• Get your Camino Frances Guidebook here.
  • For 2024 Pilgrims: €50,- donation = 1 year with no ads on the forum + 90% off any 2024 Guide. More here.
    (Discount code sent to you by Private Message after your donation)
  • ⚠️ Emergency contact in Spain - Dial 112 and AlertCops app. More on this here.
This is a mobile optimized page that loads fast, if you want to load the real page, click this text.

Sleeping Bag Recommendations

W

whit37788

New Member
Time of past OR future Camino
April 2019
Hi all! I'm planning on doing my camino during April/May of 2019. I've done some research on the sleeping bag vs. sleeping sack debate and I've come to the decision that I'll be using a sleeping bag - I usually get cold when I sleep and I've read that the camino can be a bit cooler during April and May than during the rest of the summer. My one problem now is I'm not quite sure what temperature rating I should be looking for. I've found 3 sleeping bags from REI online that look great but they each have different temperature ratings - 55, 45, and 30 degrees F. Does anyone have any experience with using a sleeping bag on their camino around April/May and could recommend a temperature rating? Will 55F leave me too cold? Will 30F leave me too warm? Any advice is much appreciated!
 
Camino Inglés Walking Holiday - UK
St James' Way - Self-guided 4-7 day Walking Packages, Reading to Southampton, 110 kms
Sleeping bag ratings tend to be based on sleeping naked in the bag and camping. As you probably won't be naked in a dorm and you will be sleeping inside I would go with a "summer" bag - if you're cold you can always add socks, hat etc - my summer weight bag was adequate when camping 0C - so it would certainly do for a hostel in April which may even have heating
 
Camino Ready, Backpacks, Boots etc
3rd Edition. More content, training & pack guides avoid common mistakes, bed bugs etc

I do not know f you've considered this: in a sleeping bag, what you are laying on has no insulative value at all. However, you still have to carry that useless weight around. There has been a shift to backpacking sleeping quilts, which provide the same level of warmth, but are a lot lighter.
 
I'm sorry to say but you have to experiment. Some people will be cold in a bag that someone else will feel warm in with the same conditions. If you are not sure, and without having a discussion with you, I would recommend taking a lighter bag. Your albegue may have blankets to pile on top and you could wear more clothes underneath.
 
2024 edition: The Brierley Camino Frances Guide
The first edition came out in 2003 and has become the go-to-guide for many pilgrims over the years. It is shipping with a Pilgrim Passport (Credential) from the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela.
davebugg said:
I do not know f you've considered this: in a sleeping bag, what you are laying on has no insulative value at all.
Click to expand...
There are, or at least were, down bags where you could shift the down either to the top or the bottom. I have an almost 50 year old down bag that does this. It is still usable because I usually go with a poly-fill bag because where I typically hike it is often wet.
 
Get a Spanish mobil number + data while on the Camino
Get a spanish phone number with Airalo. eSim, so no physical SIM card. Easy to use app to add more funds if needed.

Yeah.. it depends on how the baffles were constructed. For bags like yours, you could use gravity and a bit of shaking to redistribute where the down needed to go
 
davebugg said:
Yeah.. it depends on how the baffles were constructed. For bags like yours, you could use gravity and a bit of shaking to redistribute where the down needed to go
Click to expand...
Exactly. Thanks Dave, it would have been easy for me to have added that but i didn't think of it.
 
I walked in October and used a 40f rated bag from North Face. I'll use the same bag when I walk next Feb/Mar. I thought long and hard about a quilt, but given that I'd be sleeping on a new bed every night, with varying degrees of cleanliness, I opted for the peace of mind that comes from being enveloped in my own sleeping bag. I believe I slept better than I would have had I been sleeping directly on top of the albergue mattresses under a quilt. At most albergues a quilt would have been just fine, but there were some where I wanted a few more degrees of separation from the mattress if you get my drift.
 
Camino Way markers in Bronze
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
I have walked in both April and September/October with what is probably like a 55 degree bag. Albergues vary hugely in how warm they are at night. You may be in a cosy room where the southern Europeans refuse to open the window and it gets hot and stuffy. You may be in a cold vast stone building.
Most albergues but not all have blankets so I would often take one of them to put over my quilt. Where there were no blankets and I thought I was going to be cold I used my inner liner and an extra t shirt. I like to be warm at night and this worked for me, I like the lightweight to carry. Saying that if the 45 bag is not much heavier or bulkier I personally would advise that one. It's easy to open up if too warm.
 
Overnight I thought some more about sleeping bags on the Camino. If you don't already have one then buy a quilt. They are cheaper and you can use them at home. Most of the time when camping or backpacking I use my opened mummy bag as a quilt. If I get cold I zip it up. If still cold I use the hood. The thing is I use my bags and you may not once done with your Camino.
 
In most albergues I was able to scout around and find a spare blanket, fold it an put it under me when I slept. Security over the mattress, extra warmth...and rarely needed the sleeping bag. Just a liner and a blanket on the top.
March/April this year, a cold season with snow etc, and probably used my sleeping bag 5 or 6 nights out of 30.
 
Lightfoot Guide to via Francigena
Guides that will let you complete the journey your way.
What sleeping bag rating would you all recommend for a January Camino? 30, 35, 40?
 
Last edited:
Vampiro said:
What sleeping bag rating would you all recommend for a January Camino? 30, 35, 40?
Click to expand...
As with clothes, there is no definitive answer except to take layers, as you may be dealing with indoor temperatures from 8C to 18C at night. This means that at the lower temperatures, you go to bed wearing woolies, a down jacket, hat and socks. If the heating blasts to at least 35C (my experience once in O Cebreiro in November) then you kick everything off and still sweat! As your best-guess general-purpose sleeping bag on the Camino, I suggest something rated in the 7 to 10C range. One layering approach is to have a liner and a sleeping bag. Or lay your poncho or rain jacket over your bag.

Be sure that you keep one complete set of clothes dry for the evening snd night.
 
Last edited:
Vampiro said:
What sleeping bag rating would you all recommend for a January Camino? 30, 35, 40?
Click to expand...

I used a 40 for my walk beginning Jan 12. I used it a handful of times, I honestly found the majority of the municipals heated sufficiently for a silk liner and base layer. A few of the others had blankets as well.

Obviously everybody's mileage may vary on their sleeping comfort but I'm honestly wondering if using 2 silk liners would be sufficient with a backup of wearing more clothing. Hmmm.
 
Walking Tours of the Camino!
Join our full-service guided tour and let us convert you into a Pampered Pilgrim!
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest Camino Photo

Most read last week in this forum

Similar threads

J
Lost & Found Found: Sleeping Bag
Replies
3
Views
681
jimmyc
J
J
  • Tags sleeping bag
    • Sleeping bag Temperature
    Replies
    5
    Views
    1K
    chinagal
    C
    F
  • Tags sleeping bag
    • Sleeping bag needed in June?
    Replies
    19
    Views
    2K
    simeon
    S
    Menu
    Log in
    Register