Sleeping Bag Question

[nehimama]

I'm currently shopping for a new sleeping bag, and I see a LOT of the mummy-style bags out there. I think I would feel claustrophobic, or as if I were in a coffin if I were to use such a contraption.

So, why do people like this style of sleeping bag?

[dragonjaze]

less space to warm up

I don't like the full mummy style. My sleeping bag is a modified mummy: narrower at the feet, but still pretty wide at the top. Can snug the oversized top around to make a hood, sorta, if you want.

I love it.

[wanttolearn]

I slept in an old down army mummy bag for years. It was the warmest thing ever. I never felt claustrophobic, and could sleep in any position. Plus I could twist it around and block out all light.

[wyld thang]

with a mummy the bag moves with you, you don't really move inside the bag so much. It's a mummy because it saves bulk and weight when backpacking. DO you know what purpose you'r going to use it for? that will help you decide on size, shape, cold rating and fill(down or synthetic). I have a synthetic bag, here in the Northwest it can get really damp, and the synthetic works way better--dries faster and is warmer when wet/damp.

I have a felted wool blanket I put on top too, it adds warmth and keeps the humid foggy rainy dampy stuff away from me--any leaks in the tent just ball up and roll off the felted wool.

If you'll be truly using it when it's cold, buy the warmest(most efficient warm fill--the lowest cold rating) you can afford. You can always unzip the bag if you get hot, it's harder to add warmth(unless you plan ahead). If you are a cold sleeper go down a cold rating--like go from a 30 degree to a 0 degree, etc.

I think sleeping bags are something to invest research into quality ratings and see what you get for the money, and be willing to spend a little extra. I have a Cabela's brand zero degree mummy bag and the quality has been awesome, the zippers are heavy duty and still work smoothly, it's only got one rip(which I sewed up), the usability/ergos of it are great, easy to wash, quick to dry, totally happy. It's ten plus years old.

Never store a sleeping bag in the stuff sack--that kills the fill and just turns it into a slumber party blankie.

[strawhouse]

I thought the same thing when I needed a new sleeping bag. I didn't see how I could be comfortable in a mummy bag.
But I love it!
Soooooo much warmer, and I love being able to pull the hood thingy over me and do it up until only my nose sticks out! (On really cold trips!)
The only disadvantage I have found is there is no way to zip two of them together if your looking for lovin' from your camping buddy!!!!

[Explorer]

if your looking for lovin' from your camping buddy!!!!

That is what evening campfires are for, open spaces, stars and flickering flames. What better mood setter could one ask for?

[nehimama]

Thanks for all the input. I understand a lot better now. I didn't realize the mummy sleeping bag moves WITH you. I stupidly thought you'd be lying there, on your back, legs all cramped together, not being able to move, etc, etc. Thanks for the insights.

[volleypc]

Keeps your feet warmer supposedly. I have one and wish I had gotten a standard bag. I do not know what degree bag you are looking for, but I bought the campmor 20 degree bag for my App Trail thru hike last year and it worked like a charm. First night out it was 9 degrees and I was still nice and toasty while most of the people in the shelther (who had paid alot more than me for their bags) were shivering. Check reviews on other forums.. Money well spent.

[roachhill]

I went for the Army extended cold weather system sleeping bag and its been great. It's in 3 sections a light weight bag, a heavy weight bag , and a waterproof nylon cover. By using the appropriate bag or combination of bags it works from a warm summer evening down to a very cold winter night. Because the light bag fits over the heavy bag it's large and spacious for when it's not terrible cold. The heavy bag is the inner bag so it fits a bit more snug when it's cold and you want to conserve warmth. Put all the bags together and it better be darn cold or your gonna sweat (I've haven't had cold enough weather yet to use all 3) The only down side is that it's awful bulky if you need the whole bag system so it takes up more than a little space when packing but it's better than freezing to death. I know it doesn't exactly answer the original question but if you go shopping for a bag it might come in handy.

[CrashTestRanch]

Mil-Spec sleep system ...

