Sleeping Bag Temperature Ratings Explained
Sleeping bag temperature ratings explained.
What temperature is your sleeping bag built for?
Each sleeping bag has a rating indicating the temperature range that you can use it in and stay comfortable. This range is influenced by the insulation type, the construction, and the design features.
Discover what the temperature rating on your sleeping bag means, and how we test our bags to give them their rating.
EN testing – lab temperature testing.
We use the EN ISO 23537 standard to rate most of our sleeping bags. This standard is in place to help give baseline temperature measurements of sleeping bags across the industry. The EN ISO test produces a series of temperature limits which are roughly described as:
indicates the minimum temperature where an individual can sleep in a relaxed position and get a good night’s sleep.
is the lowest temperature where a person sleeping in a curled position and fighting against the cold can still sleep through the night.
This is the rating we use in the names of our sleeping bags, because it reflects the minimum temperature at which most users would expect to sleep in the bag under typical conditions.
is for an emergency scenario – it’s the minimum temperature a person can remain in the sleeping bag for up to six hours in a curled position while really fighting against the cold. It’s worth bearing in mind that frostbite at these temperatures is very possible.
Disclaimer: Our quilts and expedition sleeping bags fall outside the scope of the EN standard, which doesn’t cover quilt constructions or measure performance below -20°C.
We still test these products using the same methods outlined in the standard and use those results to calculate a reliable advisory Limit of Comfort rating.
How does it work?
A thermal mannequin is placed into the sleeping bag being tested, on a standard foam roll mat. A series of measurements are taken to see how insulating that sleeping bag is in various temperatures.
EN Testing Explained.
