Sleeping Bag Maintenance and Care Tips for Beginners

If you've just purchased your first sleeping bag, then congratulations! That's the most essential camping gear for all your adventure days. Sleeping bags undoubtedly come with numerous advantages, they keep you warm at night, keep you comfortable and safe for a good night's sleep when camping outdoors.

Whether you just invested in a synthetic or down insulation, here are some tips on how you can maintain and care for your bags to ensure they stay warm, comfortable, and fluffy through many years of camping adventures to come your way!

Proper Storage

The very first vital tip you have to remember when it comes to the care and maintenance of your sleeping bag is to avoid leaving it packed tight in its sack for a long time. Though this may seem convenient, as you can just stuff it in its football sized sack and fling it into your closet. However, this process can turn out to be the ideal way to ruin the thickness (which is the source of all the warmth you get) of your bag.

Usually, sleeping bags come with bigger storage sacks in addition to the small travel-sized one. It is advisable that you always store your sleeping bag in the larger one so it can expand and stay in its normal shape. In case your bag didn't come with a larger storage bag, then it's worth every penny to invest in one. Once you pack it well, ensure that you keep it in a dry and cool place.

Keep it Dry after Use or Wash

Even though you store your bag properly, you have to make sure that before you pack it, it is completely dry. If your sleeping bag gets wet during your camping trip, or you spent some time to wash it, then make sure you give it as much as 24 hours to dry off completely in a cool place. Afterwards, you can store it back in the sack. This is an important tip. If you ignore it, it will lead to greater chances that mold and mildew will build up on the bag.

Air it out

The most important maintenance tip is to completely air out the sleeping bag once you use it. After your camping trip, take the bag out and hang it for several hours (depending on how the weather remains). Some sunlight and fresh air will prevent the bad odors from bacteria and mold, which can find their way into the sleeping bag especially if your camping or hiking trip was a sweaty one. Through this tip, you can ensure that your sleeping bag will remain brand new.

The Wash

If you purchased a down sleeping bag, then you should know it is much lighter than the synthetic one and you will have to put in more efforts in the wash. This is because the down bag is more fragile than the synthetic one and the safest option is wash it in the bathtub by hand.

However, if you have a synthetic one, then rest assured that machine wash works like a breeze. There are special formulas or solutions you could purchase for washing them.

Once you have a sleeping bag in your collection of outdoor gears then be sure to follow these care and maintenance tips to ensure years of cozy nights out in the wild!