Sleeping Bags & Pads

Buying guide: Sleeping Bags

Material:

Nylon and polyester are commonplace for sleeping bag shells. Bags made with these three fabrics are often treated with DWR to help with moisture control and prevent waterlogging the fill.

Weight:

Your goal should be to reduce the total weight of your sleep system to three pounds or less. This is achievable if you can get your sleeping bag or top quilt under two pounds (32 ounces) in weight and sleeping pad under one pound (16 ounces).

Popular types:

Generally, rectangular and mummy bags are the most of choice.

Price:

Sleeping bags can cost anywhere from $50 to $1,000, but we think most people can get everything they need for car camping for $100, and for backpacking, between $150 and $400.

Temperature ratings:

What Temperature Rating to Choose - When deciding how warm of a sleeping bag is needed, a good "rule of thumb" is to take the bags advertised temperature rating and then add 10-15 degrees to it. Thus, a bag rated to 20° degrees will keep you warm in temperatures of 30-35° degrees.

Shapes:

1. Rectangular sleeping bag

2. Barrel-shaped sleeping bag

3. Mummy sleeping bag

4. Double sleeping bag

5. Kid sleeping bag

Weather:

Down sleeping bags are best for cold weather because they provide excellent warmth while remaining packable. The alternative to down is synthetic. But the warmth-to-weight ratio for synthetic is not very good, and that's the primary thing you're after in cold weather bags.

Fill power:

Fill power is a number that indicates the relative quality of down. Higher fill power means the down will have better quality, higher loft, and will retain its firmness longer.

Storage:

Step 1. Extract it from its stuff sack.

Step 2. Dry it thoroughly.

Step 3. Loosely stow it inside a large breathable cotton or mesh sack.

Step 4. Store it in a place that's both cool and dry.