REALLY WARM plus-size sleeping bag?

[Saracen]

I am always so cold when I camp! Nearly half the car boot is required for a huge pile of bedding to try to keep me warm at night: sheepskins under me and on top of me, several sleeping bags, hot water bottle, lots of layers... the only times I have ever been warm enough are during actual heat waves.

My kid is crazy about camping and talks about it all year long, so I really have to find a way to make it work. Though I love a bargain, I'm ready to throw money at this problem if required. I reckon an excellent sleeping bag would be a good investment as it would transform my holidays. I'd camp more often if it weren't such an ordeal for me.

I was looking on eBay and noticed some secondhand military sleeping bags, which presumably would be big enough for me. (I am a ladies' size 26 and don't fit in mummy bags or even in some normal sleeping bags.) Some seem to be intended for extreme conditions. Would that be a good idea?

I don't need anything particularly compact, because we travel by car.

Any thoughts will be gratefully received!

We always take a duvet

Thanks! A duvet is warm enough at home with the central heating, but even if the heating is on low (say, below 16) I am cold. So I can't think it would be up to the job.

What do you sleep on op? If it's an air bed, that might be part of the problem as you're basically sleeping on a big bag of cold air. I've slept on air beds indoors and would never use them camping as I couldn't get warm all night, even in a warm house. You need good insulation under you. A good self-inflating mat ('sim' for short) is a worthwhile investment, as they are well insulated. You can get them in various depths. We bought 12cm ones and they are so comfy. I use a 4 season sleeping bag, a wool blanket (picked up in a charity shop) a hot water bottle and warm socks, and sleep better than I do at home.

Following because I need a big big sleeping bag 😀

Search for 5 season sleeping bags on Amazon. They're used by fishermen and are supposed to be really warm. There's an NGT one on Amazon that looks really good and has good reviews, and is very reasonably priced

I got myself a double sleeping bag (Amazon - Coleman Hampton 3 seasons) it was very pricy but definitely worth every penny!! I used it on my own and can starfish on the air bed in it!

m.gooutdoors.co.uk/hi-gear-the-beast-extra-large-sleeping-pod-p353999

These are fantastic. They are oval shaped, so you can seal it tight where it would otherwise let in air, but roomy enough to fit into (unlike the mummy ones I'm too far to zip up). You can get specially shaped liners to fit them, if you want an extra layer.

Are you changing before bed? If not do so, because any sweat / bodily fluids in your clothes will make you feel colder. Also lots of thin cotton layers rather than bulky synthetic layers will make you warmer. Thermals too. Also air your sleeping bag / sleeping clothes out as if they're damp from bodily fluid / condensation it will make you feel colder too. I heard once that sleeping in fewer layers / naked was supposedly the best but I'm not sure how true that is lol.

Depending on how you feel about down you could get a down bag, they retain heat better than synthetic materials but obviously don't get them wet! You can also buy fleece liners which might help.

Heat under & over-even sleeping with cardboard under you can help. I'm going to take some emergency blankets this year to go under me. I sleep on a camp bed with sim & sleeping bag and/or superking down duvet. I'm also plus size with a bad back which doesn't help for comfort. Wear a hat too!

Wow, thanks for all the great ideas, everyone!

@2cupsofcoffee I do use an air bed, but I figured it was okay because I piled so many insulating things on top! Last time on top of the airbed I used a thin cushion, inch-thick rubber mats plus sheepskins. I have tried leaving the airbed out of the equation and haven't noticed a difference in warmth. I'll look into the self-inflating mats, thanks! I didn't know they were insulated, and assumed they would be no better than a normal airbed. I've been looking at 5-season sleeping bags and they look promising.

Yesterday I went to Go Outdoors and tried the Rab Morpheus 4, which is a little bigger than normal sleeping bags but not quite big enough for me. I could just squeeze in but the zip seemed likely to break. I'll go back there and try The Beast, @RamblingFar - I don't think I had it on my list because it wasn't 4- or 5-season. The staff who were there on the day were fairly clueless.

The Coleman Hampton double looks interesting, @undomesticgodde55 - I wasn't sure it would be warm enough. I had convinced myself that I needed at least a four and probably a five season sleeping bag because I used to have a four season one which wasn't warm enough! But I guess not all sleeping bags are created equal.

@RavenLG and @buckeejit yes, thanks, I do change into thin cotton and wool layers, and wear a huge fur hat! I am often warm enough for the first few hours but then around 3 or 4am it isn't bearable anymore.

