Sleeping Bags Essays - Camping Equipment, Insulators, Bags, Bedding

Sleeping Bags Choosing a Sleeping Bag Listed below are descriptions of the key characteristics differentiating Sleeping Bags. Price We list the Average Street Price (ASP) for a sleeping bag. Although ASP may be higher than the best retail price you can find, it is a good indication of what you may pay at a typical retailer. When an ASP is not available we list the Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price. (MSRP). The price listed is for the standard size sleeping bag. Often there are long (and occaisonally short) versions of the bag as well. The long version typically adds an extra 10 to 20 dollars to the price tag, while the short version is either the same price or a few dollars less. Range: $20 to almost $800. 80% of sleeping bags are between $80 and $450, with a median price of $180. Brand Brand is usually the name of the company that makes the particular sleeping bag, although sometimes companies will produce several brands. Shape Have you ever had the desire to be wrapped up tight just like King Tut? Then look at the mummy shaped sleeping bag, which is specially designed to form fit the body. The mummy is the most popular shape for sleeping bags, with the advantage of being very compact and warm. Still, some people get a little claustrophobic with no room to toss and turn, in which case the semi-rectangular bag is a good choice. It gives you space to store a few things in the bag and move about, without sacrificing the tapered foot area or the mummy-style hood. However remember it is less heat-efficient and a bit heavier than the mummy shape. Rectangular bags are the bulkiest and heaviest of the bags, but they are cheap, roomy, and easy to zip together to form two-person bags. Range: Mummy, Semi-Rectangular, Rectangular Temperature Rating Temperature rating is a hotly debated subject in the outdoor world. It is the indicator of the lowest temperatures (in Fahrenheit) you can use the bag in and still be comfortable. There are no standardized ratings and so each manufacturer provides an estimate. In any case, this number may be different for you personally, according to whether you are a hot or cold sleeper. Use this number as a guideline, but keep in mind your own sleeping habits and choose conservatively according to the coldest weather you think you will encounter when camping. Range: -65 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Fill Type Do you prefer down or synthetic insulation? This is the big choice that everyone faces when buying a sleeping bag. Down fanatics will tell you there's absolutely no replacement for a sleeping bag filled with the down from a goose. Down bags are generally warmer, lighter, more durable and more compactible than synthetic bags. They mold to your body to fill the voids that steal heat and compress down to a little pouch at the bottom of your backpack. However, down bags are cold when they get wet, don't dry as quickly as synthetic bags, and can only be dry-cleaned. They are also more expensive. Synthetic bags are cheaper, machine washable, and more water resistant (it's even said they're comfortable when wet, although no bag is comfortable if soaked through). They dry quickly, resist mold and are non-allergenic. If you do a lot of camping in rainy conditions, a synthetic might be the way to go. However if money is no option and you want a high quality sleeping bag that will last three times longer than a synthetic bag, take a good look at down. Range: Down or Synthetic. Water Resistant Shell A wet sleeping bag is a miserable experience--cold and clammy to sleep in and sometimes difficult to dry. Some shells are made of a water resistant material that helps keep moisture out (blocking the wind as well). This is great in difficult weather. However, water resistant shells have their negatives as well. They are not as breathable as non-resistant shells, which means that you may be protected from the elements on the outside, but soaking your sleeping bag with sweat from the inside. They are also more expensive than the non-resistant shells, particularly the DryLoft shell, which can add over $100 to the price of the bag. When deciding if a water resistant shell is important to you, consider the weather you plan to be camping in to help you decide if the investment is worth it. Range: Yes or No. Insulated Draft

