79
In my experience, most standard single sleeping bags, are built so you can zipper them together to make a double. They are designed to zipper to an identical/matched bag, so don't count on buying to different bags and have them work together.
Instead of buying a dedicated double bag, buy a matched pair that can be joined. Google sleeping bags that can be ...
56
There is various features that can cause a huge difference in price for seemingly similar pieces of equipment. The place of manufacturing can play a role but rarely to such a huge extend.
Material used
The first difference between cheap and expensive equipment is almost always the material used. Cheap synthetic fill or even cotton will keep you warm as well ...
39
Not a bad idea.
I happen to have a 5 and 3 year old. I can think of reasons for not letting them sleep in the same sleeping bag, but none of them are because it wouldn't work in theory. If your two kids would actually sleep together in one bag, then I'd say it's a great idea. They'll stay warmer at night and that's one less bag for you to pack.
Your only ...
25
The parameters of your girlfriend would matter depending on the ratio of 'space' occupying, but let's ignore that for now.
I would put a cord or something around it to minimize the space; air needs to be warmed up too. You should try to tie it in such a way, that you have on one side a 'triple' layer (half of the bag bent, so something like this
/---------...
22
It is used to store the sleeping bag, in order to retain the loft. It is not a good idea to store your sleeping bag compressed as small as possible as this will damage the fill. This is very important with down, a little less with synthetic but overall it is crucial to the life of the sleeping bag.
A couple things to remember are you want to ensure the ...
21
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 ...
21
To answer the particular case of the bags in this question, the main differences between these bags are:
Properties of a $25 china made "32 degree" bag:
Low quality synthetic insulation (ie. less warmth for the same weight and bulk)
Heavy / thick face fabrics
Heavy zippers
Single sheet construction (insulation is a single layer sandwiched between the face ...
16
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 ...
16
I emailed Feathered Friends and PHD about this issue. I only got a reply from FF so far:
A compression bag greatly reduces the size of a sleeping bag. There is
no limitation to compressing down, as long as the down is not being
stored compressed for an extended period of time, It will not be
damaged.if you are taking it out and using it everyday. ...
16
If you end up with a snake on your chest while sleeping, you can rest assured that the snake is not in an aggressive mood. It's on top of you because it thinks you're cozy and warm, if it's cozy then it's going to be pretty mild tempered. I imagine you could easily grab it behind the head and take it out of your tent. If you don't want to touch it, just flip ...
16
First - do everything to prevent getting a wet bag!
A wet sleeping bag must be a nightmare - the best solution is to make sure this never happens to you again!
Before I use a new shelter somewhere remote I would wait for bad weather and test it out in an exposed location where I can retreat easily if things go pear-shaped. I always inspect my shelter ...
15
Get a special bag for the sleeping bag. Your special bag should have compression straps. If it's also a dry bag, it should ideally also have a valve.
I have bought the compression dry bag PS10 with valve and belt from Ortlieb. It's like other dry-bags, but with a valve and compression straps. I use it as follows:
Open the valve.
Insert the sleeping bag....
14
I have not encountered a situation where a sleeping bag was "too warm" and I was unable to do something about it.
I've gone backpacking in the mountains where it was 70 at night one day, and the next day, several thousand feet higher, it got below freezing. At night in the heat, I pretty much just used my sleeping bag as a blanket with the zipper all the ...
14
I think it is easiest to see the difference here: Specification Chart
The heavier one is a semi rectangular bag while the lighter one is a mummy bag. Both bags have the same amount of loft, which is usually the key to warmth, but in this case the difference in cut matters.
14
I was looking at sleeping bags in a real shop only a couple of weeks ago. My budget would rule out the $400 bag, which I assume is down-filled, but even at the lower end there's a big difference. I was comparing 2 synthetic bags, both mummy-shaped for a tall person, rated to a very similar temperature,and from the same manufacturer. One weighed about 50% ...
13
It is worth nothing that if you have a cooking system and the extra fuel you can prepare hot water and place the hot water bottle between your legs to help you keep warm.
If you have extra food, eat a high-energy snack before going to bed.
Other things that comes to mind are: cover your head, use what you can as bottom insulation, make sure you don't ...
13
The breed of dog will make a difference, but most "backpacking" dogs will do just fine in the open or under the tarp with you.
A dog's metabolism works differently than humans, and they generate a lot more body heat. Consider sled dogs that stick their nose under their tail and sleep through a driving blizzard (and sled dogs usually aren't the thick-fur ...
13
Basically it boils down to "less weight for the same insulation" in favour of the mummy type for two reasons:
In a blanket type bag you have more or less two insulating sheets, one on top and one below your body. For a mummy type maybe a bit more than the area of one of those sheets would be enough to wrap your whole body. This already reduces weight and ...
12
Plenty of places sell sleeping bag liners. Sometimes they are designed to make the bag warmer, other times to be more absorbent. For example, Mountain Equipment co-op sells quite a few, some of which are cotton and mention "absorbency" and "comfort" in their descriptions. I don't doubt that other suppliers offer them too.
12
Bivy
Pros:
Very light. No tent poles.
Ease of finding a place to sleep. Stealth bivvying is easier. I've slept on a slope against a tree.
Very quick to setup or pack away, even in the dark. One minute, compared for ten minutes for a tent.
You are at one with nature. Very little between you and the wild. You can fall to sleep looking at the stars.
Cons:
...
12
Given the cost of down bags, it should be worth the effort to revive it. Here are the key issues:
HOW BADLY IS IT DAMAGED?
How good is the down?
I've been told by an industry insider that soft down clusters should revive pretty well after compression - it's the spines of any harder feather content that can be permanently damaged. So the higher the quality ...
11
We did some research on this once and the results were kind of sad.
For major backpacking brands of sleeping bags (say, Marmot or Big Agnes) the major differences between sleeping bags for the two genders were these:
Women's sleeping bags were slightly smaller.
A bag that is listed as a '20-degree bag' for woman would listed as a '10-degree' bag for men.
...
11
The answer to "it is considered in the temperature rating" can be yes, no and maybe... Really it depends on the manufacturer and how they test it. It also depends where the manufacturer market is: in some part of the world there are some standards and in others there aren't.
One of the ways to find the rating is to test in a controlled environment with a ...
11
The tent will definitely be warmer because it keeps the wind away. As you are sleeping your body produces heat and a tent helps keep that warmer air around instead of it blowing away in the wind.
With that said, tents don't provide a huge amount of insulation, and so perhaps a better sleeping bag is needed.
10
I've only once experienced a nights' sleep that my sleeping bag didn't handle. I was only 200 metre from civilisation, and I hardly slept, but it was not really dangerous. I'd expected temperatures around 0°C, but it turned out to be the local coldest night of the year at -7°C.
Normally, the gulf stream means that at Å i Lofoten, Norway, temperatures ...
10
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 the ...
10
Tents, tarps, and bivvy sacks are three different specialized tools for three different jobs.
Tarp
I typically prefer a tarp to either a tent or a bivvy sack, but that's because I do most of my camping in California in the summer, when the weather tends to be quite dry. In summer in the Sierra, I usually bring a tarp but sleep in the open and never take ...
10
That lean-to in the link looks like it would shelter from all but the most wind driven rain. If you pack a cheap vinyl poncho that should take care of most situations. They are light enough that you can pack a second.
What is the temperature rating on your sleeping bag? 15F/-10C will probably be more than warm enough. If you are carrying a summer bag, you ...
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