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KNOW-HOW
KNOW-HOW

KNOW-HOW

SHAPE: MUMMY OR RECTANGULAR-SHAPED?Rectangular sleeping bags have 2 advantages: They offer increased freedom of movement and when zipped open they can be used as quilts. In comparison mummy-shaped sleeping bags have less “dead air space” that needs to be heated and are therefore warmer.Filling: down or synthetic fibre?Both have pros and cons.HIGHT QUALITY DOWN

  • offers considerably enhanced insulation compared

to the same weight of synthetic fibre

  • packing size is reduced
  • offers an unrivalled sleeping comfort, as it can absorb humidity

This advantage can also be a disadvantage:

  • it can absorb humidity to many times its own weight leading to an almost complete loss of its insulating power
  • as a natural product it is significantly more expensive than synthetic fibre

SYNTHETIC FIBRE FILLINGS

  • are considerably more resistant to wetness
  • offer adequate insulation in damp conditions
  • do not absorb so much moisture when used on consecutive nights
  • are better value
  • feel sweaty much quicker at higher temperatures
  • have a slightly larger pack size and do not insulate quite as well as high quality down

However the norm does not mirror practice: data is obtained using a climate chamber with a copper dummy that neither moves nor sweats.This scientific testing procedure ignores 3 important factors: dampness from sweating after extended use, loss of heat due to breathing, and movement in the sleeping bag. The scientific testing procedure favours cheap sleeping bags with water-proof outer shells (the dummy does not sweat) and rectangular sleeping bags (the dummy does not move). That’s why we always add our own empirical data, which sometimes differ from the norm tests. But even these are only benchmarks, as sensitivity to cold also depends on:According to our experience, individual perception of the temperature can vary by up to 10 degrees. Therefore: when in doubt — better too warm than too cold.TEMPERATURE RANGE: HOW WARM OR COLD IS IT?The sleeping bag norm EN 13537 came into effect in 2005. It was introduced to make the temperature data transparent for the end user. The norm includes 3 values:

  1. Comfort temperature range (Tcomf): the value for an average woman (25 years old, 60 kg, 1.60 m), who does not feel chilly yet.
  2. Comfort-limit temperature range (Tlim): the value for an average man (25 years old, 70 kg, 1.73 m) who does not feel chilly yet.
  3. Extreme temperature range (Text) the value for an average woman (25 years old, 60 kg, 1.60 m) under extreme cold conditions—running the risk of hypothermia.