What To Look For When Choosing A Sleeping Bag
A sleeping bag is a crucial part of equipment for any overnight camping or trekking activity and explorers have used the sleeping bag since the first, the ‘Euklisia Rug’ was designed in the 19th century by Pryce Pryce Jones. many things to take into consideration before choosing a sleeping bag; namely the style, type of insulation, temperature or season rating and weight.
Sleeping bags come in two standard styles, tapered at one end into a mummy shape and the more conventional envelope shape. The mummy sleeping bag has a tighter fitment and uses less material as the sleeping bag is tighter around the feet and head areas. The mummy shaped sleeping bag is also a lighter sleeping bag with a smaller overall size as there is reduced spare material. These features of the sleeping bag make it perfect for sports where weight and size must be kept small whilst retaining maximum warmth inside the sleeping bags.
A negative point of the mummy shaped sleeping bag is that many users dislike the feeling of being confined within the tighter style.The envelope, is as it's title suggests, a rectangular shaped sleeping bag more familiar with regular casual campers.whilst its style means it has poorer insulating properties and it is heavier and is larger than the mummy, many people prefer the rectangle sleeping bag as it permits them to manoeuvre about more freely and sleep as they would do at home in a bed.
Sleeping bags function by capturing layers of air within their filling which then acts to insulate the bag and prevent the warmth from escaping. The insulation fill of the sleeping bag is made in either synthetic or down with either offering their advantages and disadvantages. Sleeping bags which use a synthetic filling are heavier and bulkier than down sleeping bags however they also maintain heat better whilst damp and are also easier to clean and dry than the down equivalent. Although down sleeping bags are harder to wash and perform poorly when damp, the normal capability of a down sleeping bag is far superior to that of a synthetic sleeping bag, goose down is far more efficient at insulating and therefore the weight and pack size of down bags is significantly reduced.
The season rating of sleeping bags outlines the time of year to which the sleeping bag is most suited, the ratings range from 1-4: 1 refers to summer or indoor use; 2 referring to summer and warm nights either side of it; 3 refers to colder use and 4 during more extreme temperatures such as those experienced at high altitudes or in countries with colder climates The temperature rating of sleeping bags makes use of EN13537 standard where an upper limit, comfort rating, lower limit and also extreme rating are awarded with their precise temperature. on a sleeping bag are regarded as the ones to be guided by when determining the suitability of a sleeping bag and the extreme temperature rating is there only to guide as to the lowest temperature during whichthe sleeping bag would be adequate to achieve only survival.
Lastly, size and weight is something to consider whilst pondering on which sleeping bag to pack along on a camping trip. The average family camper probably won't worry about this factor as often they don't have to carry the sleeping bag very far and also have plenty of room in a car to transport it. Campers participating in sports such as trekking and hiking are highly to regard this factor more important because they often have to haul a sleeping bag and/or fit it into their backpack.
Each individual sleeping bag user must match their sleeping bag to their needs and purpose to make sure they get the most out of their sleeping bag.
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