Equipment April/May

[paul thibault]

Hello, I also plan to start the Camino Frances April 23 from St Jean and complete end of May. Will I need to bring a sleeping bag? Further, will it be cold enough to require a Down jacket? I am thinking I may be able to bring a pack which is an Osprey 36L. Does this seem sufficient? thanks much Paul

 

[C clearly]

Hi, and welcome!

You will need something to sleep in - sleeping bag or liner - unless you intend to stay only in hostales or hotels where bedding is supplied. (In Spain, a "hostal" is basically a small private hotel).

We don't know what the weather will be in April and May next year, so you should be prepared for quite a range. What you take depends somewhat on your preference for different temperatures and your risk aversion. I always take a light sleeping bag and a down vest (sleeveless). The down vest is only for chilly evenings and extra warmth at night. You will not need it for walking. A jacket might be warmer than you need.

A 36L back pack should be plenty.

 

[paul thibault]

Hi, and welcome!

You will need something to sleep in - sleeping bag or liner - unless you intend to stay only in hostales or hotels where bedding is supplied. (In Spain, a "hostal" is basically a small private hotel).

We don't know what the weather will be in April and May next year, so you should be prepared for quite a range. What you take depends somewhat on your preference for different temperatures and your risk aversion. I always take a light sleeping bag and a down vest (sleeveless). The down vest is only for chilly evenings and extra warmth at night. You will not need it for walking. A jacket might be warmer than you need.

A 36L back pack should be plenty.

Thank you very much for the reply. I do have a liner but am uncertain if that will be sufficient. My plan is to stay in the Alberges. Are they heated? If no I would assume I would need to bring a bag. If yes perhaps a liner is enough?

 

[C clearly]

Are they heated?

Some are, some aren't. A liner might be enough, depending on your preferences and what other clothes you can wear to bed. I find that my body is easily chilled when it is tired from walking all day, so I prefer to guarantee my comfort at night.

 

[paul thibault]

Some are, some aren't. A liner might be enough, depending on your preferences and what other clothes you can wear to bed. I find that my body is easily chilled when it is tired from walking all day, so I prefer to guarantee my comfort at night.

Thanks, I will pick up a light weight bag.

 

[alaskadiver]

You don’t say where you live. If you are from a warm climate (say Florida) you will likely feel cold when someone like me would feel warm.
I would never wear a down vest or jacket in April in Spain. Besides the fact that it would be too warm for me personally, once it gets wet it loses insulation. Better to have a light Primaloft or similar synthetic insulated jacket.
I would suggest a long sleeve light merino wool shirt that you can layer with a T-shirt or preferred hiking shirt. Use the insulating jacket if you are prone to being cold even when exerting yourself and carrying a pack. Don’t forget a light waterproof rain jacket.

I have a packing list that I used on The Primitivo in May. Just as an idea. But remember that I don’t find walking in 40 F degrees cold. Even in rain. But others freeze in these conditions.
http://www.musingsfromthelastfrontier.com/post-camino-de-santiago-packing-list/

 

[amocatnerak]

I went in April with a 55F sleeping bag and a 34L Osprey pack. I took my down jacket for the evenings and resorted to wearing it while sleeping because a few of the nights were very cold. Of course, as always YMMV. Buen Camino!

 

[grumerz]

In April/May of 2016, the CF varied a great deal. Climbing the Pyrenees, it was sunny and 60F; concluding in Roncesvalles with freezing sleet. Sunny and warmer in Pamplona, with occasional lower temps/wet times after. From Sarria on it was (seemingly always) raining and temps never got over 55; mostly less. Be prepared for just about anything. Buen Camino!

 

[c0484]

Hello, I also plan to start the Camino Frances April 23 from St Jean and complete end of May. Will I need to bring a sleeping bag? Further, will it be cold enough to require a Down jacket? I am thinking I may be able to bring a pack which is an Osprey 36L. Does this seem sufficient? thanks much Paul

I have walked the Camino Frances twice in the April-May months. You will need a light sleeping bag and, yes, you will need a fleece or down jacket. You will also need rain protection. in 2013 it rained for three days. In 2016 it rained for 3 weeks straight with sleet mixed in. I will walk it again in 2020 during late April and May because it is the greenest time of year.

 

[J F Gregory]

Thank you very much for the reply. I do have a liner but am uncertain if that will be sufficient. My plan is to stay in the Alberges. Are they heated? If no I would assume I would need to bring a bag. If yes perhaps a liner is enough?

We travel with an ultra light 40 degree bags and a silk liner. It can get cold in April and the bad doesn't weigh that much.

