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How cold are you talking about? When you woke up, was there ice on your tent? Or was it 50F outside? Anyways, to sum it up, sleeping bags generally boil down to this tradeoff: Pick Two: Warmth, Small Size, Low Cost If you are car camping, you should be able to find sleeping bags that will go down to 15F for $50-$75, but they will occupy well over 40-50 ...

The procedure is roughly the same for both Down and Synthetic, however down requires special precautions: Never dryclean. Wash by hand in a bathtub, or use a front-loading washing machine on gentle cycle. Down bags have thin baffles inside that keep the feathers partitioned. Agitators will put enough stress on the bag you risk tearing those baffles ...

First of all, check the label for directions. I have a synthetic bag. I take it to the laundromat and wash it in a sufficiently large front-load machine, using cold water and somewhat less detergent than a normal load. I put it in a large dryer set to low or no heat until it seems mostly dry. Then I hang it up indoors for a day or two to finish drying. ...

I'm going to assume and interpret a little, and forgive me please if I put words in your mouth. What you really seem to be asking is: "Do I have to spend mad cash to stay warm?" I would say, in 50F (10C), certainly not! With each item, I give my "cheap", and "good but costly" options (I have no associations with any company) Make sure you have a ground ...

A sleeping bag is like any other purchase, you'll get exactly what you pay for! Unfortunately, sleeping bags are used in many different situations/climates. A sleeping bag you carry and use in the summer months when the lower temperatures are 60 or 70 degrees at night, won't begin to work when you camp in the fall/winter/spring and the temperature lows are ...

My experience tell me this: sleep naked always if there's no sign of a possible avalanche. I've been in many high altitude expeditions in three Continents and have explored many vertical and horizontal caves and underground systems. Sleeping bags are best when they're good. Don't try to get a cheap offer and trade it for your safety or comfort. In ...

Guidance that came with my extreme sleeping bags was to randomly stuff, as @Russell commented, trying to use a different pattern each time, and to hang it over a line and give it a good beating when you return home. The small bags they came with seem fine - and they have lasted 10 years+ so far.

Original Poofiness (or OP as they call it in the 'wood) will always be illusive. No matter how you care for your bag, it is on a steady decline toward compression from the moment you buy it. To attempt to re-gain some loft, you need to separate the fill so the fibers or down (or whatever) that are inside can trap more air between them. You can: Shake ...

I think you've covered all the factors except shape. The shape is either rectangular or tapered at the feet (aka mummy). Tapering means less weight and less space to heat with your body, but also a bit less freedom of movement. Rectangular sleeping bags can often be connected together, which is good if you're a couple and want to share body heat (amongst ...

Gear manufacturer's generally purchase the down (waterproofed or not) from suppliers. There are several water resistant down products, but they all work withing a small range of results with the same basic tech Things to know: It's water resistant not water proof. For jackets this means you can probably withstand sweat and a light shower, but not a ...

The only real difference is that in a one piece double you don't have zips so the insulation is evenly distributed. The zips add some weight over a one piece but not much - it also won't pack quite as small but has the advantage that it can be split across two packs. Where you have zips, the insulation has gaps. So if you are going somewhere really cold, ...

The key factors are going to vary from person to person. You'll ultimately have to decide for yourself what's more important. As far as warmth goes, that's going to depend on where you are going, and how well your body handles the cold. Just like you noticed, sleeping bags fall into one of those classic triangle patterns with the other factors you listed: ...

There is more than one reason, which makes you feel warmer sleeping with less clothes (even if it's perfectly dry): It's the same deal as with mittens, which are warmer than gloves. When you wear a lot of clothes, there is additional separation between the parts of your body and more exposed surface. More surface means more heat transfer from the body to ...

I would suggest you look at a mid range synthetic bag say rated at around 40F this will allow you to use it as a blanket on warmer nights and with a liner or bivy sack you can extend that range down to mid 20's. Although synthetic bags tend to be larger when stuffed (they take up more room in your backpack) they do well even when they get damp which will ...

There are two problems with this question: Night-time temperatures vary a great deal across Spain-it is a big country, with coasts, plains and mountains Your ideal temperature may be very different to mine So what you want to do is look at the range of expected temperatures in the area you plan to camp, compare those with temperatures you are comfortable ...

Warmth -- This is after all why you are buying the bag. Not all bags rated for the same temperature will provide the same warmth. Fit -- A bag that fits you closely, but not tightly, will provide better insulation and is more comfortable in my view. For this reason I prefer mummy bags. Rectangle bags will provide more movement room, but will generally ...

Lower half temperatures are quite warm. You'll regularly get 70°F+ at night. I would advise for a lightweight synthetic, as you may also end up damp from rain and sweat. I use a travel sack in the summer. Alternatively a heavy liner may do fine, such as the reactor. I've been hiking down here for years and haven't seen summer temperatures warranting ...

I made that comment coming from the perspective of a long distance hiker. If you're going to use the same bag every day for 3 months, regardless of whether it's down or synthetic, it pays to treat it well. There's an author, somewhat of a distance hiking guru, Ray Jardine, who informs most of that community's thoughts. His suggestion for synthetic bags is ...

The primary rating that should be on the bag is the pounds of insulation. It is a somewhat imperfect measure, but a summer bag might well be 2 or 2.5 pounds. A three-season might be 4, but that would not likely be enough for actual outdoor winter camping - but OK for a semi-heated cabin space. An older full-winter bag might be six pounds or more, with ...

I doubt there is an "industry standard" of what each of those mean, but in general I have noticed: Sleeping bag liners tend to be narrower, and come in mummy-bag and regular: mummy bag style tend to be tapered at the feet and often include a hood regular tend to be square-ish without a hood "Travel sheets" I have seen are bigger, square, and have slits ...

You're talking about 2 extremes: very cheap sleeping-bag from supermarket and very expensive down sleeping bag for freezing temperatures. I've bought myself the synthetic sleeping bag, which was about 4 times cheaper than proffessional down one. However, I've bought the sleeping bag in proffessional outdoor store, made by known outdoor company. Find the ...