It is when one has to spend the night out in the open that one wishes for the cozy bed to sleep on. Blankets, bed sheets and pillows have been used to make it as close to a bed as possible. But not really. These efforts gradually transformed into sleeping bags. Resembling a blanket with a zipper, the sleeping bag is intended to provide insulation, warmth and comforts as a bed. Most important of all, the sleeping bag is something one can simply carry it along while traveling in a backpack. This comes in particularly useful when one is camping.
A piece of advice: if you are camping in a scorpion inhabited area, always check your sleeping bag before using it because they are known to hide in the most unexpected places and you don’t want to wake up in the middle of the night with a scorpion bite.
While sleeping outside one has to be wary of the wind and the precipitation. The sleeping bags are designed precisely to protect you from these. It covers you up cozily protecting you from the exterior. Synthetic fills are used such as PrimaLoft as the insulating materials. Another commonly used material is the down fill. Though cotton or wool too is used, these are not popular. Insulation is better in the synthetic fill bags. Water absorption is also poor and it keeps you dry in wet conditions. You can carry the synthetic bag with you just as you would a folded blanket. Heat retention is better in the down fill bag. But this is costlier than the synthetic fill bags.
Sleeping bags are available in two shapes namely the rectangular sleeping bag and the mummy shaped ones. The rectangular sleeping bags are bigger resembling a folded blanket that is zipped. It has straps or cords for securing the bag once it is folded. The mummy shaped bag has a broad and open portion at the shoulder tapering down as it comes to the leg side. It is smaller but has a better heat retention capacity. It cannot be folded but has to be rolled and stuffed into a sack for it to be carried easily. Sleeping bags are found with camping equipment dealers. A light sleeping bag that is comfortable is the marmot atom 40.
The down bags are not as good as the synthetic bags when it comes to wet conditions. The down bags are costlier but lighter. You need to know what are the conditions you will be in when you need to use a sleeping bag. Sleeping bags no doubt making your sleeping out a pleasant experience.
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I’ve never had to worry about little dangerous critters when I’ve gone camping because I’ve only camped around NZ and Europe – no scorpions or dangerous spiders (that I was aware of, at least!) I don’t want to camp in a scorpion zone, ever.