 

[paul thibault]

We travel with an ultra light 40 degree bags and a silk liner. It can get cold in April and the bad doesn't weigh that much.

thanks again for the response !!!

 

[c0484]

Hello, I also plan to start the Camino Frances April 23 from St Jean and complete end of May. Will I need to bring a sleeping bag? Further, will it be cold enough to require a Down jacket? I am thinking I may be able to bring a pack which is an Osprey 36L. Does this seem sufficient? thanks much Paul

I purchased a 3 lb light weight sleeping bag at REI, but you can get them at most outdoor fitters. The liner is nice and I tried that too, but settled on the 3 lb bag.

 

[c0484]

I purchased a 3 lb light weight sleeping bag at REI, but you can get them at most outdoor fitters. The liner is nice and I tried that too, but settled on the 3 lb bag.

 

[Samarkand]

I generally dislike down jackets as you can't use them in wet conditions. I prefer having a single jacket that serve as BOTH insulation and rain and wind protection.

 

[Anniesantiago]

Yes to the sleeping bag.
I would't personally take a down jacket because of the rain.
Layering with Merino Wool works better for me. It's warm when wet and then then even if it's raining, when you get hot you can strip off layers.

 

[amocatnerak]

I don't wear down jackets in the rain. I wear a Marmot Precip jacket in the rain (+ rain pants if its REALLY bad). The down jacket is for the evenings only (not for walking) to stay warm. I can layer the rain jacket over the down jacket if I really needed to, but I never did on the Camino. On the worst weather days I walked (freezing/snowing) in my long-sleeve shirt, lightweight fleece and rain jacket and that worked well for me.

I think you find a system that works for you and go with that. Not everyone has the same needs or wants to carry all of the same layers. What I brought worked for me, was lightweight and fit into my pack when I wasn't using it.

YMMV, HYOH, BC!

 

[Sam - AU]

I walked early April to mid-May this year. During that time we encountered snow, sleet, almost a week of torrential rain, warm weather, blistering heat, back to cold. I had a lightweight sleeping bag and a silk liner (which was only used as an addition on cold nights - liner).

You will definitely need a lightweight sleeping bag and a good fleece for the colder evenings / add extra heat when sleeping if needed.
Heating in Albergues varies greatly from non existent to turned off at night to pleasant to absolute sweatbox. You can always unzip the sleeping bag but it’s harder to get warm without one.

 

[John H.]

Yes, I brought an ultra-light synthetic sleeping bag, silk sleeping bag liner, below-the-waist water repellant/proof jacket, and a lightweight high-tech fabric jacket or pullover for cold mornings. I also bought a rain poncho in Carrion de los Condes that fit over me and my pack - best Camino purchase ever!

I walked CF in April/May 2017. The weather was mostly excellent (first 12 days were mostly sunny and at least 20 celcius, only about 4 days with rain after that) but I did encounter a few days of 2 degrees, and snow one morning at Cruz De Ferro.

I wore the jacket every morning & ~40% of the full days. I used the sleeping bag 50% of the nights and the bag liner every night I stayed in an albergue. Rain poncho made a huge difference for the 3-4 times the rain was really coming down. (I avoid down filling for Caminos because it dries slowly if wet)

 

[Alx]

You don’t say where you live. If you are from a warm climate (say Florida) you will likely feel cold when someone like me would feel warm.
I would never wear a down vest or jacket in April in Spain. Besides the fact that it would be too warm for me personally, once it gets wet it loses insulation. Better to have a light Primaloft or similar synthetic insulated jacket.
I would suggest a long sleeve light merino wool shirt that you can layer with a T-shirt or preferred hiking shirt. Use the insulating jacket if you are prone to being cold even when exerting yourself and carrying a pack. Don’t forget a light waterproof rain jacket.

I have a packing list that I used on The Primitivo in May. Just as an idea. But remember that I don’t find walking in 40 F degrees cold. Even in rain. But others freeze in these conditions.
http://www.musingsfromthelastfrontier.com/post-camino-de-santiago-packing-list/

Thanks a lot for putting it all together! We're walking the Primitivo this May, already packing, so excited.

 

[Gregory Graf]

Everyone says “it depends” which is true but it may be more helpful to just tell you our own experience and let you judge. I did the Camino Frances starting the last day of April in 2017. I stayed in alburges the entire time except when I decided to splurge on high end hotels in larger cities. I took a super lightweight sleeping bag and used it but did not need it. A liner would have been adequate. My walking companions who I met the first day used liners and were happy with that. My recommendation would be to take a sleeping bag liner.