Sleeping bag warmth

[Kim510]

Hello all,

I'm going to walk the first bit of the Via de la Plata next spring (mid-march tot early april) and I was wondering what kind of sleeping bag I will need?

I walked the Camino Francés in 2011 with a very light sleeping bag during May/June but of course it was probably warmer then and also many of the hostels provided blankets for colder days.
I don't know about the Via de la Plata though.

Any experience with that?
What kind of sleeping bag have you used?

Thank you!
Kim

 

[SYates]

Used a light weight sleeping bag (610g) that had a comfort temperature of 9C in February/March on the VdlP this year and with leggings and the occasional blanket it was fine. Buen Camino, SY

PS Welcome to the forum @Kim510

 

[whariwharangi]

Try sleeping in your bag in a room at 5C. Then you'll know.

 

[Michael Caleigh]

I used a 1 season bag in September on the CP and it was too warm sometimes for me. I never really feel the cold so maybe it all depends if you like it warm or not that warm.

 

[xin loi]

Only walked the Frances--once in May & June and once in August & September. Both times I was very glad I carried a sleeping bag. Lot of places do NOT have blankets. But if you try to stay in rooms with at least 8 bunks, the body heat will keep the room warm--does not work if sleeping on the floor however, if place is full.

 

[bsewall]

I've done the VdlP twice during that time. I've taken a very light weight bag that's good down to 55 degrees. More importantly, I also carried a liner that provided an additional 10 degrees of warmth. I've slept in some very cold albergues and, with the bag nd the liner, I have been sufficiently warm. The rest of the time I just use the bag or the liner separately.

 

[sharon w]

My bag weighs 1.2kg so am thinking of taking a liner and lightweight fleece blanket(300g) instead. Though I do love my sleeping bag. Have merino tights and can wear my fleece top if needed.
Will have to carefully consider if the weight of the bag is worth it, as I will have to carry more weight in water next year. I do not want to be carrying more than 8kg.

 

[SYates]

Which Camino are you planning and when? 1,2kg seems very heavy to me! Buen Camino, SY

 

[xin loi]

My bag weighs 1.2kg so am thinking of taking a liner and lightweight fleece blanket(300g) instead. Though I do love my sleeping bag. Have merino tights and can wear my fleece top if needed.
Will have to carefully consider if the weight of the bag is worth it, as I will have to carry more weight in water next year. I do not want to be carrying more than 8kg.

Any thing that will keep you comfortable at night is worth carrying. Do not understand why so many are obsessed with weight. Just finished walking from SJPDP to Finiasterre carrying 13 kilos and lots of people were carrying much more, e.g the Israelis carrying Kosher cooking pots and Kosher food. Water--carried a liter from SJPDP to Santiago without opening it. There is water everywhere.

 

[sharon w]

Which Camino are you planning and when? 1,2kg seems very heavy to me! Buen Camino, SY

VDLP. Yes it is heavy but loved it through Spain in October/ November last year. Other times I have just taken my sleeping bag liner and it has been sufficient. So next year in April I'll be hoping for nights that aren't too cold if I leave my sleeping bag at home.

 

[camino07]

My down bag weighs .9kgs and wouldn't go without it. VDLP in 2013 had some very cold nights.

 

[sharon w]

Heather, did you walk in spring?

 

[camino07]

Yes,Sharon. II started 13th April just after Easter that year.

 

[Hikoi]

I walked the VdlP in April - May 2016. I had a 900gm down bag (rated down to 5 degrees Celsius comfort) with a silk liner. Most nights I slept in the liner with the bag open over me as a duvet. On a few nights I had it completely closed - one night in the Monastery of Oseira I also used their blankets as well. Personally I'm a cold sleeper. I would have hated to sleep poorly because of the cold and then endured a cold rainy day walking - and there were a few of those!

