Sleeping bags for hiking: a guide to the right choice

Are you looking for the perfect sleeping bag for your next journey? Then you have landed in the right place. Here is my guidance, so you avoid the hassle of exchanging the bag or, even worse, discovering you bought the wrong one once you are already out travelling.

I love to hike and have a huge passion for the Camino, so a light sleeping bag is one of my absolute requirements. One of the most frequent questions I get is which sleeping bag to bring in your backpack.

Lightweight sleeping bag for the route

I always go for what people call an ultralight sleeping bag. That means one you can pack away easily and that weighs next to nothing. Most of that kind are made from high-quality materials, and the price reflects that.

You quickly get a little jealous when you are sitting there packing up your old, big and sometimes slightly too warm sleeping bag. The Camino is often warm, but many hostels do not turn on the heating in the various albergues. So it can get cold even though you are travelling in Spain or Portugal, for example. In general I recommend a lightweight sleeping bag if you are heading out on the Camino.

Which sleeping bag should I choose?

Choosing between the many sleeping bags can quickly become overwhelming. The first thing most people look at is the comfort temperature.

Comfort temperature

Start by considering how warm it is where you will be sleeping. After that you can look at the recommended comfort temperature listed on most sleeping bags. It is based on a European test of temperature ratings, and most product descriptions state an upper and lower limit as well as a comfort temperature, where your body should feel most at ease. There is of course a big difference in people’s preferences.

The three ratings mean:

• T COMF. The lowest temperature at which the bag keeps an average woman warm.
• T LIMIT. The lowest temperature at which the bag keeps an average man warm.
• T EXT. The lowest temperature at which an average woman would be able to survive.

How to stay warm

There are several good tips for staying warm. Visit the toilet first, so you avoid having to rebuild the warmth you already had from the first time you climbed into the bag. Get your body warm before you crawl in if you are sleeping somewhere cold. You cannot move much inside the sleeping bag, and it can become a battle to get the warmth back down into your feet. You also stay warmer if you have eaten a proper meal beforehand.

If you are sleeping out in nature, think about what is underneath you. Whether you are lying on a sleeping mat or in a hammock can change how you best keep the warmth in.

5 good tips before you buy

I have gathered five things worth considering before you buy your next sleeping bag.

• How long will I be out travelling?
• How much can the sleeping bag cost?
• What should the comfort temperature be?
• How much should the sleeping bag weigh?
• Should I add a sleeping bag liner?

You could consider even more things, but these five are a good place to start.

How do you wash a sleeping bag?

A sleeping bag can quickly start to smell on an outdoor trip. Maybe you did not manage a shower before you crawled into the bag, and then it got rolled up in the backpack. You do not need to wash sleeping bags often, though, and you get far by airing it out and unzipping it in the wind.

If it does need washing, always follow the washing instructions. Washing can damage some of the insulation, but in general you can machine wash and tumble dry the sleeping bag.

How to pack the sleeping bag

If the sleeping bag is going in the backpack, I generally recommend packing the light things at the bottom. Most backpacks have a compartment at the bottom where you can easily drop the sleeping bag in and pull it out again quickly when it is time for bed.

Some people prefer to fold the sleeping bag up neatly, but if it has to go in and out daily, it helps if the stuff sack is big enough that you can just cram the bag into it. If you strap it to the outside of the backpack, do it with straps so it sits firmly and does not interfere with your walking. I hope you can use this guidance, and that you have luck finding a sleeping bag you sleep well in on your next adventure.