The Sleep Bag & The Sleeping Pad

	Equipment Notebook - Backpack - Sleeping Bag - Tent - Boots - Gaiters - Cook Gear - Check List
	The Sleep Bag & The Sleeping Pad
	The Sleeping Bag The sleeping bag is one of the scout’s most important pieces of camping gear. It is always taken on every campout and plays and important role in the well being of a scout by keeping him warm at night. Sleeping bags keep you warm by trapping and holding a layer of "dead" (non-circulating) air next to your body. This air, which is warmed by your body heat, forms a barrier between you and colder air and/or surfaces. Consider the following steps when choosing your sleeping bag: 1. The Type Of Sleeping Bag There are two main types of sleeping bags; the mummy bag and the rectangular bag. For scouting, the mummy bag is by far the best bag. It is light. It takes up little room when it is packed. It retain heat better. 2. Choose The Right Warmth The warmth or "comfort" rating of a sleeping bag tells you what temperatures the bag is designed to keep you comfortable in. When deciding on the right comfort rating, follow these basic steps: Estimate the range of nighttime temperatures that you are likely to encounter. Most fair-weather campers sleep in temperatures between 20 and 45 degrees Fahrenheit. This will vary, however, depending upon climate, time of year and elevation. Adjust your estimated range up or down slightly to account for personal factors like a tendency to "sleep hot" or "sleep cold" or a preference for pajamas. Match your adjusted temperature range to manufacturers' suggested comfort ratings. Remember - these ratings are general guidelines only. But they will help you narrow down your choices. Tip: Look for a bag built for temperatures at the low end of your estimated range. Why? Because it's easier to unzip your sleeping bag to cool down a little than it is to get up in the middle of the night and put on an extra layer of clothing when you're already freezing! In southern California, a 20 degree bag will generally be adequate. On snow campouts, the scout will be advised to bring an extra blanket or double up on sleeping bags by putting one in the other. 3. Think About Insulation The insulation inside a sleeping bag determines (to a large degree) how heavy the bag is and how much room it takes up in your pack. It can also affect how long your bag lasts. There are many different insulations (or "fills") available today. Your options are: Natural insulation (Goose Down) Positives - The lightest, most efficient, most compressible and longest lasting insulation available! Negatives - An inefficient insulator when wet, and it takes a long time to dry. Not the best choice for backpacking in wet climates or during wet times of the year. Down is also more expensive than synthetic fills. Synthetic insulation Positives - Insulate more effectively than down when wet (they still provide only marginal performance, but it's better than nothing). Dry more quickly than down and cost less. Negatives - Synthetic insulation can't match the overall performance of down in cold, dry conditions (though some of them come close). Tend to be less durable. There are a wide variety of synthetic insulations. To compare them, you must consider their loft (the amount of dead air that they can trap), their weight and their compressibility (how tightly it can be packed down for storage). Durability (how long an insulation can maintain its loft before it begins to break down and trap less dead air) is also important. The world of synthetic insulations is always changing, as manufacturers create lighter, loftier and more durable insulations. This means the bags you have to choose from are better than ever. But it also means that comparing specific insulations against one another can be challenging. A good salesperson like those at REI can help you to choose the right type of sleeping bag. 4. Consider The Extras Most of the "extra" features available in modern sleeping bags help you hold in more of your hard-earned body heat. These features allow you to carry lighter, less bulky bags, yet still stay warm when the temperature drops. Hood - You can lose up to 50% of your body heat through your head. A hood traps this warmth and holds it in -- it should be considered essential on all cold-weather bags (+35 degrees or lower). Make sure the hood you choose is comfortable, snug and easy to adjust. Collar - This is a big neck gasket (located at shoulder level inside the sleeping bag) that helps hold heat inside the bag. They are usually found in cold-weather sleeping bags. Draft Tubes - This is an insulation-filled tube that runs alongside the main sleeping bag zipper to keep warmth from escaping. They are most commonly found on moderate- to cold-weather bags. 5. Check Out The Sleeping Bag For Size To find out if a sleeping bag is the right size for you, hop in and try it out. It should be roomy enough to be comfortable, yet snug enough that you don't have lots of extra space to warm up. Check the length as well. Most sleeping bags are available in 2 standard lengths: "regular", which fits adults up to about 6'0" and "long", which fits adults up to about 6'6". However, some bags are available in extra-long cuts, while others are built specifically for women, short adults and even children. The Sleeping Pad Sleeping pads perform 2 important functions -- first, they provide an important layer of insulation between you and the ground (to cut down on conductive heat loss). Second, they help keep you comfortable when you're sleeping on hard, uneven ground. How do they work? Sleeping pads insulate the same way that sleeping bags and clothing layers do. They trap and hold a layer of dead (non-circulating) air between your body and the cold (in this case, the cold ground). Your body gradually warms this layer of dead air and it becomes an insulating barrier. The insulative performance of a pad depends upon how much air it holds inside and how free that air is to circulate. Although there are several types, the closed-cell foam pads made out of dense foam filled with tiny closed air cells is the best for scouting. They're cheap, durable (won't pop when tromped on) and extremely insulative (almost no circulation of air in pad, so they can be cut thin yet still provide good insulation). Closed-cell foam is also non-absorbent. For the adult scouter who needs additional comfort, there are self-inflating pads. These are open-cell foam pads wrapped in air-tight, waterproof nylon shells. They are more expensive, heavier and can be punctured, but they can make the difference in a good nights sleep for the less limber.