 

[Smallest_Sparrow]

as @whariwharangi alluded to above, warm enough is in the toes of the beholder. You can look up the past two years of temperatures, and historical high/low on weather websites (I used accuweather.com but there are lots and lots of them), then set your house temp to the expected lows, put on what you plan to wear, and sleep in the bag/liner of your choice for several nights in a row. other people's opinions of how you will do is really just a guess not based on much of anything (unless you announced you planned to sleep naked without covers in the dead of winter, or in a parka under two down sleeping bags at the height of summer...those two extremes we can be pretty certain about).

 

[Former member 60103]

Hi Kim,
I walked the Frances in April this year and (as I had the time !) the Norte/Primivito in September. I carried a down sleeping bag for both which weighed 1kg . For most of the time in the albergues the bag was too warm so I just used it like a duvet but there were the odd times when it was cold enough inside to have it zipped up. It is rated to a comfort level of 5 degrees. However on the Norte/Primivito I made use of a bivvi bag to sleep outdoors and the bag then came into its own and kept me reasonably but not overly warm. Prior to my camino I tested the bag outdoors with a liner (and the bivvi bag) and was too hot...this was in UK in October.
I would add that most of the people I saw in albergues seemed to be using 1 or 2 season lightweight bags. As has been rightly said don't get too caught up on weight, if you have got your ruck sack to 8kg (9kg with I ltr of water) you are not doing so bad.
Hope this helps,
I intend to walk the VDLP in Feb 2017 and will be taking the same sleeping bag and bivvi.
Buen Camino,
Don Camilo

 

[Ted Stek]

I just finished the Camino Via de La Plata starting in September and finishing November and had both warm (100f/38c) and cold (32f/0c) temperatures, and used the Sierra Designs Backcountry Quilt. I also used it this year, May to June, on the Camino Francis where the temperatures were fairly similar but not quit as extreme. I stayed in several alberques on the Plata that were not heated and it got very cold at night. I also found some of the casa rurals, and even some hotels, that did not turn on their heaters, so a warm bag is good to have.

The Backcountry Quilt is a down quilt with a great foot pocket, hand pockets, and also a built-in hood for very cold weather. This allows you to regulate how cold or warm you want to sleep. I have used it back home for backpacking in both the hot desert and below freezing in the mountains. It only weighs 1.5 pounds (.680 kilograms).

I also brought a silk sleeping bag liner that weighs 6oz (.149 kilograms). That is less than 2 pounds (.90 kilograms) for both. I like to use the liner under the quilt if I just lay the quilt on top of me, or by itself if it is warm because you never know about the cleanness of the mattresses.

The Backcountry Quilt is high quality and a little pricy piece of equipment, but you can always use it other places like laying on the couch or sitting around a fire.

where https://sierradesigns.com/backcountry-quilt-800-30-degree/?revpage=2#reviews

 

[Gerhard58]

VDLP. Yes it is heavy but loved it through Spain in October/ November last year. Other times I have just taken my sleeping bag liner and it has been sufficient. So next year in April I'll be hoping for nights that aren't too cold if I leave my sleeping bag at home.

Dear Sharon when are you thinking of starting the French Camino in April 2017. You look like someone with a lot of experience and it would be a pleasure for me to meet you on the route to Santiago de Compostela. I am leaving South Africa on the 10th of April 2017 and I hope to hit the road from St Jeane o the 13th on my way to Santiago

 

[sharon w]

Dear Sharon when are you thinking of starting the French Camino in April 2017. You look like someone with a lot of experience and it would be a pleasure for me to meet you on the route to Santiago de Compostela. I am leaving South Africa on the 10th of April 2017 and I hope to hit the road from St Jeane o the 13th on my way to Santiago

Hi Gerhard. Yes I will be starting on April 15th. However, we possibly won't meet as I will be walking the VDLP from Seville. It takes about 40 days which is usually longer than the Frances. It has the option of joining the Frances at Astorga or continuing on the Sanabrese route. The wonder of the Camino is that we could meet somewhere.
I probably don't have heaps of experience but have walked multiple caminos. Like many others I am addicted to the Camino.
I wish you a wonderful journey.