Sleeping Bag in april question

[Katia Taam]

Sorry if this is an old question, I could not fid any aswares in this particular forum.
Do I have to carry a sleeping bag or a silk liner will be ok? I´m going in April, so very cold, but maybe there are blankets in the gites...
Thanks for your help
Katia

 

[Deleted member 3000]

There are blankets in most gites. Whether that will keep you warm enough is up to you. If you find a gite without blankets, you can sleep in your clothes, jacket, and poncho.

 

[jpflavin1]

Sorry if this is an old question, I could not fid any aswares in this particular forum.
Do I have to carry a sleeping bag or a silk liner will be ok? I´m going in April, so very cold, but maybe there are blankets in the gites...
Thanks for your help
Katia

Katia:

I would not walk the Camino in Spring without a sleeping bag. There are lots of light weight down bags.

Ultreya,
Joe

 

[wayfarer]

Even though I have not walked the Le Puy route I would not walk it in April without a sleeping bag and liner. Its better to be warm than sorry.

 

[bokormen91]

Depends on where you stay and how "warm" you sleep... Even if places have blankets - it will probably take you while to get comfortably warm when blanket, room and mattress have a starting temperature of 5-10 °C. I used a sleeping bag most of the time.

I started end of April from Le Puy and generally found that there were 2 temperatures in dorms and/or bedrooms; stifling hot, windows closed, hermetically sealed and no air in modern/refurbished buildings or cold, humid with plenty of air in older buildings.

Others might have had different experiences

 

[anniethenurse]

Sorry if this is an old question, I could not fid any aswares in this particular forum.
Do I have to carry a sleeping bag or a silk liner will be ok? I´m going in April, so very cold, but maybe there are blankets in the gites...
Thanks for your help
Katia

I would not walk in April without a light weight sleeping bag.
My down sleeping bag is 400 grams. Impossibe to rest or sleep at nights if you are freezing

 

[Slow guy]

I walked Le puy this April with only a liner and had no issues.

 

[Katia Taam]

Thanks everyone...

 

[marbuck]

I would not walk in April without a light weight sleeping bag.
My down sleeping bag is 400 grams. Impossibe to rest or sleep at nights if you are freezing

We are walking the Le Puy route next April and think we will take sleeping bags. We are looking at a Macpac Escapade 150 down sleeping bag that weighs 500gm. They are only suitable around 10 degrees but hopefully we will only be using them inside a building. Has anybody had experience with these sleeping bags. We have synthetic sleeping bags that weight 1kg that we took on the Frances, but are after something lighter. Any ideas anyone?

What brand is yours Anniethenurse?

 

[joe g texas aggies]

Katia:

I would not walk the Camino in Spring without a sleeping bag. There are lots of light weight down bags.

Ultreya,
Joe

Hi Joe, Just got a light-weight down sleeping bag from REI. Do I need a liner, too? I am leaving SJPdP on 11 April next year.
Joe G

 

[anniethenurse]

@marbuck
My sleeping back has about the same qualifications than yours.
You will be sleeping inside a building and you will be very happy with it.
My sleeping bag is Halti 400 Airlite Standard - the new model weighs 450 g.
http://www.halti.fi/content/en/39/967/967.html

@joe g texas aggies In my opinion no liner is needed - better to wear more clothes if needed.

 

[marbuck]

Thanks Annie. Even though it is 5 months before we go on our Camino, our trekking shop has them on special so we will go and buy them tomorrow. Having all the gear on hand in advance gives you more incentive to go on your Camino.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Keeping the weight of a sleeping bag in perspective, a 500g sleeping bag weighs less than the water you will carry, and probably about the same as food you may buy for lunch. On your first day, you will lose 500g of body weight or water. So a lightweight sleeping bag really does disappear into the "noise" of keeping pack weight low.

Take what will make you comfortable.

 

[dougfitz]

Hi Joe, Just got a light-weight down sleeping bag from REI. Do I need a liner, too? I am leaving SJPdP on 11 April next year.
Joe G

I am in the take a liner camp. It is always a good alternative to the bag on warm nights, and is easier to wash than a bag should there be any soiling from sweat etc.

 

[jpflavin1]

Hi Joe, Just got a light-weight down sleeping bag from REI. Do I need a liner, too? I am leaving SJPdP on 11 April next year.
Joe G

Joe G:

I do not think a liner is necessary. That said, Many people like them. You can find good ones at REI, most are silk and some folks like the feel. I have one but find it restrictive/confining. On warmer nights I just open the sleeping bag up and sleep on it. A lot of equipment debates are based on individual preferences and we all have different comfort levels. Go with what feels good to you.

Spring weather can be variable. On my first Camino, I saw lows in the twenties (mountains) and highs in the nineties (meseta) and very little rain. The next year it rained about half the days.

Start slowly and ease your body into the walk.
Listen to your body, if you feel friction stop and address the problem. As your feet and body goes, your Camino will go.
Let the Camino be your guide. Try not to over plan.

Ultreya,
Joe

 

[marbuck]

We went and looked at the sleeping bags, but they were not suitable for our intended use. Nice and light and packed down very small but just not quiet warm enough for a very cold night.

But we did find another bags that came in at 600gm weight and really ticked all our box's. The Sea to Summit MC2 down bag. A lot more expensive but what price do you put on a good nights sleep. As Falcon said:

Take what will make you comfortable.