History of the Woods Sleeping Robe

Woods Manufacturing was founded in 1895 by James W. Woods in Ottawa Canada and served the outfitting needs of frontiersmen, lumberjacks, and miners. The uncharted frontiers of the world were closing in during the latter half of the 19th century and into the early 20th century. Arctic expeditions joined the ambitions of adventurers who wanted to navigate the Amazon and inner Africa and the world anxiously waited to hear or read of these heroes successes and failures.

These bags were mainly marketed and sold in Canada to outdoorsmen who worked in the back timber country cutting logs, in the Yukon mining for riches, and on expeditions into cold regions. The original intent was the shell of the bags would repel rain and snow if your were unable to make a shelter and survive with some moderate comfort. The large size of them permitted the outdoorsmen to sleep with there duffel inside the bag with them, sometimes this duffel included their guns for protections against wildlife that may stumble upon the camp.

The Woods company was in a prime position to serve the needs of those explorers who ventured into the colder climate of North America and wanted to venture into arctic expeditions. According to the Woods Company website, Captain Bernier commissioned a polar expedition parka from the Woods company in 1903, in 1906 the Woods company outfitted the expedition of the Northwest Passage, and in 1913 Woods outfitted the Canadian Arctic Expedition. The laurels that these expeditions earned and gained gave the Woods company worldwide attention. The brand grew recognition in the United States in the 1920’s, so much demand came from the United States that the company built a factory in Ogdensburg, New York.

The Woods company had competition with Grant, Holden, & Graham another Canadian company that sold a tremendous assortment of equipment, catalogue from 1917 can be found here. The positive reputation gained from explorers using the Woods gear gave the company an edge. As the exploration period faded, leisure camping and motor travelling became an expanding phenomena thanks in no small part to Henry Ford and the affordability of owning a car which encouraged travel. In the 1920 a new American company entered the industry, Eddie Bauer. In the mid to late 1930’s Eddie Bauer started selling down sleeping bags and after WWII was one of the leading innovators for outdoor gear using materials, patterns, and methods that were not widely used in the industry.

Woods Sleeping bags remained out of reach economically for the average camper and was on par with other high end equipment manufacturers. Ernest Hemingway fondly mentioned his Woods Arctic sleeping bag in his book For Whom the Bell Tolls which was published in 1940. In 1940 the cost of a Woods Arctic Three Star Sleeping Robe cost $65 which equates to $1,294.44 today (2022), that is an expensive piece of kit! There were several purchasing options available including a “Talon Hookless Fastening”, or zipper as it is commonly called today, instead of the lift the dot snaps, various sizes, less down, and lined with wool batting instead of Kersey.

Personal Experience Using One

My experience using my Woods Three Star bag in Ohio with the temperature getting as low as -4 degrees Fahrenheit with only my long johns and sock hat and no duffel inside the bag was less than comfortable as I had expected. I was moderately comfortable but not cozy warm. I purposefully chose to only wear my long johns to see what the baseline would be, I always wear socks to bed because experience has taught me once your feet get cold it is very difficult to sleep comfortable the rest of the night. With only my long johns on I think I would have fared much better if the temperature was no lower than 20 degrees Fahrenheit. I was able to alleviate my chilly experience by wearing a pair of heavy wool socks, my 1930’s heavy Woolrich coat, and I added a wool blanket to close up the opening around my head leaving only a small space for me to breathe through so condensation would not build up in the sleeping bag and I could get fresh air.

I was able to hook this Woods Sleeping bag for a really good deal thanks to Kent Vining on the Facebook group “Bannerman’s Camp” Classic and Vintage Motor Camping Living History; if you have any interest in historical camping you need to check this group out! The bag is really big, even by today’s standards at 90″ x 90″, this is perfect for me because at six foot one inch I tend to struggle with finding a sleeping bag at a comfortable length and width. It weighs 16 pounds, is covered in canvas, lined with kersey wool, filled with down feathers, and closed by a heavy duty zipper. You may think it odd that I mention it uses a zipper to close the bag, historically sleeping bags, or robes as they were once called, were closed by ties or by snap buttons.

There are so many features to this bag that were way ahead of it’s time and sadly, most cold weather off the shelf big box store sleeping bags do not include them. The first point that impressed me, especially as a tall guy was the foot box. Mummy bags generally have a true foot box but rectangular sleeping bags do not. The foot box was generous if I slept on my back and the width permitted me to spread or curl up as I desired. There is a gap where the zipper meets the corner or the bottom fold which does open for a draft, the best way I found to fix the draft is stuff the hole with one or two wool socks, I did not feel a cold spot once I did that.

The second design feature that impressed me is the baffle stuffed with down that lined where the zipper is. The zipper is handy for keeping the bag closed, so much better than snaps, but it is a cold air point that leaks into the bag. Now off the shelf modern bags usually have a narrow strip of fabric or stuffed baffle that lines where the zipper is, but that four inch down baffle works so much better at insulation and keeping the cold air at bay. The bag is designed in a way that encourages you to sleep on the opposite side of the zipper because the wool flap is on the opposite side and that side is also where you can use the draw string to cinch up the top to make an insulated hood, much like what you would find on a mummy bag. This feature is nice if you are a side sleeper but not so much if you are a back sleeper.

In conclusion the Woods sleeping bag served it’s historical purpose well and in my opinion was ahead of its time with it’s innovations to stave off the cold. It was a premium piece of equipment and earned its reputation gained from the testimonies of those who needed it most for survival in harsh conditions. I personally vouch for the warmth and comfort the bag provides and will certainly hold onto it for future winter camping excursions and if you can get ahold of one in good shape and a good price you should snatch it up, just don’t expect to carry it on your back for backpacking trips, get a contemporary bag that will offer you the warmth at a fraction of the weight. Sleeping in a bag that has so much fluff under you and comforting weight on top of you lead me to a wonderful comfortable sleep.