CHAPTER SEVEN
Sleeping Bags
Tears and Holes
Most sleeping bag shell fabrics are pretty wispy (designers use this fabric because it’s lightweight and very breathable, so the bag won’t trap your body heat in the form of condensation), so chances are, if you use your bag long enough, it will probably sustain some kind of wound, be it a clean tear or a burn hole from a candle lantern. The fix is easy and (thankfully) sew-free, assuming that the wound isn’t gigantic (in which case the tape won’t cover it). This fix works for all sleeping bags—down and synthetic—as well as any insulated clothing and can be done right in the field at the scene of the crime.
My son’s sleeping bag sustained this small tear when he was dragging it around our camp in New Hampshire’s White Mountains.
Step 1: Clean the area with an alcohol prep pad.
Step 2: Cut a rounded patch of Tear-Aid that covers the problem spot by at least ½ inch on every side.
Step 3: Apply the patch with firm pressure. Back home, if you have the desire to reinforce the patch, just paint the circumference with Seam Grip.
Care and Maintenance
The key to keeping your sleeping bag working properly is maintaining its “loft.” Loft refers to the thickness of the bag, and it’s directly connected to a bag’s ability to trap the warmth created by your body. You can keep your bag as lofty as the day you bought it as long as you do two things: store it properly and wash it properly.
FIXING TINY HOLES
Check out the quick fix for tiny holes in Chapter 2. It works like a charm for sleeping bags, too.
FIELD TIP
Over the course of a trip, a sleeping bag can gain water weight (and lose loft) because your body sweats at night, and that sweat migrates into the insulation. It’s good practice to pull your bag out of the tent first thing in the morning and sling it over a branch or the tent to let it air-dry while you make breakfast and break camp.
Each morning give your bag a little time in the sun (provided the weather is cooperating).
STORING YOUR BAG
Most good bags these days come with two sacks: a small one intended for short-term use on the trail and a large, cotton or mesh one that’s intended for long-term storage. It may be tempting to save closet space and keep your bag neatly packed in its tiny sack. Don’t do it. Many good bags have been permanently crippled in this fashion. Whether it’s down- or synthetic-filled, keeping your bag compressed like that for long periods of time will do permanent damage to the insulation and prevent it from rebounding into its lofty glory.
REPLACING WORN SLIDERS
For step-by-step instructions, check out Chapter 3.
Left to right: A king-size pillowcase makes a great makeshift bag sack; a standard mesh storage sack; a compressed bag is ideal for on-trail storage.
If your bag is older and didn’t come with a storage sack (or if you lost it), opt for a king-size cotton pillowcase (cinched closed with a rubber band). Other options: Hang it in a closet or store it flat under your bed. It doesn’t matter which method you choose, as long as the bag is allowed to breathe and rest in its fluffiest form in an environment that’s cool and dry. In other words, if your basement or garage tends toward the damp, mildewy side, don’t store your bag (or any of your other gear, for that matter) there.
WASHING YOUR BAG
How often should you clean your bag? Any time you start to notice a decrease in the loft or a gross odor. This generally happens after twenty to thirty nights of use. (If you opt to use a sleeping bag liner—made of polyester or silk—you won’t need to wash your bag as often, because the liner will catch your body oils, sunscreen, and bug repellent and prevent them from migrating into your bag.)
First rule: Don’t dry-clean it. Dry-cleaners use powerful solvents that strip down feathers of their natural oils and coat synthetic fibers so that they can’t breathe.
Second rule: Don’t wash your bag at home, for two reasons: (1) Many home washers have center agitators, which can damage the bag and (2) you need a giant, commercial-size washer (and dryer) to do the job right. Load your pockets with quarters and head to the Laundromat.
Spot cleaning
If your bag has a beef stew stain on the shell, but is otherwise clean and fluffy, or if you want to pretreat a stained area before you throw it in the wash, just mix a little powdered laundry soap and water into a paste. Then hold the shell fabric away from the insulation (to keep it from getting wet) and scrub the stain using an old toothbrush. Rinse and let air-dry.
