Do We Really Need Women’s…Sleeping Bags?

Photo by Scott Goodwill on Unsplash

I’m a very occasional camper and typically I’m flying to where I camp. Thus, I generally rent a bag.

But last time I looked into buying one I was vaguely amused to find that there is such a thing as a…women’s sleeping bag.

Really? So let’s, pun intended, unpack that and see if women’s sleeping bags should really be a thing.

How Are Women’s Bags Different?

Basically, there’s two things which are different:

1. Women’s bags have a narrower shoulder and wider hips to fit the female frame better. Note that only bags designed to fit close to your body are gendered.
2. Women’s bags have a extra insulation at the feet and the torso to compensate for the fact that we run a bit colder than men.

So, it’s not entirely ridiculous. There is kindasorta science behind this. Kindasorta.

Photo by Alice Donovan Rouse on Unsplash

Do Women’s Bags Cost More?

Gotta ask it. Are these bags more expensive. To work that out I wandered over to REI.