After a whole day’s worth of hiking, your body needs rest so that it can heal the effects of the exertion. Hiking isn’t just physical exertion, but also gives you a full mental workout. To that end, you need a good quality sleeping bag that will allow you to sleep comfortably and rejuvenate.
Moreover, many hiking trips don’t end after several hours of trekking. In that case, you definitely need a sleeping bag to recover and continue the next day. Sleeping bags of the backpack variety can be carried on your back. Therefore, a Lightweight Sleeping Bag or compressible ones are easier to keep with you on hikes and treks. Other important features can mean the difference between frostbite and keeping all your digits.
Hence, we present a way you can choose a sleeping bag for a perfect hiking trip below:
Getting Things Right by Choosing a Good Camping Sleeping Bag
Your sleeping bag has to play an important role regardless of the time of the year you choose to hike. It always gets colder at higher altitudes. Therefore, don’t reach for the Cheapest Sleeping Bag. Instead, select one that can protect you from cold-weather injuries.
Here are some benefits having a high quality sleep system has to offer:
- Uninterrupted, peaceful sleep improves your physical recovery. It increases the production of cytokines in your body. These proteins act on infection and inflammation.
- Temperature regulation is linked to a good night’s sleep. Thus, when you pick the right sleeping bag, it indirectly bolsters your immune system, steadies hormone levels, and polishes your appetite. The outcome: a healthier, more relaxed you ready to meet your hiking goals.
- After a restful night, you willbe in the right frame of mind for the next day’s hike.
How Big should your Sleeping Bag Be?
The length of your sleeping bag is based on your height. Getting one that is too long will create more dead space. Your body will expend more heat to warm up all the empty space. In a bag that is too short, you will keep pressing the ends with your feet and head. That could compress the insulation of the bag and make it less effective.
While each brand has their own standardized sleeping bag length, you’ll find they match the following size range:
- Men’s regular sized bags are 78 inches long. They are big enough to fit someone who is 6′
- Men’s long size is 84 inches long and big enough for someone who is 6’6″
- The regular size for women’s bags is 72 inches and is adequate for someone between 5’6
- Women’s long is the same length as the regular one for men, i.e, 78 inches, and will be fine for someone who is 6′
The 5’3 and 5’9 versions of the Feathered Friends Sleeping Bag are good alternatives too.
What Additional Sleeping Bag Features should you Look for?
Head Protection
In any Sleeping Bag For Cold Weather of adequate quality, you will also find a hood for added warmth. When you cinch the strings tightly around your head, you can protect your head from the cold. Some varieties also come with differentiated drawcords with varying thicknesses to differentiate between the neck fit and the hood opening.
Draft Blockers
A good Winter Sleeping Bag also comes with draft tubes. These can be found running along the length of your bag just behind the zipper. They will keep the warm air from escaping the bag. You can also get one that has a draft collar for your neck.
Anti-Snagging Features
Snagging the zipper doesn’t just annoy you after a tiring day It also quickens the wear and tear your bag is exposed to. To prevent that, the Slumberjack Sleeping Bag, for instance, shields the zipper with a guard. There are others that protect the zipper by hiding it under a cover..
Pillow Compatibility
A pillow pocket can become a makeshift pillow if your bag has one. Just stuff some clothes inside it. Bought a bag without a pocket? You can always bring a pillow or purchase one with your Wenzel Sleeping Bag.
What about When Two’s Company?
We’ll discuss sleeping bags for couples below. But first, let’s talk about hiking with company and zip placement. It is possible to zip two bags to make one. But for that, the placement of the zips matters. That means one of the bags will need to have a left-hand zip while the other will have its zip on the right hand. Usually, in brands that manufacture comparable bags for genders, the male bag has its zip on the left and the woman’s will have it on the right. Besides that, the zipper types should be compatible with each other. Alternatively, the Suisse Sport Sleeping Bag has a two-way zip.
Now, if you are going to share bags all the time, then why not get a double bag? These are designed to fit not one but two occupants. They can be great when you are hiking with your partner. Share each other’s body heat and keep warmer in a Sleeping Bag for Two Persons. Just remember that these bags are larger and heavier. So, take turns to carry your Two-Person Sleeping Bag.
Isn’t there a Bag that you can Wear All the Time?
A wearable Sleeping Bag Coat may seem superfluous item to you at first. You didn’t know they existed and even when you did, you didn’t realize that you needed one. But that only lasts until you finally put it on!
A Wearable Sleeping Bag can alter the attainable comfort level in cold-weather camping in a way you cannot imagine without experiencing it. Choose a piece that keeps you warm but also allows adequate mobility. There are also those that have a built-in hood. It is like wearing a Walking Sleeping Bag within which you can snooze at any time you feel like.
What’s more, these quirky wearables will also be great for chilly nights on the back patio. Or when you are having a sleepover at a cooler-than-average home. Just grab your Sleeping Bag with Legs and start having fun!
What Does Storage have to do with a Sleeping Bag?
The best ones have great compressibility. Thus, they can be packed into your backpacks without taking up too much space. When not in use, you shouldn’t leave them like that. Instead, uncompress the bag so that it will retain its ability to loft. You can also keep your Winter Sleeping Bag hanging in the closet.
Specialized Bags
Have you heard of the Bear Sleeping Bag? From the outside, it resembles the creature it is named after! And it isn’t the only specialized version you’ll find out there. We discuss some of those below:
Fleece Sleeping Bag
These sleeping bag liners are thin bags. You should choose those when you are going on a hike in warm weather. They can also be placed in a hammock, making them ideal for spring hikes. In the cold, you can add an extra layer of insulation by lining your bag with a fleece bag.
Heating Sleeping Bag
You can’t accurately call this a sleeping bag because it is a sleeping bag liner. How it works is that you get inside and zip it up. Then, adjust the temperature, i.e., high, medium, or low. The liner also directs heat to the hood and the feet sections. You can charge your gadgets too. Since the bag uses a battery as its power source, you’ll need to charge it before each use. One session is usually enough for 12 hours.
Sleeping Bag with Tent
In such bags, you will find a blanket-like insulation covers all the walls and the floor. This fabric makes it possible for the occupant to heat the inside of the bag using only their own body heat! You can grab one if your hike will take you places with temperatures that would normally induce hypothermia or frostbite.
Military Sleeping Bag
In essence, you will see sleeping bags in two main shapes. The first one, you may already be familiar with, is the rectangular-shaped sleeping bag. This is a traditional-style sleep system, which may have been dethroned by the more compact and form-fitting mummy-style sleeping bag. However, some users find the latter to be constricting. A mummy bag allows only one sleeping position, i.e., lying on your back. The Hyke and Byke Sleeping Bag comes in both forms. The Campmor Sleeping Bags offer a combination of both versions.
Sleeping Bag With Compression Sack
Compression stuff sacks may be available in many shapes and sizes, but the most popular ones have webbing straps. Many of them are also waterproof, so choose those if you are expecting wet weather conditions on your hike. They are also good for hikes that culminate on kayaking, canoeing, etc.
As evident, you may have to do some thinking when choosing a sleeping bag for a perfect hike. But once you have the sleeping bag of your dreams, you will have a more relaxed trip!
