Equipment and travelling

[CaminodS365]

I just figured out that I won't travel lightly. My current Winter sleeping bag weighs 3.5kg alone (maybe should bring it with me and get another one for Spain?) and I wanted to get my folding bike over to Spain. I don't have a car. I think that a flight with all my equipment will be very expensive? Any suggestions on a sleeping bag that will be good enough for Northern Spain in November and December - February? I am a vegetarian and I wish for synthetic or hollow-fibre suggestions. Also would like to know which liners do you use. I want to travel without having to rely on any albergues. Thanks to anyone who makes my trip more easy and Winter-safe. I can use albergues as I have a stamp card but I may want to save the money and sleep in a tent. How allowed is that outside of Canary Islands, folks?

 

[CaminodS365]

Any suggestions for budget lightweight camping equipment in Winter for Camino or Spain? I have zero idea what sleeping bag will be warm enough up to Northern Spain, in particular. I would prefer a hollow-fibre or other synthetic one. I don't want to get amy down or goose sleeping bag, I am a vegetarian.

 

[mspath]

CaminodS335,

Welcome to the forum.

For a good overview and much helpful information re Walking in Winter see the many links and posts in this earlier thread

Enjoy your planning and Carpe diem.

 

[J Willhaus]

So if you are planning no albergues because you are staying in hotels, you won't need a sleeping bag. Decathlon in Spain will likely have a selection of synthetic bags if you are planning to camp. It may be difficult to find campsites along the entire route. Wild camping is not legal but done by some anyway.

 

[good_old_shoes]

Many if not most campsites will be closed in the winter season. They usually cost about the same as albergues, so it doesn't make sense to use them to save money, anyway.

Wild camping is not very welcome in Spain, and even illegal in most areas as far as I know, so you'd need to stealth camp in extremely (!) respectful way if you plan to wild camp to keep cost down. No fire, arrive late, be gone early, leave no litter and no feces behind. Don't bother locals, wildlife, lifestock ect.

I'm a vegetarian, too, and my compromise for cold weather camping is to use a second hand / recycled down sleeping bag, because the synthetic ones are simply too heavy or not warm enough for me. My sleeping bag for the really cold winter nights weighs 1,5kg and keeps me warm even in temperatures lower than -10°C. Bought it for 80€ on eBay and it's probably 20-30 years old already but works perfectly. I personally can live with that compromise. So, maybe worth a try to buy second hand. You can still donate it after your Camino if you prefer not to own a down bag, and then it still has a purpose and will help someone in need.

Northern Spain can be very cold in winter in higher elevation so you definitely need a sleeping bag with a comfort range far below freezing point, a warm enough sleeping pad and a tent that can survive snow (or you need to shake it several times per night to get the snow off of it).

I don't know which route you plan to travel. But on the Francés there are several donativo albergues which means you only pay what you can afford. It doesn't mean they're free, but those places also welcome pilgrims who struggle financially. Maybe you can warm up and get a hot shower from time to time that way. You can offer to help around the place (mop floors, clean dishes...) if you can't pay at all or only a very low amount. But if you can pay, please do so.

The albergue in Roncesvalles I know has a reduced fee for pilgrims with tents (I payed 4€ I think, last year) and you can still use the kitchen and bathroom.

The municipal albergues are not that expensive in general. You can see the prices in the gronze. website. The cheaper ones cost only ~10€.

Buen Camino!

 

[Tincatinker]

I just figured out that I won't travel lightly. My current Winter sleeping bag weighs 3.5kg alone (maybe should bring it with me and get another one for Spain?) and I wanted to get my folding bike over to Spain. I don't have a car. I think that a flight with all my equipment will be very expensive? Any suggestions on a sleeping bag that will be good enough for Northern Spain in November and December - February? I am a vegetarian and I wish for synthetic or hollow-fibre suggestions. Also would like to know which liners do you use. I want to travel without having to rely on any albergues. Thanks to anyone who makes my trip more easy and Winter-safe. I can use albergues as I have a stamp card but I may want to save the money and sleep in a tent. How allowed is that outside of Canary Islands, folks?

@CaminodS365 you are not really helping people to help you. Where you live might give a clue as to climate adjustment. The folding bike? Are you planning to cycle a Camino? A 3.5kg sleeping bag? That is arctic weight. Nevertheless, winter in Northern Spain can be both cold and wet. Sometimes both on the same day. If you’re determined to wild camp I hope you have some serious experience

 

[henrythedog]

Down isn’t a great option in a damp cold environment in any case. In dry cold however, it’s unbeatable. Synthetic is probably a better choice for any European winter.

Ethically sourced down is a bit of a minefield. Many inexpensive down products come from sources where harvesting practices are pretty grim. Look for an IDFL traceability certificate, RDS, TDS or DownPass and you’re on safer ground.

 

[good_old_shoes]

Down isn’t a great option in a damp cold environment in any case. In dry cold however, it’s unbeatable.

It's of course true that down loses some of its loft in humid conditions.

In practice, I found out that I never had any major issue because of that, though. I use a sleeping bag that is warm enough that even when it loses a bit of loft, it still keeps me perfectly warm. It shouldn't get soaked, but that usually doesn't happen (and a soaked synthetic bag is just as useless, though much easier to dry).

Down definitely needs a bit of care during a longer trip (air it out whenever there's dry / sunny weather, make sure it doesn't get soaked by condensation or rain...), but that's a normal routine after a while.

I think the "down sleeping bags are not good in wet weather" dogma is similar to "ponchos are useless when it's windy". There's some truth to it, but still, many pilgrims on the Camino prefer ponchos even in windy conditions, and according to surveys I read, most thru hikers on the AT use down sleeping bags/quilts despite often rainy conditions.

For ethical reasons, synthetic is of course the much better choice. Totally agree.

But regarding weight and sleep comfort, I definitely prefer my trusted down bag and wouldn't hesitate to bring it on a rainy trip, too.

A well cared for down bag lasts a lifetime, so, hopefully, I don't have to make that decision again!

To get back to the question asked:

Decathlon has not too expensive synthetic sleeping bags, but I wouldn't be sure if they're really warm enough in winter without testing them at home.

I used a snugpak sleeper extreme before, a bit over 2kg, rated for -7°C I think but in my experience only until 0/-2°C or so, but I'm a cold sleeper. Relatively cheap with 70€ nowadays (back then I payed ~60). Quality is okay. Maybe something like that could work without spending to much of the budget on new gear.