The last of the Big 3 Items you have to carry is your sleeping system. My and Roslyn's sleep system is an inflatable sleeping pad. sleeping bag, and extra clothing layers as appropriate, using left over clothes a stuff sack as a pillow. Our system has worked well for us so far. With our current gear we have slept reasonably well down to -3C while wearing a couple extra layers.
When picking out a sleeping system, there are a number of options for each part of it:
- Sleeping Pad - no pad, self-inflating pad, closed cell foam pad, inflatable pad
- Top Layer Style - sleeping bag or sleeping quilt (might be others we haven't come across)
- Top Layer Fill - down or synthetic
- Pillow - none, scrounged pillow, inflatable pillow, foam pillow
- Extra Layers - what will you wear while under your Top Layer?
Sleeping Pads
Sleeping pads are a critical part of any sleep system. While some people do go out in the summer without sleeping pads, unless the weather is very warm and the ground very soft we highly recommend taking one. The purpose of the sleeping pad is to keep you elevated off the ground, which will both keep you warmer as an air gap will slow the pace of heat loss into the ground and it will keep you more comfortable since all the lumps on the ground will be smoothed out. Each type of sleeping pad has some different characteristics:
Closed Cell Foam Pads - Solid foam pad that is very rugged, though does not provide as much cushion as the other pad types. Closed cell foam pads tend to be cheaper, more robust, but less comfortable than the other sleeping pad types
Self-Inflating Pad - Self-inflating pads are air inflated pads that have a foam core inside them to force the outer skin of the pad open. Most self inflating pads take about 10 minutes to inflate on their own, and adding a couple breaths if your own gives them some extra plumpness. Self inflating pads generally pack down smaller than closed cell foam pads, though they are not as robust and can be punctured and made unusable.
Inflatable Sleeping Pads - Inflatable sleeping require you to blow them up, usually requiring 10 to 30 breaths depending on the size of the pad. Inflatable sleeping pads tend to pack down the smallest of the pad types. Like self-inflating pads, inflatable sleeping pads can be punctured and made unusable.
Other than size and weight, when picking a sleeping pad you also need to consider the insulation value of the sleeping pad, the R-value. The higher the value the warmer the pad will keep you.
Our recommendation for a sleeping pad is an inflatable sleeping pad with an R-value of 4 or more, and at least one inch thick. A sleeping pad like this will be more than you require for much of the summer, but will also work well in the edge season and help you extend your backpacking season. If you plan on only going out in good weather, you can benefit from getting a sleeping pad with an R-value of 3 or lower due to the smaller size and weight.
Top Layer
Your top layer is the other critical part of your sleep system and there are two major choices to make; Sleeping Bag vs Quilt and Down vs Synthetic. If you pick a sleeping bag you also need to choose between a Rectangular Cut and a Mummy Cut style bag. The choices largely come down to personal preference though there are advantages and disadvantages to each option.
Sleeping Bag - Sleeping bags are essentially a tube of material that you slid into or lay in and close with a zipper that enclose you in insulated material to keep you warm. Due to their construction, sleeping bags restrict movement more than a quilt and tend to be heavier for their temperature rating due to having more insulation and material.
Quilt - A quilt is essentially a blanket that you place over yourself, with the main benefits being less restricted movement and lighter weight for the same temperature rating. Quilts take advantage of the fact that any down or synthetic material you are laying on generally won't provide much warmth since it is compressed, and do away with the material to reduce weight. This does increase the risk of drafts getting in under the quilt compared to a sleeping bag, but many quilts are designed to wrap down around the sleeping pad a bit to help combat this.
Mummy Cut - A mummy cut sleeping bag is shaped in a body silhouette to reduce size and weight. This does restrict your movement even more than a regular sleeping bag would, but also reduced the number and sizes of cold spots inside your bag.
Rectangular Cut - A rectangular cut sleeping bag is shaped in a rectangle and offers less restriction than a mummy cut bag, though they weight more and tend to have more cold spots.
Down Fill - Down fill is a natural feather fill that offers better warmth per size than synthetic fill does. Down tends to be more expensive, does not work as well when wet, and required more care than a synthetic fill does.
Synthetic Fill - Synthetic fill is a manufactured fill that is bulkier than down for the amount of warmth it provides. It does retain some insulating properties when wet, is less expensive, and requires less care than down fill does.
When picking a top layer you also need to determine what temperature rating or fill power you want out to go with. Higher fill powers are warmer and are used for lower temperatures. Many top layers will have either an EN or ISO temperature rating however, so you do not need to determine what you want based purely on the fill power.
We recommend finding a top layer that has an EN/ISO Comfort Level (for women) or Lower Limit (for men) temperature rating about 5C lower than the lowest temperature you expect to go out in. In our experience, the temperature ratings are a bit optimistic. Otherwise, pick the top layer style and fill that best suits your sleeping and budget preferences.
Roslyn and I use a mummy cut sleeping bag rated to about 3C for the majority of the season, with Roslyn's being synthetic and mine being down filled. For edge season we have mummy cut sleeping bags rated to about -5C for the relevant temperature level, and the are both down filled.
Pillow
Pillows are a less critical sleeping item, but are still important for most peoples comfort. For a pillow you can bring an inflatable pillow, a small foam pillow, or a scrounged pillow.
Inflatable pillow - Like an inflatable sleeping pad, this as a small inflatable piece of fabric that you can roll us and store while hiking. They tend to provide the best results as they can be the size and hardness you desire.
Foam pillow - Foam pillows take up a lot of space compared to the other options, but if you can fit them in they can work.
Scrounged pillow - A pillow created from a left over sack of some kind and whatever you have to fill it. Scrounged pillows are usually sufficient, but add absolutely no weight or cost to your system.
Roslyn and I use scrounged pillows. We take whatever clothing we are not using and fill out sleeping bag stuff sacks with it to act as a pillow. We've found that this works well enough for us and recommend it if you are not a picky sleeper.
Extra Layers
Your sleep system also needs to take into account any extra layers you are going to be wearing. Base layers, socks, puffy jackets, and extra pants all come into play to help keep weight down by wearing them instead of taking a warmer sleeping bag. Lower temperature sleeping bags in the 5C and lower range also expect you to be wearing some kind of base layer to be comfortable in their expected temperature ratings.
A normal set of extra layers for us is a light top and bottom base layer to help with any drafts and to help wick moisture away. In colder weather, we also wear 1-2 pairs of socks, toques/hats, gloves, a puffy jacket and extra pants. With our warmer sleeping bags (comfortable to around 3C) and out cold weather outfits we have been able to sleep okay in temperatures down to about -4C.
Your sleep system is going to be one of the most expensive and bulky parts of your backpacking gear and should be well thought out. It will also impact your comfort levels and recovery a lot, so you should make sure it is adequate for your needs.
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