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How To Roll Up A Sleeping Bag: Complete Step By Step Process

While most of the campers consider making a campfire, hunting, preparing food as important skills, some other necessary skills go out of notice. Like, knowing how to roll up a sleeping bag!

This vital point doesn’t easily come to our minds but after failing multiple times, we finally recognize this as a required skill for camping.

how to roll up a sleeping bag
How To Roll Up A Sleeping Bag

How To Roll Up A Sleeping Bag? Step by Step Process

So, here are the steps you need to follow to know how to roll up a sleeping bag.

Total Time Needed:

10 minutes

Required Tools:

  • A Sleeping Bag.
  • A Backpack.
  • Manpower.

Things Needed?

  • A Flat Surface.
  • A Zipper.
  • A Little bit of Effort.

Follow these easy Steps and Learn How to Roll Up a Sleeping Bag With Ease!

Step 1

To fold a sleeping bag, you first have to lay it on a flat surface. Make sure the surface is dry as moisture can decrease the quality of it.

Step 2

Zip the sleeping bag up and get rid of any air pocket. Push the air pockets through the head of the bag. Smoothing out the sleeping bag helps in folding it tightly.

Step 3

The next step is folding it up into half, lengthwise. You have to check if both the edges are lined up while folding it in half. Press it again if any air pocket is noticeable.

Step 4

Then roll the sleeping bag upwards with both your hands. Start folding it from its feet towards the head. Try to do small and tight folds.

Step 5

After the step no.4 is done, place your knees on the sleeping bag to make it thinner. This will ensure that there are no air pockets left at all.

Step 6

Then, do a knot with the attached straps to further tighten. If your sleeping bag has a velcro closure, join and press both sides of the velcro. If your sleeping bag has neither straps nor velcro closure, you can use big rubber bands or a belt.

Step 7

Store it in the appropriate bag it comes with. If the sleeping bag didn’t come with a cover, you could store it in your luggage. Make sure the space is dry and try to avoid carrying any liquids in the same space.


Things To Keep In Mind

Roll Up A Sleeping Bag

Checking The Construction

When you’re searching for how to roll up a sleeping bag, keep in mind that some sleeping bags have to be folded loosely. Folding them up tightly might damage the insulation and end up being useless. So, always read the manual before rolling up your sleeping bag.

Another way to know if your sleeping bag is meant for a tight fold or not is to look for any straps attached to the bag. These straps are usually placed on the head. Consider rolling it up if you find the straps.

Shaking Before Folding

Shaking the sleeping bag after using it is a very important step to do. Your bag gets dirty with grass, soil, food crumbs and packing it without shaking will lock all the dirt particles in. Surely you don’t want to carry a dirty sleeping bag! Make sure you give the bag a nice shake before folding it up.

Storing Properly

You must keep your sleeping bag free from water all the time. Wet sleeping bag is not only uncomfortable, it also contributes to sucking up all the heat from your body resulting in sickness. So always store it in a dry place. And make sure the cover of the sleeping bag is waterproof.

After Care

Don’t Keep A Sleeping Bag Tightly Folded For Long

Keeping your sleeping bag in a tight fold for a long time period would cause harm to the insulation. It will make your bag less effective. After you are done with camping, make sure you loosely fold the sleeping bag as you haven’t bought it just for one time use.

Air The Sleeping Bag Out

When you return home after camping, let your sleeping bag out in the air hanging it on a balcony. Mold and mildew might have grown and you will see some dirt still having fun on your bag. So give it some hours of rest and brush all the dirt out afterwards.

Note– UV light can cause major damage to the fibres. Avoid keeping sleeping bag under the sun for a very long period of time.


Conclusion

So these are the simple steps that you need to follow to learn how to roll up a sleeping bag and store it properly.

Folding up the sleeping bag in an appropriate way not only enhances its convenience, but also ensures the durability.

Just a little knowledge to gather and you will soon be ready to fold it all by yourself. 

Rocky D

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