Northeast Ohio Outdoors

Essential Gear: Sleeping Bags

By Lou Yuhasz on March 16th, 2008

There’s nothing quite like sinking off to sleep in the warm embrace of a soft, cushiony sleeping bag after a hard day on the trail.

There’s also nothing like freezing all night on the hard ground as rainwater puddles around your feet.

So here’s the essential gear you need to get a good night’s sleep:

Ground Cover:

The ground cover does one thing and one thing only: It keeps you dry. Period. There’s no need to shell out big bucks for anything other than a water proof tarp. If you’re planning on sleeping under the stars, it’s essential. If you plan on pitching a tent, chances are it will have an integrated ground cover, but I still prefer using a separate tarp to protect the tent. The secret here is to fold the tarp so that it it completely covered by the tent. Any exposed corner will act as a rain gutter, channeling rain and dew under the tent and making your life miserable.
10′ X 15′ UltimHeavy Duty Tarp

Sleeping mat:

The second component’s job is to insulate you from the ground. Ground conducts heat almost as well as it conducts electricity and for the same reason. You only produce a tiny amount of heat, and there’s a bunch of Ground to heat up. So from Cheap to expensive:

• Closed Cell Mats.

  • These are the standard thin green rolls you see hanging from the bottom of hippies packs on the Appalachian trail. Look at a closed cell pad through a microscope and you’ll see a bunch of ping pong balls all stuck together. The air is trapped in the little balls and provides excellent insulation. They are also waterproof since water droplets can’t fit in between the cells. They’re cheap, portable and durable. However, because they’re thin, they are not as comfortable as other mats. Try these out:

  Therm-a-Rest Z-Lite Sleeping Mat (Regular)
  Therm-a-Rest Ridge Rest Sleeping Mat (Short)

• Air mattress

  • So you want comfy, but don’t have any room? Then think Air Mattress. You can get a small one that raises your torso off the ground, to a tent size full king bed that inflates with a compressor. Warm, Comfy, easily transported…Why Doesn’t everyone use them? Because we’ve all come back to the campsite, sopping wet and exhausted, only to find a deflated, hole filled vinyl tarp in our tent where the mattress was this morning. And we’ve all spent a sleepless night making do without a pad because of it. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

  Coleman ComfortSmart Quickbed Air Bed

• Open cell or Self Inflating mats

  • Look at an open cell mat through our trusty microscope, and there’s an obvious difference from closed cell. The cells look more like soap bubbles or fibers. They’re open. D’uh. Air travels between the cells, this means they’re not as efficient and they have to be a lot thicker to insulate you and water vapor can get in there and cause mold. So why use an open cell mat? Well for one thing, they’re softer and more comfortable. You can also squeeze the air out, making them lighter and more portable. Self inflating mats have a layer of open cell padding sealed in a waterproof skin with a valve. Open the valve and the mat expands. Voila! Instant bed!

  Coleman Self-Inflating Mat with Pillow

  Wenger Self-inflating Mat

• Cots

  • And for the ultimate comfort, there’s cots. If you’ve ever struggles with a military surplus, canvas monster that weighed twenty pounds and ripped halfway through the night, you’re in for a surprise.Today’s camping cots are lightweight, easy to set up and comfy-comfy. Downsides? If you like extreme weather you’ll still need a mat to insulate you’re newly exposed cot-side. They still won’t fit into you’re pack and are best for car or tent camping. And finally, expect to buy a new one every couple of years as hinges and joints do wear out.

  Rio Adventure Military Style Cot
  Slumberjack Big Cot

Sleeping bags

And finally we get to the part everyone wants to know: What’s the best sleeping bag for me? Heck If I know. But I can give you a few suggestions.

• Temperature rating:

• All things being equal, the lower the temperature, the warmer, bulkier and more expensive the bag. However, there is no industry standard testing. One Manufacturer’s bags might be warmer than another’s with the same rating. To make matters worse, manufacturer’s use two different ratings: Survival and Comfort. A bag rated 40 degrees for Survival will keep you alive. Another rated 40 degrees for Comfort will keep you alive and sane. Check the ratings carefully. You should never get a sleeping bag that’s not rated for the lowest temperature you expect to encounter. Hypothermia is not fun, and if you already have poor judgment before you crawl into your flimsy, summer bag in the fall, you might not make it out.

• Loft:

• Loft is how high the bag gets when unrolled and the insulation expands. If two bags have the same temperature rating, the one with the higher loft will trap more air and might be more comfortable.

• Down Filled or Synthetic:

• Millions of years of evolution have created a nearly perfect insulator-Down. Down is extremely efficient, being much warmer than synthetic fibers. Down also compresses much further than synthetic and will take up less room in your pack. Down’s downfall? It’s expensive and needs proper care. Also, If it gets wet (HA! IF!), it takes longer to dry and will not insulate properly until it does. Synthetic insulation is nearly the opposite: Bulkier and cheaper (usually), it is easy to care for. If you’re willing to make the investment in money and time, down is better than all but the most expensive synthetics.

• Shape:

• There are two basic shapes for your sleeping bag: The mummy bag and the rectangular bag. The mummy bag, as its name implies, is shaped to the contours of your body and usually has an integrated hood. Climb inside, zip it up and your face pokes through a hole allowing you to breathe while keeping your body heat trapped in a small a space as possible.A rectangular bag is square cut, without the hood. Although not as efficient as the mummy bag, the extra room improves comfort, allowing you to toss and turn. Some are cut narrower in the feet to reduce volume. Also, Rectangular bags can be linked together, allowing two campers to share one bag, although why anyone would want to do this is beyond me.
  

  See a small sample of bags available from our partners here.

• Other Considerations

Other things to look for :

• Baffle- The baffle is the cross-stitching that keeps the insulation in place. The insulation should be firm and not slide around, or it will pill up, creating cold spots.
• Draft Tube- A fabric covering to weatherproof the zipper. Should be sturdy enough that it doesn’t catch.
• Lining- check the feel of the interior liner. Do you prefer satiny nylon or fleece?

Your choice of sleeping bags is a personal based on your preferences. Because it is so personal, there’s a great many choices in the market. Try a few of these:

Care for your sleeping bag

• Wear clean skivvies to bed or use a sleeping bag liner. This improves comfort and keeps funk out of your expensive investment.
• Repair promptly- Repair broken zippers and tears before they ruin the bag.
• Hand wash only- Do not put in the washer. Insulation will shift, creating cold spots, zippers will break and tears will develop
• Air dry- Tumbling in a dryer will also deform the insulation.
• Store safely- Once completely dry, wait another day or two until storing. place loosley in a cotton bag and store in a dry place. Mildew loves all the nooks and crannies in your insulation. Do not store in a stuff sack or your insulation will break down and you will lose loft and comfort.

Don’t forget the pillow and enjoy your camping experience!

You might also like

Eureka Centerfire Sleeping Bag Review Recently the good folks at Eureka Tents offered to send me a Eureka Centerfire Sleeping bag for review....

Bestselling Hydration Backpacks From Amazon We all know that keeping yourself Hydrated is important. I've even written a popular blog post about...

Gear Review: Eureka Solitaire The worst camping experience I ever had was my last year in College. I had gone back to finish after...

Gear Review: Your Two Tents Getting ready to head out this spring? We've already looked at Sleeping Bag Essentials. Now, Take...

Comments are closed.