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Department > Adventure Toys

March 2005 Issue

Adventure Toys: Camping Gear

The Finer Points of Off-Road Living

by Rob Reaser

Sensuous Sleep or Midnight Misery? Choosing the Right Sleeping Bag Will Make the Difference

Off-roaders have it easy when it comes to sleeping bags — easier, at least, when engaged in truck camping rather than backpacking. The weight of a sleeping bag is of no consequence, and size usually is of no concern (unless packing a short-wheelbase Jeep for a long, adventure-filled trip). Yet, while there are no serious issues with what can be packed in a 4x4, some thought should be invested in exactly what type of sleeping bag is needed. There are many reasons why bags range in price from less than $30 to several hundred bucks. Do you know the difference?

Slumber Science

Temperature Ratings

The most important consideration when buying a sleeping bag for truck camping (or any kind of camping) is, without a doubt, temperature rating. Nothing is more miserable than being so cold that you can’t sleep (it’s happened to me twice: when I was too young to know better, and when I was too cheap for my own good). When it’s four a.m., 18-degrees Fahrenheit, and there’s no hope for warmth, a quality sleeping bag with the proper temperature rating is worth every penny.

Good sleeping bags (not just expensive ones) will have a minimum temperature rating of around 60O, 30O, 0O, or -20O F. These are minimum ratings and guidelines only. A 30O bag might be comfortable for you when the mercury hits 40O, but your partner might freeze his tush off in the exact same bag. Let experience be the guide.

It’s essential to have an idea of the temperatures you’ll be sleeping in before purchasing a bag. The higher the elevation, the lower the nighttime temperature. Deserts, while scorching during the day, are usually cold at night. Folks from the lowlands or humid/temperate climates need to keep this in mind. A sleeping bag that gets too hot also can make someone miserable. Manufacturers design bags to cover everything from Tarzan hot to Ice Station Zebra cold. Choose accordingly.

Style

After identifying the temperature rating, next is selecting a bag style. Three primary designs are in use today: mummy, rectangle, and barrel.

Cimarron by Eureka!

Mummy bags are in vogue among the technical backpacking set because the bags are light and easy to pack. The disadvantage is that there’s not a lot of wiggle room inside. If you like to bend your limbs at night, better try one out before plunking down the cash.

Minnow by Eureka!

Most people are familiar with rectangle bags. Plenty of curl-up room here, but these bags are bulky, let in cold air at the top, and have abundant open space inside for cold air to seep in to.

Grasshopper by Eureka!

Barrel bags are often a perfect compromise. They’re wider inside and not as constrictive as mummy bags. They taper at both ends to minimize cold-air space and keep cold air from seeping in.

Key Features

A lot goes into making a quality sleeping bag. They’re not just sacks of fluff with big zippers. For cold-weather camping, especially, sleeping bags should offer some necessary features. Here are the highlights:

Draft Tubes: Insulation-filled tubes run the length of a sleeping bag’s zipper(s). They eliminate the cold spot created by the zipper and keep cold air from slipping through the zipper teeth.

Zipper Tape: Stiff material that runs the length of the zipper, designed to prevent the sleeping-bag shell (inner or outer) from getting caught in the zipper.

Collars: Insulation-filled tubes, mostly found in mummy and barrel bags, located at the opening of a sleeping bag. They snuggle around the neck to prevent cold air from seeping in.

Drawcords: Also found on mummy and barrel bags, drawcords cinch closed bag hoods and neck openings.

Layering: Most bags come in single-, double-, or triple-layer. This refers to the number of insulation layers between the inner and outer bag shells.

Offset Quilting: Common in double-layer bags, where one layer is sewn to the outer shell and the other to the inner shell. The quilting is offset so that the seams do not overlap and create cold spots.

Pockets: Sewn inside some bags to offer convenient places to store penlights, candy bars, bear spray, a .44 Magnum (just kidding).

