- Sleeping Bag Label
My camping gear consists primarily of items inherited from a previous generation. My usual sleeping bag is a time-honored Coleman design featuring a drab green exterior and a comfy flannel lining with a red and tan print of birds and wildlife that I think is intended to evoke memories of an autumn hunt. It must be filled with something close to raw cotton stock and it has provided good service in both warm and cool weather adventures. The problem is that, even after years of practice, the best packing job still results in an article with the volume of a bushel of apples and the weight of, well, a bushel of cotton. Let’s say greater than five pounds and leave it at that. It just isn’t designed for strapping to a dainty bike rack and transporting it any distance under human power.
As usual, it’s technology to the rescue, and I’m off browsing pages of frustratingly similar thumbnails of modern portable sleeping enclosures. Much to my surprise, the discount rack provides respectable options under $100. I’ve also learned that the state of the art has advanced to distinguish sleeping bag designs by gender. Apparently, the philosophy is that the best temperature control can be provided when the bag is fit to one’s shape and the insulation is arranged to complement one’s own distribution of bodily insulation. Okay, I get it, but unless they’re going to start custom tailoring bags I doubt the gender distinction alone is sufficient to make these kinds of adjustments accurately. Anyone who leaves their house knows that the variation of real people on the street is unpredictable. After all, why do we have 50 stores full of clothing in every town? Thus, when I discovered that women’s bags are, on average, lighter (!), I was sold.
Now, I’m the pround owner of a
Lafuma EXTREME 1000 ! Awesome name, but I’m still trying to figure out what’s extreme about a 30°F sleeping bag for girls. Unless it’s the fact that this bundle of snuggles can be squeezed down to less than a third of a bushel and weighs less than 2.5lbs! It’s
comparable in size to a common two liter bottle and sizes up to my bike rack perfectly. Getting the bag and the soon-to-be-discussed hammock on top of the rack at the same time will be a bit challenging, but at least falls in the realm of possible!
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nice entry and funny
You made me laugh so much I was crying:)))))
I believe we just had a conversation about how you get cold easy. This is typical of girls for various reasons, no mal intent here :-p, and therefore it would suit you to get a girl’s sleeping bag. Of course, this is me assuming that the sleeping bag making world knows this fun fact, and caters to it. So I would say, job well done!
Hmmm, that sounds like MY sleeping bag!-)