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Side Sleepers Sleeping Bag

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PostedJun 13, 2009 at 1:31 pm

I'm just thinking out loud here really, and maybe this is an idea that doesn't warrant discussion, I don't really know. But sleeping on your side in a fetal position is a more thermally efficient manner of sleeping (correct?) And a great deal of us are side sleepers anyways, so why are all sleeping bags designed for people who sleep on their back.

A side sleepers bag could be custom designed as a shorter bag shaped for side sleeping. I always have to sleep on my left side, why not have a bag shaped for my sleeping pattern. I'm pretty sure the overall square footage of such a bag would be smaller (thus a reduction in weight), and since the fetal position is more thermally efficient this could be a reduction of insulation as well.

Could this also lead to the creation of sleeping pads designed for side sleepers with hip dips and neck bumps… Sounds like a good idea to me?

Am I crazy?

Stephen Barber BPL Member
PostedJun 13, 2009 at 1:57 pm

Are you crazy? I don't know, but I would love to find a side sleeping system. The best I've found so far is to use a quilt instead of a bag……

No joy on pads, though.

Brad Groves BPL Member
PostedJun 13, 2009 at 2:06 pm

I dunno… I'm a side sleeper and I'm using a very narrow mummy bag. Roll on my side, pull up my knees, it's all good. The bag moves with me. There's enough room to skew a leg off a bit if needed. And since the bag weighs 14 ounces, I'm betting you wouldn't find something much lighter.

PostedJun 13, 2009 at 4:01 pm

I agree with Stephen.
It took me years to find it, but a quilt is side sleeping heaven. :)

PostedJun 13, 2009 at 7:32 pm

As mentioned, if you move with the bag, your sleeping position is not really an issue. Of course if you really curl up into a ball, I find the knees and hips compress the insulation.
Also, moving with the bag negates any benefits from shifting down to the top in certain bags, thus, I prefer to roll inisde the bag.
This works well with larger volume bags, and as a side/stomach sleeper I have never had an issue. The one problem is that the hood can become useless if you roll over too far. I compensate by using a regular length bag (I'm 6'2") and bring along a seperate hood. I've seen down bags from decades past made with detached hoods for this purpose.
A quilt does work, but for me they simply are too drafty below freezing. However, I have used my Marmot Helium with most of the down shifted to the top and the hood from a down jacket while sleeping on my side in the teens.

PostedJun 14, 2009 at 2:53 pm

I'm getting my first quilt. I think I'm going to work on a custom blue foam sleeping pad and see what I can come up with.

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