I recently stumbled across one of my old sleeping bags from back in the day when I was 8 to 12 years old. I am currently 23 years old, this would make the sleeping bag anywhere from 10 to 15 years old. Now I didn’t use the sleeping bag over this entire period Because well, the sleeping bag wouldn’t fit me at this point, I grew out of it around the age of 12. However That same sleeping bag has been passed down to each one of my siblings over the years, so it has had continuous use over the years. By continuous use I mean – used 4 to 6 times a month, during the summer months.
This has made me curious as to how long a sleeping bag can or should last? I mean from the looks of it, this sleeping bag that has been passed down over the years seems to be in pretty decent shape although it does look to be a little flat? Anyway, this has spurred interest in the topic as to how long sleeping bags are good for and when it should be time to get a new one or if there are ways to revamp an old sleeping bag?
I went and did some in-depth research on the topic of how long sleeping bags are good for, and I came across some interesting stuff. And some stories that kind of surprised me that I will share below. But first off let’s answer the question directly.
How Long Do Sleeping Bags Last???
Depending on the material used to make the sleeping bag, and the type of insulation used. You can expect to see 4 to 10 years of use out of it but this number does depend greatly as to how often you use the sleeping bag, and how well that sleeping bag is taken care of over the years. The number above is kind of an average mark. You could likely see many more years, upwards of 20 to 30 years if you do a great job taking care of your sleeping bag, and storing your sleeping bag in the proper way.
Now, this is all relative as there are so many different uses people have for sleeping bags, Because of this trying to estimate a timeframe such as 5 to 10 years becomes quite difficult. For example, say you use your sleeping bag 365 nights out of the year (Every night) you likely won’t see that sleeping bag last anywhere near five years. But on the other side of that coin, if you simply use it as a weekender camping sleep system, odds are you will see it live to be 5 + years old.
Now that you have kind of a general range as to the average lifespan of a sleeping bag, let’s begin to dig into this a little bit deeper. From what I hear, it sounds like Down sleeping bags typically last much longer than synthetic sleeping bags.
What is Down you may be asking?? Well, Down is a type of insulation that is used inside of sleeping bags, coats, pillows and things alike. Down comes from the undercoating of goose and duck feathers. It is considered to be one of the best insulators for sleeping bags and coats, the one downside Down insulation has is it doesn’t do well with water. Anyway, back to the life expectancy of a sleeping bag:
the most common reasons as to why down insulation typically lasts longer than synthetic insulation is because synthetic insulation degrades quicker with use than down insulation will. Also, in terms of warmth retention, down is able to hold its temperature rating for a longer period of time when compared to synthetic insulators. By temperature rating I mean that number you’ll see on you’re sleeping bags label that states how cold of a temperature that sleeping bag should be used.
And yes typically sleeping bags over time do begin to lose their warmth rating, as over time the insulation inside your sleeping bag will begin to lose its Loft. But typically it takes quite a long time for this to occur, kind of like the above time frame of 5 to 10 years. However, this will occur sooner for synthetic sleeping bags.
Average Life Expectancy For Down Sleeping Bags
Now that you have kind of an overall average, let’s dive deeper into each specific insulating Factor. Let’s start off with down insulation. Based on the numbers above (5 to 10 years) down pushes its way toward the top, making 10 years your average life expectancy for a down sleeping bag. But 10 years is not the limit, as there are many stories out there on the internet of people using sleeping bags for upwards of 40 to 50 years. Given, this isn’t daily use, but rather the average Weekender who enjoys a camp out every once in a while with the family and friends.
But again this is all relative truly a lot of the life expectancy of a sleeping bag will depend heavily upon the build of the sleeping bag and the quality of that sleeping bag. I’m a big believer in you get what you pay for, so when it comes to sleeping bag life I don’t really think you could expect a good old Wal-Mart special sleeping bag that you picked up for $35 to have a life expectancy of upwards 30 years plus… But that’s just my thoughts.
Average Life Expectancy For Synthetic Sleeping Bags
Now that we have gone over down less begin to cover synthetic insulation. First off, what is synthetic insulation?
Synthetic insulation is basically the man-made version of down insulation. With an attempt to make it even better. You see one big drawback of using down is, once it gets wet it basically becomes useless as all of its heat retention qualities have been diminished at least until it has had a period of time to dry out. However, with synthetics, they have been designed to still retain heat even if it has gotten wet.
So I guess you could say in some aspects synthetics do better than down but in other aspects down does much better. For example, down has a better heat to weight ratio (meaning down weighs a lot less than synthetic for the same temperature rating). But synthetics don’t become completely useless When Wet as down will.
Depending upon the synthetic construction of the sleeping bag, a heavily used synthetic sleeping bag will typically make it anywhere from 2 to 4 years. But as time goes on and Technology gets better we could see these numbers continue to rise.
Do Sleeping Bags Expire?
As we’ve been talking about life expectancies and such for different types of sleeping bags, now begs the question as to what point a sleeping bag will expire, or if there is such thing as an exploration date for a sleeping bag?
