Sleeping Bag Camping

However you look at it, you have just got to have a sleeping bag to go camping. And some sort of shelter helps as well because you want to stay out of the rain and wind, so for that you need a tent of some kind to sleep out in.

A camping tent keeps you dry and most tents nowadays have bug netting on the doors at least, which will let the air circulate a little while keeping the mosquitoes from eating you alive. But you take along a sleeping bag for camping because it can be a lifesaver, literally. And a good camping sleeping bag guarantees you will get a good nights sleep and awake next morning feeling happy and refreshed.

There are several types of sleeping bags for camping, but the two main differences are between down bags and synthetic bags. Down sleeping bags make use of goose down or duck down (the small fluffy feathers on the birds chests) to trap warm air and keep it snug against your body. It insulates you from the cold and your own body heat provides the warmth you feel.

Down sleeping bags are lighter than synthetic bags of the same warmth level and, what is more, the down bags can be compressed into a much smaller space for packing in your backpack. Whereas synthetic bags stay so big and bulky they have to be carried separately or maybe strapped with difficulty onto the outside of your pack.

The big and bulky synthetic sleeping bag has one advantage. If the bag gets soaking wet a synthetic sleeping bag will still insulate you reasonably well - enough to save your life in an emergency perhaps. But a soaked down sleeping bag is useless, since the wet down clumps together and cannot trap any air until it has dried out completely.

You will also find that sleeping bags for camping are made in different shapes and sizes. There are mummy bags that are a tighter fit around the legs and which have a hood to keep your head warm. If you only have the square-shaped sleeping bag without a hood, you can still avoid heat loss from your head by wearing a woolen beanie hat. A set of pyjamas will also help trap more warm air around you and helps to keep the bag cleaner. So will a cotton or silk sleeping-bag-liner ... so they are well worth purchasing.

Most camping supply stores will also have double sleeping bags, to suit a couple. Or you can often buy two bags that can be zipped together to make a double. (Some have one Left bag and one Right bag, so check before you buy.)

So pick the sleeping bag for camping that suits your wallet and fits in with the way you plan to use it. There is no point in spending five hundred dollars on an arctic-rated sleeping bag if you will only go camping in warm weather. But you won't want a cheap bag that is not good enough to keep you warm at night.

A good-quality sleeping bag for camping is a long-term investment that will pay you back many times over with the pleasure of a great nights sleep.