It's about time to start making the camping packing list and the first order of business is the sleeping bag situation.
It is more dire than I realized.
Mom and Dad have kept only two. And I have one.
This is it.
It's been a part of the family since the 70s. This thing weighs 9.5 pounds.The outside is a heavy canvas, the inside . . . well, it's a pretty groovy flannel print of bears and elk and foxes. The real foxes, not the 70s pinup girls. But still groovy.
And the animals seem to seriously love it. . . . probably because it smells. . . interesting. This may be an occasion where my lack of smell is a good thing.
Evan the model displays one of the flaws -- the outer zipper pull is missing. It took me about 10 minutes to get the thing zipped up.
Little does Evan know he's not coming with us. As I type this, he's asleep on it. It may just break his heart.
Katy decided to come up from the basement. The smell must've alerted her.
So then the question became, what kind of sleeping bag to buy? I can get this one aired out and good to go with a new zipper pull, but we're still two bags short. Nick has plans to dog and house sit. I'm still secretly hoping he changes his mind, but if he does, then we're three bags short. We do have two very lightweight bags. But at minimum, I had to find at least one more bag. And since I am hoping to go camping more and more, I wanted one that would last as long as the groovy mustard monster above.
So its old school time. I'm not sure I can sleep well in a nylon bag. It'll make squishy, slinky sound every time I move. And I move a lot when I sleep. Plus it'll be frikkin freezing when you climb into it before your body heat can start to work. Moving a lot also pretty much nixes the mummy style bags. I'd rather not wake everyone in the campground with my screams when the smothering nightmares start up.
So I'm definitely looking for flannel-lined rectangular model, which helps narrow down the field. Most of the bags these days don't come close to weighing 9.5 pounds like old faithful up above does, but there are still significantly heavier options for the car camper that make them cheaper than the super light ones that you can backpack with all year and not notice its on your back. Honestly, as much as I like hiking, I do like my camping heavy -- big tents, cots, ovens for cooking, so the less expensive, heavier bags seem like the way to go.
After much research and online price comparison, I have procured the new bag.
Meet the Slumberjack (ok, yes, I had Monty Python in mind when I saw the name. This was not the only reason I chose it though. Promise.)
Here's where it gets confusing:
Size 38" X 80"
Carry size 11" X 38"
Carry weight 10 lbs. 9 oz
Slumberloft 10 oz. cotton duck outer and 100% yarn dyed cotton flannel liner
Oversized for hunters and fisherman, the Slumberjack Big Timber rectangular sleeping bag features a 10-ounce cotton duck outer shell and heavy-duty zipper. The roomy proportions and warm, 100 percent cotton flannel liner guarantees a restful sleep, and it's temperature rated to 0 degrees Fahrenheit. It offers a double layer quilt-through construction and Slumberloft HQ fill, which provides great warmth and loft at a great price. Other features include an insulated draft tube with anti-snag zipper protection, adjustable storm collar, easy-grab pull tabs, and compression straps at the bottom of the bag. This long bag has a maximum user height of 6 feet, 5 inches.
Specifications:
Size: 38 by 80 inches
Carry size: 11 by 38 inches
Fill weight: 5 pounds, 8 ounces
Carry weight: 9 pounds, 12 ounces
Shell: 10-ounce cotton duck
Liner: 100 percent yarn-dyed cotton flannel
Item Weight:3 pounds
Shipping Weight:12.4 pounds
Does anyone else wonder why the weight keeps changing?
So for bag #3 (and #4 if needed) we have our super lightweight sleepover bags the kids have used at church camps and such, but the temps at Vallecito at night in July still get into the 40°s and the temperature rating, which is nothing but a guesstimate in the first place, says to take your bag's rating and add 30° to get the "comfort level." So if your bag is rated 15° you really aren't going to feel very warm once it dips past 45°. And these lightweight ones have a rating of 40° -- in other words, past 70° and you will feel the chill. I think the plan is to bring some heavy weight blankets for the top of it.
I caught myself thinking, worse case scenario, since the Slumberjack is oversized, if Sammi gets to freezing, she can crawl in with me. That's what camping is all about, right? Family togetherness? The real truth is that one night sharing a sleeping bag and we'll never speak to each other again.
I think I'm off to find the blankets.
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