Found a stat that says sleeping bag ratings are based on a 'survival' temp, not comfort

I was reading through some REI blog posts last week and saw that EN 13537 tested bags assume you're wearing one layer of base layers and shivering all night at the lower limit. So my '20 degree' bag might keep me alive at 20F but I'll be miserable. Does anyone actually sleep warm at those rated temps or do you all bump up your bag rating by 10-15 degrees too?

3 comments

3 Comments

mark_carr713h ago

20 degree bag kept my friend alive at 21F but he couldn't feel his toes.

tara6422h ago

Poor guy, hope he didn't lose any toes.

jana_shah16h ago

Honestly this stat totally changed how I look at bag ratings. I used to assume '20 degrees' meant cozy, but now I add 10-15 degrees like you said just to actually sleep.