and why?

Sleeping bag?

Depending on where the door is on your tent -- you can match with your sleeping bag for easier entry/exit. But really, it's a convenience thing -- not critical at all.

For sleeping bags, the idea was that you get a zipper that is opposite of your dominate hand, as reaching over your chest to unzip with the dominate hand, is easier than bending your arm awkwardly to unzip a zipper that is up against the shoulder of your dominate arm. This is really only a problem if you have a snug sleeping bag. But personally i have no problems operating a zipper with either hand..it's doesn't really require advanced motor skills

For jackets...doesn't really matter to me

Edited by Konrad1013 on 04/29/2010 18:10:34 MDT.

>it's doesn't really require advanced motor skills

Speak for yourself! I still can't figure out which is my right and left! ; )

Yep, for sleeping bags it really doesn't matter to me, but I'm right handed and usually get left zips. Since I usually share a Double Rainbow with my girlfriend, she has a right zip and me a left. Therefore, we can each have a zipper facing a door.

hehe, fine fine, i'll admit it. I have my girlfriend zip me in and out of my bag because I can't figure it out myself either. She gets pretty angry when I wake her up by head butting her at 2am because I gotta leave the tent to take a wizz.

Have u guys tried center zipped sleeping bags? Those are awesome. Makes half-zipped bags actually okay to use

If you hike with a significant other, if you get a right and left zip, you can mate. .....er, the sleeping bags that is.

Haven't tried the center zip bags.

I'm right handed and prefer right side zip. I sleep predominately on my right side and this lets me vent without my back getting cold.

I've owned right, left and center zips. I'm right handed and find its much easier to have a left zip and even in a roomy bag the right zip is a pain to me. I really like my center half zip, but would only use that as a cold weather bag where I wouldn't be venting as much.