Considering whether you're a hot-bod sleeper, or a cold frog, is another issue to factor in. The use of a silk, or silktex, inner sheet is highly recommended for comfort and cleanability.
The following is a list of general care instructions to help maintain the quality of your sleeping bag. Please refer to the care label attached to your sleeping bag for more specific instructions.
• Store your down bag in a large nylon/mesh bag (instead of a stuffsack or compression sack) to maintain the bag's loft throughout its lifespan. Storing your sleeping bag in a small sack constricts the down insulation and may be harmful to it after an extended amount of time.
• When not using your sleeping bag, store it in a cool, dry place.
• It is imperative to completely dry the sleeping bag before storage. If the bag is stored when wet or damp, you run the risk of mildew growth. The most efficient way to do this is to air-dry the bag outside, avoiding direct exposure to the sun. When drying, alternately turn the bag inside out - especially with our fabric lined or Gore-Tex® shelled bags. This allows for the insulation to dry more rapidly through the lining materials as well as helping to freshen the sleeping bag.
• Air it out - it is normal for your body to lose some moisture through pores at all times. Air your bag out each morning you use it.
• Periodic cleaning of down sleeping bags is essential to maintaining maximum loft and ensuring the long life of the product. Though it is possible to wash your own down product, it is recommend that you have your jacket or sleeping bag professionally cleaned by a service that specializes in cleaning down.
• For synthetic sleeping bags it is recommend that you use a commercial sized, front loading washing machine to wash your synthetic sleeping bag. Wash in warm water with a mild powder detergent. Rinse several times to remove all the dirty, soapy water. An extra spin cycle will also remove excess water. Line dry, or tumble dry on very low, or no heat. Check the bag frequently to be sure the fabric is not getting too hot. Be sure your bag is completely dry before storing.
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