How to Use and Maintain Sleeping Bag

The sleeping bag is the element that will allow us to spend a comfortable night in the mountains, whether in a tent, shelter or bivouacking, causing the temperature of our body is kept in the appropriate limits to get restful sleep and repair to continue our activity the next day with sufficient strength. Next we want to mention to some tips for getting the most out of the sleeping bag and how to maintain it to last for as long as possible.

If you have any questions about the characteristics of sleeping bags or how they actually work, we recommend that you read the article previously features a sleeping bag .

How to sleep in the sack?

The first step is to prepare the place where we will extend the sleeping bag. We will use an insulator or a self-inflating, to avoid direct contact with the ground, and we would lose a lot of heat by conduction. If we go to sleep in the snow, we may have to introduce more layers in the middle, as the backpack, jackets, material, etc, all to get to be as removed from it. If you also are several nights in the same place, the position we have the first night will be with us the rest, as the snow beneath our freeze with that.

Once we have prepared the surface, we get the sleeping bag and rubrics that will be good for separating the fibers or feathers and this increase in volume.

When usher in the bag is very important that we put the clothes is completely dry, because moisture causes the increase cold inside the bag. We must also introduce us to him while we are still a nice body temperature, because if we do so with a sense of cold would cost more to keep warm. Remember that we are the ones we heat inside the sleeping bag, and not vice versa. Take a soup or hot tea will help us regain body heat before going into the bag.

The amount of clothing in the bag that we use is a personal choice, as each one behaves differently, and so we have to try to find the combination that makes us be more at ease in each condition. What is important is not sleep tight clothing, as this makes the blood through the outer layers of the skin and consequently the gain of temperature difficult.

Using a sheet bag is recommended to prevent dirt inside the sleeping bag, it will increase by about 5 ° C interior temperature very cold nights. They come in various tissues. The cotton have the disadvantage of poor moisture management, but because it is sleeping (trasegamos perspire and humidity but we should be sweating) can serve. Although it is cheap, are rarely used due to their increased weight. For their part, are very light silk, warm, pleasant to the touch, and breathable. However, they are more expensive.

On nights with temperatures near or below 0 ° C, usually introduced inside the sac socks, shirts, caps, ... to dry quickly (sweating) and prevent freezing. It is also advisable to introduce mobile, GPS, or any electronic device that can be damaged by low temperatures. Also, if we melted snow water to prepare for the next day, a good tip is to put the container with hot water in the bag to get their heat.

Although it is believed that the head body is the point that more heat loss is not so . However, it is true that in the neck and head are higher concentration of nerve cells, causing these areas to be five times more sensitive to temperature changes. Therefore, it is an important part that will entertain the hood through the bag. Furthermore, the use of a wool cap could help in this work.

The last step is to close the zipper, adjust the collar and hood, and try to rest as much as possible to recover all possible forces. We can use the backpack or other outer garment and use it as a pillow to sleep more comfortably. And if the heat gets too high, we will always have the opportunity to take an arm, or a little zips open to vent accumulated heat.

How to collect and transport the sleeping bag?

The most important thing when picking a sleeping bag after use is that it is completely dry, although this is not always what we get, especially if we get up in bad weather. The recommendation is airing as possible before storing, even inside the tent, so we did not find him the next night wet.

Enter your sleeping bag in compression sleeve is the process that most damage to the bag fibers or feathers. Therefore, we will always differently, pushing it inside its case without following any specific pattern of bending. We will use the case only comresión bag during transport routes, and never to store it at home.

For portability, it is important that its case is waterproof, so if it rains or snows us and our backpack water gets.

How to clean and keep your sleeping bag long seasons?

The cleaning process is very delicate, because failure to do so could lose their properties correctly, even break it completely. In the case of a cheap sleeping bag no problem, but if your bag is high mountain and we spent a lot of money on it, we may not make much grace spoil. Hence, we will not give you advice for cleaning or washing. We recommend that you read the label or instructions for how to act sack, or get in touch with the manufacturer of it and advise you. In most of the websites of the manufacturers there is a section dedicated to that purpose.

What we can do without fear of damaging the bag is cleaned with a damp cloth bag outside, or with a soap that does not contain detergents or bleaches. Then let it dry and air out as possible, even after use, before storing. We will also careful not to leave it exposed to direct sunlight during that time.

To keep a long time, the most important thing is not to keep within their compression sleeve, as stated above, as this is what most damaged fibers or feathers of the same. If possible, as long as our ability to space allows, it is best to keep hanging in a closet or under the bed spread in a pillow case. As this is not always possible, we can save it in a cotton bag or pillow case, bigger is better. And, as we have said several times, always completely dry and as clean as possible. Many manufacturers provide, in addition to the compression sleeve, a large mesh cover to keep in the bag until you're using.