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Bushcraft Tips And Advice

Welcome to the tips and advice section, where we have gathered information on a variety of topics related to Bushcraft and Outdoor Survival.

Bivy Bags
Caring for your Axe
Fleece
How to Sharpen a Knife
How to Sharpen an Axe
How to use a Fire Stick
Print Process/Organic Cotton
Sleeping Bag Comfort Temperatures

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Sleeping Bag Comfort Temperatures

Perception of Comfort Temperature

The perception of comfort varies greatly from person to person. It can also vary from day to day based on your physical fitness, mental condition, what and when you have eaten, how you have organized your bivouac, the humidity, as well as the altitude you are at. It is also a fact that the lower the outside temperature the more clothes you should wear inside your sleeping bag.

Nanok base their Comfort Temperature rating on an 18-24 year old male with an expectation of sleeping 6-8 hours without waking up due to being cold. The temperature recommendations for their sleeping bags have been based on laboratory tests, field tests and years of Norwegian outdoor experience.

How to interpret “Nanok Functional Temperature”

Below are details of what items of clothing you would be expected to wear inside your sleeping bag to provide comfort in various temperatures:

• In the temperature range of +15 °C to -5 °C it is expected that you will wear short underwear and a T-shirt inside your sleeping bag.
• In the temperature range of -5 °C to -20 °C you are expected to wear a base layer that is normally a set of thin, long woollen underwear, such as the Woolpower 200g range.
• When it is colder than -20 °C you will normally use a thin base layer and in addition a second layer on your upper body.
• Women should add 4-5 °C to the comfort temperature in outside temperatures down to -15 °C.
• In outside temperatures below -20 °C women should add 8-10 °C to the comfort temperature.
• Those older than 30-35 years should add 5 °C to the comfort temperature.
• If you are at altitudes above 3,300m you should add 5-10 °C to the comfort temperature.

You provide the source of heat:

To start off with we must remember that no sleeping bag in the world can heat up a person. What it can do is help to retain the heat produced by the person occupying the sleeping bag. When you climb in, it is as if a stove giving off a heat of 37 °C has been placed in the sleeping bag. In an ineffective sleeping bag, the heat leaks out through the fabric, filler material, badly sealed zippers and incorrectly designed head openings. In a good sleeping bag there is interplay between your body and the bag which creates a comfortable sleeping climate and efficient heat retention.

For the ideal sleeping situation you should turn in dry, fed and warm. Go about your toilet routine and exercise a little to heat up your body before climbing into your sleeping bag. Be careful to close the bag properly around your head. Dress in a light underclothing set, and add socks and a knitted cap in winter. If you still feel cold despite all this, do not add more clothing but drape something over the bag like a down jacket, or place more insulation beneath you.

Woodlore's exclusive range of Nanok Sleeping Bags can be found in our Sleeping Out section.