4 Tips on How to Choose the Best Sleeping Bag for Your Next Camping Trip

The first essential for an overnight camping or hiking trip is a sleeping bag. How do you make sure you're checking all the right boxes?

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The first essential needed when it comes to camping or backpacking is the sleeping bag. A good sleeping bag is defined by how well it regulates body temperature to keep you waking up on a brisk morning with a renewed vigour for the day ahead—especially during the winter season when temperatures are sub-zero. Often the most challenging part of sleeping bags is not rolling them up to fit in the stuff sack; in fact, sometimes the difficulty lies in choosing which one to invest in. Whether it's for winter camping, backpacking, bike packing or mountaineering, here are a few tips to keep in mind while perusing your sleeping bag options.

1. Understand Bedroll Temperatures

To understand what you are actually looking for when it comes to sleeping bags, it's important to know the temperatures that your future bag will withstand. When purchasing a bag, the temperature rating will often be within the title of the product. For example, 20F bags are a common occurance, meaning that the bag will keep you warm through 20 degree nights.

The rule of thumb is to always choose the warmer bag because you can always unzip for ventilation if you get too warm. Generally, summer sleeping bags are rated at 30F, 3 season bags range from 15F to 30F while winter bags should be 15F and lower.

2. Choose the Right Shape

Picking the right shape of sleeping bag is determined by the way you sleep. There are four basic types of sleeping bags to keep you the most comfortable on your trip, although some may be more convenient to pack away more effectively.

Rectanglular sleeping bags are the most roomy if you are more of a wild sleeper. Unzip it all the way and it also makes for a great comforter.

Semi-rectangular sleeping bags are sometimes referred to "modified mummies" or "barrel" offer middle ground between rectangular and mummy. The shape allows you to move around a little, but also is a little more restricting to allow for greater body heat retention.

The mummy shape enhances warmth while also cutting down on bulk, making it the best option for backpacking, winter camping, and mountaineering. While these bags are more restrictive, there is generally enough room to side-sleep and still be warm and comfortable.

Double sleeping bags are a great option for snuggling up with your partner and makes packing easier becuase there is only one bag to pack. Another option is to zip together two rectangular sleeping bags.

Some brands have women specific sleeping bags which offer mummy sleeping bags that are wider around the hips-to-knees area to give those who sleep in the common "figure four" position a little more room.

3. Insulation 101

The two basic types of insulation for sleeping bags are synthetic and down. The former is a little more affordable, will dry quickly and keep you warm in wet conditions. These are a little heavier and are best for overnighters that don't require you to save a ton of space and weight. The latter are more light-weight and can be squished and stuffed even smaller than synthetic sleeping bags which makes them great for backpacking and mountaineering. Plus, they are extremely warm for how light they are, making them a great option for winter use.

4. Choose the Bag With the Best Features for You

Insulation and bag shapes are not the only things that you should be looking for when shopping for a sleeping bag. Various extra features can be found on sleeping bags including shells, hoods, ventilation features and pockets.

Shells: The shell of a sleeping bag is the outer layer of fabric, which can be made from polyester or nylon. These shells are designed to be water repellent so you can camp in damp conditions without affecting the insulation of your bag.

Hoods: Hoods are mainly found on mummy bags, which tend to have lower temperature ratings, and are used to trap additional body heat to keep you warm on the coldest of nights.

Ventilation: For those who get a little too warm even in cold weather, look out for sleeping bags that feature extra ventilation aspects. Some sleeping bags have zippers on each side to allow you to fold the top down, and others have zippers on the bottom of the bag to give ventilation to your feet.

Pockets: If you need to stash away items for the night, such as glasses, a watch or lip balm, look out for a sleeping bag with pockets for safe-keeping.