Sleeping system
What’s the most bushcrafty sleeping system?
Now that autumn is coming and it requires more of your equipment to be able to sleep comfortably outside, it is appropriate to talk a little about sleeping bags!
The sleeping bag's primary task is to create an insulating layer of air around your body to help you keep warm in the cold. Today, there are any number of different sleeping bags in varying models, designs, materials and for different uses. When you choose a sleeping bag, you must take into account what you intend to use it for. For my own part, for example, down is completely out of the question as I primarily spend nights in a sleeping bag in the southern parts of Sweden. Down here, it rarely stays below zero for any longer periods, which contributes to a more humid climate than further north.
Since this is a page about and for bushcraft, which often involves going back to the roots, we obviously have to bring the classic cowboy sleeping bag - bedroll. It often consists of a thicker oiled or waxed canvas cloth and one or more wool blankets. We will also take a closer look at a more Spartan solution if you find yourself without a sleeping bag on a dark October night in the wilderness. More on this below!
Down vs Synthetic vs Bedroll
In today's outdoor stores you normally find two types of sleeping bags; down- and synthetic sleeping bags. What this means is that the padding consists of either down or synthetic material. If you’re new to this type of gear, it’s easy to draw the wrong conclusion that down is much better than synthetic because of the price difference. Down is a more expensive material as it consists of actual down from birds. Both materials, like everything else, vary in quality and are suitable for different types of excursions and purposes!
Down
The advantages of choosing a down sleeping bag are that the down provides the most insulation per unit of weight and can also be compressed down to a smaller format than synthetics. This makes it the perfect sleeping bag for e.g. mountain hikes in the colder seasons, when you want a sleeping bag that weighs little, insulates a lot and takes up as little space as possible!
The disadvantages of down and the reason why I myself do not use down here in Skåne is above all that down does not handle moisture particularly well. A damp down sleeping bag molds relatively easily if it is not properly dried between times (something that is not always easily done out in the forest). A damp down sleeping bag also loses its insulation very quickly. Goose down tends to be the down normally used in down sleeping bags.
The synthesis
The synthetic sleeping bag is the most common type of sleeping bag and tends to be the type of sleeping bag you choose if you don't really have a specific area of use in mind. The synthetic padding tends to be slightly heavier per unit volume and can rarely be packed as small as the down can, which means you get a sleeping bag that is slightly heavier and takes up slightly more space than a down sleeping bag with equivalent insulation.
However, synthetic sleeping bags are much cheaper than down and are excellent for the vast majority of activities for both young and old. It insulates both when it is damp and dry, just like, for example, fleece sweaters.
Bedrolls
Arguably the most aesthetically correct overnight bushcraft gear available! It normally consists of two types of layers; an outer layer that protects against moisture and wind, and an inner layer that insulates against the cold outside. The outer layer is usually some kind of thick, tightly woven canvas, while the inner, insulating layer often consists of one or more wool blankets, depending on how chilly it is outside. Together they form a highly weatherproof and insulating cover for most types of climates!
A classic bed roll is, in addition to being a very nice addition to your bushcraft equipment, also an alternative to carrying the backpack! In true bushcraft fashion, you pack your equipment in your bedroll and then roll it up tightly! Perfect if you only need to bring an axe, saw, knife, a cooking pot and coffee pot.
The biggest disadvantage of this variant is clearly the weight versus the insulating ability. Both canvas and thick wool blankets weigh a lot compared to the more modern options!
Which sleeping equipment suits me best?
The mountain hike
If you are going up in the mountains and hiking and have no plans to use the sleeping bag for anything else, down is probably your best option. The backpack will be crammed with all other equipment and food so every single gram and every bit of space in the backpack you can save will be very much appreciated! A higher quality synthetic sleeping bag would also have done the job but takes up slightly more space and weighs slightly more.
The forest trip
In the forest, the synthetic sleeping bag is king! It is usually significantly more humid in the air, but also somewhat warmer than on the mountain, which means that the need to reduce weight and volume is rarely as great. In the worst case, you have much greater opportunities to make a fire for both cooking and night heating in the forest.
Forest trip with a classic touch
This is the bedroll’s time to shine! Even if you don't have the opportunity or desire to invest in a ready-made bedroll, you can quite easily achieve the same thing by taking a canvas cloth (can recommend the Russian stylish Plash Palatka) of roughly 2x2m and a couple of wool blankets of thicker quality. Military surplus blankets work great for this purpose, I can personally recommend both the Swiss and Polish wool blankets available at various surplus stores. The Swedish wool blanket is also very good!
Another advantage of this variant is that densely woven wool blankets are thick and thus insulate quite well against the ground as well, something that neither down nor synthetic sleeping bags do. With this variant, you can therefore leave the sleeping mat at home when it's not too chilly outside!
Forgot your sleeping bag at home?
No problem! As long as you have proper clothes with you for the season, you can make a perfectly fine sleeping bag out of the equipment you have with you and materials from nature. The warmest clothes should be worn on the upper body, e.g. undershirt, thermal shirt, a lined thermal jacket, hat, scarf, gloves, etc. At the foot end, you empty your backpack, rain- or shell jacket and fill it with a few thin, but stiff branches and then fills up with leaves, needles, clothes and other fluffy things that you happen to have with you. The branches is used to create volume which you then fill with insulation!
Even on the lower part of the body, you should wear as much clothing as possible (but not so that they become too tight, that's the air pocket you want to create), but no shoes. Stuff your feet into your makeshift half-sleeping bag and make sure your feet are as close to the center as possible so there's equal insulation on all sides. Then pull the jacket sleeves into the jacket and try to lie as still and packed as possible!