On this day in 1942 Eddie Bauer filed the patent for sleeping bag. The patent was later granted on January 4, 1944 as U.S.Patent No. 2.338.226.
It is well known that the sleeping bad or sleeping envelope designed to encase the body in an insulative manner is a highly useful sleeping garment and is on that lends itself readily to use by outdoorsmen, troops and the like by reason of its compactness and ease of carrying, as well as its tightness. There has been a long felt need, however, for such a sleeping garment. This is especially true in the colder climates, where it is desired to protect the head as well as the body against the cold, wind or snow, to limit the exposed surfaces only sufficient for the purposes of respiration. According to current design of sleeping bags for the United States Army for troops, the usual elongated envelope has provided, adjacent the upper or open end, a triangular hood that is formed to partially enclose the head, and having an opening through which the face and nose may be exposed. For access to such a sleeping bag, from the lower edge of the face opening downward medially, the bag is slit and adapted to be fastened, either by a slide fastener or laces, snaps or the like. This construction has several obvious disadvantages. One such disadvantage is that the triangular portion of the sleeping bag is difficult to produce as well as to roll into the remainder of the envelope when it is desired to pack the bag in a roll. Another and serious disadvantage is the fact that the medial slit and its closure lie directly down the chest and stomach of a person using such a bag. Generally, the insulating filler of the bag tapers out at the edges of this slit and a cold spot or region results, due to the fact that the insulation is not heavy enough along the closure in comparison to the remainder of the bad, and discomfort is a definite result. A further disadvantage lies in the fact that such a bag is hard to get into, as the user must insert his feet and torso through the slit provided, slip the hood over the head and fasten the slit. A real disadvantage arises when the user is getting out of the bag, due to the difficulty of opening the slit and of removing the hood.
