Having a comfortable sleep is one of the most important factors for enjoying your camping trip. Having a good quality sleeping bag and insulated sleeping pad are essential to keeping warm and happy.
How much should you spend on a sleeping bag? You should spend between 200-300 dollars for a 3 season down sleeping bag. You can pay as little as 50-100 for a synthetic sleeping bag for summer camping only. If you are doing ultralight backpacking or mountaineering you may consider spending in excess of 300 dollars for a higher fill power.
Down has many advantages over synthetic sleeping bags. A down sleeping bag is lighter, packs more compactly, is more durable and just feels more comfortable. A well cared for quality down bag should last many, many years. Unlike a synthetic bag that slowly looses loft as it wears, a down bag will maintain its loft year after year of use. In the long run purchasing a down bag has more value for the money than a synthetic bag if camping regularly.
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How Down Quality Affects What You Pay
Fill power is referring to the amount of loft that the feathers have. Higher quality feathers “fluff” better and so “less is more”, your able to get more warmth out of less weight.
Sleeping bags are rated according to their fill power. The fill power of the sleeping bag is the main factor that determines its price. The quality of down fill power can range from 400-450 medium quality, 500-550 is considered good, 600-700 excellent. 1
- 400-450 Fill Power: These sleeping bags and Jackets that contain 400-450 fill power are considered of medium quality. These feathers are derived from immature geese that have been used for food. These feathers while providing good insulating properties are often mixed with the feathers of other birds. This adds to the weight and volume of these bags. They are not ideal for most kinds of camping with the exception of car camping.
- 500-550 Fill Power: The fill power in these sleeping bags are considered of good quality. It is difficult to know for sure whether the feathers in this range are taken from immature or mature geese since there are different answers given. You can get a fairly good sleeping bag in this range at a lower price point. My wife and I own a 550 fill sleeping bag that was purchased in 2008. It has been a great bag and has had held up well. Really, it seems like we bought it just yesterday. It does not pack extremely small, but that’s ok since we do primarily car camping and canoe/kayak camping. Space doesn’t need to come at a premium.
- 600-700 Fill Power: Fill Power in this range is considered excellent. If you purchase a bag with a fill power in the 600-700 range, you have a good quality bag. These bags use down from mature geese. Filling a sleeping bag with 600-700 fill power allows you to achieve the same fill power with less weight than a lower quality bag. This is great to have if you need to pack light, however these sleeping bags are also more expensive.
- 700 Plus Fill Power: These bags also use feathers from mature geese. However, the type of down is of extremely high quality and also very rare. These bags are used in highly specialized camping bags and are extremely lightweight for their warmth. These bags are very expensive and you would only spend that kind of money if you really need a bag for a specific application.
Where And When You Are Camping
Before buying a bag you should think about primarily where and when you will be camping. What will the nighttime temperatures be?
- Summer: If you are mostly camping in a warm summer climate than you might just be able to get away with a cheap synthetic bag.The advantages of a synthetic bag for summer camping is you can easily wash it. Since in the heat you will be sweating a lot a down sleeping bag will just get dirty even if you are sleeping on top. Down bags require careful washing and it may just end up being impractical.
- Spring/Fall: If you are camping during shoulder season and temperatures get close to or below 0 degrees Celsius, than consider purchasing a warm sleeping bag. You should get a sleeping bag with a comfort rating well within outside temperatures. It is good to be on the safe side since there can be colder nights than expected in the wilderness and its better to be too warm than shivering all night. A good quality down bag for shoulder season should be an in investment you will be happy with.
- Winter: If you are going winter camping in a northern climate than you most certainly need a warm sleeping bag. You can go with a less expensive but extremely large down or synthetic bag. If weight and volume are important than a winter bag is going to be an expensive purchase for you. This is even more the case if you do not have an external heat source such as a camp stove such as in a hot tent.
Different Types Of Camping
Here is a quick overview to what sleeping bags are adequate for different types of camping. While a more expensive sleeping bag can be used in more situations, sometimes a less expensive bag is all you need. These examples are for 3 season camping.
- Car Camping: When space is not a luxury, you can certainly get away with a less expensive sleeping bag. Before running off and purchasing a cheaper synthetic bag, a down bag may still be your best choice. A moderately priced sleeping bag will last a very long time with proper care. So in the end it might be worth purchasing a down bag. That being said you may not need to spring for a mummy bag. Another choice is either a barrel, or rectangular bag. While they are less efficient they provide a less restrictive sleeping experience.
- Canoe/Kayak Camping: While space comes at more of a premium for these kinds of camping vs car camping, you don’t need to pack as light and tight as other forms of camping. Here you can get away with a moderately priced down bag.
- Backpacking: With backpacking space is a luxury, so a lightweight and compact down bag is the ideal choice. You can spend anywhere from 200-800 dollars and up for a down bag in this range. You just need to consider how long will the hike be, how cold, and how light do I want to pack.
- Other Kinds Of Camping: There are many other kinds of camping around. With all of them you need to consider How cold will it get?, how light do I need to pack?, and how much do I want to spend? Buying one good bag that will last a long time is better and more economical than buying a bunch of bags that your never really happy with and that eventually wear out.
In Conclusion
So before shelling out big money for a sleeping bag, it is a good idea to give some thought as to what kind of camping you will be doing. For most types of camping a moderately expensive down bag will be more than you need to be happy. If you are doing more specialized camping such as mountaineering, ultralight backpacking and expedition winter camping you may need to shell out a lot of money to get that good nights sleep.