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How to Store Sleeping Bags

Learning how to store sleeping bags and other camping items will allow you to save money and time! Keeping care of camping gear means you don’t have to replace camping gear as often due to wear and tear or getting lost. 

In this article, we are going to talk about one of the most important items of camping. How to clean and store sleeping bags.

Sleeping bags along with other camping items can easily get lost, mold, or rip if not properly taken care of. Taking a short time after camping to do it right will save you time and money in the long run.

How to Clean a Sleeping Bag

Cleaning your sleeping bag before packing it away will greatly reduce the chance of mold and mildew. Aswell as helps by getting rid of any bad smells. It is recommended to wash your sleeping bag every few months, washing a sleeping bag too frequently can wear it down very quickly. 

There are two main ways to properly wash a sleeping bag which are hand washing or a washing machine. Both are very similar methods to how to clean your tent.

Hand Wash

Personally, I recommend hand washing your sleeping bags because it is more gentle on the sleeping bag and takes very little effort.

  1. Begin filling two large buckets with lukewarm water. One will have your choice of cleaning detergent or soap and the other is just water.
  2. Completely open up your sleeping bag. Then fully submerge it in the plain water bucket. Let it soak for 5-10 minutes, while periodically moving it around.
  3. Then switch it to soapy water and scrub with your hand or a soft brush for another 5-10 minutes. 
  4. Put it back into clean non-soapy water to get all soap off.

Machine Wash

  1. Almost all sleeping bags are fine to machine wash
  2. Top loaders aren’t the best for sleeping bags as they can occasionally tear the matterial.
  3. Most sleeping bag materials should be washed in cold to cool water
  4. CANT machine dry!!
  5. Don’t machine wash too much. It will put a lot of wear and tear on it

Dry Sleeping Bag

Making sure your sleeping bag is completely dry inside and out is one of the most crucial steps to properly storing and maintaining a sleeping bag. Whether or not you are washing it let the sleeping bag air dry after every trip. Any moister like sweat, morning dew, or anything else can easily mold and stink up your sleeping bag.

Simply open up the sleeping bag completely and hang it in the sun on a cloths line or tree branch. Periodically rotate and flip it so it is completely dry.

Stuff Or Roll Sleeping Bag

Almost all sleeping bags come in a stuff sack that helps minimize the size when completely packed up.

If you didn’t get a stuff sack or lost it you can still tightly pack the sleeping bag by tightly rolling it up.

How to Stuff a Sleeping Bag

  1. Completely unzip the sleeping bag and flatten it out as this will help release the air as you stuff it. 
  2. Begin by putting the tail end into the stuff sack.
  3. Then hold the sack with one hand and stuff the sleeping bag with the other.
  4. Once it is completely in the sack you want to tighten the top. If you have a compression sack, which I recommend if you are limited on space, completely sinch down each strap in a circle pattern around the sleeping bag.

How to Roll a Sleeping Bag

  1. Completely unzip the sleeping bag and flatten it out as this will help release the air as you stuff it. 
  2. Fold your sleeping bag in half hotdog style.
  3. Start on the tail end of the sleeping bag and tightly roll all the way to the head end.
  4. From there use a strap, bungee cord, tape, or another way to fasten the sleeping bag so it doesn’t unroll.

How to Store Sleeping Bags at Home

Once you have cleaned, dried, and packed up your sleeping bag you can now store it away until the next time. It is key to store all camping stuff in the same place to reduce the risk of losing something small like a sleeping bag or tent poles.

Where to Store Your Sleeping Bag

Find a dry place to store all of your camping stuff in one spot. This could be anywhere like a garage, shed, closet, etc but it will allow you to always know where all the camping stuff is and help you not lose anything. Garages and sheds are great places for camping stuff because they are dry and out of the way of your day-to-day activities.

Plastic bins are one of the best ways to keep everything together. They help organize the camping stuff altogether and are easily stackable. They stay very dry so you don’t have to worry about your sleeping bag and tent getting wet and moldy even if stored outside!

After learning how to roll or stuff your sleeping bag tight and compact there should be no problem finding a good place to store it away!