Originally Posted By ratherBcamping
Hey everyone, I have whats rated a 40 degree bag, what does that actually mean? I am thinking about going camping tomorrow night and it is expected to be 40 degrees at night. Should I be concerned that the bag doesn't actually keep you warm at that low of a temperature?


If your bag is true to its rating, then depending on variable factors (kind of sleeper, wind, elevation, coverage, food intake, hydration etc) then you may sleep comfortably or it could get a little cool for you at night.

FWIW, if your bag is one of the higher-end models then you can expect it to be true to or even conservabtly rated. Lower-quality bags are, generally speaking, generously rated and could in fact be more like a +45/+50 degee bag.

In a brief and simple summary-- if I had a +40 degree bag and the temps were expected to hit +40 then I would bring some additional insulation.