Camping Sleeping Bags

Family camping is a great way to have an affordable vacation without spending a fortune on hotel and motel rooms. There are thousands of campgrounds across the nation with very inexpensive rates for a camp site. The initial expense of buying camping gear is well worth it since the equipment can be used over and over. A tent, cooking equipment and camping sleeping bags are probably the first pieces of gear to be purchased. Camping will provide an opportunity to teach the kids about nature, wildlife and conservation; in fact, most state parks and other campgrounds provide educational programs for the family. There are also many activities for outdoor exercise including swimming, fishing and hiking.

The most important piece of camping gear is arguably camping sleeping bags. The bags are used for sleeping of course, and they should be very comfortable so you can get a good night's sleep. It is hard to enjoy a camping vacation when you are exhausted, because you did not sleep well. Furthermore, many people like to sleep under the stars, so the bags should be durable and water resistant. Special treatments are now available that will make the fabric even more water resistant. The insulation or fill of a bag affects it under different weather conditions. Most bags are made of synthetic fill, and more expensive bags are made of duck or goose down.

Sometimes nighttime temperatures will unexpectedly drop, and a late spring snowfall has been known to surprise campers when they wake up in the morning. You can buy camping sleeping bags that are rated for different low temperatures, but be aware that these are only estimates. A bag rated for 35 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit will be comfortable for most warm weather camping. Camping at higher elevations in the summer may require bags rated for 10 to 35 degrees Fahrenheit. Winter and alpine campers will want bags rated lower than 10 degrees.

Most camping sleeping bags come in two basic shapes - rectangular bags and mummy bags. Mummy bags taper from the head to the foot offers better warmth, because they conform to the body shape of the occupant. Rectangular bags are roomier but are less efficient insulators due to more open space inside. The choice of the bags comes down to the type of camping you will be doing as well as personal preferences.