Sleeping bag. Deuter sleeping bags. Peculiarities. How to choose a sleeping bag Overview of Deuter sleeping bags. Useful information and practical tips Sleeping bag with a comfort temperature of 0 degrees

Everyone who bought sleeping bag faced the problem of choice. A lot of indicators, different prices and it's not entirely clear what to believe, but now you can find out in detail how best to choose a sleeping bag, what aspects to pay attention to and why.

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In almost any trip that includes at least one overnight stay without the usual hotels, shelters and guesthouses, the traveler will need a sleeping bag. This is one of the key pieces of equipment. It will come in handy not only when camping with tents, but also wherever you are not sure of a comfortable overnight stay - in a Nepalese loggia, a Carpathian hut, in a Moroccan mountain shelter, and even just when you are stuck at a transfer at the airport or at the railway station.

Knowing how to choose the right sleeping bag for your conditions is very important. Why? It would seem that such a difficult thing in a sleeping bag? But currently there is great amount sleeping bags, which are very different in terms of operating temperature of use, materials used, weight, design, price. If you go to any good travel store, you will see dozens of different options for you to choose from. The eyes will diverge. Which one to buy? Of course, you will ask a consultant for help. But what to ask? Will he be able to spend at least half an hour with you? It is better to come to the store already prepared as much as possible.

How best to choose a sleeping bag

Let's first understand what a modern sleeping bag is, what designs exist, what selection criteria are the most important.

Here are the main points that are convenient to navigate, and that you will meet in the catalogs of sellers and manufacturers. Let's try to figure out what they mean.

Seasonal use of the sleeping bag

As a rule, this refers to the seasons of the Central European climate suitable for the use of this model. Usually, they mean summer, winter and off-season. If the description says about the "three-season" option, then this means "spring, summer, autumn." In my opinion, this is the most uninformative division for a beginner. Seasons are a conditional thing, everything is very blurry, at least specifics. Even in the middle latitudes there are places with a "non-standard" climate, large temperature fluctuations. And then there are mountains! If you go to the mountains, then forget about the flat classification of the seasons. In summer, in the area of ​​\u200b\u200ba classic overnight stay at 4100, it can easily be -10-15 degrees.

So seasonality is a very approximate characteristic.

Temperature Range. EN 13537 test

This is the most objective characteristic. Why? The fact is that most of the serious manufacturers in the Old and New Worlds recently (since 2005) began to test products according to the single standard EN 13537. What does this mean for the consumer? You can be sure that the comparison of the operating temperatures indicated on the product will be fairly objective. Previously, there were many tests, and comparing all these numbers on sleeping bags different manufacturers hardly made sense. Linking to this test also obliges the manufacturer to indicate some mandatory parameters on their products. These are weight without packing bag, inside dimensions and packing dimensions.

Regarding the temperature, the sleeping bag must be marked with 3 main numbers .

• comfort temperature. This is the temperature at which a healthy 25-year-old woman, dressed in long thermal underwear and socks, in a fully zipped sleeping bag and wearing a hood, sleeps for 8 hours in a relaxed position without experiencing discomfort.
• comfort limit. This is the temperature at which a 25-year-old healthy male, wearing long thermal underwear and socks in a fully zipped sleeping bag and wearing a hood, sleeps in an energy-saving position (embryo) for 8 hours without experiencing much discomfort. This is the main temperature characteristic of a sleeping bag.
• Extreme use temperature. For beginners, it is better not to look at it at all. Relatively speaking, this is the temperature at which a still healthy 25-year-old woman in a sleeping bag will not receive lethal hypothermia within 6 hours. At the same time, this can only be called sleep conditionally, since moderate hypothermia (hypothermia) and multiple awakenings due to a feeling of cold are allowed.
• Upper comfort temperature. It is optional within the test and is not specified by all manufacturers. This is the highest temperature at which normal sleep is possible in an unbuttoned sleeping bag.

Sleeping bag form factor

This is the main design feature, which, as a rule, is easily recognized by external examination.

Multi-seat (group) sleeping bags. They are not mass-produced, they are sewn to order and are used to a limited extent by speleologists and for difficult winter (ski) trips. They allow significant savings in the weight of group equipment, but are impractical in conditions of normal, non-sporting use.

Insulation material and the sleeping bag itself

How your sleeping bag will keep you warm, how much it will weigh and how much space it will take up when folded in a backpack, as well as how long it can last, depends on the materials. First of all, from the material of the insulation. There are two main types - down and synthetic heaters.

Synthetic sleeping bags

There is a large number of materials and many manufacturers. Most of them position their product as “the best synthetic analogue of down”, while it is hardly possible to say that one material is significantly better than another. Of course, we mean the leading players in the market. Let's take a quick look at what depends insulation quality. Fiber thickness a good material should be different - thin fibers provide good thermal insulation, thick ones - restoration of volume, crease resistance. Hollow channels in fibers. A large number of them (usually from 1 to 7) provides weight reduction and improves protective properties. Fiber elasticity also helps to maintain the volumetric shape of the product. Siliconization fiber helps repel moisture. I will list some brands of heaters worthy of your trust. Cheaper - HolloFiber, ThermoFill, QualoFil, Warm-Loft. Of the expensive ones - Primaloft, Thinsulate (made from very thin fibers and because of this it quickly wrinkles), Polarguard, Thermolight Extreme.

The main advantages of sleeping bags on synthetic insulation are ease of use at high humidity (dry well, warm when wet), ease of repair and maintenance (easy to wash, when broken, the insulation remains inside), relatively low price.

