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:
- 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?
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!
I am also on a super low budget, so will need to take that into consideration.
Thanks!!
Hello
I'm on a budget too, so much so that I was intending to use my sister's 20 year old bright Fuschia Pink and Lilac mummy bag but after seeing how small the one is in your link I'm now experiencing sleeping bag envy, her's is much bigger when compressed so maybe I should get my own (the last bag I owned was an army surplus outdoor combo bivvy/mummy bag, quite heavy and completely unsuitable for the Camino).
The main reason I was going to use hers is that it is a cotton lined and down filled bag, things have moved on but it was quite a good one at the time and I've found over the years that down filled bags (and duvets for that matter) are much more breathable. For some reason, even the expensive synthetic filled bags quickly leave me and the bag feeling very clammy and uncomfortable even in cold weather. I have known other people who feel the same about synthetic bags too so maybe that is something to bear in mind, if you have slept under synthetic duvets before and felt clammy or uncomfortable there is a good chance you might have the same problem with a synthetic/hollowfibre etc filled bag. I've borrowed my sister's sleeping bag before and it is LOVELY...
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. You wouldn't need anything more than a 800g filled/rated down bag, 1000g/1200g are also available but they're for outdoors use really and they'd likely be too warm.
On eBay they start at £47.71GBP delivered to the UK (I'm in the UK, I don't know where you are obviously) and the one at the top of the list caught my eye because it had 'fleabag' in its listing title- I'd buy it just for that
The lining looks as though it is the same as the outer material and so getting a separate liner would be a good idea too (start at £4 for Silk ones, I got an anti-bacterial silk liner for £4.49 delivered). According to the listing, it weighs 1300g.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ultra-Lig...ag-Camping-Hiking-Travel-Fleabag/391313689410
The ones on Amazon start at even lower prices, but from the temp rating it might be a 1000g bag (the 800g 'fleabag' is 10c/-5C), it is £39.99GBP (supposedly half price) and also has free delivery, from a UK seller as far as I can see and to be fair, Amazon is possibly a safer bet if only because you're not buying a 'fleabag'...
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01D9JLNHW/
If you do get a down bag, plenty of people advise not using the compression sack and just filling the bottom part of your rucksack with it, apparently fills the space more efficiently and better for the bag but plenty of people also say 'ooh noo' when that's mentioned. As far as washing them goes, before returning it to her I've washed my sister's down bag plenty of times at 90degC and tumble dried it on hot and it's been fine, like a new'un
(they say 'ooh noo' about that too).
Hope this is of some use to you....
BC!
UPDATE: My sister wanted to get me a good luck gift and so I've decided to 'put my money where my mouth is' and order a 'fleabag' from China (800g down filled, total weight of bag 1300g), if it turns up in time I'll be taking it with me and I'll soon see whether it's any good. Hopefully it will arrive early enough for me to be able to spray it with Permethrin etc but not the end of the world if I can't.