Sleeping Pads

It doesn’t matter how much is spent on a sleeping bag or how well it’s constructed if a soft barrier isn’t placed between the bag and the ground — if you want a good night’s sleep. Sleeping pads can be nothing more than rolled-up foam or a fancy self-inflating mattress. Military-surplus sleeping pads are excellent because they’re dirt cheap and work great.

Sleeping-bag technology isn’t rocket science, but there is a strategy for selecting the right bag to ensure a proper night of rest. Now that you know what to look for, don’t be shy about trying a few on for size.

Don’t Forget the Pooch

Your faithful trail companion also likes to have a warm place to curl up at night. The Mt. Bachelor Pad from Ruff Wear offers the perfect solution. Unrolled, the Pad provides a 29x38-inch sleeping area and weighs a scant 28 ounces. The sleeping surface is made of 100-weight fleece, and underneath is a lofty, one-inch thermal pad that offers good cushioning and insulation. The vinyl-backed 600-denier polycloth base provides a moisture barrier for better heat retention, comfort, and durability. For storage, the Pad rolls up to 6x15 inches and is secured with hook-and-loop closure tabs. Ruff Wear: 888-783-3932; www.ruffwear.com.

Power Up

Like to cook big meals in the backcountry? Check out Coleman’s latest camp stove. The PowerPack is 25 percent larger than most two-burner camp stoves and can fit two large pots or pans on the unit simultaneously. In all, the stove delivers 285 square inches of cooking area, with 14 inches between the two burners, each four inches in diameter. Two versions are available. One is a 30K BTU unit (15K BTU per burner), the other is rated at 50K BTU (25K BTU per burner). The PowerPack comes with four legs and can be used with 16-ounce propane cylinders or adapted for use with refillable bulk tanks. Half- or full-sized griddles can be purchased separately. Coleman: 800-835-3278; www.coleman.com.

Mr. Fixit

You’ve got tools and repair materials on board your 4x4 (at least you’d better), but any outdoor veteran will say that camping gear also suffers occasional breakdowns and requires fixing. The tent takes the most hits. Adventure Medical Kits, manufacturers of some of the best wilderness first-aid and medical kits, also offers the goods to repair a variety of camping gear and apparel. The company’s UltraLight Gear Repair kit comes in a convenient 4.5x6.5-inch pouch and contains the following:

Repair Manual

1 Instruction Manual

Plastic Hardware

1 1-inch Quik Attach Side Squeeze®

1 1-inch Slik® Clip Buckle

1 1-inch Siamese Slik® Clip Buckle

1 1-inch Quik Attach Tensionlock®

1 Posigrip® Cordlock

2 1-inch Sliplok® Buckle

Adhesive & Glue Sticks

2 Alcohol cleaning swabs

1 Hot Melt glue stick

Straps, Tape, and Pins

1 Duct tape (2x100-inch roll)

1 40-inch para-cord

1 20 inches of 1-inch flat webbing

2 4-inch cable ties

2 8-inch cable ties

1 Blanket pins

3 Safety pins

Nylon Repair Material

1 4x 6-inch pack cloth swatch

1 4x 6-inch No-See-Um Netting

1 3x 5-inch adhesive ripstop nylon

Sewing Kit

1 #69 nylon thread

3 Heavy-duty sewing needles

2 Straight pins

3 Buttons

Adventure Medical Kits: 800-324-3517 www.adventuremedicalkits.com

Care & Maintenance

To keep your investment working, take care of your bag. The quickest way to run down a bag is to keep it scrunched up in a stuff sack or a tight roll for months at a time. This compresses the insulation fill and reduces insulating performance. Bag warmth depends on maintaining dead air space between the fibers and, for bags with hollow fibers, keeping the fibers from being crushed. The best storage method is to lay the bag out on a flat surface or hang it from built-in loops to maintain the fiber loft. Bags also need washing (refer to the manufacturer’s recommendations).

 

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