Waterproofing a sleeping bag
I was out camping recently, and found that the bottom foot or so of my sleeping bag had gotten wet ( in part due to one of the stakes for my rain fly coming loose, but that's another story). As no one likes sleeping with feet in a wet sleeping bag, I was forced to curl myself up, which is an uncomfortable way to sleep as well.
That got me thinking; is it possible to waterproof a sleeping bag? I have some waterproofing spray that I used on my boots and part of a tent, and it says that it is usable on nylon, suede, leather, and Gore-Tex. I was wondering how effective it would be, and whether it would damage my sleeping bag in some way. I was considering only spraying the waterproofing on the bottom foot or so of the bag, since I had seen things mentioning that waterproofing can remove the breathability of the bag.
Best I could advise is a plastic bag over the end of the bag. It it only gets wet at the bottom do to tent flap.
7y ago
The DWR will probably not alter its breathability, especially considering that sleeping is quite static. Depending on h …
7y ago
I use Barbour wax on the bottom half of my sleeping bag, bivvi bag and fabsil gold on my tent outer and both on most clo …
6y ago
There's one piece of equipment I've carried with me on every trip, even on day trips and that's a lightweight and durabl …
7y ago
Water proof spray would only help with the outside of the bag. Waterproofing is available that the bag is washed in whic …
7y ago
I would strongly caution against anything which might affect the ability of the sleeping bag to breathe. You sweat whil …
7y ago
TL;Dr DWR on sleeping bags is to keep them dry for short periods when they get put on wet grass for a few minutes. Addi …
7y ago
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I use Barbour wax on the bottom half of my sleeping bag, bivvi bag and fabsil gold on my tent outer and both on most clothing, Depending on what you want to water proof always test first.i always roll sleeping bag up in tent never out side is a pain but keeps it dry. perhaps getting a tent with a built in ground sheet would solve this problem.
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The DWR will probably not alter its breathability, especially considering that sleeping is quite static.
Depending on how the bag got wet, it won't help that much as it can wet out after some time anyway and can wet out through the seam.
That being said: I don't see any negative effects of applying a DWR, only a slightly positive one.
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Best I could advise is a plastic bag over the end of the bag. It it only gets wet at the bottom do to tent flap.
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Water proof spray would only help with the outside of the bag. Waterproofing is available that the bag is washed in which coats all the down with hydrophobic water repellant.
Or ready made ones are also available. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tn4BiDsVqyk
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TL;Dr
DWR on sleeping bags is to keep them dry for short periods when they get put on wet grass for a few minutes. Adding DWR to your sleeping bag won't make it waterproof.
Waterproofing spray (DWR). Aids water running off it won't make something that fundamentally isn't waterproof suddenly waterproof (despite what the manufacturer says). A lot of sleeping bags have some degree of DWR pre applied but it tends to wear off.
is it possible to waterproof a sleeping bag?
This depends on your definition of waterproof. Is it possible to make a sleeping bag totally waterproof? No.
Would this be a good idea even if you could? Well again no. You need moisture to escape your sleeping bag or else you'll wake up drenched in sweat in the morning.
Can you aid it's water repellency with sprays? A little.
Will this top your feet getting wet if your tent breaks? Probably not
would damage my sleeping bag in some way
This depends on your sleeping bag a little. Don't apply anything the manufacturer says you shouldn't.
That said it should be fine to add DWR to a sleeping bag.
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There's one piece of equipment I've carried with me on every trip, even on day trips and that's a lightweight and durable rescue blanket. Not only can it help you to stay warm (shiny side in) but it can help you to protect yourself from heat (shiny side out). Being wind and water proof it makes a versatile friend you don't want to part from. I've used it to stay warm in snow storms by wrapping it around my sleeping bag but it also can be used to stay dry by doing just that. And it makes a great cooking shelter when combined with adjustable trekking poles and a couple of tent stakes.
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I would strongly caution against anything which might affect the ability of the sleeping bag to breathe.
You sweat while you sleep, and I don't think most of us realize how much. Sleeping bags are designed to be porous, and anything which might alter this could be dangerous.
I had a friend who decided to use a mylar emergency blanket on top of his sleeping bag one night (it was colder than he was prepared for). When he woke up in the morning, his sleeping bag was soaked. Other than being disgusting, he also found that he was more than a bit wet himself. And did I mention it was cold outside? ;)
This is the same reason that wisdom suggests sleeping with as few clothes as possible. If you sleep in your clothing, they will be damp in the morning when you climb out of your sleeping bag.
The thought of waking up damp on a cold morning is not an enticing one.
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