Down sleeping bags

Despite all the efforts of the modern chemical and textile industries, there are still probably no serial samples of synthetic insulation that can compare with good down in two main characteristics - thermal conductivity and compressibility in the folded position (affects the size of the compression bag in which it is transported). Waterfowl down still has an unsurpassed set of consumer characteristics, but also has its own drawbacks. High-quality goose down is considered the best in terms of its characteristics in mass production. Duck - somewhere in second place. What characteristic will be the main thing when choosing a down sleeping bag? In addition to weight and temperature range of use, quality will be indicated by such a characteristic as Fill power, or, for short FP. It is measured in units and usually looks on the product as marking FP 650, FP 800+ and so on. This figure gives an idea of ​​how many cubic inches one ounce of down can take. Accordingly, the higher this indicator, the better the fluff. The 650th down is already considered to be of quite high quality and is used, as a rule, in urban clothes and budget equipment series. Down with FP 800 or more (currently up to 900-950) is used in premium products and costs accordingly. It hardly makes sense to buy a sleeping bag made from non-certified down. It is better then to pay attention to synthetic heaters.

Down also has unsurpassed compression characteristics - compressibility. When folded, a down bag takes up almost half as much space as a bag with similar characteristics, but with a different type of insulation. And what about fluff limitations? There are at least two of them. Subjective: price. A good down sleeping bag costs hundreds of dollars. Not everyone can afford it. If the equipment is bought for one trip or for occasional rare use, such a waste of money is definitely not for everyone. Objective: afraid of moisture. When the fluff gets wet, it turns from an amazing insulation into sticky clumps of organics that are practically not to be used. Drying a down sleeping bag (which is completely wet) in field conditions is extremely difficult, if not impossible. Fortunately, manufacturers do not stand still and in recent years, down products with waterproof treatment are available for purchase. This greatly reduces the water vulnerability of the material. Also on sale are sleeping bags made of membrane fabrics and fabrics with a water-repellent treatment (DWR). You can also protect the down with a bivouac bag. Another disadvantage of down sleeping bags can be considered the complexity of care, first of all, cleaning. Need to apply special means, special washing modes or use specialized dry cleaners.

Sleeping bag materials

Most hiking structures these days are made from 100% synthetic materials. The top is usually made of thin synthetics, in more expensive models the fabric has a Rip Stop weave, which restrains the spread of holes formed. Especially important for down sleeping bags. One of the best sleeping bag materials available today is Pertex Quantum.

Many backpackers who started hiking a long time ago are still looking for sleeping bags with an inner lining made of organic cotton. It is worth knowing that modern materials used for the inside of the bag, such as Taffeta, have hypoallergenic properties, are pleasant for the body, and do not electrify. At the same time, they are hygroscopic, do not stretch, are durable and light. When choosing a sleeping bag, you should also pay attention to quality fittings. YKK zippers will not only be more reliable than most others, but will also indicate the “seriousness” of the manufacturer.

What material of a sleeping bag to take for yourself

If you are traveling in very humid conditions, take a closer look at sleeping bags made of good synthetic materials, if in very cold conditions - downy ones (with the same weight it is much warmer, and moisture at sub-zero temperatures is not so terrible, however, remember about condensation). In other cases, the choice is not so obvious. If you vote with your money - synthetics are an advantage, if you are chasing low weight and a minimum amount of equipment - choose fluff.

Exotic heaters. In the last century, some sleeping bags were made with insulation, which can now be classified as exotic. Fur bags. Still used occasionally in the north. If you don't need to move around often, this might be a good option. Most other heaters - the notorious "synthetic winterizer", batting, felt, and so on, are now hardly worth considering as an alternative to the above.

What else to look for when choosing a sleeping bag

Length and internal volume. Most manufacturers do not spoil us large quantity sizes and therefore it is unlikely that it will be possible to choose a sleeping bag “according to the figure”, like clothes. However, if you are a basketball-sized man, then the usual size is unlikely to suit you. Conversely, if you are a small fragile girl, then by buying a bag of a regular size, you will carry a lot of extra material, and the excess internal volume will slightly lower the comfort temperature. As a rule, manufacturers produce bags of a standard size, it is usually called Regular and an elongated version - Long. At the same time, there is no common standards, and different companies use different patterns for sewing their sleeping bags. So be careful when choosing. If your sizes are far from general standards, then you will have to look for manufacturers that produce an extended size range, for example, short (female) models are available from the well-known company Marmot, models for very full people are available from Alexika. Sivera produces bags in a variety of sizes, almost like clothes. Sleeping bags for children are also produced by many well-known manufacturers. It is better for tall and large tourists to look at the products of the American market. Conclusion: if desired, almost every tourist will be able to pick up a bag of the right size in order not to carry too much and not sleep in a cramped or short sleeping bag.

Non-slip coating. When you sleep on an uneven surface, and even on a slippery rug, serious discomfort is possible due to constant rolling and sliding. It is convenient when the bottom of your sleeping bag is covered with non-slip elements. Unfortunately, to brag about such design features so far, only single models, for example, Montane, can.

Right/left zipper. Which one to choose is a matter of taste. Very quickly you will get used to any option. Just keep in mind that two bags can be fastened together if they have different zippers - one is right, the other is left. Not all sleeping bags are zipped together. Refine this moment. If you choose a second bag, take the one you already have with you. Perhaps you will pick up a “pair” for him. There are also bags with a central zipper. They don't line up. There are manufacturers in which all sleeping bags within the line are fastened together, regardless of which side the zipper is on. A striking example is the Spanish manufacturer Griffon.

