Congratulations and welcome to your Lucky Sheep™ Sleeping Bag!
You are about to discover a new sleeping experience. This bag is a game changer and will extend your sleep and adventure limits in several ways. This bag should last you many years and to ensure you get the most mileage out of it, please read and follow these care and use instructions.
1–It is best to roll your bag and then place in your stuff sack, as opposed to randomly stuffing it. We have found that rolling the bag results in a more compressed volume and also is easier than stuffing and we have designed the stuff sack for rolling.
2–Placement of Zipper:
The zipper should be placed underneath you in cold weather. The area where there is no insulation on either side of the zipper allows a lighter bag without compromising the warmth factor because insulation isn’t needed underneath you when you have an insulated sleeping pad.
In warmer weather place the zipper either on top or to the side depending on what feels good.
3–Use as a Quilt or Sleeping Bag
During cold weather zip the bag completely.
During warmer weather you can use the sleeping bag like a quilt by unzipping completely or only zipping the lower area.
You can also stick your feet out the bottom section by loosening the cinch chord.
Unzip completely and loosen the drawstring which holds the foot box in its shape. In this way, the bag can also be used at home on your bed.
4—Temperature Regulation.
In circumstances where you might overheat in a down or synthetic fill bag, you won’t in a wool bag. You will sleep right through extreme changes in temperature because wool is both heating and cooling and this helps regulate an even body temperature. To further the temperature adjusting abilities, you can drape the bag loosely in warmer weather. Unzipping all the way is appropriate in warmer weather. In colder weather zip the bag completely.
5–Wear a Merino Base Layer when sleeping, or alternatively use a merino sleep sack. This is similar to a sheet which you can wash regularly and will keep the sleeping bag clean longer. You can also use the Dust Cover for this. However for the lightest weight option, just wearing a merino base layer will do the job. You can also wear extra sweaters to extend the temperature range according to your liking.
6—Don’t be afraid of the dew.
You can sleep under the open sky when it’s not raining because dew does not soak the bag. Instead, your body heat keeps the bag dry on the inside so you wake up high and dry, even if the outside of the bag is wet. This also works in fog mist and frost. You don’t need to hide inside a tent anymore. This is perfect for sleeping under a tarp with open sides where a bit of moisture blow in will cause no harm. This puts you right up against nature so you can be at one with the moon and stars!
8—Extend the temperature by 10 degrees.
Pull the wool over your eyes! Go ahead. In fact pull it over your whole head. This will keep your face warm as well as raise the temperature by 10 degrees. You have been told your whole life not to do this. That is true in a down or synthetic bags where the moisture will make you clammy and cold. However wool is a game changer. In a wool sleeping bag the moisture will be wicked away. There is also a sleep enhancing effect of breathing inside the bag like this. You are increasing your CO2 which lowers serotonin and reduces inflammation leading to deeper sleep.
To do this while lying on your back, just pull your knees up so there will be more room. Or you can lay on your side in fetal curl position. Experiment to see what works.
9—Bug protection.
When covered completely by the bag, you are away from the bity things like mosquitoes and no-see-ums. You can sleep peacefully protected using this technique as a defense. This is an alternative to a bug net over the face. Although in warmer weather you might prefer a bug net.
10—Comfort in humid weather.
You often feel cooler and dryer with the bag than even in the open air. The reason is: wool wicks the humidity away leaving a layer of dry air next to your skin. You create a micro-climate bubble which takes damp and clammy conditions and makes you feel warm and dry.
11—Change positions easily.
Sleep on your back or your side and shift to any position you like. One big advantage of this is to either conserve heat or to cool down. The most heat-conserving position is the fetal curl. Also when your feet get cold you can pull them in and place them against your legs and warm them with your hands.
12—Hoodless Design.
Wear your wool hat or bandana and place an extra piece of clothing over your head during colder weather. This feature allows more ease of movement and adjustability for varying conditions. Since during colder weather it is recommended to crawl all the way into the bag and cover your head, it doesn’t need a hood.
13—Stuff sack pillow.
Place extra clothing inside your stuff sack to create a pillow on the go. Our 100% cotton stuff sack is soft and breathable to add luxury to camping without extra weight. (We also carry a tiny wool-stuffed camp pillow).
14—Camp robe.
When lounging around camp wrap the bag around you by unzipping so the bag is flat. Use the flap side to pull up tight around your neck. Some people even walk down the trail like this during unusually cold weather. We include two loops and a mini caribeaner which allows you to secure the bag as a cape so it won’t fall off while using your hands.
15—Feel free to compress the bag when needed with compression straps while it is in the stuff sack. When at home you can store the bag in the stuff sack because the bag is extra roomy. Just be sure to extend it out so the stuff sack is completely full and not stuffed tightly or compressed. You can even use the sleeping bag in the stuff sack as a pillow or yoga bolster.
16–Use it at home on your bed. You may find this is more comfortable than any of your other blankets. You can experiment with turning the heat down or off and opening the windows depending on your climate and the time of year. The point is, this sleeping bag can save you energy and money and also help you sleep better because cold weather is ideal for sleeping. You get negative ions and grounding from the fresh air.
17–Cleaning
The Lucky Sheep Sleeping Bag is easily freshened by placing in the sun and air. Wool has a natural ability to sanitize itself in the elements. For further washing, here are instructions:
To freshen even more, and also to revive the loft, use this hand washing method:
Wash by hand in a wash tub or bath tub using warm water and a mild biodegradable shampoo. (Wool is similar to human hair so shampoo works well). The best one is called Wool Wash available here.
Alternatively you can use this wool wash recipe:
This is a wool wash recipe that dates back to the 1930’s. It’s home chemistry at its finest. It cleans, softens and protects. It basically is more of a conditioner than a cleaner but it will soften even the stiffest and roughest feeling wool. Also, has inherent moth repellent qualities.
4 Cups Castle Soap Flakes
1 Cup Denatured Alcohol
50 Ml. Of Eucalyptus Oil
4 Cups Distilled Water
Mix all parts together except water. Warm water to a good heat warmer than tap but definitely not boiling. Ideally 120 or so. Mix in water let sit stirring gently till a solution. Use 1/2 cup per sleeping bag.
1) Fill up the bathtub or similar container with luke warm water. Add a mild bio-degradable shampoo (wool is similar to human hair so shampoo is ideal) and 1/2 cup of lanolin (available from Lucky Sheep) and dissolve it by stirring.
2) Place the sleeping bag, unzipped, in the solution.
3) Push the sleeping bag down into the water carefully. It will float back up. Push it down again until it becomes completely saturated. Do not pull on it…only use a gentle downward push with your palms.
4) Let it sit like this for 10-15 minutes.
5) Drain the water
6) Make sure the bag is folded with the merino side inside and the cotton side outside.
7) Then start rolling the bag from toe to head, as you squeeze out water by hand, while pushing down to release the water. Make sure to have the cotton shell side on the outside while you are doing this.
8) Fill the tub again with luke-warm water. Let the bag thoroughly soak in the new water, then squeeze it out again by rolling the bag from toe to head as you did before. There is no need to wait. You can do this 1-3 times if you like.
9) With the bag rolled up, lift it carefully out and lay it flat to dry, preferably outside on a tarp, turning occasionally until done.
DO NOT Tumble in the washer or dryer. This will destroy your wool..
To prevent moth damage if storage is necessary store in a cloth bag such as the stuff sack that comes with your sleeping bag.