How To Roll Up Your Sleeping Bag (Mummy & Regular)
Rolling up a sleeping bag might seem simple, but there are actually best practices to ensure it gets rolled up tightly. This simple guide will show you how to roll up your sleeping bag, whether it’s a mummy or regular shape.
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How To Roll Up A Sleeping Bag
The basic steps to roll up a rectangular sleeping bag are as follows:
- Zip up sleeping bag
- Fold sleeping bag in half
- Run arm along sleeping bag from bottom to top to push out excess air
- Start at the foot of sleeping bag to tightly roll the bag towards the top
- Slide storage bag around sleeping bag and close up
The basic steps to roll up a mummy sleeping bag are as follows:
- Zip up sleeping bag
- Fold the wide shoulder section of the mummy bag towards the middle to create a long, rectangular shape
- Run arm along sleeping bag from bottom to top to push out excess air
- Start at the foot of sleeping bag to tightly roll the bag towards the top
- Slide stuff sack around sleeping bag and close up
Two Ways To Pack Sleeping Bags
There are actually two different options when it comes to packing up your sleeping bag. You can either:
- Roll it up
- Stuff it
Both of these options work well as long as you know what you’re doing. At the end of the day, you want to use the method that works best for your camping situation.
Importance Of Rolling Sleeping Bag
If you are a new camper with a new sleeping bag, you might feel a little overwhelmed when it comes to packing up your sleeping bag.
Knowing how to roll up your sleeping bag will help ensure that you can properly store it and also save space in your camp gear.
Whether you’re car camping or backpacking, making sure your sleeping bag is properly rolled up will help you save space and transport it more easily.
What Affects Sleeping Bag Roll
Whether you’re using a mummy sleeping bag vs. a rectangular shaped sleeping bag, there will typically be a stuff sack or storage bag that comes with it. Packing into the provided bag can help you get a tight roll on your sleeping bag.
There are a few factors that will affect how tightly you can roll your sleeping bag into these bags.
- Type of insulation – synthetic vs. down insulation
- Temperature rating
- Length of bag
Regardless the shape, all sleeping bags come with either down insulation or synthetic insulation. The type of insulation will affect how tightly you can roll up your sleeping bag.
In general a down bag will roll up more tightly than the ones with synthetic fills. This is something to consider if having a small sleeping bag pack is important to you.
The temperature ratings, which helps you regulate your body temperature at night, will also affect how thick your sleeping bag roll is. You might need to choose a thicker insulation for your climate, which means you’ll have to work a little smarter when rolling up your bag to a small size.
If you’re taller, then you might have to go with an extra long sleeping bag length. The length will also affect how tightly you can roll up your sleeping bag. (My husband uses this extra long sleeping bag).
The good news is, with proper technique, you can pack your sleeping bag up tightly to ensure a small pack size.
Steps For Rolling Sleeping Bag
Rolling your sleeping bag is easier than it seems. Whether you have a mummy sleeping bag or regular shape, you’ll follow the same simple steps when rolling.
1. Zip Up Sleeping Bag
The first thing you want to do is lay your sleeping bag out flat and zip up your sleeping bag. This will help ensure the sleeping bag stays compact as you roll it up.
2. Fold In Half
Next, you’ll fold your zipped up sleeping bag in half long ways. With a rectangular sleeping bag, this is a little more straightforward because the long sides of the bag will line up perfectly.
With a mummy sleeping bag, you’ll fold the top half of the sleeping bag over itself to give it a long rectangular shape. See photo below.
3. Smooth Out Excess Air
It’s a good idea to run the length of your forearm along your sleeping bag, starting from the foot end working your way to the top, to push out any extra air.
This will help the sleeping bag roll up more compactly.
4. Roll Up Bag
Now, it is time to roll up your sleeping bag. You should start at the foot end and work your way to the top.
Bonus Tip: If you have a sleeping pad, you can lay the deflated sleeping pad on top of your bag at this point and roll it up tightly with your sleeping bag.
To make sure you’re getting a tight roll, it is best to make the rolling motions to the bag in small sections. Also, keep your hands tight around the rolled-up bag as you go along to keep air bubbles from filling back into it.
Continue rolling until your bag is fully rolled around itself.
5. Put In Bag
This might seem like the trickiest part of rolling up your sleeping bag. You want to keep your rolled-up bag tight as you place it in the storage bag.
Ideally, the rolled sleeping bag will be the perfect size to fit into your storage bag if you rolled it up tightly.
You might need to sit Indian-style and grasp the rolled bag between your legs as you slide the storage bag around the sleeping bag.
