‘Cold’ campers appreciate warm night Superior bags, ground pads improve sleep

During my multitude of outdoor excursions over the years, I’ve experienced a wide variety of accommodations with some extreme variations in comfort levels. With age comes wisdom, or perhaps I’ve just gotten wimpy, because I’ve no longer the need or desire to rough it. Having spent many a night on hard, cold, rocky ground with only a tent for protection from the elements, I’m here to tell you there are better accommodations or, at the very least, more comfortable accessories.

A year ago this past October, a fishing partner and I drove far into the North Maine Woods for a cast-and-blast outing, partridge gunning and late-season streamer fly trolling on a remote pond. Heavy, cold rain arrived on our second afternoon and, while the tent kept our top halves dry, steady rivulets of runoff rain flowed under the tent walls and over the ground tarp, soaking our sleeping bags. An interminably long, sodden, sleepless night followed until we finally ended up semi-sleeping in the truck.

Later the same fall, during the final week of whitetail season, I accepted an invitation to a secluded deer camp, where once again my venerable old sleeping bag turned out to be insufficient. Old, time-worn and with no sign of insulation, the aged cabin used a pot-bellied stove for heat. Bunk beds and cots with ancient mattresses about the thickness of a sandwich were where we rolled out our sleeping bags. Any camper with wood stove experience will agree that out of every eight hours you maintain a fire, two are too hot, four are too cold and two hours are tolerable.

When we hit the hay that first night the old stove was just a crackling and it was stifling warm, so hot that I had to lie on top of my sleeping bag. A couple of hours later, I finally crawled inside, and four hours later the camp was the perfect temperature to manufacture and store ice cream. Rather than wake everyone else up by banging around the stove trying to rekindle the fire I put on my long johns and wool socks, shimmied back into my sleeping bag, alternating between slumber and shiver until dawn. “How’d ya’ sleep?” asked one of my perky partners who had either a tougher constitution or a better sleeping bag than I. “Like a baby,” I answered, “I tossed and turned and cried all night.” I tolerated one more night of that misery with yo-yo temperatures, and each and every time I woke and couldn’t feel my numb nose, I vowed I’d have better portable sleeping accessories before the New Year.

What’s your bag?

Let me state right from the get-go that any Pine Tree outdoorsman who thinks one sleeping bag will meet the needs of all four season outings is in for some uncomfortable nights. While a middle-of-the-road bag may be sufficient for outings in year-round temperate climates such as Florida, Texas or California, Maine campers must be equipped with gear to handle 120-degree extremes, from 90 degrees hot to 30-below-zero frigid. For this reason alone, a two-bag inventory is wise and to assure comfort and warmth as well as dry sleeping conditions, an underpad is also essential. More on sleeping bag pads and mattresses later.

There are multiple styles and models of sleeping bags available for individuals, and even a few designed especially for couples. The main objectives in selecting the best bag are comfort and temperature control. Step one is to identify the climate where the bag is most likely to be used. For example, a winter expedition model is overkill for a summer weekend of kayaking along the Maine coast. If most of your excursions take place during warm- and mild-weather months, a heavyweight cold-weather outfit isn’t needed, and vice versa.

Maine is also one of half a dozen states where winter campers and sportsmen experiencing unexpected cold weather conditions may have to depend on the sleeping bag to save their lives! With this in mind, let’s concentrate on selecting a cold-weather bag for early spring, late fall and winter outings.

When it comes to choosing the very best material to maintain warmth, nothing offers the true insulation quality of prime goose down. Think about it, have you ever seen a Canada goose standing in a snow-covered field on a sub-zero, windy day shivering? Ounce for ounce, no man-made or natural product is as light, compresses as easily, or insulates like goose down. In the weight-to- warmth comparisons, it’s the hands “down” winner, but these lofty feathers do have a “down” side, if you’ll excuse the puns.

Care must be taken to avoid rips or even small tears in the bag as the small fluffs of down can escape through the tiniest of holes and float away, thus reducing the unit’s comfort and temperature control. When down gets wet, its insulating power plummets, so owners must pack their sleeping bag in a waterproof carry bag as well as using a Gore-Tex cover for sleeping in wet weather to assure dry down, and to allow the body to transfer water vapor during the night. An insulating pad between the ground and sleeping bag helps ensure dryness, warmth and comfort.

Synthetic materials such as high-tech Polarguard 3D, Thermolite and Climashield XP offer insulation values near that of goose down and won’t mat and clump like down. Also, these man-made fibers won’t absorb moisture, so even if they get wet they can be wrung out and will provide insulation despite being damp. As an added incentive, all of these products are less expensive than goose down. As an example, Cabela’s Trekker mummy bag, good to 0 degrees, has a carry weight of 4 pounds, 6 ounces and costs $70, while a Marmot Helium bag with all the bells and whistles weighs only 1 pound, 13 ounces, compacts down to the size of a large Thermos, is rated for minus-25 degrees and sells for $350. Lightness, compactability and higher insulation values cost more money, but Vacationland winter sportsmen will find these features worth every cent.

