Whether you are out camping or hiking, if the trip consists of more than one day and you have to spend the night out, you will need something to sleep on. With no proper bedding, you will end up having poor night's sleep which will ultimately ruin your next day of the trip. If you could not have a quality snooze during the night, you would find it hard to concentrate on the little fun parts that the adventure throws at your way.
Now, what can you use to sleep on which will not only provide you a soft and comfortable surface to sleep but will also keep you warm? In short, what can serve as the warm and comfy bedding that you have back at home while you are out in the open sky? The answer is sleeping bags! They are special portable bags made of lightweight material, usually nylon or polyester, and come with an insulated quilt.
You can slide into the bags and cover yourself with the quilt that is attached with a zipper. They keep you super warm with their insulating layer and provide a highly soft base. No matter where and how far you are going on the trip, you can carry the bag anywhere as they are lightweight and portable. The nylon or polyester fabric keeps the entire bag breathable so you will not end up having suffocation when the bag is entirely zipped from your face to toe.
Now, the quality hacks with these sleeping bags are the same as with the mattresses you use on your bed. When your mattress is not soft enough you start having back pain issues. When it is too soft it also affects your back adversely. If it is not the right size, you can not properly fit into it. All these issues that you have to face while choosing the right mattress for you occur with sleeping bags as well.
With sleeping bags, these issues are even intense because you usually use it in rocky or mountainous regions, and if the bag is not made of appropriate fabric the rugged surface can impact your back badly. If the size is even a bit small, you will not be able to fit into it and even if you manage to do so, you will still face problems in zipping the bag. Not zipping it correctly and leaving it open will keep you exposed to the harsh cold winds of the mountainous regions that can result in severe bodily aches the next day.
So there are many small features about sleeping bags that can be highly technical to deal with and if you choose to ignore them you may risk ruining your entire adventure. Therefore to keep you from this misfortune, we will cover some important aspects in this article that will help you in buying the right sleeping bag.
Insulation material
As told before, the insulation is the important feature of sleeping bags that come with the right type of material used in the making of these bags. Usually, sleeping bags come in many types based on the season they were made for. Summer sleeping bags provide less insulation than winter sleeping bags. For winters, you must carry out thorough research on the material type of bag before purchasing.
There are mainly two types of sleeping bags when it comes to insulation. Down and synthetic. Both works on the general insulation physics, trapping your body heat in the air present around you. Since air is a good heat insulator, therefore the heat escaping your body remains in your surroundings if the material of the bag successfully keeps it in.
The more air pockets the material has, the higher will be the insulating property of that material. Down sleeping bags typically have a higher number of air pockets that means they can trap more amount heat in the spacious regions than any other type of bag.
The shape of the sleeping bag
The second most important thing that should be on your main consideration list while buying a sleeping bag, is the shape of the bag. If you end up purchasing a tight bag, it will keep you uncomfortable throughout your sleep. If you buy a bag that has a lot of space inside, it probably will not keep you warm enough.
There are several shapes based on the activity they are used for. The rectangular-shaped sleeping bags are the most volumetric so they are best for an outdoor activity in a warm season. They can also be used indoor even in cold weather but they are not so good for a winter outdoor activity as the extra volume would not trap the heat inside effectively.
The second type is a mummy bag. The bags are the shape of a mummy hence their name. These bags are close to fit types that are best for cold-weather outdoor activity as they provide only a little amount of space between the bag and your skin, trapping the heat effectively.
The last type is semi-rectangular which is like a mummy bag but provides a bit more volume than it. It is wide enough to fit you properly and narrow enough to keep you warm.
Length of the sleeping bag
It is really important to choose the right length of the bag so that you won't end up with something so small that you do not get enough space to fit your feet and have to position them awkwardly. On the contrary, if you purchase a bag that is too long, it will not keep you warm as the heat would disperse in the surrounding space.
So ideally, a bag that is just a bit longer than your height works best. It neither would be too tight nor would it be too volumetric to give off the heat in the space.
Temperature regulators
Sleeping pads and sleeping bag liners are additional features responsible for providing you warmth and a comfortable surface to sleep. So make sure to check if the sleeping bag has them or not.
For further details read the sleeping bag guide by Camping Sites In Britain.
