Sleeping Bags

Today I wanted to talk about Sleeping Bags. On the market these days there is no shortage of sleeping bag available for sale. For instance you search for Camping Sleeping bags at Cabelas.com and you have over 200 results to choose from. A search at REI.com also yielded over 200 results as well. With there being so many types, styles, and ratings choosing the right bag for you can turn into a daunting task. and considering that a decent bag will set you back $100 the old adage "you get what you pay for" is definitely a factor here.

Sleeping Bag Ratings

Traditionally in the U.S. a sleeping bag is rated to indicate the lowest temperature at which the Sleeping bag will keep the average sleeper warm. (for example a bag rated at 20 degree Fahrenheit bag should keep you comfortable and warm down to 20 degrees Fahrenheit outside temperature.) However there is no standard for measuring and testing in the U.S. This causes a problem since variables such as metabolism, clothing you are wearing, and sleeping bag material and thickness can influence how warm a user is kept while using the sleeping bag. Many bags that are similar in construction and materials can still very widely form one manufacturer to the next.

Choosing the right bag

Choosing the right bag for you can be a difficult task. For some people it might help to think about when and how you are going to use it. For instance if you are just going to use it summer camping and not at all the rest of the year then you might be perfectly happy with a 50 degree Fahrenheit sleeping bag. However that same bag will do little to keep you warm in the middle of the night when the temperature drops below 32 degrees Fahrenheit in the winter. This is where a lot of people go wrong. I heard a story about a man who bought a $35 sleeping bag at Walmart and threw it into the trunk of his car for emergencies. Well one night he went off the road and got stuck in the snow. He couldn't get the car unstuck and was going to have to sleep in his car with the sleeping bag all night. That night the temperature dropped below -20 degrees Fahrenheit. The man had purchased a 50 degree bag and as a result he spent a long cold night in his car. subsequently he also lost three toes to frostbite do to not being able to adequately keep himself warm. Obviously this is a tragic incident but one that could have been prevented. Had the person only put some thought into how and when he might have needed to use the bag. At very least prior to buying a sleeping bag you need to ask yourself the following questions.

1. When am I going to use it? (Consider weather conditions, Seasons, and Climate conditions)

2. What kind of material do I want? (Bags come made from everything from Nylon and Gore-Tex, To Flannel and Down feathers)

3. How much does the bag weigh? (More of a concern if you have to carry the bag such as when backpacking)

4. How much are you willing to spend on a bag? (As with everything the better the bag the higher the price. But you can still get quality bags for affordable prices you just might have to sacrifice things like weight or material for cheaper prices)

All Around Sleeping Bag

There is a trend in outdoor equipment known as modular systems. It is turning up in everything from backpacks to clothing and even sleeping bags. Personally I find that this is a good thing modular systems are cheaper and allow for several options. Personally when I think about Sleeping Bags my first thought is always the Military Modular Sleep System (MSS) and this is my go to when considering a sleeping system for a 72-Hour Bag or a Bug Out Bag. This is the best bet for several reasons. First, it is relatively light weight. Second, it is rated down to -40 degrees Fahrenheit. Third, it comes with its one shelter system.
The MSS consists of 4 parts a camouflaged, waterproof, breathable Gore-Tex bivy cover, a lightweight patrol sleeping bag, an intermediate cold weather sleeping bag and a compression sack to store and carry the system.

 

The patrol bag rovides cold weather protection from 35 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit. While the intermediate bag provides cold weather protection from -5 to 35 degrees Fahrenheit. By combining the patrol bag and intermediate bag together provide extreme cold weather protection in temperatures as low as -40 degrees Fahrenheit. The bivy cover can be used with each of three MSS configurations (patrol, intermediate, or combined). The bivy cover is designed to provide environmental protection from wind and water. It is also a very effective sleeping shelter. The sleeping bags are made of ripstop nylon fabrics and continuous filament polyester insulation. The camouflage bivy cover is made with waterproof, breathable Gore-Tex. The compression sack is made with water-resistant nylon fabric.

The benefit to this system is that you can use only what you need. In the spring and summer months you could be just fine with the lighter patrol bag. Which I use a lot for my late spring and summer camping trips. The intermediate bag would be used for early spring and late fall camping. The two bags together would be more than enough for winter camping. I have used this system for sleeping outdoors in all four seasons and conditions and have been completely comfortable and warm no matter what the weather.

All three pieces (patrol, intermediate, and bivy) all fit into the stuff sack either combined together or separately and it has a weather flap on the open end to help keep the elements from getting in the bag while carrying it or while in storage. The outside of the stuff sack has several compression straps so that you can easily compress the system down to the smallest size possible. This is a nice feature as most commercial sleeping bag stuff sacks are just one size and often hard to fit the hole bag into. Once the bag is loaded into the stuff sack you can easily attach it to the bottom of your pack with a pair of pack straps. My CFP-90 pack actually has a MSS carrier built into it, but if you have lashing tabs on the bottom of your backpack (most backpacks do) it is easy to attach this to it with a couple straps. Be sure to look for my full review on the MSS and the new version in July.