Choose a soap
Most bag-makers recommend specific, purpose-built soaps for washing sleeping bags, like Nikwax Down Wash or Tech Wash (for synthetic insulated bags) (nikwax.com). The reason? Typical laundry soaps and detergents leave behind residue that can inhibit the performance of your gear, either by squelching its loft, hampering its DWR (durable water repellent), or clogging pores to restrict breathability. Bottom line: A special, purpose-built soap is worth the investment.
PRO FIX
For these big repairs, send your bag back to the manufacturer for best results.
- A full zipper replacement
- Torn interior baffles (when all the down has shifted to one spot; the bag might be shot, but it might also be covered under warranty)
- Needs more down added
This down bag was in rough shape after sustaining a bad rip. But the owner sent it back to the manufacturer, Feathered Friends, which promptly restuffed it and sewed it back up.
READY TO WASH
When you’re at the Laundromat and ready to wash, follow these steps:
- If your bag has a waterproof shell, turn it inside out. This allows the water and soap to flow freely through the insulation and materials. Zip it up and fasten any Velcro closures.
- Put it in that big old washer and set it for warm water on the delicate cycle.
- When the cycle is complete, run it through an additional rinse-and-spin cycle to remove any extra soap and water.
- Remove the bag from the washer (don’t be alarmed by its flat, sodden appearance) and lay it out on a folding table. Give the outer shell a quick spray with a water repellent, such as ReviveX Spray-On Water Repellent for Outerwear (mcnett.com). This will give the fabric some added water resistance.
- Place the bag in a giant dryer, set it to low, and start plugging in quarters. (Note: Some people recommend adding tennis balls [for down bags] to break up clumps. But this really isn’t necessary. The tumbling action of the dryer will do the job, and you can manually break up any visible clumps between cycles. Be patient: It will take up to a few hours.)
- Back home, unzip the bag and let it air-dry overnight.
REAL PEOPLE, REAL PROBLEMS: RIPPED-OUT DRAWCORD
Abby Baur inherited a big red sleeping bag from her uncle. It’s a good-quality (albeit heavy) down bag by Eddie Bauer. Abby adores the bag for sentimental reasons but also loves to use it for car-camping trips in her home state of Alaska. “This bag is at least thirty-five years old,” she says. “And as gross as it sounds, it may have never been washed. It’s kind of deflated and smelly, plus the drawcord around the hood enclosure has been partially ripped out and some of the fabric around the drawcord opening has torn.”
The Fix: Follow the steps shown in these photos.
Abby Baur shows off her freshly repaired bag near Kluane Lake in the Yukon.
Step 1: I cut a small slit in the drawcord channel near the base. Then I pulled the cord free of the sleeve, leaving it attached at one end to the bag. (Note: I cut most of it off, but left enough so that I could tie it to the new drawcord [see step 3] and pull it back through the sleeve. I thought this was rather brilliant because it meant that I didn’t have to sew the new drawcord in place!)
Step 2: I attached one end of the new drawcord to a length of thin wire, then fed it through the slit and completely through to the other end.
Step 3: I tied the old ribbon (black) to the new drawcord and then pulled the new drawcord gently so that the knot disappeared into the fabric drawcord channel.
Step 4: I sewed up the slit and added a dab of Seam Grip to prevent anything from fraying or coming loose.
Step 5: The top cord was more challenging because it needed to be sewn into the bag. In other words, it needed an anchor. I decided to anchor it to the Velcro closure patch, so I made a small slit in the fabric and slid the end of the drawcord under the Velcro patch.
Step 6: I hand-sewed the living daylights out of it, going back and forth over the cord to make sure I got it firmly attached to the bag. I fed the top cord through the fabric channel (as described in step 2), then stitched up my slit and sealed it with Seam Grip.
Step 7: With the two cords in place, I joined them using a cord lock and sewed up the fraying fabric around the channels.