If you are not a military man or a hunter, or you do not need to hide in the forests from secret agents, choose brighter equipment - it is more difficult to lose it, and in case of loss (a drying bag can be blown away by the wind, for example) to find. Also, with the help of bright things, you will make it easier for rescuers to find your loved one in emergency situations.

Operation and care. Life hacks for sleeping bag owners

Packing and storage. When you, having bought your sleeping bag, pull it out of the packing bag for the first time, you see how neatly it was folded there. Many unfortunate tourists subsequently doom themselves to constant torment, trying every time on a hike to fold it just as beautifully. Girls are especially vulnerable. Under no circumstances should this be done. Just “stuff” the sleeping bag into the packing bag “anyhow” - this is not only convenient, but also useful for him. What to do if the compression bag is lost? It doesn't matter, just pack your sleeping bag in a loosely packed backpack, taking up all the free space between other things with it. If you “fill your hand”, then your sleeping bag will take up not much more space in this form than in a compression bag. At home, keep your sleeping bag uncompressed, this is very important! Sometimes manufacturers package their products with a special bag for storing large volumes, along with a compression bag.

Laundry and care. When buying, be sure to specify how to properly wash your sleeping bag and whether it requires additional care. The bag can be made from membrane fabric, which requires special care, or treated with a DWR water-repellent compound, which will need to be restored over time. Be especially careful with down sleeping bags.

Wetting. During operation, protect your sleeping bag from moisture! Try to pack it in a backpack so that even if everything else gets wet there, the bag stays dry. Even in synthetic insulation, moisture causes a sharp decrease in thermal insulation properties. Choose a dry place to spend the night, if you sleep in a tent near the wall, you should be wary of condensation. You can protect the fabric of the bag from contact with the wet wall of the tent by placing a membrane jacket or backpack.

iPhone and sleeping bag. Most sleeping bags have an internal zippered pocket for valuables. Keep this in mind, especially if you spend the night in places where valuables can go missing and hide them inside. Delicate electronic devices at low temperatures should spend the night with you. Also, in difficult conditions, use your sleeping bag to dry wet socks, gloves, and shoe liners at night. Sometimes gas cylinders sleep in the bag. Inconvenient, but necessary.

Pillow. In some models, the hood is equipped with a special pocket for a pillow. If there is no special inflatable pillow, you can put soft things that are not used at night there.

Additional Ways to Keep Warm in a Sleeping Bag - Mat

If you find yourself in conditions that are too cold for your sleeping bag, remember - there is additional ways get warm. Make the most of your clothes, but remember that it's not the clothes that keep you warm, but the air gap in them. Sometimes a tourist warms up in a sleeping bag, taking off some of his clothes, which squeezed him and prevented the formation of air layers of warm air. Don't overdo the dressing! Putting a flask of warm water from a stove or fire in your sleeping bag will help with the initial warming and you will fall asleep warmer. Use chemical body warmers in the right places. Do not neglect the hood, protect your head in every possible way - this is an extensive channel for heat loss. The feet are almost always the first to freeze. To avoid this, wrap them up. If you have an extra jacket or fleece, zip it up and pack your feet into the resulting cocoon, and then go to the sleeping bag. For extra warmth and moisture insulation, shove a sleeping bag into your backpack after removing your items from it. Remember! Even the warmest sleeping bag without a rug will not keep you warm! You can effectively use the potential of your bag only in combination with a properly selected rug. If this is a problem, use all available properties to isolate yourself from the earth - put several times folded clothes, a backpack, a rope, a space blanket under you. Use dry grass, spruce branches. A real tourist must be resourceful and inventive.

I hope that the information received will help you choose your future reliable assistant in your travels - a sleeping bag. Travel and enjoy life!

Personal experience

Guide of the club "Couloir" Nikolai Sakovich

During my tourist life, I had to spend the night in a variety of sleeping bags, under different conditions and temperatures.
My first hike was in winter, in the Crimea. I don’t remember where I got the sleeping bag, but the model is well remembered - Terra Incognita Pharaon 400. In those days, the Terran "Pharaohs" - it was the hit of the season! Cheap and cheerful. At a temperature of -10..-15 overboard, sleeping in the "four hundred" was just fine, especially if there is a living "battery" nearby in the form of your hiking friends :)
In the photo - a "rookery of seals" in one of the Crimean caves, not far from the Dzhur-Dzhur waterfall. Mountain hike across the Crimea, winter 2009.

The green ones are the same "Pharaohs".
On the plus side, it's cheap. Of the minuses - to lighten the weight, we often took two sleeping bags for three, making stitching out of them. As a result, lightning quickly fell into disrepair. Terra Incognita still has this model now, as well as the more modern Siesta line.

The next sleeping bag I had was the Czech Pinguin Comfort (t° limit -7°, t° extreme -24°):

An excellent synthetic sleeping bag with an optimal price / quality ratio. Despite the temperature regime of the sleeping bag, I managed to walk with it. When it was cold, he put on all his clothes and climbed into a backpack up to his waist.
Of course, this is the wrong approach, but in which case it is one of the options for survival. The beauty seen and the great desire to go to the mountains then blocked all the inconveniences.

Dawn at the top of Petros, (2020m, Carpathians, Chernogorsky ridge, December 2009):

Overnight at the top of Hoverla, May 2010. Here's a sleeping bag Pinguin Comfort - optimal.

