Sleeping Bag for Camino Frances early march ?

[vlebe]

Hello everyone!

I'll be starting another camino early march (1st or 2nd or march) and I'm wondering if the sleeping bag I have will be enough.

It has a Confort zone of 15º C with a Limit of 11ºC.

Do you guys reckon I might need a more tick one?

If yes, a 5ºC sleeping bag is enough or should I get a -1ºC?

Thanks !

 

[Deleted member 3000]

You will be indoors when sleeping. If it is below 11C, you can grab a blanket, wear clothes, or put your poncho over your sleeping bag. :wink:

 

[cecelia]

Hi viebe,
Another point of view...
You didn't say where you would be starting but as a female, I would not be warm enough in that sleeping bag. Mine weighs under a kilo and says it is good down to freezing although I'd hate to test it out at that temperature. I often wore my clothes to bed in early April on my caminos and was still cold. And being from Brasil I would imagine you're used to a lot more heat than I am as a Canadian!. If you will be in the mountains it would not be unusual to run into snow at that time of the year and some of those stone buildings are not heated and COLD. It's true there are blankets in most albergues but not all.
Buen camino.

 

[wayfarer]

Hi viebe,
Another point of view...
You didn't say where you would be starting but as a female, I would not be warm enough in that sleeping bag. Mine weighs under a kilo and says it is good down to freezing although I'd hate to test it out at that temperature. I often wore my clothes to bed in early April on my caminos and was still cold. And being from Brasil I would imagine you're used to a lot more heat than I am as a Canadian!. If you will be in the mountains it would not be unusual to run into snow at that time of the year and some of those stone buildings are not heated and COLD. It's true there are blankets in most albergues but not all.
Buen camino.

I would agree with cecelia, use a good sleeping bag. There are plenty online weighing in at about 600 grams which work well in the lower temps. I walked from 20th April last year, it was a cold, wet spring and I was very glad of the bag in many of the hostels as they had little or no heating. I would also recommend a bag liner, silk if possible, the are available on eBay. They are light and warm and when the weather improves thats all you will need.
Have a great camino. :arrow:

 

[tyrrek]

Hi! I'm with Falcon. Use what you have rather than spending more money. Most albergues have blankets if you think you might be cold. As long as it's a sleeping bag rather than just a liner you should be fine. Buen Camino!

 

[vlebe]

Thanks you guys!

I reckon I'll stay with my lighter sleeping bag and if things get too cold I can always wear everything I'm carrying, which clotheswise comes down to:
2 pairs of long trekking trousers (being one the kind that becomes a short)
2 pairs of underwear
4 pairs of socks (I have a paranoid changing socks system)
1 second skin trouser
2 short sleeve synthetic shirt
1 long sleeve synthetic shirt
1 fleece jacket
1 overall waterproof and wind breaker jacket
1 overall long poncho
1 pair of gloves
1 scarf

What do you guys think about the list, weather wise?

Thanks again for all the amazing tips! :grin:

 

[tyrrek]

Hi Vlebe!

Looks good to me. Make sure your fleece is a good one as it can get cold in March. When you're walking it's fine, but you'll also need it in the evenings when both you and the weather have cooled down. You can always get more/different stuff in Spain if needed. Personally I'd take another pair of underwear, but if you're disciplined about washing each evening you should be fine!

Buen Camino!

 

[migolito]

When I walked I carried a sub 1lb down sleeping bag rated @40 degs that stuffed into a silnylon bag 5" x 10". I walked in Sept/Oct and was never cold when sleeping. I'm a firm believer of carrying a sleep system that doesn't require my wearing my walking clothes to keep warm. What if your walking clothes are wet? or sweaty? If it was me, I'd take a 20deg down sleeping bag in the 1.5 lb range and not worry about being cold. Not all of the accommodations are maintained well, let alone heated well.

 

[tyrrek]

I'm not really sure 'sleep systems' are necessary. A sleeping bag worked fine for me. It's not like you're climbing Everest. Buen Camino!

 

[vlebe]

I agree!

I'll try the firsts 3 days with the gear I already own, if cold becomes unbearable I can always gear up in Pamplona...

Fingers crossed for the "go card" from the doctor next monday!!!

 

[migolito]

Sleep system= Sleeping bag, maybe ultra-lite thermals that are used for sleeping only, maybe a thermal hat, maybe sock liners=Sleep System. Every one has one

 

[RENSHAW]

March can be very cold at night and early mornings. You can get away with what you have by wearing some of your clothes and using the sleeping bag as well - most albergues have blankets.

 

[hotelmedicis]

Take a sleeping bag rated to about +10 at least, though personally I like to sleep warm and knowing that heat is turned off at night I would want one a bit warmer, but that's personal opinion. Of course in the refugios there are blankets and you'll be able to use those as well.

