Sleeping Bag Recomendations, Please

[Cudedog]

After doing a few overnights in the van, I am now making adjustments (simplify, simplify!).

I had liked having a nice looking bedspread on the bed and having the actual bedding (down comforter) under the bed in storage, to be pulled out (and put away again!) for each night's sleep cycle.

Being a lazy person at heart, I am realizing this is a major pain. Also, the comforter takes up my (very limited) storage space.

Am now looking for a decent sleeping bag that will take up permanent residence on top of the bed. The current bedspread will be made into something else (sewing machines are grand!) and the down comforter will stay permanently on my bed in the house (where it belongs!). A sleeping bag will also have the added bonus of avoiding packing bedding in and out of the house between trips.

Put on a bottom sheet, the sleeping bag on top, and I am DONE with the bed thing in the van. No need to change things each night.

Although many of you have Travel Trailers and/or motorhomes, I'm sure that most of you know the camper lifestyle a lot better than I ever hope to, so I am looking for sleeping bag recommendations, with a few caveats (don't know if such a bag exists!):

No "mummy" bags. Have tried them in the past, they give me claustrophobia.

Prefer rectangular shaped bag, as opposed to tapered bag. The bag will need to remain unzipped - claustrophobia again, also I thrash a lot in my sleep. If I am confined - like by a sleeping bag - I thrash all the more.

Prefer cotton inside, canvas (?) outside, rather than polyester. Polyester is slippery, it doesn't breathe and I find it uncomfortable against my skin. For some reason, polyester against my skin makes me perspire. Because polyester is slippery, and I thrash in my sleep, often what happens is that the bag ends up on the floor in the middle of the night, with me still on the bed, freezing.

Prefer bag rated for slightly colder temps (say 30 to 50 degrees). Stayed overnight at Clear Lake State Park this past weekend (no hookups, no heat) went down to the mid 40's overnight (held mid 50's inside the van), I would have been fine if I had had the correct bedding - as it was, I was a bit cold, but still fine.

Suggestions appreciated!

Thank you.

Anne

[JudyJB]

Unless you use the down comforter on your bed in the house, couldn't you just stitch it up to make a sleeping bag? Maybe a Velcro closure instead of a zipper? Fold it up on your bed when not in use.

By the way, I have not used a top sheet in years. I use a bottom sheet, cotton coverlet, and then a down throw that I toss on and off all night, depending on hot flashes and room temperature. Keeps it simple and still looks good. Oh, and I have a pillow cover for the cotton coverlet, which I just put on top of the pillow. Too much work putting it on and taking it off.

[MelissaD]

Something like this http://www.walmart.com/ip/Coleman-Big-And-Tall-Heritage-Hunter-Extreme-Weather-Sleeping-Bag/19887106


Stay warm on camping and hunting excursions with the Coleman Heritage Hunter Extreme Weather Sleeping Bag. This Coleman sleeping bag features a heavy-duty cotton cover material and a cotton flannel liner with a Comfort Cuff to surrounds your face with softness. This big and tall sleeping bag is rated to temperatures as low as 0 degrees F and will fit most sleepers up to 6'7" tall. This Coleman sleeping bag is made with an exclusive set of ComfortSmart sleeping bag technologies so it is sure to keep you warm in even the coldest of nights. Additional features of the Coleman Heritage Hunter Extreme Weather Sleeping Bag include a zipper guard to prevent snags, FiberLock to prevent insulation from shifting and ThermoLock to reduce heat loss through the zipper. Roll Control locks the bag in place for easier rolling up and storing.


Coleman Heritage Hunter Extreme Weather Sleeping Bag:•Stay warm on camping and hunting excursions
•Rated to temperatures as low as 0 degrees F
•Measures 40" x 84" folded
•Will fit most sleepers up to 6'7" tall
•Heavy-duty cotton cover material and cotton flannel liner
•Coleman's exclusive set of ComfortSmart sleeping bag technologies:•Zipper guard to prevent snags
•FiberLock to prevent insulation from shifting
•ThermoLock reduces heat loss through the zipper
•Comfort Cuff surrounds your face with softness
•Roll Control locks the bag in place for easier rolling up and storing

[Bethers]

I can't sleep without a top and bottom sheet - need the cool sheets against my skin. They used to make something called a travasak that you could find at rv shows. Some of the ladies have them still. Unfortunately, I don't think they are made any more. They are really neat because they were made to be turned over depending on the weather - so you had the heavier winter side under you in cooler weather, and vice versa. I keep hoping to discover they are back making them.

Just did a search and found this: http://www.rvsuperbag.com/?gclid=CMzA0v ... 7AodyEsAUw

I'm going to look close at it - cuz I have too much bedding stuff, too. OMG, I just looked at the prices ... might have to save a bit first!

