sundaynightsky
New Member
- Time of past OR future Camino
- Camino Frances (2017)... maybe?
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Hello,
I'm planning on walking a Camino within the next couple of months and need to buy a sleeping bag. I started browsing confidently, but now I'm confused - it's a lot more complex than I thought!
I would be grateful for any advice on:
This has been recommended to me - although not a Season 3 sleeping bag, it has an extreme temp of -2. But the description says it is 'suitable for use in tropical climates' - I would hardly call Spain in February a tropical climate!
- Temperatures - I think I need 'Season 3', but what kind of 'comfort' and 'extreme' temps would this be? They seem to vary from store to store.
- How do I know what a 'lightweight' sleeping bag really is? I'm browsing and lots of sleeping bags say this, but when I look at the weights, they really vary too.
- What is a good size for carrying?
I am also on a super low budget, so will need to take that into consideration.
Thanks!!
Spring Camino I would suggest:
Not sure if I understand your last question, do you refer to the volume of your sleeping bag or the volume of your back pack?
Hi - I notice that you have walked the Camino in Oct and Nov. I will be walking the majority of the Camino in Oct into November and I am still trying to decide on a sleeping bag to take. I know its a question of just how cool the nights are and how warm the arburgues are/not. Some say no need to take a bag at this time. I am not so sure when I check the climate graphs which give minimums over the Frances route ranging from 7 - 12 C. Others also say get a bag that weighs 500g or less. Your comments - esp. on just how cool it may be - would be appreciated.Down is not cheap. I want a synthetic bag because I am a bedbug magnet and I want something that I can throw in a hot dryer without too much concern. If I eventually ruin the synthetic (as could happen with both synthetic and down) at least it won't cost so much to replace.
I've looked into this quite a bit and, for a synthetic bag, in general I think you'll find that you get to pick between:
I have seen "tropical" bags that weigh a bit less.
- Rectangular, 7C-10C, 950 grams
- Mummy, 7-10C, 650 grams
I go with this bag : rectangular, 7C, 950 g.
I have walked 4 times in March, October, November. I have been a bit chilly on a few nights (maybe 3 or 4 nights in 100) with this rating, and have had to layer up with clothes. I will take the same bag again in March because I think it is the best trade-off of size, weight and warmth, for a synthetic bag.
I think most people say you should take a bag in November!Some say no need to take a bag at this time.
Of course, that would be nice. But as discussed, such bags are only available in down. You need to compromise weight, durability, cost and warmth.Others also say get a bag that weighs 500g or less.
Those numbers don't seem quite right. I certainly encountered colder - close to freezing.minimums over the Frances route ranging from 7 - 12 C
OK - you have answered my nagging questions to myself and I feel more confident now that a bag is definitely the way to go. ThanksI think most people say you should take a bag in November!
Of course, that would be nice. But as discussed, such bags are only available in down. You need to compromise weight, durability, cost and warmth.
Those numbers don't seem quite right. I certainly encountered colder - close to freezing.
No bag will be perfect for all the conditions you will probably encounter.
5'4" (163 cms) and I depart SJPDP 30 September and finish sometime early NovemberI have two questions for you before I make a recommendation. How tall are you? What month are you going to start your Camino?
Thanks for the info. Appreciated. I am on a budget in that I have already bought a new pack as my usual pack I use for bushwalking/tramping is too heavy and my other sleeping bag is too bulky. I feel I am duplicating gear I already have for this Camino but I do realise that I have to travel light light light. Lets face it - I don't want to be weighed down unnecessarily.Freetobe, The original poster sundaynightsky was working on a very tight budget. If you are as well, then I would suggest a North Face Dolomite 40 Regular. Being able to fully unzip it, will also give you options in case of temperature variations inside different albergues.
Since you stated you already bushwack, you already know that a lightweight bag is going to be at least double the price at the temperature rating you will need. It appears you need to make a decision which is more important: weight or cost. While one may receive excellent lightweight recommendations that cost $200 to $350 US, if you are truly on a tight budget are they a viable option?Thanks for the info. Appreciated. I am on a budget in that I have already bought a new pack as my usual pack I use for bushwalking/tramping is too heavy and my other sleeping bag is too bulky. I feel I am duplicating gear I already have for this Camino but I do realise that I have to travel light light light. Lets face it - I don't want to be weighed down unnecessarily.
Check out this internet weather site: https://www.wunderground.com/5'4" (163 cms) and I depart SJPDP 30 September and finish sometime early November
Hello,
I'm planning on walking a Camino within the next couple of months and need to buy a sleeping bag. I started browsing confidently, but now I'm confused - it's a lot more complex than I thought!
