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D yourself a favor and buy some quality bags (North Face, etc.) ,especially for the kids and get them ones they can grow into. A good bag can last decades even with a heavy use. Avoid the natural ones with down as long term care is problematic.
Get ones that are about 10 to 20 degrees, you'll be surprised how comfortable cold weather bags can be in the summer if you get a good one. I prefer mummy bags and they do make oversized ones. I have small pillow I stuff into the head piece unless it's really cold.
One thing to note, don't store them in the stuff stack. Store them in a larger bag or better yet hang in a closet.
Unless you and your husband "spoon" all night I don't recommend a double sleeping bag at all. If you sleep even a couple of inches apart, the air coming down between your two bodies is cold. (Been there, bought a double, done that mistake thinking it was nice to cuddle) Ditto for mummy bags. I like to move around and have my legs free and found them too constricting.
We go camping in our trailer and the only thing I use sleeping bags for are as blankets. Just don't use the ones that are nylon and slippery on the outside, or extra blankets/sleeping bags slide off.
We have sheets and blankets for our beds. You can kick them off easily if you get hot, pile more on quickly if you get cold, and can get out of the bed without undoing a zipper to go pee in the night.
One cheap and simple way for your whole family to keep toasty warm all night is to use hot water bottles. It only involves heating some water, sqeezing out the excess air, and making sure the lid is screwed on tight. They are awesome .
is there really a synthetic that works as well as down? I haven't found one
love my rectangular down bag. over the years, I've unzipped it & used on bed at home during extreme cold
Synthetics work fantastic but you're going to pay for a good one. I bought a North Face synthetic about 20 years ago. It was probably $250 at the time, you can probably get similar bag cheaper now. The rating was for 5 degrees, first night I had it I tested at my buddies house when it was about 5. Concrete pad, ridgerest and the bag. No tent and I was just in my regular underwear, a wool knit hat and wool socks. I was little chilly in the morning, using it in the real world with long underwear, tent and other people in the tent I was comfortable at even 5 or 10 degrees below 0.
There is other desirable things like being able to throw it right in the washer, you don't want to do that often. I once dumped a canoe, it was in a stuff sack but they aren't made to be waterproof. A large portion of it was soaked, I was able to get it reasonably dry by later in the night by a fire.
Don't get me wrong, down is nice and I may even consider it if I ever buy another bag but I don't need a bag I can abuse now.
A military ECWS can be configured to sleep in 30-50, 10-30 and down to -10. Most otlets have then for $110 and stored with the cover they'll last a long time.
A military ECWS can be configured to sleep in 30-50, 10-30 and down to -10. Most otlets have then for $110 and stored with the cover they'll last a long time.
I have two and they suck at 10 degrees. The only thing worthwhile about them is the Gore-Tex cover.
Unless you and your husband "spoon" all night I don't recommend a double sleeping bag at all. If you sleep even a couple of inches apart, the air coming down between your two bodies is cold. (Been there, bought a double, done that mistake thinking it was nice to cuddle) Ditto for mummy bags. I like to move around and have my legs free and found them too constricting.
We go camping in our trailer and the only thing I use sleeping bags for are as blankets. Just don't use the ones that are nylon and slippery on the outside, or extra blankets/sleeping bags slide off.
We have sheets and blankets for our beds. You can kick them off easily if you get hot, pile more on quickly if you get cold, and can get out of the bed without undoing a zipper to go pee in the night.
One cheap and simple way for your whole family to keep toasty warm all night is to use hot water bottles. It only involves heating some water, sqeezing out the excess air, and making sure the lid is screwed on tight. They are awesome .
Actually the BEST thing we have for our camper is a Hudson Bay wool blanket. Hands down 100% the best thing to sleep under on a cold night with the spouse. I scored one (Queen size) for less than $75 and it is the best darned thing ever. I never throw a sleeping bag in the camper unless I'm going to go solo blasting on my own away from base camp.
It is one high quality blanket that is really comfortable. Here's my bird dogs lounging on top in the camper-
Camping in a pop up in mild temps and with a heater?
Don't bother with mummy bags or down. You don't need either since weight, pack size (the size of the rolled up bag), and insulation are not priorities. I would look at synthetic fill, rectangular bags. Since they will not be exposed to the elements or moisture, cotton/flannel linings are fine and more comfortable. Choose bags with a comfort rating one step below the lowest temperature you expect to encounter. Unless you expect very frigid temps, a 30 degree bag is a good all around rating and in warmer weather the bag can be unzipped and used like a comforter.
If you plan on using the bags outside of the pop-up make sure the seams aren't "sewn-through." I spent a very chilly 15° night in my younger years because I bought a mummy bag that looked just as good as my friend's for half the price .
Camping in a pop up in mild temps and with a heater?
Don't bother with mummy bags or down. You don't need either since weight, pack size (the size of the rolled up bag), and insulation are not priorities. I would look at synthetic fill, rectangular bags. Since they will not be exposed to the elements or moisture, cotton/flannel linings are fine and more comfortable. Choose bags with a comfort rating one step below the lowest temperature you expect to encounter. Unless you expect very frigid temps, a 30 degree bag is a good all around rating and in warmer weather the bag can be unzipped and used like a comforter.
My thoughts exactly.
And I thought we was cheating with car camping
Anyhow, I agree with buying below the lowest temperature you expect to encounter, especially for kids. That and i encourage people to not take the weather forecast as word. You never know when the weather is going to turn. I've had to happen twice. One time the lowest temperature on a camping trip was supposed to be 50's but that ended up being the high. The temperature dropped down to 33 degrees with drizzle and 15-20 mph wind shortly after dinner. Thankfully I took for advantage of car camping, I always carry extra blankets, rope, and even a back up tent.
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