Camping Gear: Camping Sleeping Bags: Shapes

Sleeping Bag Shapes

A sleeping bag’s shape affects warmth, weight, and pack space. The shape also influences how comfortable your sleeping bag is and how warm you’ll be in cold weather.






Sleeping bags come in three basic shapes:

• Rectangular
• Mummy
• Barrel

The casual, family camper most often uses the rectangular sleeping bag.

The serious adventurer needs the efficiency of the mummy bag design for protection in extreme weather.

While a more active camper/backpack usually prefers a tapered, barrel sleeping bag.

These three shapes come in many different sizes and styles that allow for different body types, sleeping habits, and the sleeping environment.

Kid sleeping bags can also be found with each of these shapes.
 

Rectangular Sleeping Bags

Rectangular sleeping bags are generally warm weather sleeping bags. They are usually not suitable for backpacking and hiking campers.

Nice and Roomy
If you want lots of toss and turn room, the rectangular bag is best. They are the most inexpensive and roomy. Rectangular bags are like a quilted comforter or blanket. They aren’t as warm as a mummy or barrel sleeping bag because the wide top opening allows more heat loss.

Bulky and Heavy
They aren’t as light and take up more room than the other styles of bags. They are quite heavy and bulky for the insulation that they provide. The standard rectangular sleeping bag measures approximately 32” x 78”.

You can find oversized bags that are wider and longer. Many rectangular bags can zip together to make a larger sleeping bag for two people. If you aren’t sleeping in cold temperatures and like plenty of room, the rectangular sleeping bags will probably fit your needs best.




 

Mummy Sleeping Bags

Mummy Sleeping Bags
Mummy bags are designed to save on the pack weight while maximizing the heat retention. Mummy style bags have a body-hugging, cocoon-like shape. They are narrow at the feet, and taper up the body. The shoulder area flares out, then narrows to a fitted hood.

Mummy Bags are Lightweight
Mummy bags are designed to save on pack weight while maximizing heat retention. They offer the most warmth per ounce than the other bag shapes. Mummy sleeping bags are the most efficient for weight and warmth than the other styles of bags, because there is less space for your body to heat.

They use less material than other two bag shapes, making them weigh much less than a rectangular bag. If you are back-packing, a mummy style sleeping bag is your best choice.

The mummy style will fit your body without a lot of wasted space and weight. It is also more efficient for keeping you warm. Be careful not to get one that is too small. Some people actually dislike the close confinement of the mummy bag.

Special Features
The good quality mummy bags have special features of both a drawstring hood and a draft collar. They usually have a shaped foot box for the foot area.

Some mummy bags can zip together to form one big bag for two people. The zipper doesn’t extend around the foot area, so when you zip two mummy bags together, the feet will remain separate.
 

Barrel Sleeping Bags

The barrel style sleeping bag is basically a modified mummy shape. It is a good compromise between the rectangular bag and the mummy bag shape.

An “In-Between”
The barrel bag trades some of the warmth efficiency of the mummy for extra sleeping room. It isn’t as constricting as the mummy bag and has more room for the shoulders, hips, and feet. Barrel bags weigh more and are bulkier than mummy bags.

It also provides more room through the middle. The barrel style bag isn’t as warm as the mummy style sleeping bag, but provides extra warmth compared to the rectangular sleeping bags. Some barrel bags have an oval foot area.

 

 

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