[Fat Charlie]

Mummies are okay. I've spent a lot of time in them. They're warm, but cramped. They don't have much room in there for clothes and there's almost no elbow room. When it's cold I like to have my clothes in there with me- and have a little room to maneuver so I can get them handy before I get up. Hopping out of a warm sleeping bag is easier if you can get dressed in warm clothes immediately without having to waste precious seconds searching for them.

We've got Bean camp bags (zip together) and love them. The bag (and the company) keep you plenty warm, and when it's cold out yu'll have a hat on whatever kind of bag you have.

[Sonshine]

I hate the mummy bags, but I'm so claustraphobic that I hate a lot of sleeping bags.

[PD-Riverman]

One thing about sleeping in a sleeping bag I learned on a single digit week long trip was how to sleep in a sleeping bag. The first two nights I thought I was going to Freeze to death and My Friend said he slept warm and I knew my sleeping bag was thicker etc than his. The second night I even kept my shoes on, also a thick camo jump suit, a thick vest, a thick long sleave shirt and insulated underwear and about froze. I ask him what he slept in, he said just his boxer underwear----I am thinking He is crazy. So the third night it was 5 degrees when I layed down, I think I had on every piece of clothes I had with me and about a hour later I was so Cold I could not sleep, so I said I am going to try what he said---I did not think I could get any colder anyway. I stripped down to my boxers, I did not even have any socks on or T-shirt. In a little while I started warming up and even my feet thawed out. I went to sleep and slept real warm. Never slept cold on a camping trip since.

[texican]

If you don't have a mummy style bag now, and know why you have it, you probably don't need one. (Tried to think of a non snarky way of putting it, but I don't have too much excess thinking power available this evening). Mummy's are the best type of bag if you're carrying it on your back for days or weeks or months. I have ultra-lightweight mummys, down and artificial fiber, mongo expedition type bags, and a host of rectangular bags, that I use at home, car camping, or at a base camp.

I tend to prefer a rectangular bag, with a mummy stuffed inside, if it's below freezing, and weight isn't an issue.

I think one of the sweetest inventions in a while is sleeping bag liners made out of pile material (same stuff as jackets). Can pick em up online (got mine at sportsmansguide) for ~6bucks!!! They're good for me down into the fifties, but then again, I sleep with a sheet down into the sixties.

[dave_p]

I have a cat's meow, warm as toast.



dp

[CrashTestRanch]

Originally Posted by PD-Riverman

....I ask him what he slept in, he said just his boxer underwear----I am thinking He is crazy. ... In a little while I started warming up and even my feet thawed out. I went to sleep and slept real warm. Never slept cold on a camping trip since.

Yup, we did this in bootcamp and after as well, strip down and put everything along your sides while sleeping, worked even when we were covered in snow from storms in Germany ...

[fantasymaker]

Originally Posted by roachhill

I went for the Army extended cold weather system sleeping bag and its been great. Put all the bags together and it better be darn cold or your gonna sweat (I've haven't had cold enough weather yet to use all 3).

All three? Well I can tell you on a night when the stuff in the thermometer rolled around in the bulb like a pea in a pan I didn't have all three closed up!
Id guess it hit 70 below fahrenheit that night.

[PulpFaction]

If size and space isn't an issue, I prefer an extra roomy mummy bag. My favorite ever is the one they sell at CostCo. It has a foot vent, too, in case your feet are getting too hot. (Mine always seemed to with other bags.)

I used that sleeping bag on my bed for over a year because I loved it so much and it was soooo comfortable.

I like a roomy bag so I can sleep with my head inside to warm it up in extra cold weather. Unless the foot area is extra-insulated in a tight fitting bag, I've found my toes get cold because they are separated from the heat producing parts of my body.

[davel745]

Try http://www.wiggys.com/

Dave

[Nomad]

I have to be able to move my legs around inside the bag and normal bags make me feel trapped. I have a bag that is about 6 inches wider than normal. I'm still not crazy about using a bag, but mine isn't too bad.

Nomad