subject: Get Your Good Down Sleeping Bag To The Outdoors by:R. S. Jensen [print this page] How well do you time out when you are spending time in the great outdoors? Far too many outdoor freaks are freezing out there, so let's take a moment and think about what can be done to feel warm and comfortable when you are in the great outdoors.
First of all, you need a good quality sleeping bag. A personal favorite of mine is the down sleeping bags, which I feel are warmer than most other types of sleeping bags.
There are both advantages and disadvantages to the down sleeping bags. The biggest advantage is the weight and the way down sleeping bags can be compressed if you apply a bit of force. If you do it correctly, you can probably force most down sleeping bags into a small bag so it doesn't take up that much space in your backpack.
It's quite difficult to compress down sleeping bags as much as is actually possible, but luckily all manufacturers gives you a nice bag with several compression straps when you buy one of their products. Without the compression straps, it would be impossible for most of us to compress our down sleeping bags as much as we want when we need to squeeze them down in our backpacks.
Unlike synthetic sleeping bags, down sleeping bags are useless if they become wet. Not really the biggest problem for weekend campers, but probably worth thinking about if you want to go camping in the Andes mountains.
It will be a disaster for you if you end up with a wet sleeping bag that can't keep you warm. If you are not able to stay warm during the night, you might as well turn around and go back home. You might therefore wish to consider the choice between synthetic sleeping bags and down sleeping bags carefully if you are going somewhere where you can't just turn around and go home.
A disadvantage is the price tag. Down sleeping bags tend to be pricier than other sleeping bags, so you will need to choose something else if you are on a budget. But be aware, it's possible to find down sleeping bags in any price ranges on the internet.
Thin down sleeping bags are almost always cheaper than thick down sleeping bags, so if you are on a budget, you might want to try a nice trick. Buy a thinner sleeping bag than you need and then also buy a sleeping bag liner which costs very little and effectively increase the comfort temperature by several degrees. You can use this trick with both synthetic sleeping bags and down sleeping bags, but because of the price of down sleeping bags, it is especially well recommened for that type.
About the author
Ron Jensen is a well known expert when it comes to camping equipment. R. runs a website where you can read lots of information about good down sleeping bags and camping equipment.
