MOUNTAINEERING INFORMATION ARTICLES

Sleeping Bag Buying Guide - How to Buy Sleeping Bags

Because Sleeping Bags vary a lot in price, you should certainly know beforehand what you should look out for when you are buying one. Our Sleeping Bags Gear Guide section provides information in buying a Sleeping Bag. Meanwhile, head on to our Sleeping Bag Care and Maintenance section for more on how to take care of your Sleeping Bags.

Temperature Ratings

In buying a Sleeping Bag, look for a Sleeping Bag that keeps your body warm enough for the weather conditions you would mostly use it for. But you should also choose a Sleeping Bag in terms of its bulkiness. The problem is that the warmer a bag is, the more insulation material it contains, and hence, the heavier and bulkier the bag will be. Therefore, it is important to know the difference between the two different insulation materials as well as the temperature range you would use your Sleeping Bag for.

Most of the time, manufacturers will give their Sleeping Bags a 'comfort temperature rating' - this being the lowest temperature at which the average person will still be able to have a good night's sleep while using the bag. This gives a good indication of performance, but cannot be taken as absolute. A person's comfort temperature rating depends on many factors:

Person's age, gender, level of health, and fitness
Weather conditions: humidity, wind chill
Other external conditions: Do you sleep in a tent? Do you use a sleeping mat?

Insulation Materials - Down versus Synthetic

Down clusters and Synthetic wadding are the two main types of insulation materials used to make Sleeping Bags. The choice of which one is best depends on many factors:

Synthetic Sleeping Bags

In general, Synthetic Sleeping Bags are much cheaper than Down Sleeping Bags. In addition, they are much easier to wash and dry more quickly if the Sleeping Bag becomes wet. However, compared to the Down Sleeping Bags, they are bulkier and have more weight.

For those on a budget and who want to wash a bag regularly, those who will be using the bag in a very damp environment (e.g. sailing, rain forest or caving), and those who are allergic to Down, a Synthetic Sleeping Bag may be the right choice.
Down Sleeping Bags

Down Sleeping Bags are lighter and less bulky than a Synthetic Sleeping Bag. They also have a longer service life - about twice as long as that from a Synthetic Sleeping Bag. In general, a Down Sleeping Bag feels much softer and more pleasant than a Synthetic one and covers a wider range of conditions. Two disadvantages are the costs of these Down Sleeping Bags and the more complicated cleaning process. Cleaning needs to be done much more carefully: either with the dry cleaner or at home with a very careful and time-consuming cleaning process. More of that on the Sleeping Bags Care and Maintenance section.

Down Sleeping Bags are the first choice for people who want the very best warmth-to-weight ratio, those who need a very warm bag ( -15ºC or lower?), those who want a longer lasting bag, and those who prefer the feel and comfort of Down.

Other Factors
If you have decided to go for a Down Sleeping Bag (they are by far the best choice in terms of performance), then you should note the fillpower of the Sleeping Bag as well as the construction method of the sleeping method. The quality and the performance of the Down Sleeping Bag heavily depend on these two factors.

Fillpower

The fillpower is a measure of how much space a set sample of Down occupies in cubic inches, and hence how much insulation it will provide for it's weight - e.g. a 30g sample of Down with a fillpower of 600+ will occupy a minimum of 600 cubic inches. Therefore, the higher the fillpower, the better the performance of the bag. Be aware, however, that the way in which American companies calculate fillpower differs from the European method, resulting in slightly higher figures.

Construction Methods

Down is a loose material and needs to be held in separate compartments to ensure that it is distributed evenly (and hence gives a uniform level of insulation) throughout the Sleeping Bag. There are many different construction methods used by manufactures. Methods like stitched-through construction are cheap and simple, but still allow cold spots to form. Methods like V-baffle and trapezoidal construction offer much better Down distribution and resistance to Down shift, but are much more time consuming (and hence costly) to manufacture.

This section dealt with the different considerations when Buying a Sleeping Bag. Some provide better warmth than others but can be costlier to buy. Some may be pricey but are more practical to use in the long run. We hope that this Buying Guide would help you decide which one is best for your needs and your budget.