hiking september/october. Sleeping Bag, or Sheet +Mat?

[west coast paul]

hi everyone,

i'm leaving on my first camino trek in a week. so you'll probably hear from me a bit with my last minute supply gathering/contemplations.

i've read various opinions about sleeping bags, obviousely everyone has their own levels of comfort/needs.

i am contemplating getting either a very compact sleeping bag (i will be travelling around until the end of november, and not sure where i'll be staying). or, a sleeping sheet and mat?

perhaps people could also say what bag they used if they used one. 0 degree rating sufficient?

thanks,
paul

 

[natashaom7]

Hey Paul/ and any one else......,
My friend Lisa and I are planning to start the walk in Sept end.
Walking from ST. Jean to Compestella.
We will definitely see you.
We flying from Toronto.
I am still not quiet sure where to fly too. Do we fly to Paris? How do we get to Biarritz?
ANy comments is appreciated.
Also any idea on the weather during Oct

 

[west coast paul]

hi natashaom7,

i plan on taking a train down from paris to st. jean.

someone here gave me a website: http://www.voyages-sncf.com/dynamic/_Sv ... HomepageUK

it seems like tickets are available for pickup around the world except canada it seems.
100-150$ CAD, so flying is probably cheaper, but i'd like to see a bit on my way down.

too bad you're starting out later, i am a bit nervous about starting this by myself (ie: landing in paris more or less clueless)

good luck,
paul

 

[WolverineDG]

There is an RER station at CDG & while most people use it to buy tickets to Paris itself, you can buy tickets for other locations. Just ask at the desk. If going into Paris, make sure you get on the train with the first stop "Paris Nord." Otherwise, you get the train that stops at all the stations along the way.

Kelly

 

[Martin0642]

Hey Paul, given that you're travelling in the busy summer months and based on recent experience I would say take a lightweight (1 or 1-2 season) bag AND a lightweight mat. If you're going to take a closed cell foam mat make it a resaonably decent one....stone flag floors are very unforgiving with things like that and you will need as good a night's sleep as possible as often as possible. (Don't forget earplugs!! Even if you think you can sleep through WW3, you'll need them!)

We took a lightweight self inflating mat which took up less room and weighed little more than a closed cell mat. Each to their own. The weather in Galicia is very changeable and we had several days with very very hot days and very cold nights.

Or you could go for a liner bag and take a heavier fleece...

Whatever you choose...Buen Camino! (im soooo jealous )

 

[fiddletree]

I wouldn't take a mat. I didn't encounter many albergues that would let people sleep on the floor..... apparently, in the last year, the police have cracked down a lot on this because of fire hazards and if they disobey they can be shut down. I think a year ago it was different, but now you probably won't be able to sleep on a floor so the mat is useless. And, if you do find a floor to sleep on, likelihood is that someone around you will have a mat that you can borrow. Just about everyone I saw on the camino with a mat got rid of it or mailed it home at some point.

I went in April/May of this year and only brought a silk liner. I never slept on a floor, and only 2 nights out of 36 did the albergues not have a blanket (Roncesvalles and Ribidaiso) , so I was really happy to not have a sleeping bag, as it wasn't necessary at all. If you are cold at night, just wear all of your clothes and you will be ok, it shouldn't be very cold yet that time of year, although it does get much colder at night than during the day. Most people bring sleeping bags, but you really don't need them at all, just a liner.

buen camino!

 

[Martin0642]

Following on from the other thread on this topic.... (viewtopic.php?f=30&t=2736&p=14894#p14894 )

In april/may i would wholeheartedly agree you probably dont need it. But I've just come back from an august trip and we definitely did. Met many people using them and indeed NEEDING them and also found quite a few albergues that did allow sleeping on the floor - although usually in outhouses such as in Ribadiso. Certainly the majority of people i saw had them and kept them. We also met many people forced to sleep outside.

A lot of this is down to personal comfort levels really....but even in August we needed a sleeping bag towards the end of the camino and if you're outside i would say it's well worth it (it doesnt cost that much for a good lightweight bag...mine was 800gr and packed down to a bit smaller than an A4 piece of paper) Maybe i'm being over cautious but its hard to give one size fits all advice and caution is a better way to go.

 

[fiddletree]

Also, remember if you bring something that you think was a mistake (lets say your sleeping bag is too heavy/not warm enough, etc) , or didn't bring enough, you can always mail stuff home or to santiago, and buy new things along the way. You will pass through a sizable city every week where you can buy everything you could possibly want on a camino. And often, if there is something you need, it is something that someone else wants to get rid of, right when you need it. That happened to me for a number of items (guidebook and jacket were given to me).

As well, for the sleeping mat, it will be in the last week (especially the last 100 km) where you would need it. Hopefully it wouldn't be often necessary to sleep outside on the ground prior to that, but the last stretch is really really crowded. You could buy a sleeping mat in Leon, because it would be most useful after that point.

And Martin- you are right, I do remember people sleeping outside in Ribadaiso.

 

[WolverineDG]

The other place people will probably have to sleep outside is Torres del Rio. The larger albergue there was closed in May & Casa Mari only has about 20 places. No restaurant either, just a bar (which won't serve women) & a grocery store.

Kelly