Sleeping Bags - Mummy Bags
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Who Sleeps like a Mummy anyway?
The primary purpose of a sleeping bag is not to keep the cold out but to conserve the heat generated by your body. It’s also not meant to keep you as warm as possible but to maintain a thermal equilibrium where your body’s heat production balances your heat loss.
It is clear that the sleeping bag evolved from the idea of stitching two blankets together. The first sleeping bag therefore took the form of a rectangle that you can still find even today.
Most sleeping bags are now mummy bags designed for live people. Some people say that they feel uncomfortably confined in a sleeping bag. If you are claustrophobic, then it may be a bit of a problem.
There’s no room to maneuver in mummy style sleeping bags as some may complain. The problem with sleeping bags being in the form of mummy bags is that real mummies, being dead, don’t have the itch to move at all while tired backpackers after 20 mile hike are unlikely to stay still when they’re sleeping.
In an attempt to solve this problem there are now sleeping bags that have zippers on the side that allows it to be joined together with another sleeping bag of the same kind. Lippi makes sleeping bags that you can move around in called Selkbags.
Sleeping Bags for Women
Women have different requirements to men when it comes to sleeping bags. Women need less room at the shoulder and more room at the hips. Sleeping bags designed for women in general provide more insulation in the foot and torso.
The North Face, Slumberjack, Kelty, Mountain Sports and Sierra Designs, to name a few, are manufacturers that also design sleeping bags specifically for women. Most women prefer these specially designed sleeping bags to unisex ones but they are not without complaints especially from athletic women.That’s why it’s a good idea when choosing sleeping bags to check not just the length but also the measurements at the shoulder, hip and foot. The rule of thumb is to add two inches to your own measurements.The Good Thing about Mummy Sleeping Bags
Mummy type sleeping bags are very efficient in conserving heat. The old rectangular sleeping bag don’t provide protection for your head, which loses heat very quickly, tends to expose your shoulders, and lets a lot of heat escape from its wide opening.
The newer sleeping bag eliminates all the faults of the old one. Not only does it protect your head and shoulders, it keeps the heat in really well. When it’s really cold, you can pull on the drawstrings an only expose a small hole for your nose and mouth.For even better heat retention you can wrap a cloth loosely around your neck to reduce the flow of air through the hole a little bit. But you may find that this arrangement works too well. If so, slacken the cloth a little bit. Your heads loses heat more quickly than the rest of the body so it does make a big difference.CommentsLoading...
Mummy bags do a great retaining in retaining heat especially down sleeping bags. I used to have a really cheap sleeping bag. The problem I have with it was that it got so cold at the lower part that you'd want to curl, which is impossible. You don't want to use $20 sleeping bag when you're out in the cold.
I kinda like the idea of selkbags. It's heavier than mummy bags but you can curl into a ball if it gets too cold. It has loads of zippers and there's plenty of opportunity for your body heat to escape so I'm not really sure about its performance.
Wearing a beanie cap is a good tip Camping Dan, thanks. I prefer to use a balaclava in winter.
Camping Dan 3 years ago
I personally love sleeping in a mummy bag. I do not mind not having lots of room for my body but I do not really like to draw the cord on the hood too tight. I wear a beanie cap and that keeps my head warm in case if pops out of the hole in the night.