Temperature Guide for a Sleeping Bag

A rating of -5deg may not guarantee that you will be warm at that temperature!

Some people feel the cold more than others, if this applies to you then remove about 5°C from the lower comfort temperature. For example, a bag with a comfort rating of 0°C might be better, if you are susceptible to the cold, than a bag that has a comfort rating of 5°C. 

This could be due to many different factors:  

• Older people tend to feel the cold more than younger people
• Females have a different sense of the cold to males
• Infrequent campers may be more susceptible to the cold compared to hardened mountaineers
• Poor nourishment or hydration can lead to poor homoeostasis management (the ability of your body to react to environmental changes and keep you at a healthy temperature).
• Larger built people will feel the cold less than those with a slender build

If the bag is being used in different physical environments then the temperature will deviate from the average or temperate norm. At higher altitudes, air temperatures are cooler (-1°C for every 150m gain approx.) so for mountains you would need to remove about 5°C from the lower comfort temperature before you even accounted for your own physiology! If you are sleeping in a tent, chalet, hut or out in the open air, wind chills and other factors can affect the temperatures.  

If you tend to feel the cold, and indeed to also extend the clean life of a bag, we recommend the use of a liner. For females, children and thinner people a thermal bag liner is a great investment.