in Outdoors / Camping (submitted 2011-01-28)
To avoid nights spent shivering in your tent or RV, you need to take into consideration a couple things before buying a sleeping bag. In this article, I will give you some tips to help you pick the perfect sleeping bag for your needs.
Consider the Environment
The first and most important thing you need to consider is what the environment is like where you will be camping. If it gets cold at night, you don’t want to cheap out and get a bag that is designed for warmer temperatures. On the other hand, if it doesn’t get very cold at night, don’t waste money and buy an expensive bag only to overheat during the night.
Look at the Temperature Rating
Most people don’t know that every sleeping bag comes with its own temperature rating. This temperature is the coldest it can get outside before your sleeping bag can no longer protect your sufficiently. For summer camping, look for a sleeping bag in the 7° C (45° F) range. Most places in summer won’t get that cold at night, but it never hurts to play it safe. For spring and fall camping, I would look for something in the -10°C (14°F) range. It can still get below freezing in the spring and fall, and you do not want to be caught in a sleeping bag with the improper temperature rating in those conditions. For winter camping, I would go all the way down to -40° C. I personally have one of these, and it is amazing. I have used it a couple of times sleeping on a frozen lake and I haven’t been cold at all.
Material
What material the sleeping bag is filled with can be very important. Sleeping bags filled with synthetic material tend to be a little on the pricey side, but provide pretty good protection from the cold. Bags filled with down are generally the most expensive, but they are more effective, and lighter, than bags filled with synthetic material. However, if down gets wet, it would be better to sleep without it than in it. Good bags that are filled with down have very waterproof exteriors to protect the fragile filling from water. The last material you will likely run into is cotton. Cotton is the least expensive of the three and is regarded as the worst performer. However, if you are camping in the middle of summer, you don’t necessarily need top notch performance. Buying a cotton filled bag could save you a bunch of money if top notch performance isn’t a priority.
In conclusion, if you take these tips to heart, you will have no problem choosing a perfect sleeping bag for camping. For more tips like these, I would recommend finding a reputable online outdoor adventures guide. These websites are run by people who love the outdoors, so you know you are getting accurate and up to date information.
About the Author
Dwayne is an avid lover of the outdoors and enjoys spending his free time writing about his various outdoor adventures and insights.
http://goarticles.com/article/Tips-for-Choosing-a-Sleeping-Bag-for-Camping/4089490/
