Is Sleeping Bag A Must?

Your sleeping bag plays an important role in outdoor comfort. Sure, everyone likes to sleep, but there's more to it than that. In serious cases, choosing the right sleeping bag can even protect you from cold weather. Beyond that, having the right sleep system while hiking or camping can have a number of impacts.

Better sleep will improve your daily physical recovery and aid in your post-hike recovery. Poor sleep at night will reduce your body's production of cytokines, a protein that targets infection and inflammation.

The right sleeping bag, pad, and accessories will help prevent injury the next day. Sleep plays a vital role in temperature regulation, boosting the immune system, stabilizing hormone levels, and good appetite. All of these attributes form part of your energy and the way you hike each day. Getting a good night's sleep will only get you into the right mental space for the next day.

How do you sleep?

How you experience temperature is very personal. Some people just naturally run warmer or colder. Your gender can also make a difference. In general, women's biological clocks may be slightly shorter than the full 24-hour cycle of sleep experienced by men, which means they tend to wake up earlier and can also sleep in temperatures a few degrees lower than men.

You may also feel warmer or colder depending on many variables.

Weather conditions: High humidity, rain, and snowfall can all affect the way you experience the temperature in your sleeping bag. Take into account any changing weather conditions you may encounter during your trip.

General Sleeping Conditions: Do you sleep on a sleeping pad? You should! Lying directly on the floor of your tent can be uncomfortable and will keep you cool as you dissipate heat through the ground. Again, the way you experience temperature will vary between the hut and the tent.

What you wear to bed: You shouldn't usually wear too much to bed. If it's cold, a thin base layer with some good socks and a brimless beanie is usually enough. If you need to, a sleeping bag liner can add another layer of insulation and keep your sleeping bag clean.

Fuel: If you sleep on an empty stomach, you're more likely to feel cold. Make sure you provide your body with the proper fuel to produce enough heat - eat well and stay hydrated.

Outdoor Envelope Sleeping Bag

Temperature ratings and seasonality

If you are not planning a high-altitude expedition, you can use the list below to correlate temperature ratings with seasons. Since temperatures in the mountains are much cooler than at lower altitudes, seasonality disappears - instead, you buy by expected temperature.

Summer bags: 35 degrees and above

3-season bags: 15 - 30 degrees

Winter bags: 10 degrees and below

While you'll be hard-pressed to find 35° anywhere in the summer (relatively close to sea level anyway), bags with this temperature rating and above are the best choice for warm weather. Likewise, spring and fall temperatures don't usually drop to 20°, but 20° bags are versatile enough to handle shoulder season conditions well. If you're camping in the middle of winter? You'll need at least a 10° bag, and more likely a 0° or lower bag.

Think about how hot or cold it will actually be on the trip you plan to take and buy accordingly.

Pro tip: A 20° bag will get you through most of the year without too much discomfort. For very warm temperatures, it's easy to unzip the bag and kick out a leg, while for colder temperatures, wearing extra clothes and using a sleeping bag liner can give you an extra 10-15 degrees of warmth.

Please contact us today if you want to buy the best sleeping bags. We devote ourselves to being a professional one-stop military/outdoor equipment supplier, providing comprehensive and comfortable equipment to protect and help people to enjoy every moment in their outdoor ventures including military/hunting/camping activities.