Colin Snow
The history of the sleeping bag is a long and fascinating one, with the evolution of the sleeping bag taking place over thousands of years. By 1910, sleeping bags had already been used by French customs officers in the Pyrenees mountains, German peasants in the 1850s, and by Arctic explorers in the form of wool blankets and linen covered with Mackintosh rubberized fabric. In 1861, Francis Tuckett of the English Alpine Society used a textile with an applied rubber waterproofing compound, paving the way for further modifications that led to the contemporary sleeping bag. In 1876, Pryce Jones patented a sewn blanket sleeping bag with an airtight pillow, and in 1888, Norwegian explorer Fridtjof Nansen designed a three-person sleeping bag after observing the sleeping arrangements of the Inuit in Lapland. By the early 20th century, sleeping bag development had progressed, with specialist designs catering to high-demand users and cheaper, lower-quality bags made for trampers and campers.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Year | 1910 |
| History | Sleeping bags were invented in the 19th century. Before that, people used animal skins or blankets to keep warm. |
| Notable Inventors | Pryce Jones, Francis Tuckett, Fridtjof Nansen, Sarah Winters |
| Commercial Availability | Sleeping bags were commercially available before 1910. |
| Popularity | They were popular among gold seekers, explorers, athletes, and the military. |
| Design | Designs varied, with different fillings and shapes. The mummy shape, in particular, gained popularity before WWII due to its heat efficiency. |
| Improvements | Over time, sleeping bags evolved to include features like hoods, collars, zip covers, and drawstrings. |
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What You'll Learn
The evolution of sleeping bags
The evolution of the sleeping bag has been thousands of years in the making. For millennia, people relied on animal skins to keep warm at night. In the early 19th century, people used blankets, as did mountaineers and hikers.
In 1824, Charles Macintosh invented rubberised fabric, which was used by Arctic explorers to make beds from wool blankets and linen covered with this fabric. In the 1850s, German peasants used another early form of a sleeping bag: a simple, strong linen bag filled with straw, hay, and dry leaves.
In 1861, Francis Fox Tuckett, the vice-president of the English Alpine Society, used a textile with an applied rubber waterproofing compound, marking the beginning of a series of modifications that would eventually lead to the contemporary sleeping bag. In 1876, Pryce Jones patented a sewn blanket sleeping bag with an airtight pillow sewn in. He marketed these to the Russian Army, which ordered 60,000 bags. However, due to the Russians' military success against the Turks at Plevna, the order was reduced to 17,000. Jones then advertised that he would remove the pillows, allowing the space to be stuffed with feathers, wool, cotton, or straw, thus creating a great bed and blanket combination "for the poor".
In 1888, Norwegian explorer Fridtjof Nansen and his friends lived with the Inuit in Lapland to learn how they coped with extreme cold. They designed their own equipment, including sleeping bags, inspired by the Inuit's sealskin blankets. Nansen sewed some of these blankets together to make three-person sleeping bags.
In 1898, Sarah Winters patented a sleeping bag, advertising it as "ideal for the coldest Alaska weather" during the Klondike Gold Rush. By the early 20th century, sleeping bag development had taken two main paths: specialist designs for high-demand users, and cheaper, lower-quality bags for trampers and campers. In the 1930s, the Egyptian sarcophagus-shaped "mummy" bag was developed, followed by the French alpinist Pierre Allain's "pied d’elephant" (elephant foot), a short sleeping bag that joined a down jacket, both covered by a waterproofed silk outer bag. Synthetic fibres were used to fill bags from the 1960s onwards, offering improved insulation and moisture resistance.
In the years preceding World War II, the mummy shape became popular among athletes and was adopted by the military due to its reduced weight, improved heat conservation, and lower feather requirements. The M-1942 design was later replaced by the M-1949, a modular mummy-shaped bag with a waterproof case.
