Camping Ferret
Gear and Gadgets for the Great Outdoors

Sleeping Bags

An important piece of gear in a camper’s arsenal are good quality sleeping bags. After a long and tiring day of hiking and camping, it is good to give yourself a restful sleep and be prepared for tomorrow. They may all look the same on the outside, but not all sleeping bags are created equally. Even experienced campers have a difficult time in choosing the right one. Sleeping bags were designed for varying climate conditions. You need to carefully assess your need before choosing the proper bag. Of course, the external feature of the pack such as size and shape affects their comfort and packing space requirement. The most common kind is a rectangular bag. It allows campers to have more space while sleeping and restless sleepers can spread out wider. However, this kind does not offer as much warmth making it inappropriate for cold weather. If you will go camping on a cold weather, you should choose the mummy style bag. It is highly suitable for cold weather because of its sufficient lining to withstand low temperature. But unlike the rectangular type, it does not offer much space for sleep movements because it is contoured on the shape of your body.

Another important factor to be considered in choosing the right bag is its internal construction. Its loft can be made of either natural or synthetic materials and loft amount affects the temperature rating of the bag. Bags filled with synthetic loft can keep you warm and often retains its loft compact even when wet. On the other hand, natural lofts are more compact than synthetic. But it can lose its form when wet and does not provide warmth but coolness. Good sleeping bags will make sure you are rested and ready for action on your next camping adventure.