I finally talked to a park ranger about my sleeping bag rating.

We were at Crater Lake last weekend and I was complaining about my 20-degree bag feeling cold at 40. He looked at my setup and said, 'That rating's for survival, not comfort, and you're on a thin pad.' It hit me that I've been trusting a number without thinking about how I sleep. What's a good way to actually figure out what bag you need for a specific trip?

3 comments

3 Comments

wright.eva1mo ago

Remember my buddy who froze in a 30-degree bag? He borrowed my old foam pad, and it turned out his fancy bag was fine, but his inflatable pad had a slow leak all night.

calebh791mo ago

That "survival, not comfort" line is a bit overused. I've found those ratings to be pretty close if you're using the right pad and wearing a good base layer.

emma_hayes8017d ago

Honestly, calebh79 has a point about gear working together. But what about the person inside the bag? A cold sleeper versus a warm sleeper changes everything. That 30 degree rating assumes you're wearing a base layer, but what if you sleep in just shorts? Or you're just tired and damp from the hike? Your own body is the biggest variable in that whole survival versus comfort math.