I am looking for a warm sleeping bag for my daughter's cub camp next week. She feels the cold and the 3 season bag she used last time didn't keep her warm even with a fleece liner in it. Very cynical about the temperature claims in go outdoors now!
Can anyone suggest a warm one please and also one that isn't too bulky as it will have to go in her backpack when she goes into scouts.
The problem is that women sleep colder. Most sleeping bags show temperatures for men. They also quote a limit temperature. That is the temperature the bag will keep you alive but not in comfort.
You need to get a bag that quotes a good comfort temperature and then take 5 degrees off that to get something realistic.
Vango do good cheap synthetic bags. Snugpack seem a bit optimistic on their temperatures. Avoiding bulk means going the down route and that will cost.
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Sleeping bags work by retaining body heat in their fibres. The longer the body is in the bag the hotter it gets. I was always advised to sleep naked because body heat will transfer quicker that way. If you sleep in thermals or any clothing, the clothing itself stops the body heat from escaping into the sleeping bag so you will feel colder. I have tested that theory and it certainly seems to be warmer sleeping naked in the bag rather than with clothing on.
That said, children may feel embarrassed among their peers with sleeping naked so very light bed clothing would be better than anything thermal or fleecy.
With regards to sleeping bags, I have found that those designed for anglers are much warmer than the typical family camping sleeping bags. These can be found online in fishing tackle shops or on Amazon. I have a 4 season one which has a nylon outer and inner. That makes it feel very cold when first getting in but within seconds it miraculously warms up and can get too warm occasionally.
Also, the smaller the sleeping bag the better... a large bag leaves large cold areas inside.
Anglers bags also pack down into fairly small stuff sacks because anglers don't want to be walking across fields and along river banks with a huge sleeping bag.
May I ask what insulation your daughter uses under her sleeping bag? If she is sleeping directly onto a ground sheet a lot of her body heat will go straight down.
Get a sleeping mat or get a better sleeping mat.
Maybe even wear a woolly hat in bed as a head sticking out of a sleeping bag loses a lot of heat.
for me its worth investing in decent sleeping bags, we picked up fairly cheaply a couple of ladies Marmot 3 season bags - in the sale.
i've been on too many camps where parents have sent indoor or two season bags.
its also worth checking they have it done up, and don't go to sleep with all their clothes on so they can add extra through the night if they get cold.
------------- The futures bright the futures ginger.