camp bedding - sleeping bags vs quilts vs blankets

Introduction

keeping warm whilst camping out is one of the most important factors in not only making your camp out comfortable but ensuring you survive cold nights
- no matter what bedding you use, if night temperatures fall below 12degC you should also bring a thin beanie (or balaclava to cover neck) and warm dry, clean socks
- ideally, you need to aim for as similar a comfort and style of sleeping as you do at home - although weight considerations when hiking will place many compromises on this

if you are hiking in cold conditions, you generally want a high quality, expensive, light weight sleeping bag with a comfort rating ~5degC BELOW what you are expecting but you need to consider whether the more restrictive but warmer “mummy” style is for you or would you sleep better in a wider but cooler sleeping bag.
if you are car camping, then just bring extra blankets or quilts from home as bulk and weight is not such an issue
in addition, if temperatures are less than 10-15degC you really need thermally insulated sleeping mat with an R rating of at least 2.5 - the higher the better, but also the heavier or more expensive it will be - see air beds, mattresses and stretchers for camping

Down vs polyester filling

the main advantage of down filling is it is much lighter for a given insulation level and thus is generally preferred for alpine hiking
the main advantages of polyester are that it is cheaper, can be machine washed more readily, dries out faster, and may have better insulation when wet compared to wet down

down filling

this is feathers from ducks
the insulating property per weight is generally rated by the “down fill power rating” which is usually given as 600, 750, 800 or even 900 with the larger being better and more expensive and is determined by placing 28g of down in a cylinder then applying a given weight and then measuring how much it compresses
if you carry your sleeping bag in a compression bag, even if it falls into a river, it is unlikely to get wet enough that it would seriously impair its loft ability and hence its insulating effect - even if an open down sleeping bag was submerged in water long enough to contain 1L of water, it would still provide reasonable insulation, and condensation in a tent would rarely get to more than 300mL so that is unlikely to be an issue as well ¹⁾
if you are really paranoid about it getting wet, you can buy DWR treated down which allows it to stay with much more loft when wet

Hiking

if you are hiking to a camp site then you will want gear with very good warmth to weight ratios and this generally means:
- expensive sleeping bags or quilts - the colder the nights, and the lighter you want to carry, the more expensive the gear will need to be
- supplementation with clean, dry, light thermal sleepwear
for temperatures above 8-10degC I prefer to use a quilt or an open sleeping bag, supplemented with a thermal sleeping bag liner
for temperatures below this a sleeping bag is probably the best weight for warmth option as it more effectively reduces draughts than a quilt (unless you have OCD with binding your quilt to the mattress)

Hiking sleeping bags

as with nearly everything in camping there are major trade offs you need to make in choosing a sleeping bag: cost vs weight vs warmth
- as a general rule most campers in southern Australia, especially if they camp inland in autumn, winter or spring will need a sleeping bag with a women's COMFORT rating of around 0degC or lower (it can be opened out for warmer nights and for cooler nights supplemented with thermal sleeping bag liner, thermal underwear, etc)
  - for such a bag, you could buy one for:
    - around $100 BUT it will probably weigh over 2kg and be bulky - so NOT a great option for hiking but fine for those camping near their car
    - around $300 can get you a down bag weighing 1.5kg and a comfort rating of -10degC but is still quite bulky at 40x19cm eg. Denali Capsule 700
    - around $400 - this will get you to around 1kg weight and be adequately compact for most hikers eg. S2S Trek
    - around $600-800 - this might get you to around 500-700g and be very compact
- for those going into alpine regions especially where snow is possible, a much lower rated sleeping bag would be advisable - perhaps a comfort rating of minor 10degC or so.
- for those who only camp near the beach or in summer, a comfort rating of 10degC may suffice - or just use a quilt

Hiking quilts

essentially the same as hiking sleeping bag EXCEPT they reduce weight by not being circumferential
the down in the sleeping bag which you are lying upon adds very little to insulation, but still adds weight and bulk so a quilt does away with this
to address the issue of wind chill coming under the quilt or the quilt sliding off you, these hiking quilts come with removable straps which pass under your mattress and thereby reduce any slippage or wind chill
on warmer nights, you do not need to use these straps and you can just use it as a normal quilt

