No matter what the romantics write, food and sleep are the two main pleasures on a hike. You can get stuck in swamps all day, wade knee-deep in cold water, cross bone-chilling rock slides, and yet feel absolutely happy, falling asleep in a cozy, warm sleeping bag while the wind howls behind the thin walls of the tent.
Hence one of the main commandments of a tourist follows: choosing a sleeping bag is no less important than choosing a travel companion.
The task becomes more complicated if the sleeping bag is shared, but more on that below.
How to choose a sleeping bag
The value of a sleeping bag on a hike cannot be overstated. An incorrectly selected sleeping bag can, at a minimum, ruin the entire trip and will not allow you to get enough sleep and recuperate. On complex expeditions, problems with the sleeping system can lead to tragedy. Therefore, you need to approach the choice of a sleeping bag carefully and consciously.
And it’s better not to skimp on sleep, as on health.
As with all equipment, there is no one-size-fits-all sleeping bag. A tourist who wants to travel both in winter and summer, and to the south and north, and to climb mountains and wander along the shores of large and small bodies of water, should prepare for the fact that he will have a lot of sleeping bags.
But the main thing is that before purchasing, the task and geography of use of the new equipment is clear and understandable. And also personal preferences.
For example, down filling is lighter and will save weight, but it is less suitable for humid regions such as Kamchatka or the Kola Peninsula. But at the same time, it comes with hydrophobic treatment. Synthetic insulation can be different, as well as the cut and the size of the sleeping bag must be chosen wisely. Or a sleeping bag is an excellent solution for camping, but you can’t take it on a hike.
Criteria for choosing a sleeping bag
Usually, an inexperienced buyer, starting his search, looks first at the temperature range of the sleeping bag, and then at its price. In fact, there are many more criteria that influence the choice of the optimal sleeping bag, and they directly depend on the conditions in which you are going to use it.
According to their temperature characteristics, sleeping bags can be divided into: expeditionary, winter, three-season (spring-summer-autumn) and summer.
It is clear that we will not be able to buy a sleeping bag for a hike, but, as a rule, even the most active tourists usually need two sleeping bags to be happy: a winter and an off-season one or, for example, a three-season and a summer one.
Sleeping bags differ in: temperature characteristics; type of insulation and external fabrics; form; weight; design features (warm seams, hood, collar, versatile zippers); number of places; price.
These criteria are interrelated and intersect in various combinations.
Sleeping bag shape
Cocoon is an option for tourists, just what we need. The sleeping bag follows the curves of the body, trying not to leave unnecessary voids that need to be warmed up;
The blanket is a rectangular sleeping bag that can be unzipped completely and turned into a huge blanket. Heavier and more voluminous than a cocoon. It is suitable for camping, where equipment is carried in the trunk of a car. Or at the dacha as a backup option for guests. You will feel freer in it than in a cocoon, but there are no warm blanket models.
Summer down sleeping bags are made with cold seams. The fluff lies in envelopes formed by the stitching of a sewing machine. During production, the needle pierces two layers of fabric, in this place a narrowing of the sleeping bag is formed. In these places, heat will actively escape. In warm weather this is not critical, but in the cold season it is better to choose sleeping bags with warm seams.
A warm seam - however, this is not really a seam, but the connection of the outer material and the lining goes through a spacer in the form of the same down-holding fabric, mesh. This design is much warmer.