Nothing lasts forever, and after a few years of intensive use, the sleeping bag has worn out. Since it justified itself by 200%, it didn’t take long to think about choosing the next one - they became a slightly warmer Pinguin Spirit (t ° limit -12 °):

I still use this sleeping bag, it is great for the autumn-spring Carpathians, I also took it to the big mountains - to the Caucasus. In the Carpathians, I actively use it from early October to mid-May. Only positive impressions.
In the Caucasus, in the green valleys, it was a little hot - then it either opened completely, or simply covered itself from above like a blanket. Above, in the zone of snow and glaciers, he slept just fine!
With this sleeping bag:
Overnight stay on the slope of Sofia, Western Caucasus, July 2013.

Overnight at the top of Grofa, Carpathians, May 2014.

Summer sleeping bag.
In the summer, when hiking in Ukraine, I use Deuter Dream Lite 250 . (Weight - 1.1kg, t°limit +5°). Great sleeping bag, versatile and durable. It has been serving for more than five years, worn out of course, but at the same time - no problems with lightning (YKK).
With this sleeping bag:

Carpathians, Svidovets ridge, July 2012, Carpathians, overnight under the top of Strymba, July 2014.

He visited in the summer both the Southern Urals and Eastern Siberia (Sayan Mountains, Krasnoyarsk Territory).

In order to save weight Deuter Dream Lite 250 in July last summer, I took a mountain hike in the Georgian Caucasus (lakes of Megrelia + Svaneti). It was very comfortable in the valleys, but at nights near the mountain lakes and especially on the glacier it was cool. I had to additionally warm myself, on the glacier - to lay ropes under the tent, and all the clothes and a backpack - under the rug. Therefore, if you are going on a trip to the lakes in June-July - it's better to take something like Pinguin Comfort.

Overnight at Lake Toba, Megrelia, July 2016:

Overnight on the Chaalat glacier, Svaneti, July 2016:

Winter sleeping bag

I don't have it :) Why? After all, I have a penguin “demi-season” and a summer doiter. And in combination they give excellent temperature indicators. At minus thirty - at least that! Of course, this “matryoshka” is quite heavy (3kg) and less convenient to use, but there is no other way to look at it. After all, the outer, summer sleeping bag acts as a condensate, the dew point is in it, respectively, all the moisture - also, - either in it or on its surface. The inner warmer sleeping bag always stays dry. And the thin outer dries quickly. It is better, of course, to use one large condensate tank for several people (a tent), but for this you need either self-sewing or stitching from two summer sleeping-blankets (for three people).

Summing up: in order to enjoy hiking landscapes to the maximum every day, you must not forget about a good rest after a busy day of walking. And the key to a good, sweet sleep is a good dinner, the right place to spend the night and carefully selected equipment. After all, a dry, warm sleeping bag in the evening is a separate pleasure;)
I wish you all a comfortable overnight stay and gorgeous views from the tent! :)

We have already talked about that earlier. And in this article, among other things, it was said that you need to choose a sleeping bag based on its temperature regime. The temperature regime is indicated on sleeping bags in the form of three values, for example - (+10, comfort -2, extreme -18). As it turned out, some people do not quite understand what the temperature regime of a sleeping bag is and what the values ​​\u200b\u200bindicated on the sleeping bag mean. Since the main purpose of the sleeping bag is to maintain the thermal balance of a person, in order to understand what specifically determines the temperature conditions on the sleeping bag, we first need to understand what the thermal balance of a person is. The heat balance of a person is a state of a person in which the amount of heat that his body produces is equal to the amount of heat that the body loses as a result of air circulation, respiration, evaporation of moisture from the surface of the body, and other things. That is, to simplify, the heat balance is when a person is warm, due to the fact that he loses as much heat as he generates. It should be borne in mind that heat transfer can depend on the build of a person, his gender and age. For example, studies show that women are on average more thermophilic than men, and for them it is better to select the temperature regime of a sleeping bag 5 degrees lower. The same applies to young people under 18 years of age (for the reason that at a young age the heat exchange is higher than in a mature one). So what do the temperature values ​​of the sleeping bag mean? Based on our example (+10, comfort -2, extreme -18), let's start with the average value. Comfort temperature- (in our case -2) is the temperature at which a person can sleep without feeling discomfort all night. That is, the heat balance in the human body will be maintained all night. The value - comfort -2 means the lower limit of the comfort temperature in this sleeping bag, the upper one in our case is the first value that is indicated on the temperature regime of our sleeping bag, that is - (+10). The upper comfort temperature value means the temperature at which a person can sleep in this sleeping bag without excessive sweating. extreme temperature(extreme -18) - this parameter indicates the temperature when the sleeping bag provides sufficient warming to protect against hypothermia, but does not ensure the maintenance of a full thermal balance. That is, in our example, sleeping in a sleeping bag at a temperature of -2 to -18 degrees will be cold and uncomfortable, but this will not lead to severe hypothermia (dangerous for the body) of the body and limbs. But as already mentioned that the body's heat resistance is quite individual for each person, the values ​​\u200b\u200bof the temperature regime cannot be considered absolute. Usually, to test the temperature regime of sleeping bags, they invite people associated in some way with extreme conditions, for example, the military or climbers. Their lifestyle usually means that such people are more cold-hardy than people who spend most of their time in warm rooms. It follows from this that if you are unsure of your cold resistance, then it will not be superfluous to buy a warmer sleeping bag.

Travel sleeping bag - necessary thing for every traveler. And not only for him. It is convenient to travel with your sleeping bag wherever bed linen may be missing or you are not sure of its quality. How to choose a sleeping bag?

