Outdoor sports are a product of industrial civilization. After World War II, they were the first to be popularized in Europe and the United States. At present, the participation rate of outdoor sports in Europe and the United States has reached more than 50%. The rich subdivisions have spawned a huge outdoor product market.

In the world of outdoor camping, the type of sleeping bag you choose can make all the difference in your comfort and survival. Two popular options are cotton and down sleeping bags, but which one is superior? Let's take a closer look.

Like any bedding, a sleeping bag needs to be washed. Fortunately, sleeping bags can be easily laundered in a washing machine. There are, however, some specific guidelines to follow when washing a sleeping bag to ensure it's not damaged in the wash, including using the right type of detergent for the sleeping bag's fill type and leaving enough time for the job. It's important to know that the drying time can be long—anywhere from a few hours to overnight—and making sure it's completely dry before storing a sleeping bag is critical to its care.

How you wash a sleeping bag depends on whether it is filled with synthetic fiberfill or down. Both are machine washable but use different detergents, and they need a large enough machine without a central agitator. Generally, wash using cold or warm water on the permanent press or delicate cycle with regular laundry detergent or down cleaning solution. Dry in a clothes dryer on low or air dry. Drying can take up to five hours, so give yourself extra time.

After a long day of trekking through the woods, exploring a national park, or even just traipsing around the backyard, your sleeping bag is your source of warmth and comfort while you rest in the great outdoors. As you climb in for a good night’s sleep or for a rousing round of ghost stories in the tent, it might not be as comforting if you notice some lingering stains and odors.Just like our comforters and sheets at home, it’s a necessity to thoroughly wash and dry your sleeping bag on a routine basis. However, because it’s made with specialty fabric and fills designed to keep you warm and dry in outdoor conditions, the care and maintenance of sleeping bags is a bit different than cleaning regular linens and bedding.

Contributing editor Megan Michelson is an award-winning journalist who covers travel and the outdoors for a wide range of publications from her home base in Tahoe City, California.Heading out the door? Read this article on the Outside app available now on iOS devices for members! Download the app.Have you ever cleaned your sleeping bag? Or has it been ten years since it’s been thoroughly washed? Chances are it’s time to give that thing a deep clean, especially before you put it away after the summer camping season, since any trapped moisture will fester in storage. You can get it professionally laundered—tech cleaners like Rainy Pass Repair in Seattle, Washington, or Technical Equipment Cleaners in Truckee, California, will do that for you, either in person or by mail. But it’s also easy to do it yourself. Here’s what you’ll need.

Washing a down sleeping bag (and other down gear) doesn’t have to be scary and doesn’t have to destroy your gear. Quite the opposite – it will likely extend the life of your gear so long as you take steps to ensure you’re washing your down gear correctly.There are a couple of methods available to you when deciding to wash your down gear. One is the bathtub method (which I will not go over here) and another is the front-loading washer method (my preferred method and the one I’ll be covering in-depth here).

A down sleeping bag can be a backpacker’s greatest ally in the wilderness. If treated with care, a down sleeping bag can last for decades of frequent use, keeping you toasty warm on the trail. But many backpackers mistreat their down sleeping bags, letting grit and grime soak into them for years without a wash. Not only will this make for a super stinky sleep sack, but it will also eventually ruin the fabrics and decrease the loft and insulation of your bag.

Sleeping in a sleeping bag means that oils and salts from your perspiration, plus grime from the outside world (including fine-grain sand) can remain inside the bag and compromise the insulation - and leave it smelling less-than-fresh. Keeping your bag clean will actually prolong its life, and make sleeping more pleasant, so we've put together what you need to know when washing your sleeping bag. If you already own a Sea to Summit sleeping bag some models come with care instructions printed right on the storage cell.

If your sleeping bag is darkened with grime or worse yet—losing its fluffiness (loft)—then it’s time to give it a good washing. The buildup of body oils and dirt over time will migrate into the fill (both down and synthetic) and begin to compromise your bag’s loft and warmth.You can hand wash it in a bathtub, which can be very labor-intensive, or send it to a professional service like Rainy Pass Repair. Or you can DIY that sleeping-bag cleaning job using a commercial-size washer and dryer at a laundromat.

Sometimes, a spot wash just won’t cut it. After a particularly dirty or wet trip (or if your down sleeping bag just isn’t keeping you as warm as it used to) it might be time for a full wash.When you buy a down sleeping bag, it’s super lofty and puffy. Over time, it gets less lofty as the down gets contaminated with dirt and body oils and starts to clump together. Washing your sleeping bag helps break up clumps and restore the down’s fluffiness and performance, but it’s a delicate balance – down is fragile, so you don’t want to wash it too often.If you have a hybrid down/synthetic sleeping bag, you’ll also want to follow these instructions. A 2-person down sleeping bag might be too big for a home washing machine, so your best bet is to go to the laundromat.

