Sleeping in a Mummy Style Sleeping Bag There are so many gear choices to make when taking up a great outdoor adventure like backpacking, and arguably the most important may be which sleeping bag you pick. Some options can feel like a big investment (unless you choose TETON—and we hope you will)! So TETON Sports has compiled a list of basic pros and cons to help you determine which bag is best for you. Today, we’ll take a look at the mummy-style sleeping bags, or ‘mummy bags’ for short.
Great Heat Insulators Mummy bags offer some great perks to backpackers, not the least of which is heat insulation. In our post How Your Sleeping Bag Keeps You Warm, we discuss some of the science involved here. Mummy bags make great insulators because there is far less space around your body and therefore less air for your body’s metabolism to heat.
Lightweight Bags Generally speaking, mummy bags are the easiest to stow and carry in your pack. Just as there’s less space for your body to heat, there’s less material (weight) to pack on your back. Traditional bags with similar temperature ratings and fill often weigh twice as much as a mummy bag.
Tight Quarters So why wouldn’t you want one of your very own? The only real downside to the mummy bag is its constriction. You won’t have a lot of room to toss and turn in this type of sleeping bag. It’s best to look into rectangle bags if you sleep best when you can move more.
Not All Made Equal If you choose to go with the mummy bag, remember that sometimes the comfort of a bag is in the design. Look for features that suit you. One great design innovation you'll find on TETON Sports® Tracker +5°F mummy bags is the three-piece no-gap hood. This hood is built to fit the contours of the head even closer than one-piece hoods. Another great feature of this particular mummy bag is the body mapping technology. The bottom of this bag is specially designed to follow the line of your body for added insulation, even in frozen conditions! And if you’re cold weather camping, look for bags with a little extra fill in the foot-box. Warm feet make for a cozier camper. Also, women may be more comfortable in a bag that is a bit narrower in the shoulders and wider along the hips. There a number of options available for different heights as well.
Come Back Soon! Check out these two posts for our take on traditional sleeping bags and double-wide sleeping bags Adventure On! TETON Sports
