Sleeping Bag, Tent
A sleeping bag is one of the most important pieces of equipment we all use while camping. Knowing how to find the perfect one for you is important.
There are a lot of different sleeping bags, believe it or not, and it is important to choose the right one that suits your camping needs.
Finding the right sleeping bag that works for you can be a trivial task if you’re new to camping.
This is no easy feat, but it will be a task well worth your time if you want to find the perfect sleeping bag.
Look through different kinds of sleeping bags, and choose the one that suits your comfort. Look at its quality and what temperatures it can handle.
A lot of companies will say they have the best equipment, but in reality, not a whole lot of them have good products.
All they want to do is make the sale, so keep these four main points in mind when choosing a sleeping bag.
- 1). WHAT MATERIAL IS THE SLEEPING BAG MADE OF?
- 1). WHERE WILL YOU BE GOING?
- 3). WHAT WILL THE TEMURATURES WHERE YOU ARE GOING BE?
- 4). WHAT TYPE OF TERRAIN WILL YOU BE DEALING WITH?
Here are some main points to pay attention to when buying a sleeping bag :
1). What material Is the sleeping bag Made of?
A lot of the reason that good sleeping bags hold up well is because of what they are made up of, and it could be a blend of materials.
Such examples are a cotton-polyester blend, 100% polyester, or a 100% cotton blend.
Where you go on your next Outdoor adventure has a lot to do with what type of sleeping bag you should bring.
There are a LOT of sleeping bags to choose from, so we totally understand the confusion.
There are 2 main types of sleeping bags to choose from. Down or Synthetic. Below, we will explain the use of each.
DOWN sleeping bag:
A down sleeping bag tends to have more insulation and compresses quite well. The main downside to down sleeping bags, (try to say that ten times fast), is that they tend not to hold up well in wet weather.
However, with their material typically made of things like feathers, they are very warm.
SYNTHETIC sleeping bag:
A synthetic sleeping bag is typically made from synthetic materials such as polyester and nylon.
They tend to compress well and are easy to travel with because they do not take up much space.
INNER AND OUTER materials:
There are quite a bit of different materials for the outer and inner parts of sleeping bags.
Below, we will explain the different materials for the inside and outside of the sleeping bag.
INNER materials:
NYLON, POLYESTER, AND TAFFETA:
Polyester, Nylon, and Taffeta are very similar fabrics. Comfortable and smooth.
These materials do not become hot as quickly as most other materials and these three materials are the most commonly seen in campers sleeping bags.
FLEECE:
This material is a very soft and comfortable fabric. The only main downside to fleece is that the material tends to get hot quickly.
This is because the material is made for trapping as much heat as possible. Instead of Regulating temperature like a lot of other materials.
COTTON:
This material is great for sleeping bags. Cotton is comfortable and breathable.
The downside to cotton is that it likes to trap moisture. So this material should be mainly used for dry areas.
SILK:
This material is a very comfortable and breathable material. Silk does not trap heat and make sleeping uncomfortable.
However, it does tend to easily tear and ripped silk is not an easy fix.
OUTER MATERIALS:
NYLON, POLYESTER, AND TAFFETA:
Nylon, Polyester, and taffeta are the most commonly used outer materials.
Comfortable and breathable, but soak up moisture. These materials are mainly suited for dry areas.
RIPSTOP:
Being a heavily woven material, ripstop is like nylon or polyester on steroids.
Ripstop is able to withstand much more abuse than the traditional materials and does not soak up moisture.
However, even though ripstop is better than both nylon and polyester, we still wouldn’t recommend that it be used in wet areas.
DRYCLIME, DRYLOFT, GOSSAMER MICRO and microfiber:
These are durable and water-resistant materials. These materials are ideal if you camp year-round.
Though these can be the more expensive materials, they are certainly worth it for an avid outdoors-man or outdoors-woman.
2). What Temperatures Can The Sleeping Bag Handle?
How well the sleeping bag can handle the climate of where you’re going should be a huge factor in which sleeping bag you end up buying.
Temperatures can fluctuate naturally in most places, but you want to get the basics down.
Figure out what the climate will be ahead of time when you are camping.
3). How Durable Is The Sleeping Bag?
How well the sleeping bag handles the terrain that you use it on is another big deciding factor in what sleeping bag you choose.
If it is not, it should be! Durable sleeping bags will not rip unless quite a bit of force is applied.
Look at the reviews of the product you are thinking about purchasing, and look for these points if you are buying online.
Conclusion:
Use this article as a guide to find the perfect sleeping bag for yourself. Remember, pay attention to the material that it is made up of.
There are many different brands that offer many different sleeping bags, and it can seem pretty confusing.
If you follow this guide and go with the materials that fit your needs, you will be all set for your next adventure.
There is no reason why you shouldn’t be able to find the absolute perfect sleeping bag for you or at least darn near close.
If you follow these tips and combine them with your own product research, you will be able to find exactly what you need!
REI.com also has some great tips on buying a sleeping bag. Check out the rest of our site for more on camping, hiking, and more!
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