Camping near your car

if you are camping near your vehicle then you have lots of better and far more affordable options:
- warmer sleeping mats - see air beds, mattresses and stretchers for camping
- stretcher beds to elevate you to a warmer air layer in your 2P tent - see air beds, mattresses and stretchers for camping
- nicer pillows
- a larger tent to provide extra wind and storm protection for your 2P “inner tent” as well as provide standing height and more space amenity
  - see touring tents you can stand up in and larger tents without integrated floors to act as fly tents or hot tents
  - you may wish to consider a hot tent (tent with a stove jack for a wood stove)
- layered bedding which can easily be washed and dried between uses:
  - polyester or cotton/silk “sleeping bag liners” which can help reduce wind chill when using quilts or blankets and add an extra level of insulation (this will get you down to 10-12degC when used with a plush polyester blanket or a “summer” polyester quilt/sleeping bag)
  - plush polyester blanket - adds a great base layer which may be all you need down to 16degC
  - “summer level” sleeping bag with polyester filling opened out as a quilt or a polyester filled camping quilt (these will get you down to 10-12degC as per above)
    - polyester-filled sleeping bags or quilts are much better than down equivalents in terms of washing and drying, and they retain insulation better if wet, but they do not have the same warmth to weight ratio as expensive down sleeping bags and quilts so not as good for hiking in very cold conditions
- wool blanket (see below)
- in very cold areas below 0degC, you may want a heavy, bulky synthetic sleeping bag (or an expensive hiking down one if you have one of these for hiking anyway)
- option of 12V electric blankets or at least USB powered warming pads - this allows you to sleep semi-naked and warm up the air you breathe - see how to sleep comfortably and healthier at 7deg C without a sleeping bag
- option of a wood stove or other form of heating

wool blankets

wool blankets are generally dry clean only!!!

80-90% wool blanket(s) - these are great for adding extra warmth
- wool is much better than down feathers as it retains its insulating properties even when wet but of course it is much heavier than down so not great for hiking with
- wool is much better than synthetics if you have wood camp fires as synthetics are very susceptible to getting holes from small embers and of course are more likely to burn
- avoid 100% wool as they loose shape when washed and thus durability is an issue
- the heavier the blanket for its size, the larger the fibre diameter will be and the warmer it will be
- you will generally want to use a double layer, so a larger blanket gives you more versatility

what size to buy?

usual commercial sizes
- fire blankets = 180 x 200cm
- large single = 180 x 230cm
- Double = 230 x 255cm
- Queen = 240 x 255cm
- King = 240 x 270cm
- Super King = 255 x 300cm
bushcrafting
- a 110“x110” (280x280cm) blanket is the best size for bushcraft where the blanket is the main warmth for sleeping - see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vk1dORPJC_M
  - lie diagonally on top of the blanket then fold the corner over your feet then the other corners over your body and underneath on the other side in a “burrito style” and there is a corner at the head which could then be used to keep your head and neck warm
general purpose for one camper
- if using it conjunction with other bedding a fire blanket size would be adequate for one person as it can be folded in half for double layer warmth - as long as you have other layers to stop the wind chill on the sides

strongly consider getting a “fire blanket” as this will not only provide you warmth, but be much more resistant to ember attack from camp fires and may save your life during a bush fire
while you can take any old blanket for extra sleeping warmth, you should strongly consider having at least one wool fire blanket if you camp with fires or in a bushfire prone area
these have special fire resistant synthetic fibres and are used by most fire brigades for added protection inside their vehicles in case they become engulfed by bushfires
- eg. Creswick Woolen Mills RFS Personal Protection Aramid Wool Fire Blanket R2 1.8x2m 2kg 550gsm 85% wool 15% fire resistant Aramid synthetic
don't machine or hand wash them just air dry or spot clean with water - dry clean only if really necessary

¹⁾

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYOt3hirLM0

Table of Contents

camp bedding - sleeping bags vs quilts vs blankets

Introduction

Down vs polyester filling

down filling

Hiking

Hiking sleeping bags

Hiking quilts

Camping near your car

wool blankets

what size to buy?