When it’s time to buy your next sleeping bag, please consider the temperature ranges available before you purchase. What will the temperature be like where you are going? Does it get cold at night, and if so, how cold? I strongly recommend getting a sleeping bag that can handle temperatures 20 degrees below the forecast weather.

Two years ago, my husband and I decided to get a bigger boat (a common problem with boaters) and we found one in late October that was perfect. It was kept at a marina a few hours West of where we live, so we decided to bring it home by driving it down river, more cost effective than having it trailered. However, the boat had no heater.

It was time to get a new sleeping bag. So off to the Internet I raced. After checking 2 or 3 weather reports, I searched for info on sleeping bags that were good down to around 45F. Of course, I ended up with information overload – everything from synthetic versus down filled, to size & color & length & shape & blah blah blah.

So, I picked a pretty blue one from Mountain Hardwear called Sunrise for just under $200.00 that was good to 50F. I didn’t really consider my options at that time, but now I wish I had noticed, similar sleeping bags in the same price range and slightly more expensive were available that were good right down to 5 and even to -40F.

But no, I went with color and completely regretted the decision that night. Arriving at the marina to pick up our boat in the early morning, the temperature was in the mid 60s and we enjoyed a lovely day cruise down river. We ended up on one of our favorite islands near Brockville, Ontario and had a nice meal just as the sun was setting.

Darkness came early and we knew we’d have an early start, so after a quick tour of the island to let our dog do his business, we made our beds in the aft cabin and were asleep by 10:00 p.m. A few hours after midnight, our dog woke me up and when my feet touched the floor, it felt like there was ice in the cabin!

I quickly ushered the dog into the cabin then dove back into my sleeping bag, but I swear my feet didn’t warm up all night – it was miserable. I didn’t even have the benefit of my husbands warmth, because he was all bound up in his own misery right next to me.

After a long and miserable sleep, we woke early and dressed quickly. We heard on the radio that the temperature had dropped to 25 degrees overnight! I discovered the hard way that there is nothing worse than being cold on a boat. And weather forecasts are often wrong! So, when buying your next sleeping bag, get one that says it works to temperatures 20 degrees lower than you think you might need – you won’t regret it!