How Do Heated Sleeping Bags Work, And Are They Safe To Sleep In?

People have made do with regular, ordinary sleeping bags for a long time, and even before those were created, found countless ways to keep warm while asleep in the elements. As technology evolves though, worrying about whether or not you will freeze in your tent can be much less of a concern for a camper than before. That is because in recent years we have seen the creation of heated camping gear, which includes the heated sleeping bag.

While we have had electric blankets for a little while, these tend to be devices that you have to plug into an outlet. And unless you're lugging along a portable power station, like Ryobi's, we doubt you're going to be able to find one in the open. So, heated sleeping bags get their power from a portable battery. The sleeping bags are lined with wires or panels, and once you plug in the battery, it will heat them up. The model of heated sleeping bag you get will determine what battery you use, but the common one tends to be a 5V power bank that you connect with a USB connection. For most of these bags, they have three temperature settings — high, medium, and low — that you can manage right on the bag itself. Just make sure your battery is charged, and you'll have a warm night's sleep.

Some folks will always be hesitant when it comes to wrapping up their bodies in electronics, and that's fair enough. What they may not realize is that, unlike an electric blanket, which is connected to a 110V AC outlet, these sleeping bags see no more than the comparatively low power for which they're specified. And while there is a vanishingly small risk of a short circuit, the risk of burning is even smaller because not only are the wires themselves insulated but so is the heating array inside the batting. Plus, if it's cold enough to need a heated blanket, the heat generated will likely be enough to warm you but only just — so there's not much possibility of being burned. 

There really is nothing to worry about when it comes to heated sleeping bags, particularly if you buy a reputable brand. If you are worried about overheating, some manufacturers have automatic shut-offs to prevent just that. Your biggest stumbling block in using them will be just not having enough power. A fully charged battery on a lower temperature setting will get you through one night, but if that is all the power you brought for a multi-day trip, you will be out of luck for the remaining nights and have to use it just as a traditional sleeping bag. When you're out in the woods, safety is of paramount importance, and there's no reason your heated sleeping bag should be anywhere near the top of the list.