Warm VS cool

1. In which seasons and in which region will the sleeping bag be used?


2. How warm are you personally?

1. Upper comfort temperature. This is the limit above which you will theoretically become hot in a sleeping bag.


2. Comfort limit temperature(or lower comfort temperature). This is the state of the surrounding air, in which it will be comfortable and cozy to sleep. Again, the number is very close.


3. Extreme temperature. This is the minimum possible temperature at which it is worth spending the night in this sleeping bag. Further, the manufacturer does not guarantee that the traveler will not get hypothermia.

Length and width

Length

Width

Compound

Filler

fluff

1. We are looking for an indicator of FP, or Fill Power. It indicates the volume to which 1 ounce of compressed down will be restored. A good value would be 600 and above.


2. Down/feather ratio. The feather is added so that the fluff does not cake, but rather restores its shape. In addition, the addition of a feather allows you to reduce the cost of a sleeping bag. The percentage of feather content should not exceed 20. This means that somewhere in the labeling of the sleeping bag it will be written: “80/20”.

Synthetics

Sometimes the fibers are additionally treated with silicone, so the sleeping bag will receive a slightly greater heat-saving ability and will recover better after compression. Due to the ability of down to store water, a synthetic sleeping bag is better suited for water trips or hiking in wet conditions.

Combined filler

lining material

Bonus Features

Possibility of docking

double zipper

Hood

Compression bag.

Hi all! In this article, you will learn about how to choose a sleeping bag why it is needed, what it consists of and how choose the right one for your trip. The article turned out to be voluminous, but I think you can handle it 🙂

Sleeping in warm clothes is not enough to the person was comfortable on the trip. The sleeping bag is designed in such a way as to maintain a comfortable temperature, maintain a balance of warmth. This means that in a sleeping bag, the amount of heat that a person loses (due to low air temperature at night) should not exceed the heat that he produces.

Different people have their own method of calculating the heat generated. Knowing what a person looks like, you can choose a sleeping bag for him, taking into account his individual characteristics:
The weight: overweight people, as a rule, suffer from metabolic disorders, their metabolism is lowered, and in normal person the amount of heat consumed and produced is approximately equal. What happens on an expedition? The conditions are very different from the usual ones, a person spends a lot of energy, and receives fewer calories.

In order to optimize metabolism, the body uses the previously accumulated energy, and obese people will have more of it than those who have an athletic physique. It turns out that a full person and an ordinary person in the same sleeping bags will sleep differently: the first is hot, the second is not.
"Female" and "male" sleeping bags: as such, of course, they do not exist. But women should be aware that they cannot withstand the same temperatures as men and should stock up on a sleeping bag that will provide about 5 degrees warmer than the sleeping bag that a man uses.
Both old and young: sleeping bags for people different ages will also differ. Usually, all studies that relate to heat transfer are carried out on men whose age does not exceed 40 years. It is for this category of persons, hardy, athletic people, standard temperature conditions sleeping bags fit without restrictions. But an elderly person needs to take a warmer sleeping bag. It is even more difficult for a child to determine the appropriate heat balance. Therefore, for minors and those who are already approaching or have crossed the 50-year mark, you need to choose a sleeping bag, focusing on the upper threshold thermal regime like normal.

Temperature conditions of sleeping bags

Of course, no universal sleeping bag, which would be suitable for a high-altitude expedition, and for an overnight stay on a fishing trip. There are two thermal modes on the sleeping bag: comfort temperature, i.e. the temperature at which a person sleeping in a tent can sleep. And the extreme temperature is the maximum temperature at which you can sleep in this sleeping bag in the open air.
Comfort temperature- this means the amount of heat that will allow you to sleep peacefully all night. The upper number means that at this temperature (for example, +15) the tourist can unzip the sleeping bag, throw back the hood and at the same time will not overheat. The lower figure is the limit at which a buttoned sleeping bag will normally warm the sleeping person when spending the night in a tent.

extreme temperature implies that the sleeping bag is able to protect against severe hypothermia at this temperature. Another question is how comfortable a person will sleep at this temperature. Trained athletes, climbers and those who choose a sleeping bag for hiking on flat terrain in the warm season without strong nighttime temperature changes are usually guided by this thermal regime.
Exists European standard temperature for sleeping bags, which is designated as EN13537 - it was adopted in 2002, based on the developments of the Outdoor group of companies. Since 2005, this standard has been in effect everywhere - now manufacturers of sleeping bags must focus on the basic methods by which a laboratory experiment is carried out to calculate the thermal regime. Before the introduction of a single standard, each manufacturer of sleeping bags had its own results, but now they are unified.

P.S.. I have two sleeping bags, one for -5 and the second for -10 (comfort), Pharaon model. For Crimea, Ukraine - that's it! Oh I wrote, read.

What do sleeping bags consist of - contents, outer and inner lining.

One of the important criteria in choosing sleeping bags is a quality filler. There are downy sleeping bags, as well as bags on synthetic winterizer and holofiber.
fluff- the most expensive, but also the best filler. Not a single synthetic can replace fluff in terms of its properties. Its advantages are undoubted - it weighs little, has high thermal insulation properties, and is highly compressed without subsequent losses in volume.
But any fluff doesn't fit- only from waterfowl, since it is their fluff that has a special lubricant that allows the birds themselves not to get wet, which means that the fluff filler will be waterproof to some extent. Otherwise, the down filler will simply rot.
For sleeping bags, they use expensive eider down, for which you have to shell out a few hundred dollars, or much cheaper goose down. This is the most popular type of down. Only the country of origin in this case has great importance- in cold Russia, geese (along with their down) are much more frost-resistant than Chinese or European geese.

