Sleeping Bag Construction, Care, & Cleaning

Sleeping Bag Construction

The way your sleeping bag is built has to do with the way the fill is held in place between its inner and outer surfaces. Any fill will move around inside the sleeping bag if it isn't held in place in some way, and this is accomplished by compartmentalizing the fill in a number of different ways.

Down sleeping bags need baffles or chambers to keep the loose feather insulation in place. Sleeping bags filled with synthetics are sewn together or shingled because the insulation is usually spun together as a whole and doesn't have to be contained the same way.

Never mind about all the complicated double-speak about the merits of one type of sleeping bag construction over the other. Just pay attention to what season the sleeping bag is rated for and whether you want a synthetic-fill sleeping bag or one filled with down.

Whatever the sleeping bag fill pattern and method, a sleeping bag should be designed for three important functions:

• To hold insulation in place
• To protect against wind
• To permit perspiration vapor inside the bag to escape

In most cases, a sleeping bag's outer shell is made from taffeta nylon or ripstop because of their lightness and fine weave. They may also be made from poly taffeta, microfiber, or Dryloff.

The inner lining should be both soft and able to wick body moisture away. The inner sleeping bag lining may be made of nylon, but may not feel as nice against the skin as a blend of nylon and polyester. Sleeping bag liners may also be used, both as an extra layer for warmth and as a removable and washable add-on.

Sleeping Bag Care

Any time spent in the outdoors will cause you to get a little dirty. Clothes can be cleaned easily, but more care is required with sleeping bags.

Every attempt should be made to discourage sleeping bags from taking on moisture. This means airing sleeping bags out whenever possible, and preferably on a daily basis. All sleeping bags should be encouraged to loft, meaning that they should be removed from their carrying sacks and shaken out periodically. And sleeping bags are never meant to be stored for long periods in their traveling bags. Doing so compresses the fibers—especially in synthetic sleeping bags—and results in a loss of insulating properties. Store sleeping bags flat, or hang them up in a large bag. Many manufacturers provide storage bags for exactly this purpose.

Cleaning Your Sleeping Bag

Synthetic sleeping bags may be cleaned in a washing machine. For best results (and to avoid extra strain on the bag), use a commercial machine that spins clothes clean instead of a standard machine that uses an agitator blade.

Down sleeping bags shouldn't be dry cleaned either because most dry cleaners can't handle down bags, but washed in a commercial machine with no agitator, and with mild soap. Dry the bag on low, and tumble dry with a number of tennis balls to encourage the down sleeping bag to loft.

Take extreme care when handling a wet down sleeping bag. Down absorbs a tremendous amount of water and can become extremely heavy—so heavy, in fact, that the inner sleeping bag walls holding the down in place can be damaged beyond repair. And remember: Each time you wash a down sleeping bag, it loses some of its capability to insulate against the cold. It's better to remove surface dirt without washing, or at least tolerate it, than to risk a cleaning mishap.