Whether it's down or synthetic, here are the tips and tricks you need to keep your sleeping bag in good, clean condition for seasons to come.Many campers don't think much about how to clean a sleeping bag and just throw it in the washing machine like they would a pair of pants or a t-shirt. This is a big mistake. Both down and synthetic sleeping bags require specialized cleaning and care.Much like your most treasured possessions, it's important to take good care of your sleeping bag (so that it can take good care of you too). Procrastinating the care of your product could have negative consequences on its lifespan and efficacy. Buildup of dirt and grime on the exterior of your sleeping bag will eventually migrate into it and compromise the bag's loft and warmth. There are professional services for cleaning gear like sleeping bags and technical jackets. If you want to DIY your cleaning job, however, you're in the right place. We'll go over some tips, then break down how to clean down sleeping bags, how to clean synthetic sleeping bags and answer other common questions you might have.

When the sun is shining and the outdoors beckon, nothing is more warming and pleasing than spreading your picnic rug and enjoying a good meal among greenery under the gleaming blue sky.Although picnicking can give you a moment to reflect on yourself and have a great time with your family or friends, it can also give you a headache with spills, stains, and general wear and tear on your picnic rug. Do you wonder how to clean a picnic rug or picnic blanket so that you can extend the life of your comfortable picnic rug? Then, this guide can take you through the step-by-step process of cleaning your picnic rugs and blankets yourself. 

From the build-up of dust to grime from food stains, an unclean picnic blanket harbours bacteria that can lead to unpleasant smells. Although summer is the perfect time to enjoy a picnic the unpredictability of the British weather can lead to soggy blankets which call for a more urgent clean. But where do you start? We’ve put together some simple ways on how to wash a picnic blanket to help you keep your blanket clean and fresh in time for your next outdoor meal. 

On the way home, your picnic blanket got wet and dirty. You definitely need to wash it, but now you’re wondering: How to wash a waterproof blanket? Luckily, we here at KAMUI got together and wrote an amazing article on how to maintain a waterproof blanket. We are going through the steps you need to take when washing your blanket, how to maintain it, and other facts that might interest you.We can plan as much as we like, but there’s nothing we can do about bad weather conditions when we’re in the great outdoors. Whether you had a picnic at the beach that day or were planning a week-long camping trip, sudden rain and other wet conditions can put a serious dampener on them.

The beauty of our adjustable strap is that you can fold or roll up your Picnic Mat any which way you like!  But if you’re like us and like things just so… lay print side down and fold it in thirds, then fold in half – you’ll have a long narrow mat which you then fold in half end to end.  Fold each end into the middle (quarters) and then one final fold in half.  Phew!!! We hope this is clear(ish!) and it might take a couple of goes.  You can also check out our short step by step video on how to fold or roll your picnic mat on our Instagram highlights under ‘Folding Mats’.

We want your brand spanking new picnic gear to bring style and sass to your outdoor adventures for many years to come.Read on for some easy-peasy tips to ensure your picnic rug and wet things bags last the distance (and then some).Our Wet Things Bags are made from picnic rug offcuts, so we recommend you apply the same picnic rug care instructions to keep them sparkling clean. 

Unused wool blankets will begin to smell after a while and no, it's not just the result of your dog sleeping on top of it every night.It can even happen if you store away your blankets between uses because there is still moisture in them that makes for the perfect home for bacteria.So how do we fix this? One way is to take your blanket outside and give it a good shake.This will get rid of most of the fine dirt particles that can cause you problems later on, especially if they are allowed to sit for long periods at a time.

Before attempting to clean your picnic blanket, it’s important to determine what type of material it is made of. Different materials require different cleaning methods to avoid damaging the fabric. For example, a waterproof picnic blanket may need to be wiped clean with a damp cloth, while a cotton picnic blanket may be suitable for machine washing. Be sure to read the care instructions on the label before starting the cleaning process.

So you bought a waterproof blanket for picnics, can you wash it? Long story short - yes, you can wash a waterproof picnic blanket. It is important to follow the manufacturer's care instructions to ensure that you clean it properly without damaging its water-resistant properties. Maybe you spilled the on the blanket or got some coconut oil on it while tanning. Whatever the case is - it needs to be cleaned and we can help with that.