Popular Mechanics Tells Us How to Clean Our Sleeping Bags

Recently we’ve seen a number of videos sharing advice and tips on how to best clean our gear to keep it performing at a high level. This philosophy extends to just about everything we use in the outdoors, from jackets to our boots, and pretty much everything in-between. But, there are other items that need to be cleaned as well, including gear that we don’t wear while out on the trail. Take our sleeping bags for instance, which play a vital role in our comfort on any adventure, although they don’t often get the attention they deserve in return.

Recently, Popular Mechanics posted a short, but very helpful, article on how to properly clean your sleeping bag. The story lays out the reasons why it is important to keep your bag clean and even goes to a good source to find out exactly how to accomplish that task. Nels Larson, Senior Product Manager at Kelty, lends his expert advice to readers, offering up some idea on how to best clean your bag and keep it performing at an optimal level.

What’s Larson’s first tip? Well, it just might surprise you. He tells Pop Mech “If properly cared for a bag can be used for many seasons without needing to be washed. Therefore, only wash if soiled.” In other words, our sleeping bags are actually built to withstand plenty of use and don’t need to be washed as often as you might think.

That said, if and when you do end up needing to wash your sleeping bags, these are several steps and approaches to making that happen. Larson provides some great tips on how to exactly do that, including cleaning up food stains or dealing with persistent odors. The PM article explains how to clean your bag both at home and at a laundromat. But best of all, we also get some advice on who to avoid having to wash your bag at all.

All in all, there are some good, basic and very helpful suggestions to glean from this article. If you’re gearing up for an autumn camping trip, then it’s definitely worth a look.

Kraig Becker

1 thought on “<em>Popular Mechanics</em> Tells Us How to Clean Our Sleeping Bags”

  1. Very good article.
    When I have washed my bag I gently role the bag into a laundry basket and then take it to the dryer. No picking it up.

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