Putting a wool blanket inside sleeping bag will serve as insulation for the bag. Let’s remember that insulators are heat regulators.
Wool provides heat and can be considered an insulator, which is why it’s a recommended essential when going camping, whether indoors or outdoors, just like hand warmers used in sleeping bags, in addition to your backpack for carrying other essentials such as the tent.
A blanket made of wool whether wrapped around your body or thrown inside the sleeping bag, or even used as bedding for the sleeping bag will help regulate heat round the bag.
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WHY ARE WOOL BLANKETS GOOD?
Wool blankets are good because of their texture and their ability to retain warmth. Blankets made of wool are generally soft and fluffy.
They can be used in baby cradles and can provide that extra warmth and comfort every baby craves for. They also have openings or pores that allow for a free passage of air. It’s difficult to suffocate using wool blankets.
Let’s see the 5 benefits of the wool blanket below;
- Wool blankets have a soothing effect.
- Wool blankets are fire-resistant. Soaking a wool blanket in the water and using it to cover your nostrils can preserve you for a considerable amount of time in a house filled with smoke.
- Wool blankets are heat regulators.
- Wool blankets are comfortable to use
- Wool blankets are water absorbers.
WOOL BLANKET INSIDE SLEEPING BAG
Wool blankets are insulators when used inside the sleeping bag. This is because wool is a fabric that has natural pores that can trap and regulate heat. Wool blankets even when moist can release some levels of heat which can help you stay warm in your sleeping bag.
WHY ARE WOOL BLANKETS SO WARM?
Wool blankets are warm because they are made out of animal skin. Just like human skin, animal skin has an adaptive mechanism that keeps itself warm even in very cold weather.
The wool which is a covering for sheep is designed to keep this animal as warm as possible. It has the ability to trap heat and this trapped heat, keeps it warm even when wet.
HOW DO YOU USE A WOOL SLEEPING BAG WITH A BLANKET?
Step 1: spread out the wool blanket on the floor
Step 2: Detach your sleeping bag from its zipper, so it’s just the soft cushioned down left
Step 3: Place your sleeping bag (the padded down or the cushion) on top of the spread-out blanket.
Step 4: Adjust the blanket till a greater amount is pulled out from beneath the sleeping bag cushion.
Step 5: Lie on the cushion and cover yourself securely with the leftover blanket.
This way, you are using both the sleeping bag and the blanket to keep yourself as warm as possible.
SLEEPING BAG LINER VS BLANKET
Find below the difference between a sleeping bag liner and vs blanket:
| SLEEPING BAG LINER | WOOL BLANKET |
| Materials can be cotton, polyester, nylon, and taffeta. | Made of fleece. |
| Light and slippery. | Heavy and thick. |
| It is designed to serve as a barrier or layer between you and your sleeping bag. | It can be used for any purpose. Could serve as bedding for more softness, could be used to keep warm inside the blanket, and can as well serve as a pillow for the headrest. |
| Can be used separately as a sleeping bag by design. | Must be clipped or sewn into a sleeping bag before being used as such. |
| Can serve as insulation during cold weather. | Can serve as insulation during cold weather. |
| The rate of allergies is considerably low due to the nature of the fabrics used in making these liners. | Most people are allergic to wool and can get irritations like itchy skin when used as wrappers. |
| Can have heated pads for insulation. | There are heated blankets that can be used as insulation. |
| 99 percent of sleeping bag liners have zippers. | 99 percent of blankets do not have zippers. |
To know more about sleeping bag Liners, see my last post on do sleeping bag liners work.
ARE SLEEPING BAGS BETTER THAN BLANKETS?
Sleeping bags are contextually better than blankets. This is because there are varied opinions based on the choice of the answerer.
Let me also point out that a sleeping bag can be made out of a blanket in case you forget your packing your blanket for camping or any other activity.
There are some who would prefer blankets to sleeping bags because of the flexibility of blankets whereas most people would rather go for sleeping bags because of the enclosed feeling it gives and the warmth that emanates from within.
BLANKETS
Blankets are made of fleece materials. They are insulators that have high warmth retention because of their materials.
Blankets can be called breathable because of the pores or holes that allow for air to permeate within and around. These pores can trap your body heat and circulate this heat around you.
Sleeping with the blankets as opposed to the sleeping bag does the following:
Flexibility: Adjusting is easier and you can sleep in any position of your choice.
The constraints that are attached to the sleeping bag are reduced as the user can turn and toss it however she wants. The only challenge here might be you have to adjust the blanket each time you turn.
Warmth: Blankets are made of wool from sheep, and goats. This material is warm and fluffy and apart from keeping you warm all through the night, it keeps you super comfortable as well.
Water Absorber: The blanket absorbs all forms of moisture, including late-night sweats. This moisture when absorbed is heated and released as an additional source of warmth.
Provides support: Blankets are weighty and can be used as baby swaddles. Adults on the other hand can also gain from this as they can serve as supporters when trying to sleep in certain positions.
You can put them around your waist or lower back, depending on the position you want to maintain.
The soothing mechanism for Jingled nerves: have you ever encountered a nervous breakdown and a damp blanket was placed on your forehead to soothe you back to normalcy?
