The right sleeping bag can make all the differences for a good night’s sleep whether you are camping in the British summer or planning outdoor winter adventures. In this sleeping bag guide we will take you through all important considerations and the main features to show you how to choose the best bag for you.
Season 1 sleeping bag
Season 1 Sleeping bag is designed for camping on a warm summer night, so it’s an ideal choice for those who attend the festival. They are also good for indoor use like children stay.
Season 2 sleeping bags
Season 2 sleeping bags are designed for use in the UK late spring and early fall where night can be cold. This sleeping bag is ideal for camping in the UK outside the summer months like a half term holiday. These bags are also great for those who feel cold in the summer.
Season 3 sleeping bags
Season 3 sleeping bags are designed for autumn nights and cold winter where there is no ice. Perfect for those who challenge the weather for winter camping and those who feel cold when they sleep.
Season 4 sleeping bags
Season 4 sleeping bags for use on cold winter nights where there may be ice or snow on the ground. In this category you will find our sleeping bag.
Temperature rating is an important factor to consider when choosing a sleeping bag. The ranking you choose will depend on where you will use it and what temperature you are comfortable sleeping.
Temperature rating will be expressed in comfort (lower convenience and the upper limit of comfort) and extreme ratings.
Comfort rating
The ‘convenience’ rating refers to the optimal temperature you will feel warm and comfortable sleep when in a rolling position. When the bag is used in any temperature under the ‘comfort rank’ the user is likely to feel cold. The average woman feels cold than men so that this rank is a few degrees above the ‘comfort limit’ for a man.
Extreme ranking
The ‘extreme’ temperature rating is basically ‘survival temperature’. Simply put, this is the limit where the bag will keep you alive without frostbite, or other temperature related diseases. This is not the lowest temperature you will be comfortable and you don’t have to expect the use of bags regularly at this temperature.
The Everest Down sleeping bag is an example of a bag with high extreme rating. It has extreme survival rankings -28, which means it is a bag designed to keep you alive in harder conditions where there might be a very real threat of hypothermia.
Down vs Synthetic
There are two types of sleeping bags to choose from. Used sleeping bags are made with fine under feathers from ducks or goose and synthetic sleeping bags, which are filled with man-made insulation, mostly poly-fibers.
Synthetic sleeping bag
Synthetic insulation is the most common type of isolation in the sleeping bag. Synthetic sleeping bags will be cheaper, easier to clean and need less treatment than sleeping bags. They also look better when wet than the bottom bag, maintain around 50% of their insulation capabilities when wet.
But synthetic isolation does not maintain heat like natural. They are also bigger and heavier than the bottom bag because they need more charging to work efficiently in the same temperature range.
Sleeping bag
The bottom attic creates thousands of small air bags which means that the sleeping bag is more effective to trap warm air and hold heat. They are also much lighter than synthetic pockets and compresses to a smaller size when packed. The warmth-to-weight sleeping bag ratio cannot be defeated by a synthetic bag.
The disadvantage of down is to easily absorb moisture when moist and when wet feathers lose their fur and the nature of heat isolation is lost. The sleeping bag drops longer dry than a synthetic bag. For these reasons the duck sleeping bag is perfect for cold but dry conditions
Shape, size & weight
Ordinary sleeping bags
The basic sleeping bag will be rectangular or ‘envelope’ with zip around two sides. This is very taste than the mummy sleeping bag and can be fully opened and used as a blanket. The rectangular sleeping bag is less effective in maintaining heat than mummy bags and the best for indoor use, caravans and summer camping.
Mummy sleeping bag
The mummy sleeping bag, like a 1400 microlite, appear toward the foot and hence more right from a regular rectangular bag that increases heat retention. The mummy sleeping bag hood also helps maintain warmth. The mummy sleeping bag also weighs less than a rectangular bag.
Most mummy bags will be single but it is possible to buy a left and right hand bag that can be zipped together to make a double bag. The microlite sleeping bag and our top is a good example of this.
The size and weight of packaged bags must also be considered. It’s very important if you plan to adjust your sleeping bag into a backpack or will carry a long-range bag.
Long sleeping bags
The length of your sleeping bag must be considered when looking for the best for you, the regular sleeping bag from the mountainous warehouse is always 200 x 80 x 50cm and is usually more suitable for individuals under 6 feet. However, a sleeping bag size of 220 x 80 x 50 cm so it might be suitable for you if you are more than 6 feet. Long sleeping bags available in ordinary style sleeping bags and mummies including our Summit Sleeping bag, microlith sleeping bags and tourists 50. Each of our sleeping bags has tags say R (regular) or L (length).
Extra long long sleeping bag
The long extra long sleeping bag is even bigger than 230 x 105x 70cm, such as the 250 XL summit of our sleeping bag.
Double sleeping bag
Double sleeping bag measuring 193 x 137cm and designed to share by two people. You can find a double sleeping bag in both synthetics and down, like a double bed pouch of the basecamp and a lightweight double sleeping bag.
Main feature
When choosing your sleeping bag, pay attention to the features below that will increase your comfort.
Inner layer
Smooth or polyester nylon is the most commonly used material to coat the sleeping bag. Flannel or cotton is also popular for a layer of sleeping bag, even though the moisture of the cotton trap is light and breathe so it is not recommended for cold conditions.
Outer cloth
Outdoor skin is usually made of nylon-ripstop because it is very durable. Dry loft is a waterproof, breathable cloth that is often used for sleeping bags.
Left & right rites
The sleeping bag is available with zip openings on the right and left side. To make it easier to open the zip when you can choose a bag where zip opening is the opposite side of your hand. If you right hand choose the left bag and if you are left-handed, choose the right bag.
Two Way Zip
The two-way zip is useful for opening easily when ventilation is needed. Zipper can be full length or just halfway. Two-way zip can also be used to make a double sleeping bag if you buy the same two styles and zip together.
Zip Baffle
Heat can be easily lost through the zipper area of sleeping bags, isolated baffle zip (behind zip) helps reduce heat loss.
Zip Cover
Cover ZIP (a piece of cloth that is usually tied with Velcro) includes zip when the bag is fully assisted help prevent the zip canceled when sleeping.
hood
Most of your body heat is lost through your head, the shaped hood will help keep the heat. Closure of a drawing rope allows you to draw a tight hood on your face to add warmth.
Draft collar (or neck / shoulder baffle)
The concept collar is isolated (at the base of the hood) helps stop the body’s heat escape from the bag and keep the cold away around the neck and shoulders. Most draft collars will have cables that can be adjusted to tighten if necessary.
Inner bag
Usually found near the top of the bag. Useful to keep valuables such as wallets and phones stored safely.
Stuff Sack
The mummy sleeping bag will come with a sack of items with the closure of the string draw. Unlike a rectangular bag that can be folded by mummy bags must be put in the bag. Compression rope helps reduce the size of a packaged bag.
