by Martin Ward Jr.

Created on: April 27, 2008   Last Updated: May 04, 2008

When choosing your sleeping bag, you will be making many important choices and you need to consider most importantly how you will be using the sleeping bag and where. Remember that these decisions will affect your comfort and happiness for many years.

Here is a quick over view of things you need to think about and consider, so you can make an informed choice on the sleeping bag that is right for you. I will go over them in more detail in a moment.

The first is where you will be using the sleeping bag, how cold does it get there, are you going to be at high altitudes where frost or snow can occur, does it rain a lot? Don't forget about your sleeping habits (adjustments) and your metabolism (cold or warm sleeper)

Then there is sleeping bag itself; type (synthetic or down), comfort rating, length, style, gender, shape, weight, size, and price.

Some sleeping bags has outer shells that is treated for both rain and wind and can provide added comfort, you might want to look into sleeping pads as well, sleeping pads give you an added insulation between the ground and your sleeping bag. A good pad should be the same size as your bag and if you are in a very cold region two is better than one. Make sure the pad is rated for conditions you will encounter and again it is better to be prepared for the worse case scenario, and exceeding that number by a little is suggested.

The fill or insulation inside of a sleeping bags, determine the weight of the sleeping bag as well as the "warm-for-weight" ratio. The fill is related to the durability and compressibility of the sleeping bag too.

Synthetic materials in sleeping bags is made of plastic threads, though they are hollow to reduce weight and arranged in sizes for flexibility.

Down is measured in loft, or the volume measurement of down clusters. The higher the number the higher the insulation rating is. Most high end sleeping bags range in the area of 550 to 900 Fill Power.

Synthetic or Down

The insulation you choose will depend largely on where you will be when you are using your sleeping bag. Synthetic works best in places where rain, frost, or dew is likely. As this material dries fast and still has some ability to keep you warm while wet.

Synthetic sleeping bags are also less expensive than down sleeping bags, they require less care, and if you have bad allergies this might be a better choice for you.

The draw back on synthetic fill is that it is heavier and bulkier than down and the life of the sleeping bag is not as long.

Down-fill

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