Features and fit

When a bag is only being carried from the truck or canoe to the campsite, weight is negligible, but when a sport is carrying his gear for as many hours as he is sleeping in it, weight and compactness are major considerations. Buy accordingly. Loft is a technical term describing in specific numbers how fluffy or airy a substance is, in this case the insulation in the sleeping bag walls. Regardless of which insulating material is used, it’s actually the air trapped between the fibers or feathers that traps and holds heat. More loft in a bag translates to more air and better heat maintenance.

Warm-weather sleeping bags are fairly straightforward in construction, but for colder temperatures, some extra features are required to keep the warm in and the cold out. Be sure the bag has an insulated draft tube along the zipper to prevent cold air exchange when you move about and change position during the night. Large zipper pulls that are easy to grip with cold fingers or when wearing gloves are an asset, as is extra insulation in the foot area and around the chest region. Top-end sleeping bags made for frigid conditions will offer an attached insulated hood unit with drawstring closure to prevent heat loss and exposure of the face, ears and neck. A few models also include a removable, zip-in fleece liner that creates extra cold-weather comfort, but can be quickly detached for warmer outings.

All these extras geared toward warmth aren’t worth much if the size and fit of the entire unit aren’t correct. Look for a comfortable fit, yet with enough extra room to adjust sleeping positions easily. Be sure the foot area doesn’t scrunch your feet and impede movement and circulation. Don’t be afraid to crawl in, zip up and toss and turn a bit before purchasing a certain style. Shoulder and chest room and bag length are crucial to comfort. Personally I can’t sleep well in a mummy-style bag, and the older rectangular models, while roomy, don’t hold body heat well, so I prefer a partial or modified mummy sleeping bag. Like clothes, style and fit are very important and individualized by personal preference.

Camping comfort

Regardless of how warm and well-padded your sleeping bag is, hard, rocky, cold and wet ground can still contribute to a miserable night’s rest. The answer is an underpad, also called a ground pad and, although it’s one more item to carry, this light, compact product is just as important to outdoorsmen as their sleeping bag. Not only do pads offer extra padding, the really good ones also reduce conduction. Conduction is the transfer or loss of heat from a warm object through contact with a cold object, in this case a camper’s body and the earth beneath it.

Even a bed of hay, pine needles, or fir boughs will reduce conduction and increase comfort, but only a top-rate foam or inflatable underpad will negate thermal loss. Like house insulation, ground pads have an “R-value,” which refers to a substance’s ability to resist conduction. Higher R-values indicate a better insulating underpad, and usually a soft sleeping surface as well. Once again, weight and size enter into the picture, especially for hikers, but since the densest, most comfortable pads are also the heaviest models, a choice must be made. I’d opt for a bit more weight to enjoy a more pleasant and sound sleep. Durability is also a factor; inflatables are more comfortable, but more likely to puncture, while closed-cell foam pads require no blow-up time and are puncture-proof but less soft.

In my own case, size was a governing factor and I had to search for a long pad to fit my 6-foot-3 frame. Trust me, body parts hanging over the edge of a pad are going to get either cold, wet, or bruised on hard ground. For the severest conditions in the dead of winter, professional guides, mountain climbers and veteran hikers carry both an inflatable pad and a closed-cell foam pad; foam next to the ground, air-filled mattress next, then body encased sleeping bag on top. A sure solution for comfy slumber.

Sevylor and Cabela’s offer suitable ground pads in several styles, but I found Therm-A-Rest to offer the best all-around selection with 18 models of inflatable and dense foam pads in a variety of sizes and thickness. There is one to fit any sportsman’s needs. For really cold conditions I chose a Therm-A-Rest Toughskin puncture-resistant pad composed of integrated open- and closed-cell foams with an R-value of 3.2 and a weight of 2 pounds, 8 ounces.

My second pad is the Therm-A-Rest ProLite 4. Only 1.5 inches thick with an R-value of 4.1 in feet and torso areas, this scientific miracle weighs only 1 pound, 8 ounces and compacts to a 10-by-4-inch cylinder. This four-season pad is great for all but the coldest conditions and can be used in combination with the thicker Toughskin pad at the coldest times. In combination with my Marmot Pinnacle long-model sleeping bag, I’m set for everything but a trek up Mount Everest. No more wet, cold hunting camps or fishing tents for me.

Check out sleeping bags at www.marmot.com or pads, mattresses and compressible pillows at thermarest.com, or check your local outdoor stores for these products. With Christmas just around the corner, any of these items is bound to improve the comfort and sleep quality of sportsmen in your family. Remember, outdoor activities are supposed to be fun, and everyone enjoys life more after a good night’s rest.

Bill Graves, a freelance outdoor feature writer, may be reached at bgravesoutdoors@ainop.com