Voila! You are now finished rolling up your sleeping bag.
Steps For Stuffing Sleeping Bag
Stuffing your sleeping bag doesn’t work well for every sleeping bag. If you have a thick, rectangular sleeping bag, then you’ll probably want to stick to rolling up your bag.
Mummy bags are easier to stuff because they’re typically designed to be squished into a small pack for backpackers. (We love how tightly our Kelty mummy down sleeping bag packs down).
Mummy sleeping bags are also more likely to come with a stuff sack opposed to a storage bag.
A stuff sack is designed to tighten down with straps or a draw string after you pack your bag into it.
Regardless, if you have a sleeping bag with a stuff sack, then stuffing can work. Instead of rolling up your sleeping bag, you can just stuff it tightly into its “stuff sack” (hence the name!).
If done properly, your sleeping bag won’t take up any extra space. You might even be able to get your stuffed sleeping bag down to a smaller size than if you were to roll the bag.
This is because stuffing allows you to compress the sleeping bag even more.
1. Zip Up Sleeping Bag
Even if you’re stuffing your bag, you’ll want to make sure you start with it zipped up. This will protect the zipper.
It will also help keep the sleeping bag compact as you stuff it.
2. Remove Air Pockets
To remove the air pockets from the sleeping bag, run your forearm along the sleeping bag from the foot end to the top.
This should help release any air that has built up inside the insulation.
3. Stuff Into Stuff Sack
It is really important that you start stuffing your sleeping bag from the foot end. The foot end is the thickest part of your bag. Plus it will help push any excess air that is inside your bag to the top.
Shove your foot end into the bottom of your stuff sack. Then, working your way along the long sides of the bag, carefully stuffing the rest of the sleeping bag into your sack. It will seem like your stacking the sleeping bag into the stuff sack.
You’ll work your way from the foot to the top of the bag until your entire sleeping bag is inside the stuff sack.
4. Close Up Sack
Once the sleeping bag is fully stuffed into the sack, close up your stuff sack. If your sleeping bag’s stuff sack includes compression straps, then it’s time to tighten those down around your bag.
How To Pack Sleeping Bags Even Tighter
Regardless of if you’re rolling or stuffing your sleeping bag, there is an extra option to make sure it is packed up as small as possible.
A great way to do this is to get a compression stuff sack so you can remove all the air out of your packed-up sleeping bag.
It acts similar to a vacuum-sealed bag, which removes & keeps out the excess air. This shrinks the sleeping bag down and makes the pack size extra small.
How To Care For Your Sleeping Bag
Sleeping bags are a huge part of your camping and backpacking experience, so it is helpful to take good care of them.
Most importantly, you want to keep your sleeping bag dry and out of direct sunlight. Water will cause mildew in your bag & the UV light can wear down the material of your sleeping bag.
As best practice to care for your sleeping bag, you should always unroll your sleeping bag and allow it to air out for 24-48 hours after your camping or backpacking trips.
Washing your sleeping bag too often can also wear down your sleeping bag. Unless you’re using your sleeping bag frequently, you don’t need to wash it after every camping trip. Only washing it a handful of times per year is a good rule of thumb.
If you are needing to wash your sleeping bag because of dirt or smell, make sure to wash on a delicate cycle with mild detergent. Then, you’ll want to hang it up to dry or use a no-heat setting on your dryer.
Extreme water temperatures and dryer temperatures can affect the life of your sleeping bag, so it’s important to keep the washing to a minimum.
If your sleeping bag insulation needs fluffing, you can use wool dryer balls or tennis balls in the dryer to help fluff it back up.
How To Store Sleeping Bag
Your storage method is also important when it comes to your sleeping bag. If you store your sleeping bag properly, it will help to keep it in good condition for years to come.
Storing your sleeping bag outside of the stuff sack during long-term storage is a good option as it will allow fresh air to keep it dry & fluffed.
Regardless of if it is in the stuff sack or hanging freely, your sleeping bag needs to be out of direct sunlight. It’s also a good idea to keep it out of extreme heat & high humidity.
Conclusion
You have two options when it comes to packing your sleeping bag. You can either roll it up or stuff it into its stuff sack.
Learning how to roll up a sleeping bag is easier than you think. With a few simple steps, you’ll be able to pack your sleeping bag up tightly for easy storage.
Next time you’re out camping, use these simple steps to help you roll up your sleeping bag.
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Basic Camping Packing List
If this is your first time camping, or you need a refresh, then here is a free download for our Basic Camping Packing List. It is a full list of the basic items you need to bring for a successful camping trip.
