Cold weather sleeping bags are essential components of backpacking gear, serving as the difference between warmth and hypothermia in an emergency situation. A quality one may even save your life should you become disoriented and lost.
Search for a bag with a hood that covers your head and face to reduce heat loss in those areas, and choose one with semi-rectangular or mummy shape which offers better heat retention for maximum warmth retention.
Insulation
Insulation in sleeping bags helps you retain body heat while keeping cold air at bay. The best models have layers of goose down or synthetic material to trap your heat inside and prevent any escape through its surface.
Sleeping bags designed to provide extra warmth in extreme cold conditions feature higher quantities of down and superior shell fabrics to deliver increased warmth for their weight than other options. The amount and thickness of down determine a sleeping bag’s temperature rating; lower ratings indicate less down with thicker fabric while more than enough with thinner shell fabric make for warmer bags.
Draft collars help keep warm air from escaping your neck and shoulders, and the size of the zipper also has an effect. Long zippers that reach all the way to the contoured footbox tend to be more effective at trapping heat than those which stop short at your chest.
Consider your comfort when purchasing a sleeping bag, taking into account both personal preferences and potential coldest weather conditions that you anticipate encountering. As coldest temperatures may result in frost or condensation forming inside the lining of the sleeping bag and reduce its insulation effectiveness, choose an ambient temperature rating 20 degrees lower than anticipated coldest conditions to be safest.
For optimal warmth in cold weather sleeping bags, choose ones designed with lofty fill that trap pockets of air to absorb your body heat. Shaking the bag helps evenly disperse this air throughout, but beware not to overfill as doing so could lead to reduced warmth or compress down insulation, diminishing its insulation capabilities.
Many sleeping bags feature a pocket that can serve as an additional source of warmth, particularly useful during colder months when heat loss from feet and head may leave you feeling cold.
Sleeping bags designed to withstand extreme cold should feature durable water repellent finishes to protect their insulation materials from moisture intrusion, keeping you dry throughout the night. Hydrophobic down or synthetic insulation materials often feature in such sleeping bags to retain their insulating qualities even when wet, providing maximum warmth during sleep.
Weight
A warm sleeping bag must be lightweight enough to remain comfortable on your back, shoulders and hips while providing enough room for movement. Insulation weight and type are two major considerations here, while how much air escapes through zippers or other openings has an impactful influence.
Synthetic bags typically weigh less than their down counterparts, yet down provides greater warmth per gram of weight. If hiking in extremely cold temperatures, Gore-Tex lining of your sleeping bag could protect against snowfall while keeping you cozy at the same time.
When selecting a sleeping bag, opting for one in the shape of a mummy bag is most effective in trapping heat from your body and keeping out cold air from seeping in at your feet. A hood is another essential feature to look for as this helps keep the head snugly tucked inside while keeping heat loss to a minimum from your body. You might even find sleeping bags equipped with draft collars – an insulated tube around the hood or neck to keep heat inside while cold air out!
Another important consideration when shopping for a sleeping bag is its age. An older model can lose much of its loft over time and cause its warmth to diminish significantly, so be sure to store your sleeping bag in its stuff sack between uses to allow air circulation.
Are You Searching For an Elite Sleeping Bag that can Stand the Cold Weather? Consider The NEMO Sonic-20 Sleeping Bag as it features a Mummy Style Design suitable for side and stomach sleepers alike, with an Insulated Foot Box to Keep Feet Warm All Night Long
Waterproofness
Are You Underestimating Temperature When Camping Or Stranded by an Unexpected Snow Storm? Anyone who has ever underestimated temperature when camping, or been caught in an unexpected snow storm will know the importance of having a quality sleeping bag when trying to remain warm throughout the night. Yet more than just providing warmth alone, well-designed sleeping bags can serve multiple functions that go beyond providing warmth; such as insulation against colder climates as well as preventing condensation build-up which ensures campers sleep comfortably dry all through their stay in one.
An insulated sleeping bag is one of the more costly items in any backpacker’s gear closet and an essential piece of sleep equipment for winter camping trips. While there are plenty of economical choices out there, only the top winter sleeping bags can withstand subzero temperatures and rough terrain.
Western Mountaineering’s 850+ down-filled Bison GWN Expedition sleeping bag is designed to withstand even the coldest environments and is packed with features to ensure comfort even under harsh temperatures. Large V-side baffles and 10″ loft keep the fill in place to avoid cold spots while its hood ruff and draft tubes protect warmth while blocking out cold drafts.
An essential feature of the best extreme cold weather sleeping bags is a full-length chest and neck zipper, enabling users to release heat while maintaining warmth when temperatures decrease. This feature is especially important during winter backpacking trips when many backpackers carry additional gear like boot liners and water bottles that must be stored away from their bodies in order to remain warm.
Finally, the top extreme cold weather sleeping bags are constructed using materials and designs that reduce environmental impact, including environmentally-friendly insulation, fabric treatments and sourcing strategies that promote human and animal welfare. Many products on this list use PFC-free down as another way of eliminating harmful chemicals from supply chains; additionally many offer RDS (Responsible Down Standard) certification to further safeguard consumers and wildlife alike.
Comfort
Comfort is key when camping in extremely cold temperatures. The shape, size and weight of your sleeping bag will have an impactful on how warm and cozy it will make you feel as well as how much room there is inside to move and move comfortably while sleeping comfortably. Furthermore, features like its hood draft tube or zipper may play an essential part in how warm and cozy sleeping in cold conditions feels for you.
Draft tubes help lock out cold winds while providing essential warmth, making hoods the ideal solution for side sleepers who tend to lose heat through their neck area. The Co-op Igneo 17 features an angled hood designed to prevent cold drafts from entering your face and head as well as an ergonomic body fit designed to accommodate shoulder space for side sleeping and knee room for side sleeping.
Feathered Friends Snowy Owl EX is equipped with a dual zipper system which makes for an excellent cold weather sleeping bag, providing extra insulation against drafts while acting as an emergency escape route should the main zipper become lost or broken. Plus, its mummy-shaped design ensures ample headspace that’s essential to keeping you cozy all night long!
Your sleeping bag could benefit from adding a thermal liner, which will increase its temperature rating by several degrees. Keep in mind though that adding this extra weight and bulk to your backpack should also be taken into consideration when selecting an cold weather sleeping bag.
Temperature ratings of sleeping bags can be difficult to interpret, with higher end ratings not always translating to greater warmth. While EN (European Norm) ratings make things simpler, many other variables can still play a part in how warm a sleeping bag feels, including type of insulation material used, its thermal insulating properties, your individual body temperature and individual sleeping bag materials themselves.