subject: Importance Of Sleeping Bags [print this page] Your camping trip can be ruined if the choice of the sleeping bag is not appropriate. It would not be effective if the summer bag will be too cold for winter and the winter bag will be too hot for summer. You will not be able to find any single general use sleeping accessory. So it is wise to make your choice a bit carefully.
The sleeping bags are usually rated according to the number of seasons. Thus, the more seasons there are, the more warmth they will provide. For example, you should use the A 1 season bag in the summer or indoors. These accessories are generally ideal for summer festivals, camping in the garden and short summer trips.
You can also use these accessories for just keeping in the car for staying at friends houses. The 3 season bags can provide you comfort from Easter until autumn. However, they may be a little hot if it is a hot summer. For the winter season, you can use the 4 season bags but they can be sticky and sweaty in even mild summer weather.
For more extreme climatic conditions, you can find the 4 plus season sleeping accessories like for the arctic or mountaineering. This is perhaps the ideal way of grading a sleeping bag but some manufacturers rate them using the temperature. This also can differ wildly between different manufacturers.
A sleeping bag which is rated at plus 15 degree centigrade by some manufacturers can be rated as minus 2 degree centigrade by some other manufacture. After the introduction of the new rating system by EU, this grading system has become even more confusing. 4 different temperature ratings are used by the grading system introduced by EU.
Comfort - lowest temperature at which a standard WOMAN would have a comfortable nights sleep, lying on her back and relaxed. Lower Limit lowest temperature at which a standard MAN in a rolled up body posture would have a comfortable nights sleep. Extreme - temperature below which a standard WOMAN could expect strong sensation of cold and maybe frost bite or hypothermia.
