#046 Evolution of a Lightweight Backpacker - Sleeping Bag
Like other kids my childhood was speckled with nights spent in a tent with neighborhood friends and cousins, or family weekend vacations at the lake in whatever gear could be scrounged up for camping. In early adulthood I got by with cheap gear when camping in campgrounds with friends.
Better and lighter gear is required when trekking across mountains with a pack. You can’t just run into a warm house or start a car for heat or to hide when rough weather rolls in. Quality gear is needed to keep you safe.
A good sleeping bag might keep you safe from hypothermia or worse.
When picking out your sleeping bag never fully trust the temperature rating on the tag of the bag. Always read reviews, talk with experienced friends or knowledgeable associates at the outfitter, and take into consideration your own body’s heat producing abilities. The sleeping bag temperature ratings help you determine which bag to buy based on the conditions you’re planning to camp in, but these ratings aren’t perfect. They are based on the average of person’s ability to create heat. Consider real life factors when choosing a bag.
As we discussed in the sleeping pad post, bags require a good sleeping pad to keep the ground from stealing your heat. Your sleeping bag temperature rating is more accurate when coupled with an insulated pad.
The sleeping pad and sleeping bag, along with your tent, work together to create your sleeping system. Once you’ve created a sleeping system that functions correctly you’ll sleep safe and warm in the wilderness.
When buying my first backpacking sleeping bag I didn’t know much about the variables of temperature ratings. I didn’t have any cold weather backpacking friends to ask. I didn’t know how to research online at the time. There was no real social media presence at the time like we have now.
I was slowly outfitting my son with gear at the same time as myself and had to split the gear budget between the two of us. Between the variables of limited understanding and a limited budget stood my mistake when picking out my first bag.
The 36oz thirty-degree synthetic Gander Mountain mummy bag proved to be more reliable in forty degrees than in thirty. Although I’m a warm sleeper this bag just didn’t get the job done in the winter months, even with a quality sleeping pad below me. I would have been in trouble had I used a bad pad.
This bag did a fantastic job in spring and fall, but was a little on the heavy side. This was the bag I carried on that A.T. trip in Maine, the trip my gear weight this series is compared to.
It pays to read reviews and ask around when picking out a bag. Borrowing one is the best test.
Needing a dependable deep winter bag I turned to North Face’s Cat’s Meow. This 40oz twenty degree synthetic mummy bag did the trick. When coupled with an 8oz Sea to Summit bag liner, made with a thin Thermolite polyester fabric, I could sleep comfortably in sub-zero degree conditions.
The bag is a bulky in my pack and on heavy side, as it goes with synthetic bags, but has served me well on many cold and snowy nights.
The bag I’ve used the most over the past several years is a down sleeping bag. It’s been on every section hike since I began in Georgia in 2015 , as well as many other other trips around the country.
What is this coveted bag I speak of? Well it is an Ozark Trails sleeping bag, from guess where: Walmart.
This bag is perfect for my yearly section hike needs. Down bags pack very small. This bag weighs only 25oz, very comfortable to sleep in, and came with the price tag of only $80, which is about 1/3 to 1/4 the price of big name bags with similar features.
The tricky thing about down in general is if its gets wet it has almost no warming value to is. Synthetic bags will hold most of their warming properties when wet. It’s an uncomfortable night either way if you have to sleep in a wet bag, but the synthetic bag will still protect you from the cold night.
Let’s try to keep those bags dry, shall we?
Mummy Bag - A hooded sleeping bag that tappers off at the feet. The hood keeps your head warm and helps keep heat from escaping the bag.
Tapered - The bag is shaped like the body, therefore has less empty space inside to heat.
Synthetic filling - Is a type of insulation made from polyester fibers.
Down filling - Is made up of nylon, polyester, taffeta material.
Note: I spent more on my son’s North Face bag than on my own when we began collecting gear, it was much warmer and I ended up using it on occasion when he wasn’t with me. It’s in my gear closet and was used by my nephew this last summer when we backpacked on N.C. Shackleford Banks.
Join me next two weeks when we look at cook stoves, pot, cups, bowls, utensils, fuel, and even a kitchen sink. It takes a lot of gear to have a meal on the trail…….or so it used to.