Sleeping bags and Quilts

Choosing a sleeping bag or quilt

Choosing the perfect bag can be a rather difficult process as there are so many variables: Do you want a sleeping bag or quilt? Down or Synthetic? What kind of down, what fill rate? Ethical down or non-ethical? What does fill and loft even mean? What’s the difference between down 650 and down 900? What kind of synthetic insulation should you buy? Long or short staple synthetic insulation? Primaloft or one of the other thousands of propiretary insulations?

Hopefully this little guide will help in your decision making process and give you enough confidence in picking a bag that will fit your needs and desires.

First up is the decision of Synthetic or down insulation:

Both will keep you warm if you buy the right bag for the job. Meaning your comfort temperature - there is no point in buying a +20c degree summer bag, if all your hiking in done in 0c degree temperatures - the 20c degree bag will servce no purpose other than to take weight in your bag and keep you frozen at night. A sleeping bag should be that one solid investment above all else, or rather your sleep system should be your one solid investment. Don’t skimp to save money. Buy what you need and remember a good sleeping bag is an investment on your comfort and security for many years to come.

Another factor to consider is your clothing as part of your sleep system. It’s perfectly exceptable to buy a lighter bag and complement it’s warmth with your camp clothing. Jackets, rain clothing, long johns - it’s all plausible to have on if the night get cold enough and your bag is not warm enough.

The following article will focus on a rundown of the pros and cons of the different sleeping bags and quilts. For detailed articles on the difference click on the respective links in this article.

Down bags pros:

• Down is by far the most efficient insulation available. The warmth to weight in unmatched.
• Down has the most durabilty - a good down bag will last upwards of 20 years if properly cared for
• Down is by far the most compressable material.

Down bag cons:

• More suseptable to moisture. Because down clumps when wet, it loses all warming capabilities when wet as compared to synthetic insulation
• Down bags tend to be more expensive than synthetic insulation
• Down is an animal byproduct. A bird needs to be killed or skilled alive to get to the plumage that is the down.

Synthetic insulation pros:

• Cheaper than down
• Strides are being made to make synthetic bags more compressable - but still not on the same level as down.
• Synthetic insulation tends to work better than down when wet.

Synthetic insulation cons:

• Heavy - synthetic insulation is not a very effecient form of insulation.
• Doesn’t compress well
• Not as durable as Down sleeping bags

Sleeping bag or quilt?

So now that you have chosen what type of insulation you wish to use, it’s time to choose between sleeping bag or quilt. Both again have their pros and cons and this is just a simple list to help you in you decision making process

Sleeping bag pros:

• Fully tight closure - no heat loss due to non-tight fit. They protect you against wind draft and heat loss.
• More flexible usage in camp. It’s fairly easy to get in and out of a sleeping bag, sit up and get cozy as the bag is not strapped onto anything
• Sleeping bags tend to be cheaper as they are more popular = economies of scale

Sleeping bag cons:

• Tend to weigh more than quilts as the construction is not very effecient. Insulation does not work if pressed upon.
• Easy to get tangled if you move around alot while sleeping

Quilt pros:

• Lighter, more effecient use of insulation.
• Can move around while sleeping without getting tangled up
• Quilts are more compressable than sleeping bags

Quilt cons:

• Tend to be colder than mummy bag
• Not as flexible as they tend to fasten to sleeping mat.