Equipment Notebook - Backpack - Sleeping Bag - Tent - Boots - Gaiters - Cook Gear - Check List

The Sleep Bag & The Sleeping Pad

The Sleeping Bag

The sleeping bag is one of the scout’s most important pieces of camping gear. It is always taken on every campout and plays and important role in the well being of a scout by keeping him warm at night. Sleeping bags keep you warm by trapping and holding a layer of "dead" (non-circulating) air next to your body. This air, which is warmed by your body heat, forms a barrier between you and colder air and/or surfaces.

Consider the following steps when choosing your sleeping bag:

1. The Type Of Sleeping Bag

There are two main types of sleeping bags; the mummy bag and the rectangular bag. For scouting, the mummy bag is by far the best bag.

It is light.
It takes up little room when it is packed.
It retain heat better.

2. Choose The Right Warmth

The warmth or "comfort" rating of a sleeping bag tells you what temperatures the bag is designed to keep you comfortable in. When deciding on the right comfort rating, follow these basic steps:

Estimate the range of nighttime temperatures that you are likely to encounter. Most fair-weather campers sleep in temperatures between 20 and 45 degrees Fahrenheit. This will vary, however, depending upon climate, time of year and elevation.
Adjust your estimated range up or down slightly to account for personal factors like a tendency to "sleep hot" or "sleep cold" or a preference for pajamas.
Match your adjusted temperature range to manufacturers' suggested comfort ratings. Remember - these ratings are general guidelines only. But they will help you narrow down your choices.

Tip: Look for a bag built for temperatures at the low end of your estimated range. Why? Because it's easier to unzip your sleeping bag to cool down a little than it is to get up in the middle of the night and put on an extra layer of clothing when you're already freezing!

In southern California, a 20 degree bag will generally be adequate. On snow campouts, the scout will be advised to bring an extra blanket or double up on sleeping bags by putting one in the other.

3. Think About Insulation

The insulation inside a sleeping bag determines (to a large degree) how heavy the bag is and how much room it takes up in your pack. It can also affect how long your bag lasts. There are many different insulations (or "fills") available today. Your options are:

Natural insulation (Goose Down)

Positives - The lightest, most efficient, most compressible and longest lasting insulation available!
Negatives - An inefficient insulator when wet, and it takes a long time to dry. Not the best choice for backpacking in wet climates or during wet times of the year. Down is also more expensive than synthetic fills.

Synthetic insulation

Positives - Insulate more effectively than down when wet (they still provide only marginal performance, but it's better than nothing). Dry more quickly than down and cost less.
Negatives - Synthetic insulation can't match the overall performance of down in cold, dry conditions (though some of them come close). Tend to be less durable.

There are a wide variety of synthetic insulations. To compare them, you must consider their loft (the amount of dead air that they can trap), their weight and their compressibility (how tightly it can be packed down for storage). Durability (how long an insulation can maintain its loft before it begins to break down and trap less dead air) is also important. The world of synthetic insulations is always changing, as manufacturers create lighter, loftier and more durable insulations. This means the bags you have to choose from are better than ever. But it also means that comparing specific insulations against one another can be challenging. A good salesperson like those at REI can help you to choose the right type of sleeping bag.

4. Consider The Extras

Most of the "extra" features available in modern sleeping bags help you hold in more of your hard-earned body heat. These features allow you to carry lighter, less bulky bags, yet still stay warm when the temperature drops.

Hood - You can lose up to 50% of your body heat through your head. A hood traps this warmth and holds it in -- it should be considered essential on all cold-weather bags (+35 degrees or lower). Make sure the hood you choose is comfortable, snug and easy to adjust.
Collar - This is a big neck gasket (located at shoulder level inside the sleeping bag) that helps hold heat inside the bag. They are usually found in cold-weather sleeping bags.
Draft Tubes - This is an insulation-filled tube that runs alongside the main sleeping bag zipper to keep warmth from escaping. They are most commonly found on moderate- to cold-weather bags.

5. Check Out The Sleeping Bag For Size

To find out if a sleeping bag is the right size for you, hop in and try it out. It should be roomy enough to be comfortable, yet snug enough that you don't have lots of extra space to warm up. Check the length as well. Most sleeping bags are available in 2 standard lengths: "regular", which fits adults up to about 6'0" and "long", which fits adults up to about 6'6". However, some bags are available in extra-long cuts, while others are built specifically for women, short adults and even children.

The Sleeping Pad

Sleeping pads perform 2 important functions -- first, they provide an important layer of insulation between you and the ground (to cut down on conductive heat loss). Second, they help keep you comfortable when you're sleeping on hard, uneven ground.

How do they work?
Sleeping pads insulate the same way that sleeping bags and clothing layers do. They trap and hold a layer of dead (non-circulating) air between your body and the cold (in this case, the cold ground). Your body gradually warms this layer of dead air and it becomes an insulating barrier.

The insulative performance of a pad depends upon how much air it holds inside and how free that air is to circulate.

Although there are several types, the closed-cell foam pads made out of dense foam filled with tiny closed air cells is the best for scouting. They're cheap, durable (won't pop when tromped on) and extremely insulative (almost no circulation of air in pad, so they can be cut thin yet still provide good insulation). Closed-cell foam is also non-absorbent.

For the adult scouter who needs additional comfort, there are self-inflating pads. These are open-cell foam pads wrapped in air-tight, waterproof nylon shells. They are more expensive, heavier and can be punctured, but they can make the difference in a good nights sleep for the less limber.