Cold Weather Sleeping Bags

Cold weather sleeping bags are essential if you’re planning on camping in the cooler months or winter, along with a good quality cold weather tent. Depending on the temperatures you are planning on camping in, you don't need to spend a fortune to sleep comfortably and warm.

 

Keep warm on a chilly night - Zero degree sleeping bags

There is nothing worse than trying to sleep and being cold, so it’s worth spending a bit more and getting a good quality cold weather rated sleeping bag.

I recently went hiking with my son and camped at around 5,000 feet (1,540m) altitude, I woke during the night and my whole body was starting to shake trying to keep itself warm. My sleeping bag is rated to 32 degrees (0 Celsius), and a simple solution in this case was I'd forgotten to pull my head draw string tight (my 14 year old son had to remind me!!) to keep heat from escaping the bag!  

Also from a safety point of view, having the correct camping equipment is a must in winter when there is a chance of snow in the mountains or many camping locations in the states.

 

Sleeping bag ratings

Most sleeping bags of reasonable quality will have a temperature rating attached on the label or at least with the packaging. So you’ll need to check the area where you are planning on camping and find out the over night temperature average for the time of year when you are travelling.

 

Coleman sleeping bags

As an rough guide to the types of cold weather sleeping bag rating, Coleman have a range of sleeping bags that are rated at +20 degree Fahrenheit (-7 Celsius) upto +40 degree f (4 Celsius), these are called cold sleeping bags. They also have extreme weather bags rated at +0 degree Fahrenheit (-18 Celsius) upto +20 degree f (-7 Celsius).

 

You can use cool weather sleeping bags in summer but you'll need to keep it partly unzipped or folded back to let some air in. Some of the better brands allow you to unzip at the feet to allow air to flow through, so keep that in mind when you are shopping around.