[linann]

REI, Cabela, Sports Authority, Bass Pro Shops, L.L. Bean, and other outfitters/sporting goods stores carry a wide variety of sleeping bags and brands. There are a lot of good deals online today! A rectangle bag will work well since you are using it inside your van. Since you will be sleeping with the bag unzipped like a blanket, you may need a warmer bag. It can get quite cold at night in an RV, even with good insulation. Kelty has cotton lined bags that are nice and well priced.

Recommend you check Slumberjack rectangular sleeping bags. Super light weight and warm, with synthetic or down fill available. Adding a lightweight fleece blanket or liner will up the temp rating in cold weather. This brand is reasonably priced. I paid $40 on sale for a 30 degree synthetic bag at Bass Pro Shop. My sister bought a 0 degree down bag from REI for $110. Both are very lightweight; the down bag packs incredibly small.

[mitch5252]

If you're going to sleep with it unzipped, why not just a twin thinsulate or twin down comforter? I have both in my tiny little trailer right now - Abby gets one, I get the other. Or she gets both - so she tries, anyway. I think maybe you will have more choices in comforters than you will with sleeping bags, given your requirements. I originally tried the unzipped sleeping bag, but you are oh so right -WAY too slippery.

[BirdbyBird]

I have my day bed made up all the time with a dog worthy cover on top. The open sleeping bag could work but when the temps change so much from week to week...like what we experienced traveling south, through LA and now into TX, one weight of bag would not work. Most of us were adding an extra cover last week in LA...with the heater working! And now I am back to some sweet 60 degree nights and only one light blanket..... The heavy cold temp bag could get be too much. I layer several thin down filled blankets. The extra layers capture extra warmth without a lot of weight.....

[judi]

I use a Coleman sleeping bag - flannel lined. I have a little Roadtrek, about the same size as your van but maybe even smaller! I have a wide air mattress (also Coleman) with an electric pump. I cover that with two twin fitted sheets to keep out the cold, then a light twin blanket and the sleeping bag opened up on top of that. Warm? Throw off the bag. Cold? Snuggle under. This method has kept me warm in very cold temps without using the heater. I also don't like sleeping bags zipped up, but nothing compares to the warmth they can provide!

[Excel]

I have the Travasak that Beth mentioned & like her, I like to sleep between two sheets. As I have the rear side bed in my class C, this works out perfectly as there is no bed making involved. Can't believe the company is gone and/or no longer makes them so am really glad I bought when I did. The sheets are velcroed in & can be removed for washing. One side is for Summer & when turned over the other side is for Winter. You can use it zipped or unzipped. My thought is, if you can find one used or new, I think it would suit your needs well. Just my 2 cents... It's just a big over sized sleeping bag really.....

[avalen]

I used my regular bed sheets and blankets in my fifthwheel. Never cared much for sleeping bags cause they are just too hard to launder.
I do like my sheets clean and fresh. (but thats just me)

[snowball]

never been a sleeping bag person perhaps it makes life easier but like Ava I use sheets and blankets will be glad to get to warmer climes so
I can remove some of those blankets!!!
sheila

[Deeann]

If you get one that's rated for 30 degrees and it's 50 degrees, you'll be like a chuck roast in a crock pot. You'll be cooking all night long.

If you get a stiff bag, or one with a stiff exterior (a heavy canvas) it will "tent" you. Meaning that it won't hang loosely around you, next to your body. You'll be cold all night because air will be coming into the bag down your back and chest all night when you're on your side. There's no way to prevent this if the bag is stiff. I have a bag like this. Ask me how I know.

If you buy one of the old style "cotton stuffing" type bags you'll get the tent effect. The cotton fill is just too stiff to drape around you. The newer bags with the new light weight insulation will be better at conforming to your body keeping you warmer.

I like a monster sized bag. I sleep with 2 bags zipped together. One is light weight, the other heavier. The advantage of this is that you can flip the whole thing depending on the weather for the night. But I don't think your bed is big enough to do this so you'll have to have just one bag. If you like to thrash (and you do) get a big bag. But remember it will take longer for your body to heat the bag so you'll be chilly for a bit longer. I can live with this. I hate a small bag. It's like sleeping in a sock.

If it's a warm night I don't zip the side up. I just hang a leg or some other body part out of the bag to cool off. If it gets really cold during the night I can and do zip the side up. Another reason to get a big bag.....the claustrophobia won't be as bad. I sleep with the bottom zipped and part of the side zipped (maybe a few feet). This helps keep my feet warmer and keeps the bag oriented so that it doesn't get all wadded up on me.

