Video: How Do Sleeping Bag Temperature Ratings Work?

Yesterday I shared a video that offered some tips on how to stay warm on a cool or cold weather camping trip. An important part of that process is the sleeping bag and sleeping pad that you bring along with you, each of which have their own temperature rating to help us understand what conditions they work best in. If you’ve ever wondered how the temperature ratings for sleeping bags work, then today’s video is definitely for you. It takes a look at how manufacturers decide on those ratings, while offering some things to keep in mind when you’re shopping for a new bag.

Kraig Becker

4 thoughts on “Video: How Do Sleeping Bag Temperature Ratings Work?”

  1. I am totally skeptical of these ratings. I have had 3 different sleeping bags and none have been good for their rating, no matter how much clothes I wear.

    • They can be a little challenging for sure and all of us have different comfort levels. My wife had a hard time staying warm in cooler temporaries, while I can sleep in my bag quite comfortably in just my skivvies. The ratings are more of a suggestion sometimes, rather than hard and fast rules. A lot of companies have taken to using two ratings because of this. A “comfortable” temperature rating and an “emergency” rating too.

  2. no one I know has ever trusted these ratings to be anything close to real. More like 15 degrees “optimistic” with tons of “qualifiers.”

  3. It’s no like there is a department of sleeping bags like a department of transportation that keeps all our tires the same size. Its whatever the manufacturer thinks is o.k.

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