Why Choose a Double Sleeping Bag?
There are many benefits that come with choosing a double sleeping bag. For a start, the combined body heat of you and your loved one will help keep you extra cosy during the night.
You’ll also have plenty more room to wriggle around in and find the perfect sleeping position inside a double sleeping bag than you would with a single sleeping bag or mummy bag – there’s even enough room for the kids.
Using a double sleeping bag will also help you cut down your gear list, with only one bag to worry about instead of two.
Sleeping Bag Temperature Ratings
A basic requirement of any sleeping bag is to keep you warm during the night, and different sleeping bags have different temperature ratings.
Many sleeping bags are given a rating in degrees, either as a limit or a series of temperatures. So, if your sleeping bag has a limit of -6°C it means that it will keep you warm down to external temperatures of -6°C. Here’s a quick guide to sleeping bag temperature and season ratings:
- 1 Season: an overnight temperature of 10°C or higher, ideal for summer.
- 2 Season: an overnight temperature of 5°C or higher, better for cool nights.
- 3 Season: an overnight temperature of 0°C or higher, ideal for cold nights without frost.
- 4 Season: an overnight temperature of around -5°C or higher, better for winter, frost and snow.
Another rating to look out for is the ‘season’, which is designed to give you a rough idea of whether it’s suitable for summer (rated as a 1 season sleeping bag) or right throughout the year (rated as a 4 season sleeping bag).
These two ratings tend to go hand in hand. The better the temperature rating, the more seasons the sleeping bag is going to be useful for. However, these two attributes depend on a number of factors such as the insulation type, the lining and the shell materials.