Are You A Cold Sleeper?

Over the many years that I have been manufacturing sleeping bags one of the most common occurrences that has been presented to me by people interested in buying a new sleeping bag is their statement to me that they are “cold sleepers”. They ask what I have that will keep them warm under this or that circumstance. My first question to them is were you actually sleeping? And of course they answer no.

I have no idea as to the history of people claiming that they sleep cold but it is not supported by reality. When you are cold you cannot sleep. When people camp they may eat well and then get into their sleeping bag and initially they are warm and comfortable. They say that the bag they have is rated for the temperature they were experiencing, was it? Of course not!

Because the insulation used in the bag is inadequate, heat loss occurs early on. You do not notice at first because your metabolism increases. The food you ate is your fuel. The faster you lose heat the more rapid the heater performs. Your body automatically increases your metabolic rate even though you do not realize. Once all of the fuel you have in your body is consumed you start to cool down and ultimately you wake up because you are cold. You simply do not sleep when you are cold so you cannot be a “cold sleeper”. People who are cold do not sleep.

When you start adding clothing, the clothing will be what you had been wearing all day so there is probably moisture in the clothing that hasn’t dried out. Therefore, the fabric the clothing is made of as well as the moisture that is in the clothing which is two separate entities that are now absorbing the heat from your body. Is it any wonder that you are cold and of course not sleeping!

I peruse some of the forums so I can learn from the camping public some of the problems that people experience and this is a major problem. Most of the responders on these forums — about 100 percent of them — do not have a clue and offer advice that they “think” will be beneficial versus advice based upon factual experience that will work.

The answer to the problem is very simple; what they need is a Wiggy bag that is correctly rated for the use it is being used for. Of course most of the people you find on these backpacker based forums will tell you Wiggy’s bags will work but they are heavy and bulky, etc. If the Wiggy bag does the job and it’s 8 ounces heavier that the bag that isn’t working is it heavier for the job, no. Then there is the other advantage that is only available with a Wiggy bag: it works when it is wet, or you are wet, and it has been documented thousands of times that the Lamilite insulation is so efficient that it actually drives the moisture in the bag out of the bag. If one were to read the many testimonials on this site, it becomes evident of this attribute. Each and every person who has told me of their “cold sleepless” nights who then bought a Wiggy’s bag has never again had that experience with their Wiggy bag.