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Sleeping bags

BillyB

Member
Time of past OR future Camino
april 2016
Doing my first camino in april. Can anyone give me some ideas for sleeping bags. I'm really not a mummy bag fan. How much weight should i allocate for a bag?
 
The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
I have used a semi-rectangular down-filled +5degC bag on both my Caminos. In a stuff sack and with a liner the whole lot weighs just 1.1 kg.

ps. Packed, the volume of the bag etc is about 4.7 li.
 
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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 walked in the summer and needed only a liner (except in Roncevalles, where I froze). Other threads will discuss whether you need a bag that time of year, or just use blankets provided by the alburgues. If you decided to bring your own, I'd look at the quilts used for backpacking (look at Enlightened Equipment, Jacks R Better, Zpacks). Quilts are basically sleeping bags without hoods (probably not necessary in Alburgues) and without bottoms, which are unnecessary given the ubiquitous foam pads on the alburgue bunk beds. They also are not quite as confining as mummy bags, which may be better for you.

Buen Camino,
Jo Jo
 
My bag is a Paddy Pallin Wollemi 300. Paddy Pallin is an Australian outdoor outfitters, and they no longer sell the Wollemi range of bags. But you will find similar bags most places.
 
The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
Doing my first camino in april. Can anyone give me some ideas for sleeping bags. I'm really not a mummy bag fan. How much weight should i allocate for a bag?
Billy, I use a Coccoon silk/cotton coupler, it's rectangular and zippered for easy access. It can be washed and dried easily if necessary weight 290grammes. I use it with an Alpkit Cloud cover which I can best describe as a camping duvet 450 grammes. I have popperd the two together. I start my next Camino in March and it will be perfect
 
Doing my first camino in april. Can anyone give me some ideas for sleeping bags. I'm really not a mummy bag fan. How much weight should i allocate for a bag?
WE purchases sleeping quilts from Enlightened equipment in Minnesota USA. Marvelous equipment. Along with the bag we bought silk mummy liners and increased the size by adding darts along the seams. Here is a link to the one we bought. I would highly recommend it as the almost perfect backpacking sleeping bag. http://cdn1.bigcommerce.com/n-ou1is...digy_Main__34001.1441121501.1000.1000.jpg?c=2
 
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SnugPak, a UK company makes an excellent, quilted, semi-rectangular, tropic weight, synthetic-filled bag that weighs 880 net grams (less than a pound). In the provided stuff sack it weighs 900 grams. This is the civilian version of the black, olive, or sand colored military bag they produce for the UK MoD.

You can also buy SnugPak products in the US at: http://www.snugpak.com/outdoor/travelpak-traveller. I have one that I sometimes take on Camino. My only caveat with this bag is to BEWARE of the very fine cover material. It easily gets caught in the zips. I destroyed my side zip on my first Camino by pulling too hard in the dark... it was repaired, but is no longer a two-way zip.

However, as I mostly stay in hostals if they are available, I have reduced this bag to an Alps Engineering, Rectangular Micro-Fiber sleeping bag liner. This liner has a two sided zip, so it can be opened and used as a top sheet or beach blanket. It is machine washable. See here:

http://www.alpsmountaineering.com/products/bags/sleeping-bag-liners/rectangle-liner

NOTE: The weight listed is for the COTTON liner. The micro-fiber liner weighs exactly 450 grams, or 15.9 ounces. I just weighed mine for you. The rolled size is much smaller than the compressed Snugpak bag. Mine measures 3 inches (7.5 cm) in diameter, by 8 inches (21 cm) long. I use a Sea-to-Summit Nyl-Sil sack for storage and to provide a contrasting color, so I can find it in low light in my rucksack. It usually rides at the very bottom of my rucksack.

If you want something a little heavier / thicker for insulation, try Alps Engineering Micro-FLEECE liner, at:

http://www.alpsmountaineering.com/products/bags/sleeping-bag-liners/fleece-bag

NOTE: I do not have first-hand experience with this liner bag. It does have a two-sided zip and should also be machine washable.

I hope this helps the dialog.
 
