On a backpacking hunt in a place as remote as northern British Columbia, having a quality sleeping bag is important for a number of reasons. The most obvious benefit is comfort. But a high quality sleep system will also be lightweight and take up less room in your backpack. Higher quality materials compress to a smaller size for the amount of warmth they provide.

If you are preparing for a British Columbia combo hunt, or any wilderness hunt for that matter, here are a few tips on selecting a good sleeping bag and sleeping pad.

1. Quality Materials

A quality sleeping bag starts with good materials. We highly recommend purchasing a sleeping bag from a manufacturer that has a reputation for quality. This starts with the bag’s fill. Premium down is by far the lightest and warmest option in fill materials for sleeping bags. Some quality manufacturers include Big Agnes, Marmot and Western Mountaineering.

While synthetic materials offer more moisture resistance than down, they don’t compare to down in terms of weight and warmth. Additionally, synthetics won’t last as long if you use your bag regularly. Many manufacturers now offer water-resistant down or down/synthetic blends that repel water. These are probably the best options, since they offer the best of both worlds.

It’s very important to know that not all down is created equal. When looking at sleeping bags, make sure you’re looking at options with 700 – 900 fill down. That means it will offer the most warmth with the least bulk and weight. A lower fill power means that the manufacturer has to use more feathers to achieve the same temperature rating, which adds more weight and bulk to the bag.

Finally, the face or shell fabric of any sleeping should also be lightweight and water resistant. High quality face fabrics aren’t cheap, but they are a critical part of your sleeping bag’s construction.

2. Warmth

As we already noted, a sleeping bag with 700-900 fill down is something that we recommend. That down rating number simply means that less fill material is needed to achieve a specific temperature rating. With high quality down, you might be surprised how warm a sleeping bag can be that weighs so little.

We recommend a sleeping bag with a temperature rating between +15F (-10C) to 0F (18C). If you’re a warm sleeper, go with the higher temperature rating to save space and weight.

3. Weight and Compression

We’ve already discussed weight along with materials, but it’s worth mentioning that a high quality sleeping bag will offer excellent warmth at a fraction of the weight of cheaper sleeping bags. When comparing two sleeping bags side-by-side with the same temperature rating and one is much cheaper than the other, the cost is almost always a factor of weight and compression size.

A quality sleeping bag should weigh between two and three pounds. Not only will it keep you warm and comfortable on nights hunting in the Canadian wilderness, but also it will be easy to carry and travel with you wherever your adventures take you.

Sleeping Pads

Like bags, a quality sleeping pad is a factor of quality materials, weight and packability. We recommend Thermarest NeoAir XLite for early season hunts and the NeoAir XTherm for later season hunts. The XLite is extremely lightweight and comfortable while the XTherm adds a little insulation for colder weather. A full-length pad is the most comfortable, but a ¾ length pad will work great and save weight, particularly on early season hunts.

If you have questions about gear for your upcoming hunt, please feel free to contact us. If you’d like more information on a British Columbia combo hunt, please visit our British Columbia Hunts Page. For availability or trip details, you can send us a message or call anytime at 780-675-1942.