If you do have a big bed and want to zip 2 bags together be aware that not all bags will mate up. So make sure that they will before you buy them.

Your best bet might be to have a bag with a 50 degree rating and keep a blanket nearby that you can put on top of it if it gets really cold at night. One bag just can't fit all seasons. And be aware that the temperature rating on a bag is purely subjective. There is no scientific way to determine the rating. Basically, if the manufacturer feels that most people would be comfortable at 40 degrees in a certain bag, the manufacturer gives it a 40 degree rating. If you're hot natured as I am that bag may be too warm. If you are cold natured it probably won't be warm enough.

I have 3 bags. 2 from Coleman and 1 from Cabelas. One has the old style cotton "canvas" type of exterior and the other two are slick. I didn't think I would like the slick ones but I do. Maybe because they have the newer insulation in them whereas the old Coleman cotton canvas bag has the old style "cotton" stuffing. It's a heavier bag and it tents me. The slick bags are limper and contour to my body better. And they don't clump up stiffly around my face and head.

When you look at bags, feel how much insulation is sewn into the body of the bag. Don't just squeeze the edge of the bag. My old Coleman is puffy around the edge (where my face and head will be) and lighter in the rest of the bag. But be aware that you do want plenty of insulation around the zipper. The whole length of the zipper is always a cold spot because there's nothing between you and the surrounding cold air but that zipper.

I think all bags now come with the large, plastic YKK zippers. The zipper should have a "grab thing" on the inside as well as the outside. Make sure it does. Get some of those zipper "grab" tassle things to add to the zipper. They are easier to locate in the dark when you're half asleep. But don't let them get caught in the zipper when you're half asleep either.

I think Bass Pro or Cabelas has a "library" of outdoor topics on its website. You might want to do some research on the insulation that they put in bags now. I know they have many different kinds. Some is better at wicking away moisture and some packs down tightly for back packing. There is a lot of info out on the net. Check it out so that you can get the correct bag. Buying the wrong one will be a waste of money. No sense to pay lots extra to get a bag that will wad up and fit in a shoe box if you're not going to be back packing. That kind of thing.

Also, what do you sleep in? I sleep in nothing but my underwear. If you sleep in cotton pajamas the cotton will hold the moisture from your body and you'll never get warm. Never sleep in your jeans.

Here's another thought: You will only have one bag, maybe one blanket. But you can adjust your level of warmth by what bed clothes you wear at night. If it's going to be really cold you could sleep in some long underwear. If it will be warmer, sleep naked. But if you sleep in cotton long johns and have a cotton lined bag you won't be able to roll over. You'll stick to the bag.

My favorite bags of those I have are the slick ones. They have the slick, shiny exterior and have mesh looking interior lining. It isn't really a mesh but it looks kind of like that. My least favorite bag is the old Coleman with the cotton canvas exterior and the cotton interior. And the Coleman bag is heavier and bulkier than the other ones. But I have to use the Coleman because the 2 slick bags won't zip together.

The WORST THING YOU AN DO is buy a bag with a really low temperature rating (30 or so) and try to use it when sleeping in a warmer environment. You'll end up HOT and miserable all night and you'll hate that damn bag. Better to have one rated for 50 or so and use an extra blanket when it's really cold, or adjust your bed clothes. And remember to keep your feet warm. If your feet are cold you'll be cold all over. I sleep with socks on sometimes. My feet get cold because I am tall and they are down near the zipper at the bottom of the bag.

[Bethers]

I'm laughing, cuz my cold feet get so hot when sleeping that if I have socks on they have to come off shortly after I fall asleep or I can't sleep. After I'm asleep, I need less covers - my body temperature rises (which is normal, but I think it rises more as I've aged). So I have never found a sleeping bag that works unless it's really, really cold out ... or in lol ...

Right now I buy cheapie comforters ($10 for the last one) because Peaches likes to burrow with them during the day - can't put anything expensive on the bed. I do have a really good quilt (made by my sis) which I use when I'll be boondocking in cold climes - but by an hour or so in, need to stick a foot out and throw off part of it.

I can't explain it - me who can be cold all day and have layers and layers on - go to bed and after I'm asleep my body does an about face on me and I get so warm. Come morning, I need to turn the heat up though, as it does it's about face just as fast then and I'm colder than I can imagine.

Another reason we all need different things. I'm with Tina - sheets and a couple blankets to add (and remove) as the body requires.

Sometimes I wish Peaches would snuggle, but then I have to be glad she doesn't because it would probably drive me nuts when I'm in my warm phase of the night.

I do buy comforters one size smaller for the bed - my bed is a full and I purchase twins. That means I just have to throw it on the bed - no making to do ... easy peasy.