Eiderdown- ideal sleeping bag filler, but it will cost you many hundreds of dollars. The most common type of down for sleeping bags is goose down. It is important to take into account the climate in which the birds were raised, whose fluff is in your sleeping bag. For example, down collected in Russia (a country with a cold climate) is better than Chinese or from some Western country.
But you need to know that down is not the only component in down filler. So that light and soft fluff does not clog, it is “diluted” with a feather, and its quality characteristics will depend on how much feather is in the filler. Such an international criterion as FP - fill power - compression force has been adopted. Usually in warm sleeping bags the amount of feather should not exceed 20%. If the feather is less than 10%, there is a risk that the down will be inelastic.
The FP characteristic is necessary in order to determine the extent to which the down regains its volume after compression. Since most sleeping bags are stored folded or rolled up, this is a very important criterion. Compressive force units are the volume to which an ounce of down, previously compressed, can recover. To navigate as down, you should know that the highest compression force is 800 units, and down sleeping bags are considered to be among the best, where FP is equal to at least 550 units.
Problems with down sleeping bags only with moisture- if such a sleeping bag gets wet, it will lose all its qualities - it will cease to be voluminous and warm. And the fluff dries for quite a long time, so manufacturers take care of an additional waterproof coating.
Fillers such as holofiber and synthetic winterizer are among the cheapest. Their maximum temperature limit is minus 10 degrees. The weight of sleeping bags with such fillers is from 1 kg to 2.3 kg, and they are most popular in Russia due to their cheapness. Of course, in the summer it is good to take such a sleeping bag for fishing or hunting if you spend the night in a tent. It is convenient to use a synthetic sleeping bag in swimming, water trekking - it will dry quickly even at temperatures below zero.
The main disadvantage of sleeping bags filled with synthetic winterizer and holofiber is quick "failure". They cake, lose their thermal insulation properties and after a couple of years of intensive use they are no good.
Two-layer sintepon sleeping bags are designed for temperatures not lower than -5C, three-layer ones are suitable for extreme temperatures of -10, and four-layer ones are the warmest, designed for -20.
Synthetic fillers of more or less high quality have a higher price than synthetic fillers. Sleeping bags made by companies such as Thermoloft, Holofill, Powerfill Soft, Qualofill and Warmloft are of quality that is almost as good as silicone sleeping bags. However, they weigh around 2kg even packed, take up more space than more expensive sleeping bags, and last a little less. These sleeping bags are popular among European tourists due to their good value for money.

Closest to down sleeping bags - silicone. Such fillers consist of silicone fibers, which contain air, due to which the sleeping bag has high thermal insulation performance. Silicone filler may differ in the thickness and density of the fibers, the degree of fiber filling with air. The filling material allows the sleeping bag to remain elastic even after 5 seasons, which brings it closer to the best sleeping bags.

The weight of sleeping bags with silicone fiber is almost the same as that of down ones, about 1 kg, they are easy to wash, they, unlike down, are moisture resistant, dry quickly and are warmer than synthetic ones.
Facial and wrong side sleeping bag.
Outside, nylon is most often found. It is absent only in down sleeping bags, which must be adapted to such a complex material as down filling, taking into account the fact that the sleeping bag must be moisture resistant.
The fabric for a sleeping bag should let air through, but not moisture. For down sleeping bags, Dry-loft fabric is used, which is distinguished by the fact that it is covered with a "breathable" membrane. Such a fabric does not allow moisture to penetrate inside, but evaporates it out. By the same principle, thermal underwear is created, which is also used in hiking and expeditions. In addition, the fabric must also protect from the wind. Usually the inner surface of the sleeping bag is sewn from cotton fabric.
The best sleeping bags are those made of waterproof fabric. Those who want the sleeping bag to serve and retain its qualities for at least 4-5 years do not choose nylon sleeping bags impregnated with polyurethane, since such a fabric has practically no pluses, only solid minuses. All impregnation disappears in just a couple of years and fluff is knocked out of the sleeping bag. In frost, nylon "gets stiff", and at high humidity, moisture accumulates on the surface of the fabric, like on misted glass.

Individual selection of a sleeping bag

Usually a sleeping bag with a hood does not exceed in length 235 cm. Therefore, for those whose height starts from 185, you should choose a sleeping bag, the size of which is at least XL. Shoulder width also matters - it is advisable for overweight or athletic men to “try on” a sleeping bag directly in the store, or at least attach it to themselves to make sure that it will not “press”.

About how to sleep in a sleeping bag so as not to freeze -.
If it is possible to try out the sleeping bag before buying, it is done like this: you need to completely climb into it, close the zipper and check if it is securely fixed, tighten the hood as tightly as possible. And now you can understand whether the sleeping bag is suitable for growth. The fabric should not be stretched either in the legs or on the hood, and at the same time, the arms should be spacious enough. It is best to try to bend your legs a little and check - if the sleeping bag is extremely stretched on the sides, then it is too small.
In addition, it plays a role how exactly to sleep in a sleeping bag - in clothes or linen, whether the sleeping bag should be spacious enough to turn around inside, and in it.
Standard children's sleeping bag has a length of 145 cm and a width of 71. It is undesirable for a child to sleep in an adult sleeping bag, because the smaller the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe heated space, the easier it is to warm up. The colors of children's sleeping bags correspond to the purpose.
Sleeping bags for teenagers are 167 cm long and 73 cm wide. The same sleeping bags are suitable for thin and short adults.
An ordinary sleeping bag for a person of average height is 190 cm long and 84 cm wide. There are double sleeping bags, also called sparks - they can be connected with lightning and sleep in it together or even three. So much warmer and very comfortable for couples.