Thanks again, guys, that has given me some ideas to be getting on with.

I know this is random but when you wake up at 3/4am do you need to pee and if so do you go? I read that holding it in could make you colder as your body is expecting extra energy keeping it at body temperature. Science sounds slightly squiffy with that but it might be worth a try 😂

Nope! No chance am I braving the great outdoors at night if I can help it. I plan ahead and do all my drinking in the early part of the day so as not to need the loo at night!

Let us know what you decide on op and how it works out for you

Ok. I have a chronic illness and have to camp with enough kit to take a small army on manoeuvres to be warm and comfortable and not seize up and fail to function, and have just managed to go out for three days with it being cold at night without having a problem, so would any ideas here help?

The plan I use: I have a canvas bell tent which seems to hold warmth better than my last tent. I go for electric hook up, and have a small oil filled radiator on through the night. Plus a fan heater for a quick top up blast as needed.

I wear thermals, fleece pjs, a hoodie with the hood up and bed socks to bed, and have a woolly hat to hand as an additional thing if needed, and a hot water bottle, (but didn't need either last week) I also have a fleece blanket on the pillow around my head and shoulders and that makes a bit difference. Covering my head really helps.

I have an airbed for the comfort but as its a bag of cold air, this time I covered it with one fleece blanket, then a closed cell foam yoga mat, a 3 season sleeping bag and another fleece blanket. And then my 4 season sleeping bag on top of that, and then a duvet. (Stop laughing I'm shameless, I love camping) The tent got cold in the early hours but I was toasty warm in bed.

I take on board majorly the advice about not getting cold in the evenings, and as soon as it starts to cool I change into thermal socks (which are expensive but fabulous things), fleece lined trousers and multiple layers. If need be I'd wear the thermal socks to bed.

Hope something here might be useful!

Electric blanket?

Vango Aurora either the ‘Grande’ single that is 1m wide, or the double.

Do you use a hot water bottle?

Some people who use EHU take an electric blanket.

Also forgot a crucial aid here that I depend on: take small fluffy dog, and have it in the sleeping bag with you.

Do you insulate under the air bed? A lot of heat can leach out to the ground that way

LOL Michelle, I have no fluffy dog but that does sound appealing. What a pity I no longer have a lovely toasty baby/toddler. She was soft and cuddly and didn't even wriggle much! The perfect bedwarmer. Now she's gangling and doesn't like me under her covers anymore.

After much dithering I have received a sleeping bag from which I could fish, were I minded to do so.

Behold: the nest of the Queen Ant! ROFLMAO.

I think this kingsize one may have been bigger than I needed: at 100cm wide I could probably fit the kid into it in lieu of a fluffy dog if she hadn't said I looked like a giant slug in it. The normal one is 90cm wide which I think would have been okay.

It is VERY comfy and roomy. The zips seem rugged; apparently these people must launch themselves rapidly from their sleeping bags in the middle of the night to land the prize carp, bless them. It consists of two bags zipped one inside the other, so I should be able to separate it and wash it in my machine when needed.

The main downside is that it's massive, so will take up a large chunk of the car boot. But then, so did my million blankets I was taking with me before.

Will report back in a few weeks to let you know whether it is as warm as I hope!

Always found all sleeping bags shit - i take a duvet. Wool or down.

I hope your new sleeping bag works well! I'm just back from a couple of days away (without dog for the first time, it was a work trip) and the Coleman 4 season sleeping bag was great. One freezing cold night in the tent especially about 4 am but I wasn't cold in bed at all. It does take up a massive amount of room, but I got a car roof bag and put it up there, with fleece blankets, and twas fine.

I am in love. Who knew that carp fishermen were so well kitted out?

I was warm. It is thick, soft and cosy. There is even a massive warm flap you can pull up over your face if you want. It is easy to get in and out of. The zip, which is the part of a sleeping bag that usually breaks first, is not going to come apart or get snagged. It's designed for outdoor use and appears to be somewhat water resistant, though I hope not to be testing that.

This wasn't hardcore camping - lows of 6 degrees - but I would've been miserable without this sleeping bag. I did wear my usual many layers including hat, and had an extra blanket on top for part of the night.

The only real drawback is the size and weight of the thing. You'll not be wanting to go up Everest with it on your back. But from what I can see, it appears that one would have to pay many hundreds of pounds to get a sleeping bag which is both very warm and also light and small.

Happy camper!

Ooh so carp.fishing sleeping bags are the way to go?

Why on earth do people fishing want a sleeping bag?