I would be grateful for any advice on:
This has been recommended to me - although not a Season 3 sleeping bag, it has an extreme temp of -2. But the description says it is 'suitable for use in tropical climates' - I would hardly call Spain in February a tropical climate!
- Temperatures - I think I need 'Season 3', but what kind of 'comfort' and 'extreme' temps would this be? They seem to vary from store to store.
- How do I know what a 'lightweight' sleeping bag really is? I'm browsing and lots of sleeping bags say this, but when I look at the weights, they really vary too.
- What is a good size for carrying? EDIT: I mean, what volume/dimensions of sleeping bag are good for carrying?
I am also on a super low budget, so will need to take that into consideration.
Thanks!!
Lot's of great deals on lightweight sleeping bags on Amazon, gear snobs be damned. I highly recommend budget minded pilgrims search there for good deals. You could easily completely kit yourself up for the Camino for less than some people spend on just their sleeping bag.I just had a look on Amazon and eBay (cue some tutting, a few eyes rolling, heads shaking) using 'down filled mummy sleeping bag' to search, quite a few things on there, obviously mostly from China but by buying from there you're just cutting out the middleman because pretty much everything is made in China anyway.
Lot's of great deals on lightweight sleeping bags on Amazon, gear snobs be damned. I highly recommend budget minded pilgrims search there for good deals. You could easily completely kit yourself up for the Camino for less than some people spend on just their sleeping bag.
I wouldn't buy a sleeping bag that I couldn't just throw into a washing machine and dryer. Why own something you have to treat delicately? After every time I've used my backpack, I take it into the backyard, wet it down with the garden hose, scrub it down with a brush and dish soap, rinse it off, hang it in the sun until it's dry and then soak it down with some scotchgard for waterproofing. Good as new.
That Jambalaya some good stuff, huh? Kinda like paella, creole style.Wham bar... (it's a type of British candy, popular in the 80's)
BC!
That Jambalaya some good stuff, huh? Kinda like paella, creole style.
Never had a Wham bar, but back in 90-91 when I was in the middle east, there were some British troops operating near us, and I managed to score some "Lion" candy bars. Oh yeah....almost beat out Baby Ruth as a favorite chocolate bar.
Hello, thanks for all your advice.
@superleggera I'm also from the UK so everything you suggested is very relevant to me. And thanks for the tips on your other bargains, I'll head to Asda to pick up some 99p flip-flops tomorrow!
I will also always buy from Amazon, the snobs can think what they like
Gonna read through all the suggestions now and try to work out what to do re: the sleeping bag dilemma.
OH and @skipronin, if your questions were to me, then I'm thinking of going towards the end of Feb/beginning of March. And I'm 5 ft 6. And I tend to feel the cold (I'm right now wrapped in a thick jumper, big duvet and extra blanket. It's about 5C outside).
Thanks again!
What do you mean? (I.e. who would be tutting, etc., for example here on the forum?)I just had a look on Amazon and eBay (cue some tutting, a few eyes rolling, heads shaking)
sundaynightsky, I think that a 4 to 10 Celsius synthetic bag in a 2 lb weight range will be a good choice for you. A synthetic bag with a lower temperature rating usually increases the weight and bulk the lower the rating goes. The North Face Dolomite 40 would have been a good choice, but it does not appear to be available on amazon.co.uk, which appears to be a favorite site of yours. I would suggest that you look for a bag with similar specifications. Before you make your final choice, I suggest that you visit one or more outdoors stores and become better educated concerning the different options.Hello, thanks for all your advice.
@superleggera I'm also from the UK so everything you suggested is very relevant to me. And thanks for the tips on your other bargains, I'll head to Asda to pick up some 99p flip-flops tomorrow!
I will also always buy from Amazon, the snobs can think what they like
Gonna read through all the suggestions now and try to work out what to do re: the sleeping bag dilemma.
OH and @skipronin, if your questions were to me, then I'm thinking of going towards the end of Feb/beginning of March. And I'm 5 ft 6. And I tend to feel the cold (I'm right now wrapped in a thick jumper, big duvet and extra blanket. It's about 5C outside).
Thanks again!
Hello, thanks for all your advice.
@superleggera I'm also from the UK so everything you suggested is very relevant to me. And thanks for the tips on your other bargains, I'll head to Asda to pick up some 99p flip-flops tomorrow!
I will also always buy from Amazon, the snobs can think what they like
Gonna read through all the suggestions now and try to work out what to do re: the sleeping bag dilemma.
OH and @skipronin, if your questions were to me, then I'm thinking of going towards the end of Feb/beginning of March. And I'm 5 ft 6. And I tend to feel the cold (I'm right now wrapped in a thick jumper, big duvet and extra blanket. It's about 5C outside).
