Choosing a sleeping bag

[DaveS]

When I started I found the sleeping bag rating system and choosing a bag very complicated.

Through the years we've accumulated various standard rectangular bags of varying qualities, so when we started to camp again seriously we decided to look for new.
I was also off with my biking buddies so wanted something for that as well.

Initially we bought a pair of mummy sleeping bags from Millets, they were cheap and as far as I was concerned one bag was like another.

I froze on a trip in mid Wales one night, and even sleeping fully clothed with bike gear on top of me was really cold. I then bought a silk liner to see if that would make a difference.
This did help but I still found myself getting cold on some of the later camping trips I went on.

So I started to research what the seasons meant.

1 Season: Summer
2 Season: Spring Summer
3 Season: Spring to Autumn
4 Season: Winter
5 Season: Expedition

You'll also notice that some sleeping bags display Upper, Comfort, Lower and Extreme temperature ratings.
These are a European standard for testing sleeping bags.

• the upper limit is the highest temperature at which a 'standard' adult man is able to have a comfortable night's sleep without excess sweating.
• the comfort rating is based on a 'standard' adult woman having a comfortable night's sleep.
• the lower limit is based on the lowest temperature at which a 'standard' adult man is deemed to be able to have a comfortable night's sleep.
• the extreme rating is a survival only rating for a 'standard' adult woman. This is an extreme survival rating only and it is not advisable to rely on this rating for general use.

There are also many fillings to choose from with Down being one of best but is difficult if it gets wet.

I think with the limited experience I'd have I'd say go for the highest rating you can as you can always open the bag and use it like a duvet if it gets too warm.

Any other comments or tips on bags?

[Jenna]

interesting reading, never really knew exactly what the standards were.

from past experience I'd always go with the best you can afford, you can cut corners with a cheap tent but a bad bag will always leave you miserable!

The Jack Wolfskin bag i have (or had, haven't seen it for a while?).. was well made but woefully over rated in the season rating, on the plus side it come with a silk liner as standard.

This year i have moved over to a Coleman XTR-25 as dont intend to get cold again!... time will tell if its as good as the hype.

Had a multilayer foil bag at one time and found it to be one step away from useless, wouldn't bother with one again.

We also still have a pair of german army bags as back ups that do exactly what it says on the tin.

Cheap trick.... if you are using a bag that below its season rating then buy a second cheap mat, lay on this in the bag and one under the bag drastically drop the heat loss!!

[YEN_POWELL]

I used to find that if I was going to be cold it was always the first night. I now realise that you have to get the sleeping bag out as soon as possible after pitching tent to allow it to loft up and hold more air in the insulating areas. Try and store them uncompressed and only put them in the bags just before travelling. Liners help, hats help a lot, keep your head warm and more blood gets diverted to the rest of you.

[Jenna]

Try and store them uncompressed and only put them in the bags just before travelling.

yep I am guilty of always leaving bags in the stuff sack...

[Boris]

I keep thinking I should buy a new single sleeping bag for when I'm away without the Mrs to keep me warm. The one I have is 1-2 season and packs down well but is pretty thin. So far I have got away with it but my luck will run out one day. The problem I have is the sheer range and costs available.

I'm looking for something that packs down well (for bike use) and being the canny Scot that I am, something that won't give the wallet too much of a fright. A genuine 3 season would probably suffice as I can't imagine be being away in the winter but I'm open to advice.

Any recommendations?

[Mabels Old Man]

When I first joined the rescue team i bought a mountain equipment hollowfil 4 seasons bag. it's getting on for 20 years old now and still performs as new. I've got a nanok 3 seasons bag (also hollowfil which is greatmost of the year and it packs smaller then the mountain equipment one. Treated myself this year and bought a 4 seasons + down bag which is brilliant but as Dave says if it gets wet you get cold!

[winxp-master]

Some good points here, good reading...

I bought a 3/4 season bag thinking the same, that i will only camp in the summer-ish time so will be ok but that was my first error as at jellys in the peak district it got bleedin cold during the night and i put all my bike gear on and was still cold. What a miserable night that was and a lesson learned, i think my bag was a snow fox or some rubbish that was about £40 and useless.

I bought a Vango Viper 1000 down sleeping bag and to counter it getting wet i bought a hunka bivvy bag (also useful inside the tent for extra warmth anyway) for £50, i want to use this for Edinburgh on TLD so needed one anyway. At £140 the Vango is not too cheap but a lot cheaper than RAB stuff at £300+ and it's a 5 season bag it packs down REALLY small too so ideal for the bike.

Also a good point about storing, always store bags open as you do with mats.

[Jenna]

one of the question i always had was over the comfort ratings... it seams a bit like architect saying 'the wall has a door in it'... no mention of how big the door is, which way it opens is lockable? etc etc it's a standard that gives you more questions than it answers!

I hate being cold, so i alway rate bags one step down!

[2gocampin]

All bags no matter what rating they are can be improved with a good under blanket between you and the floor. The better insulated you are from the floor the warmer you will be. The other point worth remembering is that if you are using an air bed the air in the bed acts like a magnet to the ground temperature and sleeping on a bed of cold air you will never get warm.

If your back packing you can use a lightweight foil thermal blanket under your bag or mat and if you have more packing space then throw a good heavy rug on top of that also.

You will be amazed how much warmer you will be.

I do have another option but I need to check with Dave 1st before posting a thread.

Gary

[2gocampin]

Ok, got clearance from the boss !!

Right, there is another option as I said above and that is a Royce thermal carpet for your tent. These carpets create and then maintaining a more comfortable and much warmer sleeping and living environment.

Unlike the mainstream tent carpets that are available from the big name manufacturers which offer an improved look and feel to the tent floor but do little else, a Royce carpet has been developed and tested to give very high thermal qualities and repel even extreme sub floor temperatures.

When sleeping a persons core body temperature, even if in a 4 season sleeping bag, will drop considerably if the ground on which they are laying is cold or wet. Any level of insulation between you and the tent floor will improve this situation but the higher the insulation the warmer nights sleep you will get.

Royce carpets are made up of 5 different layers of insulation including Thinsulate and Foilfoam. The insulating layers are heat bonded together and trimmed between a base layer of rubberised PVC and a close weave cotton mix top cover to form an attractive yet highly effective insulating mat for the living area or bedroom pod floors of any tent.

In one recent independent test a Royce carpet was tested over a bed of solid ice in an enclosed chamber, the chambers ambient temperature was set at 15 degrees and for the next 8 hours readings where taken from the surface area of the carpet and it maintained an average of 12 degrees throughout the test. The same test was then carried out with a carpet from one of the big name manufacturers and this carpet held only 4 degrees for a few minutes before dropping to the minus temperatures of the sub floor level.

Why am I telling you all this ?

I make the Royce carpets and whilst they are not currently available through retail outlets we do make them to order for customers.

They are bespoke, handmade to order and come in a zip bag with compression straps for ease of packing and carry a lifetime guarantee.

They are not cheep but they do what they are supposed to do, unlike picnic rugs or the mainstream type of carpets available.

I only started the company earlier this year and the problem I have is that price rules most peoples decision process and as such I have held back from marketing the carpets until people can understand the differences between a Royce carpet and the competition.

The carpets are soon to be reviewed in Camping Magazine, Clive Garrett the Editor is currently testing a carpet that we made for one of his tents and this will be followed by the review panel also.

So if your interested in knowing more or would like to have a carpet made for your tent then send me a PM and we can work out a special introduction price, prior to the official launch, as members of this forum.

Regards to all,

Gary