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Early sleeping bag designs
The early designs of sleeping bags date back to the use of animal skins and blankets. For millennia, people relied on animal skins to keep warm at night. In the 19th century, people used blankets, as did mountaineers and hikers.
In 1861, Francis Tuckett, the vice-president of the English Alpine Society, used a textile with an applied rubber waterproofing compound, marking the beginning of a series of modifications that led to the contemporary sleeping bag. In the same year, Tuckett tested one of the earliest alpine sleeping bag designs, which was made of a wool blanket and a Mackintosh rubber base. However, the rubber bottom collected condensation during sleep, leading Tuckett to abandon the design. These early sack-like designs were challenging to access and remove.
In 1876, Pryce Jones patented a sewn blanket sleeping bag with an airtight pillow sewn in. He contracted to deliver 60,000 bags to the Russian Army, but due to their military successes, the order was reduced to 17,000. Jones advertised that the pillow could be removed and the space stuffed with feathers, wool, cotton, or straw to create a bed and blanket combination. This design, known as the Euklisia Rug, became the first mass-produced and commercially profitable sleeping bag. It was later used by the British Army and in the Australian Outback.
In 1888, Norwegian explorer Fridtjof Nansen and his friends designed their sleeping bags after spending time with the Inuit in Lapland. Nansen noticed that the Inuit slept under sealskin blankets, so he sewed some together to create three-person sleeping bags for his expedition to ski across Greenland.
By the early 20th century, sleeping bag development had diversified, with specialist designs for high-demand users and cheaper, lower-quality bags for trampers and campers. In the 1930s, the mummy bag design, inspired by the cocoon shape for maximum heat retention, gained popularity. The French alpinist Pierre Allain introduced the pied d’elephant, a short sleeping bag that joined a down jacket, both covered by a waterproofed silk outer bag. Synthetic fibres introduced in 1937 further enhanced the insulating properties of sleeping bags.
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The first commercial sleeping bags
The history of the sleeping bag is a long one, with the evolution of the sleeping bag taking thousands of years. For millennia, people relied on animal skins for warmth at night. In the 19th century, people turned to blankets, as did mountaineers and hikers.
In 1861, Francis Tuckett, vice-president of the English Alpine Society, used a textile with an applied rubber waterproofing compound, kickstarting a range of modifications that would eventually lead to the contemporary sleeping bag. In 1876, Pryce Jones patented a sewn blanket sleeping bag with an in-sewn airtight pillow. Jones had contracted to deliver 60,000 of these bags to the Russian Army, but due to their early successes in battle against the Turks, his contract was terminated. Jones advertised that the pillow could be removed and the bag stuffed with feathers, wool, cotton, or straw, making it a great bed and blanket combination "for the poor".
In 1898, Sarah Winters patented her own sleeping bag, advertising it as "Miss Winter’s patent eiderdown sleeping bag, weighing only ten pounds; ideal [even] for the coldest Alaska weather." Winters' sleeping bag was likely a valuable asset for those travelling to the Klondike Gold Rush.
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Sleeping bag manufacturing in the early 1900s
The history of sleeping bag manufacturing is a long and complex one, with many people claiming to have "invented" the sleeping bag. While it is difficult to pinpoint the exact origins of the sleeping bag, it is safe to say that its development has taken place over thousands of years.
In the early 1900s, sleeping bag manufacturing was influenced by the needs of explorers, mountaineers, hikers, and the military. One of the earliest recorded sleeping bags was created by Norwegian explorer Fridtjof Nansen, who, along with his friends, designed sleeping bags while living with the Inuit in Lapland before skiing across Greenland in 1888. Nansen and his friends sewed sealskin blankets together to create three-person sleeping bags, recognizing the effectiveness of animal skins in insulating heat. This design was later commercialized by the Norwegian company G. Fuglesang AS in the late 1800s.
