A good sleeping bag is an essential piece of scouting kit. In Ireland we’re lucky not to have huge weather extremes, but one of the biggest issues that we see scouts of all ages experiencing is being cold at night when camping. Having a good sleeping bag is as important as having a good rain coat and hiking boots.
What type of bag to get?
Sleeping bags come in two shapes
1. Mummy bags
2. Standard or Rectangular
1. Mummy bags
- Are quick to heat up.
- Retain heat more efficiently.
- When compressed take up less space than an equivalent rated standard bag.
- Can be a little restrictive for movement.
2. Standard or Rectangular
- Slower to warm up.
- Not as efficient as mummy sleeping bags.
- When compressed are bigger than an equivalent rated mummy bag.
- Much roomier than mummy equivelant.
- Often less expensive than mummy sleeping bags
Rating of bag
Bags are rated using the term “Season”, which in effect corresponds with Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. We don’t have major extremes of temperatures and while scouts do camp out in cold weather it’s never at excessive sub-zero levels, so we’d recommend the bag you get is a “3 season”.
A “3 season” will keep a scout warm in the Irish conditions we camp in and if it gets warm they can easily open the bag to cool down.
Bag prices can vary widely, so we’d suggest you shop around to match your budget.
Sleeping bag care.
A good sleeping bag when looked after properly will give your scout many years of warmth and comfort.
They come with a compression bag, helps squeeze it as small as possible which is handy when packing a rucksack. When not in use bags should be kept in a pillow case and not in their compression bag. This keeps the fibres loose and helps maintain the bags heat retaining properties and will increase its life span.
After using the bag.
After returning from a trip the bag should be opened, unzipped, shook out and hung on a line or over a door for a day or two and then stored loosely in a pillow case – do not store in the compression bag.
If the bag is dirty
It’s very important that you follow the cleaning instructions on the label. Most are machine washable, but be sure to check what soap can be used. When washing include a tennis ball or two in the drum, this will help loosen out any compacted fibres.
Hang your wet bag on a clothes line or across a door in a well aired room until totally dry. Then shake before storing in a pillow case.
Sleeping bag liner
An additional thin liner for the sleeping bag will dramatically reduce the need for the washing of your sleeping bag. Particularly worth considering when the sleeping bag is used by younger children – they have a tendency to crawl into their sleeping bags without getting out of their day clothes…
NB: All kit should be labeled or etched with the scouts name.