This is how I sleep with my girlfriend, just buy the same sleeping bag R and L, just check if they can be connected. About how to do it, choose, etc. - read in the following articles of my blog, I advise you not to miss anything.
Non-standard sleeping bags, for tall and / or overweight people, measure from 198 to 205 cm in length and from 84 to 96 in width.

Is the sleeping bag good quality?

The advantages of a good sleeping bag are easy to see. These are not through seams, a strap above the zipper, a fastener at the hood - Velcro, a button, a hook, cuffs that close the entrance to the sleeping bag, an internal zipper tape that protects the sleeping bag from damage when using the fastener, the ability to turn the sleeping bag inside out (it is sewn in for this zipper at the bottom). In addition, a sign of a good sleeping bag is dark color the front side of the fabric, even seams.

Where to buy a sleeping bag?

You can buy it at any tourist shop in your city. On the Internet, I recommend buying at (I buy there myself), or you can look for new or used ones on the aukro.ua online auction, about how to buy there - I. Good luck!

Attention: it happens that you really want to go camping, but there is no sleeping bag ... There is a solution - I have it.

That's all dear friends, now you know how to choose a sleeping bag (or more simply - a sleeping bag), about that, I also advise you to read about that. Questions - write in the comments, I will answer.

Also watch a video on how to choose a sleeping bag:

Sleeping bag- an item of equipment that is used for sleeping and resting in parking lots. Exist different kinds sleeping bags, which can be classified according to various factors.

Sleeping bag shape

• Blanket- rectangular shape, with or without a headrest, with a zipper that can be fully or partially unzipped. This form is the most comfortable and familiar, because it resembles an ordinary blanket. The downside is the weight. Such sleeping bags are usually used in light hikes or trips by car. There are modifications with a hood.
• Cocoon- is an "Egyptian sarcophagus", this form allows you to greatly save in weight and volume, the most popular type of sleeping bag.
• "Grave"- a multi-person sleeping bag, used on expeditions where great savings in weight and space are needed. So warmer. Often sewn on their own.

Temperature

Sleeping bags are made with the expectation of certain temperature conditions (according to the season):

• summer, designed for fairly high night temperatures.
• off-season, when comfortable temperatures drop below 0°C.
• And winter, providing sleep in temperatures far below minus. In the warmest, you can sleep at temperatures down to -60 ° C.

Marking

Usually, 1-3 temperatures are indicated on the sleeping bag, by which one can judge its applicability for specific conditions. They are usually called:

• maximum — Maximum temperature at which it is comfortable to sleep (this is a rather relative value, because at high temperature you can open the sleeping bag);
• comfort- the minimum temperature at which you can sleep without feeling discomfort;
• extreme- the temperature at which during the night you can survive in a sleeping bag (the possibility of hypothermia is not ruled out).

Typically, these numbers are based on the average person who sleeps naked or in thermal underwear on a rug. These temperatures are determined by testing on people who use sleeping bags professionally (military, mountaineering instructors, etc.).

Each manufacturer understands the meaning of these characteristics in its own way, so it makes no sense to compare sleeping bags from different manufacturers according to them, the temperature spread can be quite large. The standard DIN EN ISO 23537 (formerly EN 13537) is called upon to remedy this situation.

Standard DIN EN ISO 23537 (former EN 13537)

In April 2002, the European Committee for Standardization (Comité Européen de Normalization, CEN) approved a new standard with official name"EN 13537:2002 Requirements for sleeping bags". This standard came into effect on January 1, 2005. The purpose of this standard is to create indicators by which sleeping bags from different manufacturers can be compared.

The latest edition of EN 13537 was published in 2012 and has been applied to the following countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, United Kingdom, Hungary, Germany, Greece, Denmark, Ireland, Iceland, Spain, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands , Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Cyprus, Republic of Macedonia, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Turkey, Finland, France, Czech Republic, Croatia, Switzerland, Sweden, Estonia.

In 2013, the EN 13537 standard is replaced by the new DIN EN ISO 23537 standard, which is a continuation and further development of the EN 13537 standard. Thus, the standard regarding the characteristics of sleeping bags now applies not only to Europe, but also to almost the whole world - in 2017, by their national standardization organizations as part of International Organization Standardization (ISO) included 162 countries.

The main indicators that the standard normalizes are:

• temperature characteristics;
• weight - the weight without the packing bag must be indicated, the value is rounded up to the nearest 50 g;
• internal dimensions - internal length with an accuracy of ± 3 cm, maximum internal width with an accuracy of ± 2 cm, internal width at the level of the feet with an accuracy of ± 2 cm.

Children's and military sleeping bags, as well as sleeping bags designed for use at extreme temperatures (the temperature of the "comfort zone" below -20 ° C) are not subject to the new standard.

The standard provides for 4 temperature indicators:

• Tmax;
• comfort;
• limit;
• Textreme.

Of which the last 3 must be indicated on the product label of the sleeping bag; first index ( Tmax) may be absent. In cases where only one temperature indicator is indicated (for example, in catalogs), this indicator should be Tlimit. On the product label of the sleeping bag, in addition to the temperature chart, there must be a standard designation confirming that the sleeping bag has passed the temperature test, or the “CE” logo, confirming that the sleeping bag has passed the full test according to DIN EN ISO 23537 (former EN 13537) - that is, temperature test plus the conformity of the materials from which the sleeping bag is made to special textile standards. The CE logo may be missing due to advisory character DIN EN ISO 23537 (former EN 13537). Under the temperature diagram there should be a textual warning about the "nature" of the temperature zones (comfort zone, transition zone, risk zone). Each of the 4 temperature indicators corresponds to either an "average" man or an "average" woman.