Another notable figure in the history of sleeping bags is Pryce Pryce Jones, a Welsh-born inventor. Jones created the Euklisia Rug, which was the first mass-produced and commercially profitable sleeping bag. The Euklisia Rug was a wool blanket made from two layers of wool attached by fastenings, with a sewn-in rubber pillow. The Russian Army was the first large-scale adopter of Jones's invention, ordering 60,000 rugs. However, due to their military successes, the order was reduced to 17,000, leaving Jones with a surplus. He then marketed the remaining rugs as affordable bedding for charities aiding the poor, and they soon gained popularity with the British Army and in the Australian Outback.
In the early 1900s, sleeping bags also began to take on the "mummy" shape, first introduced by the Egyptians. This shape gained popularity due to its heat-retaining capabilities and was later adopted by the military before World War II to reduce weight and space in soldiers' backpacks. The "mummy" design also addressed a shortage in down feathers, as fewer were required to fill the shape.
By the early 1900s, sleeping bag manufacturing had evolved to meet the demands of various users, from explorers in extreme cold conditions to hikers and campers seeking more affordable and lightweight options. The materials used for insulation and the shapes of the bags continued to be refined, with animal skins, wool, rubber, and later, synthetic fibers, all playing a role in the development of sleeping bags.
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Sarah Winters' sleeping bag patent
The history of sleeping bags dates back thousands of years, with people using animal skins to keep warm at night. In the 19th century, people continued to wrap themselves in blankets, including mountaineers and hikers. However, the evolution of textiles led to the development of modern sleeping bags.
In 1861, Francis Tuckett, the vice-president of the English Alpine Society, used a textile with an applied rubber waterproofing compound, marking the beginning of modifications that led to the contemporary sleeping bag. Pryce Jones, a Welshman, patented a sewn blanket sleeping bag with an airtight pillow in 1876. He planned to deliver 60,000 bags to the Russian Army, but the contract was terminated due to the Russians' military successes. Jones then advertised the bags for general sale, suggesting that the pillow could be removed and the space stuffed with feathers, wool, cotton, or straw to create a bed and blanket combination.
By the early 20th century, sleeping bag development took two main paths: specialist designs for high-demand users and cheaper, lower-quality bags for trampers and campers. In the 1930s, the Egyptian "mummy" bag was introduced, followed by the French alpinist Pierre Allain's "pied d’elephant" (elephant foot) in 1933. Synthetic fibres were used to fill bags from the 1960s onwards, offering improved insulation and moisture resistance.
Amid these innovations in sleeping bag technology, Sarah Winters stood out as a female inventor during a time when women accounted for only 1% of U.S. patents. Winters filed and was granted a patent for her creation, a sleeping bag, in 1898. Born around 1857 to Irish parents who emigrated to Canada, Winters arrived in Seattle in 1890 and worked as a dressmaker. As the Klondike Gold Rush brought prospectors through the city, Winters saw an opportunity to meet their needs.
Winters' sleeping bag was made of cloth-covered quilted eiderdown (goose or duck feathers) and included interior pockets and flaps that could be fastened shut, enclosing the user. It weighed only ten pounds and was advertised as ideal for the coldest Alaska weather. The sleeping bag could be easily rolled and carried by travellers and may have been a valuable asset for those seeking their fortunes in the gold fields. While Winters likely didn't make a significant profit from her invention due to the barriers faced by women in business at the time, her sleeping bag left a mark on the history of this essential piece of outdoor equipment.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, sleeping bags were available in 1910. In 1898, Sarah Winters patented a sleeping bag designed for Klondike gold seekers. By 1910, she had a child and was renting a home with her husband.
The sleeping bags available at the time were made of a variety of materials, including wool, linen, sheepskin, and Mackintosh rubberized fabric. Some sleeping bags were filled with straw, hay, or dry leaves.
Many people claim to have invented the sleeping bag. However, our research suggests that the first sleeping bag was developed by Norwegian explorer Fridtjof Nansen in 1888. Nansen designed the sleeping bag after observing the Inuit people sleeping under sealskin blankets in Lapland.
