Comparison Deuter Orbit -5 vs Pinguin Topas 185

— Expeditionary. The most "extreme" type of sleeping bags, designed primarily for use on long trips, including in the cold season and in high mountains. A prerequisite for expedition bags is a low extreme temperature (see below) — -20 °C and below; exceptions are found only among children's models. As for the design, bags of this type are often equipped with hoods, thermal collars, they can provide fastening (for more details, see "Characteristics").

— Trekking. Sleeping bags designed primarily for use on hiking or cycling trips. Their key features are compactness and light weight, which make it easy to transport on your own. Because of this, trekking sleeping bags are much more expensive than camping ones with similar characteristics — lightweight and at the same time high-quality materials are not cheap. So for a permanent stay in one place, it hardly makes sense to pay attention to this category. Also note that sleeping bags for this purpose are designed mainly for use in the warm season — in spring / autumn and/or summer — and are made mainly in the form of cocoons, although there are exceptions to both rules.

— Camping. A type of sleeping bag designed to provide comfort while constantly staying in one place in relatively uncomplicated conditions. Such a bag can be useful, for example, at a picnic with an overnight sta...y, a multi-day summer festival, etc.; but for long-term wearing “on oneself”, camping models are poorly suited due to their relatively large dimensions and weight. The seasonality of sleeping bags for this purpose may be different, but it is worth noting that most of these products are made in the form of blanket bags (see "Type").

The season for which the sleeping bag was originally intended. Note that many models are designed for more than one season — winter and spring / autumn or spring / autumn and summer ; there are even all-season products. However, anyway, when buying, it is worth clarifying not only this nuance, but also the specific temperature characteristics of the selected model (see below).

In general, the assignment of a sleeping bag to one or another seasonality largely depends on how the manufacturer positions this model. However, in each category there are some common features, here they are:

— Winter. Sleeping bags suitable for winter usually meet the following minimum requirements: at least the temperature of the comfort limit in them should be below zero, and if it is higher, then the extreme temperature should be low enough (-20 °C or less). Also, a sleeping bag is definitely considered winter if its comfort temperature is below -5 °C.

— Spring/Autumn. Sleeping bags designed for the off-season should be comfortable enough both in warm weather and in case of sudden frosts. Therefore, the comfort temperature in them can be quite low — up to -5 °C inclusive. On the other hand, there are also combined "off-season-summer" models, where the extreme temperature is as much as +10 °C. So the specific characteristics of such a...sleeping bag should be specified especially carefully.

— Summer. A summer sleeping bag should provide comfort at high temperatures, so many models from this category have a comfort t ° of the order of +15 °C, or even higher. At the same time, summer seasonality can also be indicated for models with lower comfort temperatures (even below zero). In such cases, the manufacturer proceeds from the fact that if it is hot in the sleeping bag, you can open up or undress (recall, the temperature regimes are indicated for a person in thermal underwear).

Since a sleeping bag is a travel outfit, its weight can be one of the key characteristics. Two points should be taken into account here: firstly, more insulation usually requires more material and increases weight, and secondly, warm models with low weight are much more expensive than heavier options with the same temperature characteristics.

Also, when choosing a sleeping bag, you should decide what exactly you are buying it for. If we are talking about picnics, festivals and other simple trips to nature without long walks, or if you plan to carry equipment by car, you can not pay much attention to weight, focus on other characteristics. If you plan to go on long hiking or cycling trips, you should choose a model with a minimum weight.

As for specific numbers, most modern sleeping bags are in the range of 1.1 – 1.5 kg or 1.6 – 2 kg, although there are quite a few ultra-light models — 1 kg or less. An indicator of 2.1 – 2.5 kg is already considered quite significant, and a weight of 2.6 – 3 kg or more is found mainly in two types of sleeping bags: separate expeditionary models with a high degree of insulation, as well as double products.

The comfort limit temperature of this sleeping bag.

Some manufacturers use their own criteria for specifying this temperature, but EN13537 is considered the generally accepted standard. According to him, t of the comfort limit is the lowest ambient temperature at which a man in thermal underwear can comfortably sleep in a sleeping bag all night (at least 8 hours) in a heat-saving position (curling up) without waking up from the cold. Such criteria are used taking into account the fact that men are less likely to get cold during sleep than women, and the acceptable temperature for them is slightly lower. Of course, in each individual case, comfort will also depend on the characteristics of the body and the preparation of the tourist. However, in general, the general rule is: if the sleeping bag is used by a man, then the minimum temperature at the place of lodging should ideally be between comfort t and comfort limit t; for a woman, a few degrees must be added to the comfort limit t, and it is best to focus on comfort t (see above).

