Why you wouldn’t want to be without a sleeping bag during the winter season

by Chris on 19/03/09 at 3:36 pm

A sleeping bag is an essential accompaniment when camping, climbing or hiking, if you are not within reach of a bed. Sleeping bags are designed to provide warmth and thermal insulation. They can protect, to some degree, against the chill of wind, damp and general exposure – but you should really use your sleeping bag within a tent (or a least a bivouac sack, which is a waterproof cover for a sleeping bag) if you are caught short in bad weather.

Most sleeping bags can be rolled up and carried within a rucksack. They are typically square with a zip on one or two sides but generally they do not unzip all the way to bottom because heat is lost through the zipper. Some sleeping bags are specifically designed for the male or female and there are kiddie versions. There is normally a drawstring at the top to aid the trapping of warm air. There is a wide variety of insulating materials for sleeping bags. Goose down or a synthetic fill is generally used to insulate the bags. These are equal at helping to keep warm and help prevent hypothermia. Many sleeping bag shells are covered with a durable water repellent finish, which should guard against moisture reaching the inner.

There are four different types of sleeping bags. The summer season bag, which is suitable for temperatures 35 degrees Fahrenheit or higher, a 3 season bag that covers 10 degrees to 35 degrees Fahrenheit, a cold weather bag that covers minus ten to plus ten degrees Fahrenheit and lastly the winter/extreme sleeping bag that is suitable for under minus ten degrees Fahrenheit.

For the winter season you should choose a sleeping bag that is suitable for the conditions that you may expect while away, so either the cold weather bag or the winter/extreme bag would be best. Carefully consider the temperatures that may occur in the locations that you going to. Choose between a bag for men or women. Are you going to get wet? Down can get wet easily, and thermal insulation would become affected. Synthetic is cheaper and is great for those that experience rain or don’t have much money to spend on a bag. It can become extremely cold very quickly early in the winter, so if you are out for a long expedition ensure that you have a suitable sleeping bag that you can get into before you run the risk of frostbite and hypothermia. In order to avoid the risk of hypothermia ensure that you get into your sleeping bag with full clothes on that are dry, keep the bag zipped up and drawstring tight around your head, make sure you have eaten and are well hydrated – and if possible, use a tent or bivy shelter which can add an extra ten degrees.

You can enhance your sleeping bag’s life by hanging it in a garage or somewhere equally suitable. If this is not possible store the sleeping bag loosely in cotton storage sack to ensure that the insulation does not become permanently compressed, which reduces all heating properties.