{"id":1242,"date":"2021-03-13T17:51:22","date_gmt":"2021-03-13T17:51:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/outdoorpandit.com\/?p=1242"},"modified":"2021-04-02T22:36:54","modified_gmt":"2021-04-02T22:36:54","slug":"sleeping-gear-sleeping-bag-1-information","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/outdoorpandit.com\/2021\/03\/13\/sleeping-gear-sleeping-bag-1-information\/","title":{"rendered":"Sleeping gear: sleeping bag 1 – Information"},"content":{"rendered":"

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* Snug as a bug in a\u2026 sleeping bag! *<\/span><\/em>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Having the right kind of sleeping gear and using it appropriately is crucial for a hiker who needs to recover from a hard day\u2019s toil through a night\u2019s restful sleep.<\/span><\/p>\n

How warm you sleep in the outdoors depends on some key factors: <\/span><\/p>\n

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  1. Ambient temperature <\/span><\/li>\n
  2. Whether you are inside a tent or sleeping out in the open<\/span><\/li>\n
  3. Your food intake in the immediate past<\/span><\/li>\n
  4. Your general state of wellbeing <\/span><\/li>\n
  5. Your sleeping gear and the manner in which you use it<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    In this post we are considering one item from sleeping gear and its usage: sleeping bag. <\/span><\/p>\n

    [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/outdoorpandit.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Camp-for-sleeping-bags.jpg” title_text=”Camp – for sleeping bags” align=”center” _builder_version=”4.9.2″ _module_preset=”default” max_width=”100%” filter_brightness=”109%” filter_contrast=”106%”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.9.2″ _module_preset=”default”]<\/p>\n

    Sleeping bag<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

    A sleeping bag\u2019s effectiveness and efficiency in trapping your body heat is defined by<\/span><\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Design of your sleeping bag<\/span><\/li>\n
    2. Manner in which you are using your sleeping bag<\/span><\/li>\n
    3. Quality of your sleeping mat \u2013 your body compresses a sleeping bag\u2019s insulation beneath you<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      EN and ISO Standards for sleeping bags ensure that, among other things, there is some uniformity among all sleeping bags in terms of their \u2018comfort rating\u2019 and \u2018season rating\u2019. These standards do not apply to sleeping bags used for a) specific purpose like military use and extreme condition expeditions and b) children and babies. <\/span><\/p>\n

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      1. Comfort rating of a sleeping bag refers to the temperature-range in which the average male or female will feel too warm, comfortable, or be able to survive in the sleeping bag. If you tend to \u2018sleep cold\u2019 then go for a range lower than what is claimed to be advisable for the hike you are going on. E.g., if you are going on a trek in the Himalaya in summer and the least temperature expected is about 0<\/span>\u00b0C then go for a sleeping bag with comfort rating that begins below 0<\/span>\u00b0C, say -5<\/span>\u00b0<\/span><\/li>\n
      2. Season rating refers to time of the year. The rating ranges from \u2018One-Season\u2019 that is good for 5<\/span>\u00b0C and above, to all the way up to \u2018Four-Season\u2019 that is good for as low a temperature as -10<\/span>\u00b0C. For a winter hike, go for \u2018Four-Season\u2019. \u2018Five-Season\u2019 sleeping bags are meant for extreme weather.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        Most sleeping bags are made of nylon fabric. Two main considerations will help you decide upon the choice of a sleeping bag for a particular hike: its filling and shape. <\/span><\/p>\n

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        Material of sleeping bags<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

        The filling can be down feathers or synthetic material. <\/span><\/p>\n

        Down feathers are soft, fluffy feathers that are closest to the body of a bird where they trap body heat. Synthetic filling comes in many forms and works like down to effectively trap air for insulation. Typically, a sleeping bag has patterned stitching all across called baffles which keep its filling evenly distributed and prevent it from clumping up in a few spots.\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

        Synthetic material is, weight for weight, less warm and bulkier than down but retains a considerable amount of its ability to keep you warm despite being wet and it also dries fast. Down, when wet, becomes a sad lump, loses most of its insulation and takes forever to dry. The compressibility of down is remarkable and its warmth-to-weight ratio unmatched.<\/p>\n

        [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/outdoorpandit.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Shantanu-with-sleeping-bag-1.jpg” title_text=”Shantanu with sleeping bag” align=”center” _builder_version=”4.9.2″ _module_preset=”default” max_width=”100%”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.9.2″ _module_preset=”default”]<\/p>\n

        Shape of sleeping bag<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

        The following should suffice for making a choice on what shape is suitable for you on hiking trips in non-extreme weather conditions:<\/span><\/p>\n

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        1. Rectangular: wide enough for the typical tosser and turner! This shape is comparatively not so effective with insulation since there is too much space around a sleeper. <\/span><\/li>\n
        2. Mummy shaped: fits around the shape of the human body, less room for turning within. With draw-cords in the hood, this sleeping bag works amazingly well in trapping body heat. <\/span><\/li>\n
        3. In-between shape: results of efforts to combine features of the two shapes mentioned above.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n