Since you're going at an off-peak time you will most likely get a bed. I have walked the Camino Frances in July and ended up sleeping on the floor of refugios and monasteries many times and in this case you want to make sure that you have a sleeping mat (closed-cell foam or inflatable like Therm-a-rest) so that you can sleep anywhere. And in this case a sleeping bag rated to 0 C (32 F) would be a good idea since those concrete floors of drafty monasteries can be very, very cold at night. Even in July. Believe me!

Warm sleeping bags don't have to be heavy. Look at the Marmot Hydrogen for example which is rated to 0 C and weights only 702 grams.

Good luck and stay warm!

 

[MDTazWalks]

What if I only carried a sleeping sheet? Would that force me to stay in hotels instead of albergues? I like both kinds so overnight options and like playing it by ear, which worked fine in May and June when a sleeping sheet + blanket at albergue was sufficient. In March, is a sleeping bag absolutely necessary at most albergues?

 

[Deleted member 3000]

A set of sleeping linens is sufficient. So is a sleep sack, or a sleeping bag. The hostales and hoteles do not require that you bring anything of your own.

 

[hotelmedicis]

What if I only carried a sleeping sheet? Would that force me to stay in hotels instead of albergues? I like both kinds so overnight options and like playing it by ear, which worked fine in May and June when a sleeping sheet + blanket at albergue was sufficient. In March, is a sleeping bag absolutely necessary at most albergues?

It all depends on how warm you like to sleep. I would expect drafty and chilly albergues and I like to sleep warm. I walked the Camino in the month of July when you would expect Spain to be hot, but in fact it was quite cold at night and I only had a flannel sleeping bag liner and I was cold. I would bring a lightweight down sleeping bag for a nice cozy night's sleep.

 

[Tia Valeria]

After our experience 3 years ago we will never travel again without a sleeping bag, unless it is after the end of May. Even then, reading the post above, I am not sure. To save weight we do not carry the liners. We now also prefer to have 2 mid/lightweight fleeces rather than a single fleece having had to buy an extra fleece, the same year, because of the cold and use long sleeved shirts.

Bags are Snugpac and weigh approx 800gms

 

[capun]

One little trick we learned when doing Snow camping that may help you during a cold night.

If you have a Nalgene Bottle, fill it with boiling water and wrap it with a towel, socks or whatever. Put it at the bottom of your sleeping bag and it should help you.

 

[hotelmedicis]

It seems that somehow people expect Spain to be hot, even in the Spring. While this may be true down in Seville, The Camino Frances is in the north and passes through several high-elevation cities such as Leon (2,700+ feet), Astorga (2,850 feet) and several stages of the Camino remain at over 2,000 feet above sea level. Those nights are cold, and let me tell you, those refugios can be down right chilly, to say nothing of the monasteries. If you are an all-day walker, and you arrive late in the afternoon somewhere, chances are the beds will be full and you'll be on the floor, perhaps on a mattress provided by the refugio or perhaps on your air-mattress, and believe me it's cold. In July I woke up several times shivering in my flannel sleeping bag liner. I'll never travel again without at least a light-weight down sleeping bag. Nice and warm and cozy. Check the weight difference between a light-weight down sleeping bag (from Zpacks.com or Marmot, for example) and a sleeping bag liner. Often the difference in weight is just a couple hundred grams and boy, a nice warm night's sleep is worth its weight in gold compared to saving a couple hundred grams. I'll save weight elsewhere.

If you are thinking of bringing just a "sleeping sheet" or just a sleeping bag liner, I would invite you to try sleeping in it at home, on your mattress and also on the floor with a sleeping mat. Leave a window slightly open to simulate a drafty refugio and lower the heating so that the room is just slightly cool.

And by the way, I was just in Pamplona and it was snowing like crazy. All the mountains were white around the city.

 

[David]

Good thread! It can be a problem, can't it .. that Camino rises and falls and European weather has become completely unpredictable ... do you get a low temp or medium temp bag?
One way around it is to get a colder temp bag where the foot unzips - then, if too warm you can stick your feet out!! :wink:

Also, it is amazing the difference it makes in the cold in a bag if you keep your bladder empty - so much easier to stay warm (no idea why) .. as well as wearing a hat of course.

... in the end I suppose it really comes down to weight versus comfort doesn't it? :|

 

[MDTazWalks]

Thanks to everyone who responded -- this was extremely helpful. Heading out tomorrow to find a lightweight but warm sleeping bag.

with gratitude,
md

 

[vlebe]

I have decided to go with the sleeping bag I already own which is not a proper one for winter time but it is very lightweight!

In order to keep me warm I'll be using a sleeping liner as well, which might "improve" the comfort zone of my sleeping bag (my sleeping bag is a S15 zone).

I'm also taking with me very warm sleeping clothes in case the refúgios don't have blankets!

I have just finished packing 1 hour ago and found out that all my gear is lighter than I expected!

I'm very happy with that! :grin:

15 days to go!

Ultreya!

Vagner