Let's take an example

• +22°C is the maximum temperature at which the "average" man can sleep comfortably all night without excessive sweating.
• +4 °C is the minimum temperature at which the “average” woman can sleep comfortably all night.
• -1 °C is the minimum temperature at which the "average" man can sleep comfortably all night
• -18 °C is the minimum temperature at which an "average" woman can survive in a sleeping bag. At this temperature, strong sensations of cold are to be expected; hypothermia is possible, which will be harmful to health.

When choosing a sleeping bag for normal use, you should focus on Tcomfort and Tlimit.

insulation

The principle of operation of any insulation is based on the isolation of a person from the cold. The insulator is the air enclosed in the insulation, the more it is, the better the insulating properties.

There are two main classes of heaters:

• synthetic;
• natural.

All variations synthetic fillers are a system of hollow fibers, the secret of the difference in their properties lies in the different shape of the cavity (circle, triangle), the number of cavities and the way the fibers are packed. Main advantage synthetic heaters great value price - efficiency. They also, unlike natural ones, to some extent retain their characteristics even when wet. The drying time of sleeping bags with such insulation is much less than that of sleeping bags with natural insulation.

Types of synthetic insulation:

• Sintepon- one of the first synthetic fillers.
• HollowFiber.
• thermofibre.
• thinsulate- Manufactured by 3M. It is a non-woven insulation consisting of super thin fibers that look like fluff, consisting of 75% lavsan and 25% polypropylene. Several types of insulation are produced, differing in different specific gravity.
• Hollofil, Hollofil II, Hollofil 808, Quallofil- Manufactured by DuPont. They are lavsan fiber with cavities inside from one Hollofil to seven Quallofil.
• Polarguard 3D, Polarguard Δ, Polarguard X200- Manufactured by The Lessinger Group, Inc. They are lavsan fiber with a triangular cavity inside. They differ in efficiency: 3D is the oldest of them, X200 is the newest.

From natural Insulation in sleeping bags is currently used only down. Its main advantage is the unsurpassed ratio between thermal insulation, weighing and compressibility. Down sleeping bags have the best weight-to-warmth ratio, so the warmest sleeping bags are made from down. (For example, a Deuter Moonshine 550 sleeping bag with a comfort temperature of -5 °C (according to DIN EN ISO 23537 / EN 13537)) weighs 1200 g, while a sleeping bag with synthetic insulation Deuter Orbit 500, which weighs 1100 g, has a temperature comfort +6 °C.) But the big disadvantage is the impossibility of drying the product in field conditions. Therefore, they are mainly used in dry and cold conditions. Another disadvantage is the high cost of down sleeping bags.

Methods for laying insulation

First, the insulation in the sleeping bag is laid in layers. The number of layers in different sleeping bags is different. Its comfort temperature depends on this, both in terms of the amount of insulation and the presence of cold seams. It should be clarified that the insulation is evenly stitched with a thread to fasten the insulation to the base (fabric) and ensure the constancy of its location, at the seam the layer thickness is minimal here and a gap appears through which cold penetrates into the sleeping bag. If the sleeping bag is single-layer, then the seams are not protected in any way, two layers allow you to overlap the places of the seams, with an increase in the number of layers (up to 4), the thermal insulation properties increase.

Secondly, the way the layers are placed. One of them is discussed above. Also, layers of insulation can be superimposed on each other with a certain overlap coefficient.

Laying down requires a special approach; for it, special pockets of various shapes are created at the base of the sleeping bag.

materials

To protect against moisture, the outer layer is made from synthetic fabrics Poly Taffeta, Nylon Taffeta, etc. The inner layer is sometimes made from natural materials (cotton). natural fabrics softer, more pleasant to the touch and do not cause allergic reactions, but at the same time they weigh more and dry more slowly.

What is the difference between a simple sleeping bag and a super sleeping bag?

Human invention has not bypassed the sleeping bag. The number of various improvements is growing from year to year, here are the traditional ones:

• possibility zippering two sleeping bags, now implemented by almost all manufacturers. To do this, you must have two sleeping bags - left and right (the zippers are located on one side or the other), preferably from the same company, since the zippers may not fit;
• lightning protection against jamming (6);
• thermal insulation valve covering the lightning from the inside, preventing the cold from penetrating through the lightning (7);
• Velcro (2);
• adjusting the tightness of the hood, the better the adjustment, the less cold air will penetrate into the heated space (3);
• fleece inserts in the forearm area for additional insulation (4);
• heat reflective materials;
• additional insulation in the leg area (8);
• the shape of the sleeping bag in the leg area, a rectangular cut allows you to expand the space and thereby store heat and create additional comfort (8);
• longitudinal elastic inserts for a free increase in the internal volume of the sleeping bag;
• pillow pocket in the headrest where you can put, for example, your jacket (1);
• various inside pockets for documents (5);
• liners from cotton or silk.

Specified parameters

I usually specify the following parameters:

• the size;
• growth (many manufacturers produce 2 versions of the same model with different length, usually, depending on the length, the word is added to the model name regular[regular] or long[long])
• temperature regime;
• inner and outer fabrics;
• insulation weight.