This indicator is quite closely related to seasonality. So, for winter use, t of the comfort limit should be less than -4 ... 0 °C ; in the warmest models, it can be very low, -15 °C and below. In purely summer and even spring/autumn models, there are values of +10 °C and even higher, however, if you are afraid of sudden col...d snaps at night, it is advisable to choose sleeping bags with indicators of at least +6..10 °С, and preferably +1...5 °C(especially for the off-season).

Some manufacturers use their own criteria to indicate this temperature, but the generally accepted standard is EN13537. According to it, the comfort limit t is the lowest ambient temperature at which a man in thermal underwear can comfortably sleep in a sleeping bag all night (at least 8 hours) without waking up from the cold in a heat-saving position (curled up). Of course, in each individual case, comfort will also depend on the characteristics of the body and the training of the tourist.

The comfort temperature of this sleeping bag.

Some manufacturers use their own criteria for specifying this temperature, but EN13537 is considered the generally accepted standard. According to this standard, comfort t is the lowest ambient temperature at which a woman in thermal underwear can comfortably sleep in a sleeping bag all night (at least 8 hours) in a relaxed position without waking up from the cold. This definition is taken from the considerations that women are more likely to get cold during sleep than men. Of course, the actual comfort will depend on the characteristics of the body and the preparation of a particular person. However, most likely, at ambient temperatures at the level of comfort t and above, it will be comfortable (or even hot) in a sleeping bag for any user, regardless of gender. For details on temperature selection features, see "comfort limit t" below.

Specific values of t comfort in modern sleeping bags can often be -5 ..-9 °C, or even lower, however, there are also models for hot weather — + 10 ... 15 °C and even higher. At the same time, we note that seasonality and the possibility of winter use are not strictly related to this indicator: in particular, winter models can have a comfort t of +15 °С, or even +20 °С.

Some manufacturers use their own criteria to indicate this temperature, but the generally accepted standard is EN13537. According to it, the comfort limit t is the lowest ambient temperature at which a woman in thermal underwear can sleep in a sleeping bag all night (at least 8 hours) in a heat-saving position (curled up), maintaining thermal balance. Of course, in each individual case, comfort will also depend on the characteristics of the body and the preparation of the tourist.

Extreme temperature of this sleeping bag.

Some manufacturers use their own criteria for specifying this temperature, but EN13537 is considered the generally accepted standard. According to him, the extreme temperature is the temperature at which a well-trained female tourist of a dense physique (height 160 cm, weight 60 kg) in thermal underwear can spend the night (at least 6 hours) in a sleeping bag in a heat-saving position (“kalachik”) without the risk of hypothermia. Such criteria are taken from the considerations that a person's resistance to cold depends on gender (women are colder than men), physique (thin people are more sensitive to cold) and training. It is worth noting here that if you are not used to hiking conditions, then the extreme temperature should be considered as the lowest temperature at which you can spend the night in a sleeping bag without risking your life. At the same time, there is no question of comfort, in addition, there is a high probability of hypothermia; so at such temperatures, not only high-quality thermal underwear, but also additional insulation may be required.

— Synthetic. Insulation based on synthetic fibers, usually polyester. The main advantage of this material is its resistance to moisture: when wet, it not only retains its strength but also continues to maintain most of its thermal insulation properties, and drying such a sleeping bag is easy — when hung, most of the water drains off in the first few minutes. Additionally, synthetic materials do not cause allergies. On the other hand, the overall thermal insulation of such sleeping bags is somewhat lower than that of down, and prolonged storage in a compression sack further reduces it due to fiber compression. Modern sleeping bags may use short and long synthetic fibers; the first option generally has better characteristics, while the second is significantly cheaper.

— Down. Natural duck or goose down is mainly used in premium-class sleeping bags. With smaller dimensions and weight than synthetic materials, this material has significantly better thermal insulation. On the other hand, down is very sensitive to moisture, losing its insulating properties when wet and drying quite slowly. Therefore, many down bags have special water-repellent coatings and/or come with synthetic waterproof covers. The prices of such sleeping bags are noticeably higher than synthetic ones. Overall, down bags are considered suitable primarily for winter hikes and mountain climbing. It is also worth noting that people prone t...o allergies should use this material with caution.

— Combined. This category includes sleeping bags based on high-quality synthetic materials designed to replace down (see above). Such materials are comparable to down in terms of insulation, lightness, and compactness, while lacking the main drawback — sensitivity to moisture: they do not absorb water and dry significantly faster. However, the price of such sleeping bags is accordingly higher.

— Cotton. Sleeping bags with cotton filling provide comfort and good thermoregulation due to the natural properties of the material. Cotton is soft, hypoallergenic, and pleasant to the skin, making these bags suitable for people with sensitive skin. However, cotton filling is less effective at retaining heat compared to synthetic materials and dries slowly when wet, making it less practical for hiking in damp or cold weather. These bags are more suitable for camping in dry and moderate climates.