Thanks again!
sundaynightsky,sundaynightsky, I think that a 4 to 10 Celsius synthetic bag in a 2 lb weight range will be a good choice for you. A synthetic bag with a lower temperature rating usually increases the weight and bulk the lower the rating goes. The North Face Dolomite 40 would have been a good choice, but it does not appear to be available on amazon.co.uk, which appears to be a favorite site of yours. I would suggest that you look for a bag with similar specifications. Before you make your final choice, I suggest that you visit one or more outdoors stores and become better educated concerning the different options.
Considering that you are on a very tight budget, another option occurred to me. Does anyone in your family sew? Specifically, does anyone make quilts or comforters? If so, you could have a custom bag made that would have special meaning.
I suspect it is @sundaynightsky's first camino, and in February it will be difficult to know what temperatures to expect inside an albergue, and I don't know that many of us know either, despite the wonderfully detailed advice that seems to be on offer. Minimum outside temperatures might not normally go below 0 deg C, but they can be - lowest February minimum in Pamplona was under -10 deg C. Albergues might be heated, but even in Apr, I have slept in dormitories that haven't been.Select a sleeping bag with a comfort rating a bit lower than the lowest temperature you expect to encounter.
Thanks Mark - I get your drift.Check out this internet weather site: https://www.wunderground.com/
You can look up past years weather in some of the places along the Camino during the time period you will be walking it. Will help give you an idea of what to expect.
I would say a sleeping bag would come in handy, but make sure it's the smallest (packing size), lightest one you can afford. Remember, it's not camping. You will be sleeping indoors in albergues. The outside temperature is not the same as the inside temperature of an albergue sleeping quarters, especially with other pilgrims inside and windows closed. Also as said on here, blankets are often available as well.
I've spent numerous nights on the Camino between the months of mid-June through mid-September. I never carried a sleeping bag. Only a liner. So to me if I were ever to carry a sleeping bag it would have to be a really lightweight, packable one, and no way would I spend over around $50 US for it. Not because I'm a cheap charlie, but because I just don't see a point in spending a bunch of money on something I might just throw onto a donativo table in an albergue,. Besides, the Camino isn't a technical hike. No need for expensive gear.
Check out this internet weather site: https://www.wunderground.com/
You can look up past years weather in some of the places along the Camino during the time period you will be walking it. Will help give you an idea of what to expect.
I would say a sleeping bag would come in handy, but make sure it's the smallest (packing size), lightest one you can afford. Remember, it's not camping. You will be sleeping indoors in albergues. The outside temperature is not the same as the inside temperature of an albergue sleeping quarters, especially with other pilgrims inside and windows closed. Also as said on here, blankets are often available as well.
I've spent numerous nights on the Camino between the months of mid-June through mid-September. I never carried a sleeping bag. Only a liner. So to me if I were ever to carry a sleeping bag it would have to be a really lightweight, packable one, and no way would I spend over around $50 US for it. Not because I'm a cheap charlie, but because I just don't see a point in spending a bunch of money on something I might just throw onto a donativo table in an albergue,. Besides, the Camino isn't a technical hike. No need for expensive gear.
Everyone is different and some people sleep colder than others. For me in May, a liner would be enough, not to mention I would have a fleece pullover which I can wear at night if I get cold and also as mentioned supplement the bag liner with a blanket when I can or is needed.I'm going mid May and been debating whether to bring a bag, I think I will just go with a liner because I don't want the weight. Thanks!
Hello folks, it's been nearly a year since I wrote my original post but I wanted to come back to it because, having been on the walk, I can now maybe advise other people!
I went on a short, lesser-known camino in February this year. Despite some people in this thread being a bit dismissive, I took a sleeping bag and I AM SO GLAD I DID. Here are my reasons why:
I already owned a sleeping bag from school sleepovers when I was young, so I just took that one. It wasn't a fancy light-weight, compresses-into-the-size-of-a-flannel one. One good thing about me is that I'm a light packer, so taking a bulky-ish sleeping bag wasn't an issue for me. It wasn't too heavy. It took up some space but since I only had food, soap and a change of clothes in my bag, it didn't really affect me.
- In one of the hostels, I was the first person staying there that year. The heating hadn't been on for about four months. I had the place to myself. It was cold. There were blankets but they looked a bit mouldy/gross.
- In one of the hostels, there weren't any blankets that I could see.
- In a private hostel, the beds were already made up so I slept in sheets and blankets instead of my sleeping bag. My sleeping bag would have been warmer!
- After walking all day through the rain (as is the way in Galicia), nothing was nicer than having a hot shower and then getting into my warm snuggly sleeping bag.
If you're doing a quiet route in winter, I would recommend a sleeping bag. From April/May onwards, you're probably fine with just a liner. I personally would take a cheap blanket of my own too - they're light and fold pretty small. They're always handy.
Hope this helps someone!
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