Splurge! Standing in an outdoor shop before a bewildering wall of bags, all of which look warm and cozy, how the heck do you choose? Don’t pick your favorite color. Use the tables below to determine the right type of bag for you. Adjust the temperature rating up or down if you’re a very cold or warm sleeper. Women and smaller-framed men should consider women’s bags, which are tailored for slighter builds and have insulation distributed differently, but don’t get hung up on gender labels. Men can use women’s bags and women can use men’s bags with equal success. Be sure to climb inside your chosen candidates to get a sense of the interior volume, which can vary considerably from brand to brand and model to model. Look for a fit that’s roomy enough to be comfortable, yet not so voluminous that you sacrifice thermal efficiency.
| FOR THIS CONDITION | CHOOSE THIS TEMPERATURE RATING | LOOK FOR THESE FEATURES |
| Summer, Desert | 40 degrees F | Brushed or fleece lining for no-stick comfort; minimal features (hood and draft collar optional); wraparound zipper to open for blanket use |
| Rainforest, Wet conditions, Paddling trips | Dependent on season | Synthetic fill; water-resistant shell |
| Winter | 0 degrees F | Adjustable draft collar; contoured hood; 6 inches of extra length for storing water bottles, clothes, and cold-sensitive gear |
| High mountain, Arctic | –20 degrees F or lower dependent on season | Down fill for compressibility; extra length for water-bottle and gear storage; extra girth (optional) for layering |
| Snow cave, Tentless | – – |
Water-resistant/windproof shell or bivy sack |
| FOR THIS SLEEP STYLE | LOOK FOR THESE FEATURES |
| Thrasher | Elastic seams (for stretch); semirectangular shape or big-guy girth (for more space); or expansion panels (for adjustable space) |
| Snuggler | Mating zippers on same-length bags so you can cozy up with a significant other |
| Perspirer | Brushed or fleece lining (or bag liner); synthetic fill; breathable shell (no laminates or special coatings); two-way full-length zipper for maximum venting |
| Catatonic | Mummy shape for maximum thermal efficiency (and pack weight savings) |
Understanding Hang Tags
All sleeping bags have a temperature rating. Some are simply generated by the bag company’s design team, based on their own testing and best guesses, but more and more bag-makers are subscribing to EN ratings. EN ratings come from a standardized test called European Norm 13537. The test—an expensive procedure conducted by contracted independent labs equipped with a special heat-sensored mannequin—is designed to help consumers accurately compare ratings from manufacturer, to manufacturer. Once commissioned by the manufacturer, a lab conducts a series of tests to certify a bag’s temperature rating, generating numbers that will supposedly result in you getting a warm night’s sleep. If a bag has been EN-rated, you’ll see three numbers on the hang tag (ratings assume that the sleeper is wearing one synthetic baselayer—top and bottom—and a hat, and using a closed-cell foam sleeping pad).
- Comfort: The lowest air temperature at which an average woman can sleep comfortably.
- Lower limit: The lowest air temperature at which an average man can sleep comfortably.
- Extreme: Survival-only rating for an average adult woman.
Bottom line: EN ratings are a strong step forward in terms of customer education, but until the entire bag industry subscribes to them, they’re not the panacea that some companies had hoped for.
Tips from the Field: Sleeping Bags
- Let it breathe: As soon as you hit camp and set up your tent, release your bag from its stuff sack so it can have plenty of lofting time.
- Invest in a waterproof sack: If there’s one thing that needs to stay dry, it’s your sleeping bag. Buy a good sack and never again worry about a sodden bed.
- Stuff smart: When restuffing your bag into its sack, always start with the foot end. This allows air to escape from the bag’s opening as you stuff, so it won’t feel like such a wrestling match.
- Make a pillow: Use your bag’s stuff sack as a pillowcase. Insert any extra clothes or a puffy jacket. Wrap it in a fleecy layer for extra coziness.
- Honeymooning? Many bags can mate together if one has a right-hand zip and the other has a left-hand zip. This is also a great option if you have an infant—just put the baby in the middle. No, you won’t roll over on him or her! My kids are living proof.
- Battling condensation? If your tent is dripping with condensation, lay your raingear over the top of your bag to protect it from getting damp.
On cold nights in camp, don’t let the warmth of your bag go to waste! Haul it out of your tent and crawl inside, and buy yourself a few more stories around the campfire.
