Sleeping Bags

There are sleeping bags out there for everyone, and we are all so different. Some people can't sleep in a mummy bag, while others can sleep in anything. Some backpackers won't be gentle enough with a fragile high-tech bag, while others can make their gear last forever. Ray Jardine swears by hand-made sleeping quilts, but many of us have neither the time nor the skill to sew one.

Which sleeping bag is best? There will never be one answer. Not only are we all different in our personal needs, but different places and weather mean we may need two or three different bags. Let's look at some of the options.

Down is still the lightest insulation. Backpackers have been waiting for decades for a new synthetic material that, ounce-for-ounce, insulates as well as down, but it hasn't happened yet. Down bags are also much more compressible than the synthetic ones, meaning they take much less space in the pack. A down sleeping bag can be rejuvenated by throwing them in the dryer with a shoe to "fluff" them up. I've seen a 30-year-old down bag with virtually all of its original loft after a treatment like this.

It sounds like a down bag is the ultimate lightweight sleeping bag, doesn't it? It is - in the right place and used the right way. Down's primary drawback is that it is almost worthless when wet. Unlike synthetic fill bags, down bags lose almost all of their insulating ability when wet. If torn, they also lose their insulation more easily.

The point here is to be careful how you use a down bag. Once, during a week of rain, camping under a tarp in the Rockies, I managed to keep my down bag dry. I had to be very careful, but obviously it can be done.

How light are down sleeping bags? My down bag weighs just 17 ounces, or 19 ounces with the stuff sack. A stuff sack isn't always necessary - I can stuff the bag directly into my pack or put it in a half-ounce bread bag.

The zipper only goes half-way down (to save weight). The bag appears fragile, and I have babied it over the years, but it may be tougher than I thought. I've used it from sea-level to 16,000 feet in all types of weather (I camp under a tarp much of the time). It still has all of its loft and appears new. It's a mummy bag, but it has always been comfortable for me (I'm 6'3", 165 pounds). Though it;s only rated down to 40 degrees, I have been warm in it below freezing many times.

The lofting ability of down (and therefore its warmth per ounce) is measured by its fill power rating. A 650 fill power or above is a minimum for a decent bag in my opinion. The number indicates the amount of actual down, as opposed to feather and quill. To be more precise, it measures the cubic inches that an ounce of a particular batch of down will fill.

A good synthetic sleeping bags will take abuse well, and keep insulating even when wet. Well-designed ones are getting close in weight to down bags. They do still take a lot more space in your pack, however. The insulation also breaks down and loses its loft after a few years.

Down is lighter and more compressible. Synthetic bags are so worry-free - at least while they are relatively new. It is truly a tough choice. If you regularly get wet, go with a good synthetic bag.

- There are three basic styles: mummy, semi rectangular, and rectangular. They get less confining in that order. They also get heavier, meaning less warm, ounce-for-ounce, in that order. Use a mummy if you are comfortable in one.

- You generally get what you pay for with sleeping bags. The best are expensive. My own down bag cost over $200 almost ten years ago.

- Make sure the bag is long enough for you. This is especially important with mummy style, because your head needs to be inside the hood of the bag to use it properly.

- Try bags with a left-zipper and right-zipper, to determine which is more comfortable for you.

- If you plan to zip your bag together with your partners, one will have to be a right-zipper and the other a left-zipper.

- A two-way zipper lets you ventilate your feet, so you don't sweat into the bag as much.

- A differential cut, meaning the inner lining is smaller than the outer shell, allows fuller lofting of the insulation, which means more warmth.

- An insulated draft collar can help to seal in the warmth and keep out the cold around your neck and shoulders.

- Ripstop nylon, polyester, or other ripstop materials are the standard for good sleeping bags. The "ripstop" feature is especially important with the more fragile super-light fabrics.

- On a mummy bag, a shaped hood should cup the head naturally.

- A draft tube covers the zipper to seal out cold air usually provides enough additional warmth to justify the weight.

- A water-resistant outer shell is a good idea, especially if you will be sleeping under a tarp.

- Dark linings absorbs heat from the sun's rays better - helpful if you need to dry out your bag.

You should be able to find good down bags rated to about freezing, which weigh two pounds or less. A good synthetic fill bag rated to freezing should only weigh five or six ounces more. Rated to zero Fahrenheit (-18 degrees Celsius), there are down bags that weigh less than four pounds, and synthetic bags that are a little over four pounds.

Other sleeping bag options - both lighter and cheaper alternatives - are discussed in the next chapter. This chapter continues with a discussion of sleeping bag pads (click here).

Every chapter has tips for lightweight backpacking and wilderness survival.