Compact sleeping bag, because size matters!
There are many types of sleeping bags to choose from, but if you are planning a hike or a camping trip you should make sure that the one you choose is a compact sleeping bag. Imagine yourself dragging on a trail with an enormous backpack that half of its space is taken by a sleeping bag…no…doesn’t seem fun to me. Instead, I prefer hiking with as small and lightweight bag as possible, for that reason I recommend you to look for a compact and light sleeping bag. In general, try to organize your stuff in your backpack as compact and as organized as possible, so your hike will be much more fun and easy.
So, what should we look for in sleeping bags? The main purpose of a sleeping bag is to provide us with conditions for a good and comfortable sleep in a varying climate. One of the most important features is the filling, the kind and the volume of the filling. Bigger volume of filling will provide us with better isolation, but will affect the sleeping bag’s size and weight so before everything you have to define in what climate you will be using your sleeping bag (see “temperature ratings” below). Here I have to say a few things about fillings most people are not aware:
When talking about synthetic filling, cheep filling like polyester will provide a good isolation, almost as good as most expensive fillings at the beginning of the usage, but, it’s more heavy, less compressible and will collapse after a couple of uses, thus loosing it’s efficiency, for that reason companies invest a lot of money for research of a hi-tec materials that collapse less. The advantages of synthetic fillings are that, unlike down fillings, it doesn’t lose its efficiency in wet conditions, it tends to be lighter and more compact, but the isolation is less efficient. Down fillings tend to isolate better than the synthetic sleeping bag’s fillings, but the main disadvantage is that it loses its functionality at wet conditions, down fillings also tend to be a little bit heavier and compress less. The measure scale for down fillings range between 550 fill power to 800+ fill power, the more fill power you choose, the better isolation you get.
Temperature ratings:
There is nothing worse than to freeze all night long in your tent. As I am sure you will not compromise about your clothes and will not go hiking with a t-shirt in a snow, the same is about sleeping bag. Mainly sleeping bags are divided into four categories, for warm weather efficient for temperatures down to around +32°F/0°C, three-season sleeping bags efficient for temperatures down to around +15°F/-9°C, cold weather that are efficient for temperatures down to around -5F/-21°C, and extreme weather sleeping bags that are efficient for temperatures colder than -5F/-21°C. It’s important to know, that every temperature provided on a sleeping bag relates to wind protected conditions (tent or room), and on an isolating mattress.
Outer side:
The outer side of a sleeping bag can be divided into two parts, the one that comes in touch with the ground and the upper side. Usually the materials used for the outer side are synthetic because synthetic materials are light, they have better durability and usually it’s waterproof. Almost all the professional sleeping bags are made of such materials.
In summary: define the climate you will be using the sleeping bag, choose good quality, and remember, the size matters! A compact sleeping bag will always be a better choice.
