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Warning: my old sleeping bag rating was a total lie
I was cleaning out my gear closet and found the tag on my old 20-degree bag from a big box store. Out of curiosity, I looked up how they test those ratings. Turns out it's based on a 'standard' man sleeping in long underwear, on a pad, in a tent. The real kicker? That 'comfort' rating is for women, and the 'limit' rating is for men. So my bag that says 20 degrees is really only comfy down to about 32 for me. I found this on a blog by a gear tester who explained the whole EN/ISO testing system. It makes so much sense now why I was freezing my butt off that one trip to the Blue Ridge Mountains. Has anyone else had a bag that just didn't live up to its number? How do you figure out what you really need?
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cameron7701mo ago
Wait, is the rating system really that big of a deal for most trips? I just add a liner or wear my puffy if I'm pushing the limit. Most of my camping is in the summer anyway, so a cheap bag has always been fine.
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craig.brian1mo ago
Yeah cameron770, my old summer bag and a hoodie have seen me through more nights than I can count.
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