By To have a blissful night’s slumber in the woods, you should come with proper gear. The first item in your agenda should be selecting the right sleeping bag. The good news for car camping is that you don’t need to worry about weight, or having to fit your bag in a pack means you can go as luxurious or roomy as you’d desire.
Difference Between a Camping and a Backpacking Sleeping Bag.
Basically, camping bags come with ample room to move around in, while backpacking bags are light and snug. If you aim to use one bag for both activities, pick a backpacking style because you need it to be lightweight if you’re going to carry it in a pack.
Now, let’s quickly run through how to choose a sleeping bag for camping.
Choosing a Sleeping Bag Shape.
Remember campers want an Extra Large Sleeping Bag that offers ample room to stretch out and roll over. For that reason, so many camping bags have a basic rectangular design. It’s tricky to predict whether you feel a bag is roomy enough, without zipping yourself inside one. Therefore, it’s advised to visit a camping gear store to “try on” various bags to find out which bag styles feel most comfortable to you.
Sleeping bags come in different shapes such as:
Rectangular: These bags allow ample room for both legs and arms to stretch out; a few variants can even be unzipped and used like a comforter.
Semi-rectangular: Also called “modified mummy” shape, this variety covers different shapes, all offering a blend of warmth and roominess.
Mummy: To boost warmth and reduce weight, this style has a snug fit. You literally roll over with your bag rather than inside of it.
Double bags: Bags designed for two are the best choice for couples who intend to sleep together. Another option is to pick rectangular bags designed for zipping together. The bags should be the same model and brand. Certain bags can also be zipped together if one person chooses a right-hand zip and the other a left-hand zip.
Kid-size sleeping bags: These are shorter, smaller, and more economical variations of adult Extra Large Sleeping Bag.
Standard Sleeping Bag Features
Sleeping bag shells: The outer fabric, formed from either a durable polyester or nylon, has a durable water repellent (DWR) finish to shield the insulation within the shell from dampness. In the interior portion of the bag, you’ll find materials having a soft, warm texture.
Sleeping bag hood: A snug-fitting hood is a feature that makes a sleeping bag much warmer. Means, you will most likely find hoods on bags with lower temperature ratings.
The Final Words
Buying a camping bag that has more than one zipper slider makes it easy to adjust ventilation. Similalrly, some bags prevent zipper snagging by protecting the zipper with a guard along its full length. While the others handle the issue with a cover of the zipper itself. Armed with all this information you should be fully geared up to go camping with your favorite sleeping bag.