Well, if you’ve not tried it before, you could try it out when next you are becoming too jittery.
SLEEPING BAGS
Having trouble maintaining your bed sheets around you while sleeping? Get a sleeping bag. They help reduce the risk of kicking off your bed covers in the middle of the night and embracing the stinging cold that comes thereafter.
Children can easily suffocate with bed wraps like blankets or bed sheets.
This is because they have this natural inclination to want to play with the bed wraps which when mistakenly wrapped around the face can lead to suffocation and sometimes death if a rescue does not come early.
This accident can’t occur with sleeping bags.
Sleeping bags enhance sleep. The feet warmers and the heated cushions make room for a peaceful and warm sleep.
Once you are zipped up inside the bag, you are oblivious to all distractions that might serve as hindrances to a sound sleep.
Babies need sleeping bags more than they need blankets. This is because of the benefits they get from sleeping bags as opposed to blankets which include, safety, sound sleep, easy transportation, warmth, and growth.
Protection: Sleeping bags protect you from the dangers that lurk around the bushes especially if you are out camping.
ARE SLEEPING BAGS WARMER THAN BLANKETS?
Sleeping bags are warmer than blankets by design. In sleeping bags, heat is produced by two separate factors, and this produced heat is trapped and circulated around the bag.
The blankets on the other hand can produce heat but there’s no guarantee that this heat will be trapped and circulated around the bag.
Some might argue that blankets have fleece materials which are natural insulators for warmth but I can assure you that the sleeping bag is also made of down that serves the same purpose.
CAN YOU PUT A BLANKET OVER A SLEEPING BAG?
You can’t put a blanket over your sleeping bag. This is because blankets are somewhat weighty and can compress sleeping bags when placed atop them.
Apart from the weight that can compress the bags, blankets can reduce the insulation of your sleeping bags.
Remember that when you overdress in a bid to keep warm, this intention can be lost as a result of reduced insulation caused by the extra layers of clothing.
In that same manner, blankets, when used to cover the sleeping bag, can make the bags lose their insulating ability which will invariably make you cold.
CAN YOU PUT A BLANKET OVER BABY SLEEPING BAG?
Blankets should not be put atop sleeping bags be it adult sleeping bags or sleeping bags for babies.
The reason for this is clear, the weight of a blanket can compress a sleeping bag which is very dangerous when it comes to a child’s safety.
Blankets can crush the bags and the baby in it might find it difficult to breathe or move freely inside the bag. The insulation can be lost and the child might get cold which is also harmful.
DO YOU NEED A BLANKET WITH A SLEEPING BAG?
You don’t necessarily need a blanket in a sleeping bag. This is because, by design, sleeping bags have pads that can keep you comfortable and warm even without an additional blanket.
In cases where hand warmers are thrown into the bag as well, there might be no need for an extra blanket, except it’s being used to wrap the hand warmer to minimize body contact.
Most people would prefer to sleep naked in a sleeping bag and in such cases, the blankets ain’t necessary.
However, when the weather is cold and you are by all means interested in everything that might contribute to your warmth, then the blanket can be used.
CAN YOU PUT A BLANKET INSIDE A SLEEPING BAG?
You can put a blanket inside your sleeping bag. This could be a result of the fact that you are looking for better ways to stay warm or for the mere comfort that comes with sleeping with a blanket.
There are some who have developed this habit of not sleeping unless, there’s a bedspread or a blanket, wrapped around their bodies.
The hottest weather has no effect on this habit and without a blanket wrapped around them, they might find it very difficult to fall asleep.
Some have said that this habit might be a result of some serious psychological reasons like acute loneliness, insecurity, or any other reason.
But, I’ll say that the above is just a habit that probably was developed over time and has become rather difficult to let go of.
HOW DO YOU ADD AN EXTRA WARMTH TO A SLEEPING BAG?
Wool blankets can serve as insulators for sleeping bags. Apart from being cozy and soft, their materials are usually warm and have been proven to retain more warmth than most other materials.
Hence, looking to add extra warmth to your sleeping bags, you can wrap yourself with a warm wool blanket.
You can also decide to use additional strategies like the wearing of stockings and gloves, the use of sleeping bag liners, additional hand warmers, and head warmers.
CAN YOU USE A WOOL BLANKET INSTEAD OF A SLEEPING BAG?
Wool blankets can keep you warm even without the use of sleeping bags. They provide as much insulation as sleeping bags.
However, if you are outdoor camping, it’s better to take along a sleeping bag together with a wool blanket for extra warmth.
This is because while wool blankets can keep you warm, there’s no guarantee that the blankets will remain intact, despite your midnight tosses and turns till the following morning.
We all know that blankets are prone to uncover and can let in more air than needed which will lead to cold as opposed to sleeping bags which keep you both safe and warm till the next morning.
So what’s my take? Go camping in your sleeping bag. If you really love blankets, you can go along with both your sleeping bag and your wool blanket for extra warmth.
CONCLUSION
We’ve said so much about wool blankets and their benefits.
Despite the fact that sleeping bags are good insulators for warmth, wool blankets are also good for extra warmth.
However, placing them directly on top of your sleeping bags, might not be a very ideal thing to do.