Contemporary Motivation essays

Contemporary Motivation essays As Richard Johnston speaks I realize that he has come across a rare talent of not only immense and drastic amounts of creativity but also the ability to capture and enhance an area like no other artist I have taken interest in. Richard announces that he does not excel in catching realism; however all of his pieces are inspired by actual aspects of his life. I agree that the surroundings that inspire him with insights should and can be seen through the talent of his art. Mr. Johnston is clearly motivated by his experiences, ideas, and environment and there is truly a lot to be learned from his approach to art, his techniques, and finished product. Richard claims that he has an irresistible urge to make things. This however would not be possible if he could not find motivation for new sculptures. There is much to be learned from the motivation that this artist captures from his environment. For example, many companies around the U.S. are recognizing that much motivation can be gained from their environment, i.e. the workplace. I think that if we could convince CEOs of major businesses to understand that on-sight art exhibitions should exist, increased productivity would be an immediate result. In fact experts at Pinker and Damsio argue that the deepest thoughts that account for human behavior are unconscious and primarily visual. By utilizing sculptures like Mr. Johnstons in the grass outside an eating area or in the lobby, we would be forcing workers to stop and analyze the meaning, thus jump starting the creative sections of their brains. As is the case with many contemporary artists there is bound to be someone who does not appreciate their work. Richard Johnstons Untitled Horse is an example of a sculpture that holds true to this scripture. This piece ornamented the main quad at UVSC during 1990. Gilbert Cooke, an UVSC administrator, grew such distaste for the p ...

HOW ARE FASHION AND APPEARANCE CENTRAL TO THE CONSTRUCTION OF SOCIAL Essay

HOW ARE FASHION AND APPEARANCE CENTRAL TO THE CONSTRUCTION OF SOCIAL IDENTITIES DISCUSS, WITH REFERENCE TO SPECIFIC EXAMPLES - Essay Example In understanding beauty and the sacrifices that are made for representing what is beautiful, it can be seen that most cultures have supported alterations of the body in order to attain the essence of beauty as it is defined within the social construct, creating identity and status through those sacrifices. The value of beauty is so high that great pain has been endured in order to attain that representation The concept of beauty would seem a simple concept to define, however beauty is sociologically relevant to the culture that defines it and has an evolving meaning that changes through time. At the center of modern Western society is the beauty salon. According to Black (2004), â€Å"The beauty salon stands at the intersection of a number of techniques of the body, which in turn relate to gender, the body, sexuality, class, commodification, leisure practices, consumption, and so on† (p. 7). Current Western society also supports the use of painful surgical remedies to alter th e physical form and create a more beautified appearance. However, pain has been collateral to many of the ways in which beauty has been chased throughout the centuries. While contemporary society may frown upon some of the methods that have been used throughout history, the current trends are actually a continuation of culturally accepted concepts of the discomfort and pain that can be experienced in the pursuit of what is physically beautiful. The Beauty Salon in Western Society The core of the creation of beautiful through physical change within contemporary Western society is the beauty salon, a place where the hair, skin, and nails are attended to in order to project a more beautiful exterior presence. The salon is a social center, as much as it is a utilitarian entity. According to Black (2004), as she quotes Yvette, an owner of a salon, â€Å"Ordinary people come through here The desire of these ‘ordinary people’ is for pleasure and escapism† (p. 2). While what is done there occurs in order to emerge into society with the intention of the results having an impact on the way in which one is viewed, what happens within the salon is as much a part of the identity as the effect of the result. A relationship is developed between the staff and the client, a connection that is made in order to form a social contract where the professional expertise of the staff member becomes the center of the development of an intimacy with the client, the commodified relationship as emotional as it is purposeful. Often the relationship that one has to their beauty professional is as much emotionally therapeutic as it is physically therapeutic (Black 2004, p. 7). What occurs within the salon is often uncomfortable, if not painful, that level of suffering helping to form the bond between the beauty professional and the client. What is experienced and sacrificed in order to attain the result helps to create the intimacy through which the social contract is es tablished. Furthermore, there is a sexuality that is established within the confines of the experience. The salon professional often must inflict pain in a very intimate way in order to achieve the goals of the session. The pain is endured, the recipient developing a dependency on the one inflicting pain as the release of that sensation is within the control of the professional. This pain can become a deep resource of connectivity between the one inflicti