Hiking

Image by Threat to Democracy via Flickr

. . . To Snuggle Down For A Good Nights Sleep

Sleeping is a very popular pastime . . . most of us do it every day, and if we don’t get enough of it then everybody around us soon knows about it!  The art of sleeping well does need certain ingredients . . .

• somewhere warm and comfortable to snuggle down in
• a nice full tummy to keep us going until morning (otherwise you have to get up for midnight munchies)
• that nice kind of tiredness which you get from plenty of fresh air and exercise

Hiking can provide us with an abundance of those vital ingredients, just as long as you’ve got the right type of hiking sleeping bag. Big and cozy enough to keep you warm and comfortable yet light and compact enough to be able to carry it  in your backpack without any bother along the hiking trails. Just take a look at that photo . . . either that sleeping bag does squish down very small or somebody has enormous feet.

Sleeping bags do vary, and the type of sleeping bag you need for your hiking adventure depends largely on where and when you are going. Just like regular bed covers, sleeping bags are designed for specific temperatures . . . you’re going to need a different sleeping bag if you’re a “cold weather backpacker” who likes nothing more than to get your snowshoes on and do a little cross country hiking and ski-ing with your back pack, than if you’re one of those hikers who visit the local National Park to explore the hiking trails for a couple of weekends each summer. Some sleeping bags are designed to keep you warm in sub-zero temperatures, some sleeping bags are designed to keep you cool on a hot summers night, and some fall in the category in the middle.

Did you know that men and women have different ideal comfort sleeping temperatures? Maybe that’s why one half of the partnership is always trying to snuggle down further under the covers whilst the other . . . inconsiderate half . . . is always chucking them onto the floor and adjusting the air conditioning. No wonder there’s such a good potential market for women’s pajamas.

Hiking Sleeping Bags – Down versus Synthetic

Hiking sleeping bags are available with two types of fillings, down or synthetic. Although synthetic sleeping bag materials have improved a lot over the years, many hard core hikers still prefer to snuggle down under a down bag to sleep whilst they are backpacking. Many feel that they can be squished down tighter whilst keeping you warmer than the synthetic backpacking sleeping bag. So that’s the first thing you need to consider when you’re choosing a sleeping bag for an overnight hiking trip.

 Hiking Sleeping Bag Temperature Ratings

Hiking sleeping bags are designed for camping in specific temperatures. Each sleeping bag will show a recommended minimum temperature in which it will keep you snug and cozy, so you need to make sure that you choose the right sleeping bag for the job on your usual hiking or overnight back packing trips. Double sleeping bags are a good idea for husband and wife (or “significant other”) backpacking trips, body heat adds that little extra warmth and a cuddle always goes down well after a long day hiking the trail don’t you think. “Not tonight darling, I’m shattered . . .” or more like ”you gotta be kidding me . . . get off and let me sleep”. Although they do weigh a little more than a single person sleeping bag, they don’t generally weigh as much as two single sleeping bags together, and there’s only one to carry which frees up space in the other backpack for other stuff . . . like the tent.

Do make sure that you put the lid tightly on the water bottle won’t you . . . nobody likes sleeping on a wet patch and once you get your sleeping bag wet, especially if you’re cold weather hiking and camping, you’ll never get it dry again, not until you get home anyway and it’ll be a bit late by then.