Camping Sleeping Bag - How to Choose

Written By - Myrtha Chang - 05/12/2007

Link to Original Article here

How to choose a sleeping bag:
You spend 1/3 of your camping trip cocooned inside a sleeping bag. As the above video shows, you want to base your choice on these 5 criteria:
   1. Temperature or comfort rating. Will it keep you warm?
   2. Insulation type. A down sleeping bag is warm & luxurious , compacts better and lasts longer. But is it worth paying $300- $500? Synthetics have come a long way. I use one and it\'s very comfortable.
   3. Shape of bag. Do you like snug-and-warm or roomy-but-cooler? I settle for a compromise, the semi as shown on the video. How about mating bags sometimes called double sleeping bag  2 bags that can be zipped into one? A romantic idea but not usually implemented unless you like waking up 69 times a night. If your height is over 6 feet, many manufacturer offers a \"Long\" version.
   4. Weight and size. This matters more if you are backpacking. If you are transporting the sleeping bag in a car, a few extra ounces won\'t matter, but still pay attention to compactness to mimize cargo space.
   5. Quality. Look for features such as the smoothness of the fabric, the softness of the insulation, and other features such as self-healing zippers, zipper tab, hoods, and flat bottoms so your toes can wiggle

A good sleeping bag will be your best friend, to lie on when you watch the stars at night, to snuggle in when it rains outside, to stir up from when the sun shines and the birds wake you up in the morning.
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