Billy, I use a Coccoon silk/cotton coupler, it's rectangular and zippered for easy access. It can be washed and dried easily if necessary weight 290grammes. I use it with an Alpkit Cloud cover which I can best describe as a camping duvet 450 grammes. I have popperd the two together. I start my next Camino in March and it will be perfect
Thanks Hugh
 
A guide to speaking Spanish on the Camino - enrich your pilgrim experience.
SnugPak, a UK company makes an excellent, quilted, semi-rectangular, tropic weight, synthetic-filled bag that weighs 880 net grams (less than a pound). In the provided stuff sack it weighs 900 grams. This is the civilian version of the black, olive, or sand colored military bag they produce for the UK MoD.

NOTE: The weight listed is for the COTTON liner. The micro-fiber liner weighs exactly 450 grams, or 15.9 ounces. I just weighed mine for you.

But note that 880g is close to two pounds not less than a pound as you say

And why not pay more for a silk liner that weighs only 120g or some 4oz
 
Oops, my bad. That counts as my one senior moment for the day...sigh... I think I meant to say something different.
 
If you want something a little heavier / thicker for insulation, try Alps Engineering Micro-FLEECE liner, at:

http://www.alpsmountaineering.com/products/bags/sleeping-bag-liners/fleece-bag
The specification for this 'liner' suggests that it is 1 lb 15 oz (~880gm), which is a 'little heavier' than the liner by the same company that weighs nearly 600gm. If these figures from the company's web site are correct, these are well over the weights of more conventional silk and cotton liners, which appear to range from around 120gm to 150gm.

I have seen something that appeared to be similar used in 2010 when I walked in Apr and May. At that time of the year, it was not suitable to use by itself, and the person using it complained frequently about being cold.

Maybe I am a bit of a stick in the mud on this, but having walked twice in Apr, and planning to walk again next May, I will be sticking with my current bag and liner combination.
 
The 2024 Camino guides will be coming out little by little. Here is a collection of the ones that are out so far.
Doing my first camino in april. Can anyone give me some ideas for sleeping bags. I'm really not a mummy bag fan. How much weight should i allocate for a bag?
Amazon. Jungle bag. Rectangular and very very light.
 
In summer I lie on a cotton sarong and cover myself with a light hiking quilt. I hate being enclosed.
 
I suggest that sleeping gear needs to be highly individual and determined by each individual, similar to footwear. No two people sleep the same way.

Personally, I am a cold-sleeper and like to have a loose, ventilated sleeping bag or liner. I "need" two-way zips so my legs receive enough air during the night. Other folks need the containment of a mummy bag, zipped to the neck. I also must alight from my bed to the toilet too many times each night. So, I NEED to be able to get free of the sleeping sack, bag, liner, or blanket timely and make my way to the loo...it is an "old man" thing...

To each his or her own. All we can do is report on what we have tried and favor. Ultimately , each pilgrim must choose what works best for them.

I hope this helps.
 
A selection of Camino Jewellery
I used a Snugpak jungle bag in April/May of this year and did not feel the cold. It is square, not mummy and can unzip to be a quilt, so you can kick it off if you get warm in the night.

I think this is the same bag that t2andreo mentions in an earlier post.
 
I suggest that sleeping gear needs to be highly individual and determined by each individual, similar to footwear. No two people sleep the same way.

Personally, I am a cold-sleeper and like to have a loose, ventilated sleeping bag or liner. I "need" two-way zips so my legs receive enough air during the night. Other folks need the containment of a mummy bag, zipped to the neck. I also must alight from my bed to the toilet too many times each night. So, I NEED to be able to get free of the sleeping sack, bag, liner, or blanket timely and make my way to the loo...it is an "old man" thing...

To each his or her own. All we can do is report on what we have tried and favor. Ultimately , each pilgrim must choose what works best for them.

I hope this helps.
I wound up going with a Big Angus simi rectangle bag. It has room enough to roll over and is rated for 30 degrees. A little heavier then i wanted at 2lbs 15oz but comfort is a must.
 
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.

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