This will heavily depend upon the condition of a sleeping bag, and how you feel inside the sleeping bag. Has once the sleeping bag begins to go downhill you likely will start to notice a difference in heat retention inside the sleeping bag along with comfort, Loft, and the overall look and feel of the sleeping bag. If after 5 to 10 years it looks flatter and a lot less fluffy, and you’re having a tough time staying warm inside the sleeping bag? Then yes it may be a good time to swap it out for a new one.
But like I said above this is all dependent upon how you feel about the sleeping bag. It’s not so much a specific time frame that is sleeping bag is good for. Given, not everyone uses a sleeping bag the same. and as much or as little as others do.
A good rule of thumb that I like to go by is: If it keeps me warm, and I’m comfortable it’s good enough for me. But once it starts going downhill I’ll begin to start looking for a new one.
Do Sleeping Bags Lose Warmth Over Time?
We discuss this a little bit above but I think it’s a good idea to delve deeper into the topic and the reasons why a sleeping bag may lose its warmth rating over time. First of all, what is the warmth rating of a sleeping bag?
Simply put, the warmth rating for a sleeping bag is based upon the coldest temperatures it should be used. For example, say you just purchased a sleeping bag that has a temperature reading of 20 degrees. This will mean that, that sleeping bag can be used in any temperature above 20° and still provide you with the necessary warmth.
Now, the issues that we are facing here is: will that same sleeping bag (Our Sample) that is rated to be used in temperatures greater than 20° lose that warmth rating over time? And or how long will that sleeping bag be able to hold that 20° rating for?
Yes, the warmth rating of any sleeping bag is very likely to decline in a way but I guess it would be the opposite so the warmth retention rating would go up so for example, using our sample sleeping bag that is rated at 20 degrees. Over a 10-year period, with average use, we can likely see that minimum temperature rating go up. Which is kind of the opposite direction we would like it to go.
As the higher, the temperature rating goes the less useful that sleeping bag becomes because it won’t keep you warm in those same colder temperatures as before. I hope this is making sense?
So what can be done to prevent the loss of heat retention your sleeping bag provides? We will go into this below. But first what is it that is causing this temperature rating loss?
Well, the obvious one is improper care. But there are many different aspects to that such as storing the sleeping bag, cleaning the sleeping bag, overall use of the sleeping bag and so on…
By overall use, I mean sleeping in the dirt with a sleeping bag, or on surfaces that are quite rough on the sleeping bag such as textured floors, and or concrete floors. As these will cause the bag to wear and tear as you move around during your sleep. By simply sleeping on a blanket or on a sleeping pad. You can greatly minimize the wear and tear.
The other two I think are quite self-explanatory, at least the cleaning aspect. As cleaning a sleeping bag is a quite daunting and meticulous task as there are a lot of steps to be taken, that could otherwise cause problems and our damage to the sleeping bag later on. So be sure to check your user manual or the tags on your sleeping bag for proper cleaning methods.
Now storage, this is one that I actually just recently learned about because growing up I have always been taught to pack my sleeping bag into its provided stuff sack and then when I get home simply throw a pack in the closet as is (inside the stuff sack…). But turns out this is the completely wrong way to store your sleeping bag, as by doing this but the sleeping bag will lose its Loft. And become flat, well flattered. Because what is happening is as it sits stuffed tight in the stuff sack. It begins to hold its shape, after being stuffed tight like that for an extended period of time.
Kind of like when you were a kid and you would make funny faces and adults would tell you if you keep doing that your face will get stuck that way??? Only in this sense the sleeping bag actually will begin to flatten out and get it kinda stuck in a way. But there are ways to fix this by simply throwing your sleeping bag in the dryer (Front load drier) with some tennis balls you can actually bring some of the Loft back into the sleeping bag. Kind of like fluffing a pillow, typically you at the pillow on all four sides and after a short. Of time the pillow becomes a little bit fluffier.
Same sort of concept except instead of you manually having to fluff the sleeping bag the tennis balls are doing that for you.
now let’s dive into, how to prolong the overall life of your sleeping bag. And what you can begin doing now so your sleeping bag last for a long time.
How To Prolong The Life Of Your Sleeping Bag
- Proper Care Is Key
- Use Proper Cleaning Method (Check the user manual or Tags for proper cleaning method)
- Store outside of the stuff sack when not in use (If possible, leave sleeping bag laid out flat on a shelf in a dark place)
- Do what you can to keep it dry (Unless washing)
- Don’t pack it up for storage wet. This will cause mold, and destroy the sleeping bag.
- Sleep on soft Surfaces. (This will keep outerwear of the sleeping bag to a minimum)
- Let it air out in the morning before Packing up (this will prevent it from getting very smelly and require you the need to wash it less often)
- Chang into clean clothes before heading to bed, as this will also prevent un-necessary washing needs later on.
- If you lend out your sleeping bag, be sure to give the Borrower the full rundown of caring for the bag.
Conclusion
In Final, truly if it seems like something will damage your sleeping bag? It’s probably a good idea to avoid doing that when possible. For example, if you plan to hike up high on the mountain and sleep under the stars it’s probably a good idea to plan ahead and take a tarp, blanket, or something alike that you can lay on the ground that will provide you a barrier between your sleeping bag and the raw ground.
It’s the little things like this that can help prolong the life of your sleeping bag.
And honestly let’s face it, Not many of us care to Fork out the money for a new sleeping bag…
