By: Cristina | Last updated March 20, 2019 
Sleeping bags are essential items in any camping kit. They will substitute your bed when you are outdoors, so you have to make sure they are comfortable, durable and keep you just warm or cool enough.
Sleeping bags come in various types, sizes and materials so you have to know exactly what your needs are before purchasing one.
The most popular types of sleeping bags, shape-wise, are mummy bags, semi-rectangular, rectangular, double sleeping bags and quilts.
What to consider when choosing a sleeping bag
There are several factors to consider when shopping for a sleeping bag. Here are the two most important of them:
Temperature rating: not all sleeping bags can be used in all 4 seasons. Depending on their temperature rating, they can be 1-season, 2-season, 3-season and 4-season bags.
Winter sleeping bags temperature rating: +10 degrees F and lower (-15 degrees Celsius to -40 degrees Celsius)
Summer sleeping bags: +35 degrees F and higher (0 degrees C to 15 degrees C)
3 season sleeping bags: +10 degrees F to +35 degrees F (-2 degrees C to -15 degrees C)
Type of insulation. You can usually choose between synthetic and down insulation made of goose or duck feathers. Read more about each type and their advantages/disadvantages.
You should also pay attention to the size of the bag (whether you need a long or a regular one), capacity (single or double), accessories such as stash pockets, sleeping bag liners and more.
What else to look for in a sleeping bag.
Katabaltic Flex Quilt 22 – Is it a good sleeping bag?
The Flex 22 is a quilt type sleeping bag manufactured by Katabaltic Gear, an American company based in Colorado.
The Flex 22 is not your average mummy shaped sleeping bag, it looks more like a spacious, hoodless quilt.
The Katabaltic Flex has a temperature rating of 22 degrees (F) and is available in 5 sizes: small, regular, long, regular wide and long wide. The small version fits people up to 5’6” and the long one, people up to 6’6”.
The Katabaltic Flex is a down sleeping bag and you can choose between 3 types of fill: 900 Fill Power Goose Down, 900fp HyperDry Goose Down and 850fp HyperDry Duck Down. The first one is treated and water resistant and the latter two are untreated, which means the bag will dry slower in damp conditions than the 900 Fill power Goose Down version, which is treated.
As we’ve already mentioned it, the Katabaltic Flex doesn’t have a hood and you can leave the foot box open or use the cord to close it. Either way, this quilt is very roomy. When you leave it completely open, it looks like a blanket, although it also comes equipped with a zipper in the lower half. You can use the Katabaltic Flex as a blanket in warmer conditions or pull the cord and zip it up as a sleeping bag when it is colder outside.
The horizontal baffles in the Katabaltic Flex allow you to move the insulation around depending on your needs.
While the Katabaltic Flex 22 can keep you pretty warm, if you want to use the bag in more extreme temperatures, you should opt for the 15F model, which is even warmer than this one.
Price. The Katabaltic Flex 22 is not exactly cheap. The spaciousness, quality insulation and warmth come at a steep price. The most affordable version (size and fill-wise) costs $285 and the most expensive one is $410.
Overall though, the Katabaltic Flex 22 is a high-quality sleeping bag, roomy, warm and versatile. The water resistant down insulation and the ability of the Flex 22 to be used both as a blanket or a sleeping bag, make it a special and versatile product. It is also impressively light and easy to compress and store.
