What Should You Wear In A Sleeping Bag?
If you’re out camping in the cold, you can do many things to stay warm. Everybody knows they need to bring a proper sleeping bag when camping in cold weather, but do clothes matter when keeping warm in a sleeping bag? What should you wear in a sleeping bag?
As a general rule, layering in a sleeping bag will keep you warmer. In a particularly cold environment, it is crucial to insulate with warm clothing in a sleeping bag, whereas in warm weather, you may sleep in shorts or even naked.
Read on to learn more about layering in a sleeping bag and how to stay warm when you’re sleeping in a sleeping bag.
How to Layer in a sleeping bag
Many campers have strong opinions on whether it’s better to be with clothes or naked when sleeping in a sleeping bag. Some think the sleeping bag does its job well and doesn’t require you to wear anything, and others think you might get cold so you need to layer.
Generally, as most things are, both camps are right sometimes. A sleeping bag does a great job of keeping you warm, but the manufacturer rates it based on what temperature ranges it’s designed to be used in, and how insulating it is.
The R-rating on a sleeping bag measures the insulation of the sleeping bag. The temperature rating tests the minimal temperature at the sleeping bag doesn’t become freezing at.
If you use your sleeping bag in conditions it’s designed to be used in, it should keep you warm, even if you aren’t wearing anything. If you’re sleeping in very cold environments, go for a sleeping bag with a high R-rating, and you should be fine. It becomes a problem when the sleeping bag doesn’t insulate you well enough.
Even a sleeping bag with a really high R-rating can feel cold in some environments. In these situations, layering inside the sleeping bag can add some insulation, and make you feel warmer. So if you want to make sure you won’t be cold at night, go for layers.
This means how you should layer depends on your sleeping bag and on the general temperature where you’re camping. Here are some recommendations on what to plan on wearing, based on how cold it gets:
- Warm weather: You can simply wear a short shirt and pants, and you’ll generally feel completely fine.
- Cold weather: You should wear long and thick pants, and a long shirt to keep yourself warm. You might also want to wear socks if you’re comfortable sleeping with them.
- Very cold weather: You should layer with a sweater or a thin jacket, wear a hat to keep your head warm, and wear some thick socks for your feet.
You can plan ahead by considering how cold it gets in your area, and consider how you’ll layer.
Should you wear clothes in a sleeping bag?
As I mentioned before, there are many people that suggest it’s best to sleep without clothes inside a sleeping bag. While in most scenarios the sleeping bag will keep you warm enough even if you don’t wear anything, it will be really uncomfortable if it doesn’t.
Personally, I’d feel pretty exposed sleeping naked inside a sleeping bag, but some people do like it and sleep better this way. It’s up for preference.
I would still suggest wearing some underwear even if you leave your clothes outside the sleeping bag, for hygiene.
Should you wear socks in a sleeping bag?
Your torso has much better circulation than your hands and feet, because it’s closer to the heart, and because it has more blood vessels. The circulation is essential for temperature regulation.
This means that body parts that are away from your torso will generally become colder faster. There is a temperature gradient inside your sleeping bag, and your feet tend to be colder than your torso.
Every time I camp in an area colder than what I’m used to, I notice how my feet feel colder than the rest of my body. Since I live in a relatively warm climate, I can still manage to sleep without socks, but in colder areas, it can become quite uncomfortable.
If you’re sleeping in a relatively cold area, it’s best to keep your feet insulated with a pair of thick socks. The insulation will keep your feet warmer.
How to stay warm in a sleeping bag
If you tend to feel cold while sleeping in a sleeping bag, there are some things you can do to stay warm.
Sleeping bag liners are great for keeping your bag clean, but they also make you warmer. Liners provide some additional warmth to the sleeping bag, typically of around 10 degrees Farenheight. If you tend to get cold in the sleeping bag, using a liner can make you feel warmer.
If you feel cold in a specific area, for example, your feet, you can heat some water up and use a warm bottle to sleep better. You can put the bottle near the cold area, and you’ll feel warmer. The bottle will also make the entire bag a bit warmer because the heat is trapped inside.
If you often feel cold in the sleeping bag, it might be too big for you. A big sleeping bag has a lot of air trapped around you, so the warmth is split on a larger volume. A snug bag will make you feel much warmer.
The area where most heat escapes from the sleeping bag into the ground, because it’s typically colder than the air. If you tend to get cold sleeping in the sleeping bag, you might want to invest in an insulating sleeping pad, that will insulate you better and keep the heat from escaping.
Conclusions
We’ve covered various tips on what to wear when sleeping in a sleeping bag, and additional tips for staying warm inside the bag.
Generally, whether you want to wear a lot of clothes or sleep naked in a sleeping bag is up for preference. The bag should do its job and keep you warm, up to a certain point. If you’re scared of feeling cold at night, you should consider wearing something warm.