How to choose the right sleeping bag

Coming to Iceland, you may know, if you have been perusing our website, that we offer few different types of sleeping bags well suited for the Icelandic weather. If you have been wondering which one you should select, this post is for you!

Our three different sleeping bags may look similar at a first glance, but they are meant for different camping needs.

1. Indoors sleeping bag. It comes at a bargain price, and is perfect for sleeping indoors, in a heated area (houses in Iceland are usually pretty warm – heating is so cheap that sometimes we kind of overdo it!). In Iceland you can often get affordable lodging at hostels or chalets, on condition that you bring your own bedding. This bag is the ideal solution for this kind of sleeping arrangements: it’s soft and warm, but not too thick, and it’s very light to carry.
   A word of warning to the wise traveler: do not be tempted by the low price to rent this bag and use it outdoors! Nights in Iceland are pretty cool, and the thinner fill would not provide you with the necessary insulation. (In other words: kudos for the thrifty idea, but trust us, after shivering in the tent for a few hours you’ll be wondering why you didn’t listen to the Iceland Camping Equipment staff’s warning…)
2. Synthetic fill sleeping bag. This is our most popular sleeping bag, and understandably so: it’s soft, comfy and warm. We are talking about a 3-4 season bag, designed to keep you warm all the way from the Icelandic spring to autumn. This means that, even though summer nights in Iceland are usually cooler than in most other parts, this bag’s synthetic fill will still keep you comfortably warm. For all camping experts out there, we are talking about a bag with 0°c comfort temperature !
   This smartly designed bag also has an adjustable shoulder baffle around the hood, to keep all your body warmth inside during the night. Bonus item: when you rent this bag, we also include a cotton liner! That’s a lovely fitted sheet that will give you even better insulation and quality of sleep. Use the liner – you won’t regret it!

Many of our customers sleeping in a tent also choose to add a mat to the mix: it’s a bit more weight to carry, but it really helps insulating from the cold and humidity seeping in from the ground. As a plus, our mats are self-inflating (a truly great invention!), which means that you don’t have to carry a pump or waste time by inflating them manually.

3. Down fill sleeping bag. This is our warmest sleeping bag. This bag is filled with down feathers, which make it extremely soft and warm (the bag’s comfort temperature is -3° C). We advise this bag to customers who camp during the colder seasons (April, early May and September-October), or plan to spend quite a bit of time camping in the highlands, as nights can get very chilly then and there. This item is also quite popular with travelers coming from hot areas, such as Brazil or Australia (probably because what we call “cool nights” here is considered “winter cold” there :) )
   This bag also comes with a lovely liner, which will keep you warm and comfy the whole night. The self-inflating mat is also a popular add-on to this bag, as it does the necessary extra bit to remove that wet, cold ground feeling you can get when camping.

So, which sleeping bag should you pick when traveling in Iceland ?

If you will be sleeping indoors, it’s an easy choice: our lightweight indoors sleeping bag will just do the trick.

If you are going to be sleeping in a tent, the right bag is often a matter of personal preference. The vast majority of our customers visiting in the summer sleep very well with the synthetic fill sleeping bag. However, if you often feel cold and are traveling from a much warmer place, you may want to consider a down fill sleeping bag.

If you have more questions, do not hesitate to drop us a line :)