Ultra Light Sleeping Bag

[GuyA]

Hi,

I am looking for recommendations for an ultra light compact sleeping bag. On my camino, which I expect will span from early August to early November I will be sleeping in many different places ranging from sleep in straw farms in Switzerland to gites, hostels etc. through France and Spain.

Any suggestions welcome.

Regards,

Guy

 

[Kitsambler]

I have a PassionOne from Yeti which weighs only 265g. It's so light!
http://www.yetiworld.com/en/produkte/schlafsaecke/passion/passion-one.html

 

[MCVet]

$500?! Holy shit, that's almost half the cost of the Camino itself lol!

While we're on the subject, what materials should one look for in a sleeping bag/bag liner? Would something like this work alright? I know silk is the ideal, but it's also very expensive. I see other options like fleece, microfiber, nylon, etc. and just don't know enough about materials to know how they would compare to one another.

 

[gittiharre]

I know, I have been looking at the Yeti, it costs a bomb and I personally would feel very trapped in it as it does not zip right down and narrows at the bottom. I opted for a double silk liner, available on line from New Zealand,http://www.silksak.com/double-silksak.html It weighs about 220 grams and you can move your legs around. There are blankets in most places you stay. If the sheets are clean, you can use it as a cover only. I think I paid around 130 New Zealand dollars for it, not too much I think. Alternatively if you want a sleeping bag, the down liner by Macpac weighs 480 grams, and I took it on the Le Puy route in September and the Geneva route and Robert Louis Stevenson trails in September also and I was totally warm enough.

 

[Stephen Nicholls]

There are blankets in most places you stay. If the sheets are clean, you can use it as a cover only.

Blankets? Sheets? We must be walking different caminos! You might find these in a few PRIVATE albergues....
I use a Sleeping bag [Quechua] 684 gms. Yes, it narrows at the feet [which I find annoying as I suffer from hot-feet syndrome] but it's fine and warm and zips from the top to about 25 cms from the bottom.
Buen camino!
Stephen
http://www.calig.co.uk/camino_de_santiago.htm

 

[dougfitz]

How much are you prepared to pay to save weight?

I walked from SJPP starting in late Mar in 2010, and carried a Paddy Pallin Wollemi - a lightweight bag rated at 5 deg C. It cost the equivalent of 165 euro. Its a rectangular bag which weighs 880gm, or 1.1kg in its carry bag and with a lightweight 'silk' liner. You should be able to find a similar bag locally.

The equivalent Yeti appears to be the Passion 3 rated at 7 deg C, an ultra-light mummy bag weighing around 530gm for a weight saving of 350gm, and well over double the cost at nearly 400 euro.

The lighter Yeti is rated at +12 dec C. This seems to be a little too light for the time of year you expect to be walking and accommodation you are expecting to use, but others with more direct experience might be able to give you better advice on this.

Regards,

 

[Lydia Gillen]

Stephen said.
I use a Sleeping bag [Quechua] 684 gms. Yes, it narrows at the feet [which I find annoying as I suffer from hot-feet syndrome] but it's fine and warm and zips from the top to about 25 cms from the bottom.
Buen camino!
Stephen
http://www.calig.co.uk/camino_de_santiago.htm[/quote]

My feet burn all night long when I am on the Camino. so I have sewn in a lightweight 40cm zip into the bottom of the sleeping bag so my feet can stick out and yet I am warm around the centre of my body.

 

[annelise]

When going on to the Camino, I told my sons that I would now be spending their potential inheritance on a

- Western Mountaineering Caribou MF – at 600 g. (It was somewhat expensive, but I never regretted it – at 66, I would need to go 'light' weightwise).

It was perfect because of

- being feather-light
- a zipper in almost full length, so that I could also use it as a cover (which I usually did – was fortunate with the weather)
- very small volume (could fit into the backpack)
- and had I had the need, it would also have served me in cold nights (if you make a search, you will get full details on comfort temperatures).

It would be good to learn about your further considerations and your decision as to which sleeping bag you will finally decide on.

Kindest, Annelise

 

[vagabondette]

I know, I have been looking at the Yeti, it costs a bomb and I personally would feel very trapped in it as it does not zip right down and narrows at the bottom. I opted for a double silk liner, available on line from New Zealand,http://www.silksak.com/double-silksak.html It weighs about 220 grams and you can move your legs around. There are blankets in most places you stay. If the sheets are clean, you can use it as a cover only. I think I paid around 130 New Zealand dollars for it, not too much I think. Alternatively if you want a sleeping bag, the down liner by Macpac weighs 480 grams, and I took it on the Le Puy route in September and the Geneva route and Robert Louis Stevenson trails in September also and I was totally warm enough.

Or, depending on where you are, you could order 2 single size sacks for $10 USD each on ebay and sew them together. I got mine on there and have gotten a lot of use out of it.

 

[Karin Camino]

A great cheap pure silk sleeping sheet liner you can buy for about $18 from Vietnam. I bought one. it took about 2 weeks to arrive from Vietnam to Australia and I got the double one as it gave you lots of space to move around in. I didnt need a sleeping bag and i walked in September.
http://www.spiritsofvietnam.com/index.p ... 1&Itemid=1

 

[Pieces]

I use this one last summer and will be again this year. It is very omfortable and warm enough as there is no sleeping outside

I found it the best price/weight value at about 500 grams and 150 usd
[url=http://www.haglofs.com/en-us/...w.haglofs.com/en-us/products/s ... en-us.aspx[/url]

 

[dougfitz]

I use this one last summer and will be again this year. It is very omfortable and warm enough as there is no sleeping outside

I found it the best price/weight value at about 500 grams and 150 usd
[url=http://www.haglofs.com/en-us/...w.haglofs.com/en-us/products/s ... en-us.aspx[/url]

Pieces - this looks like a good one-season bag, but I am not sure that it would be suitable for the 2.5 seasons of August to November. The OP might be inclined to choose a bag with a much lower temperature rating than this one has.

Regards,

 

[GuyA]

Hi,

Many thanks to all who took the time to provide comments on my question...very helpful. In the end I chose a product from Mountain Hard Wear due to a reasonable price point, low weight and stuff sac size of 6" by 8".

http://www.rei.com/product/830331/mount ... eeping-bag

Hopefully that will have been a good choice once I get walking!

Thanks

Guy

 

[CaminoGen]

I did the Camino in May-June and brought this 800 grams bag: http://depotpleinair.com/sleeping-bags/ ... micro.html. It fit all my requirements: lighweight, not expensive (35$) and rectangular.

It's coming back with me in 2013!

 

[Abbeydore]

or:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Yeti-VIB-250-Sl ... B003NTCDYQ
got one like this, yes not cheap but, hot or cool zips up & down & you can loose it in your rucksack.
& will outlast me

 

[SabsP]

my favourite
http://www.millet.fr/en/products/fall-w ... al-750-reg

 

[Anniesantiago]

I've used my Marmot Pounder Plus in August through November and it was plenty warm.

 

[WayWalker63]

Is there an ultra light bag that isn't a mummy type bag and that I can buy in the U.S.?

I can't stand to have my feet trapped and not be able to move them around. They get hot too.

 

[Mysticl]

You might want to check out MityLite from western mountaineering http://www.westernmountaineering.com/in ... ntentId=15 it's the one I am considering. Ultralight (1lb 10 oz or 740g) one season bag that fully unzips. It is slightly tapered but not a mummy bag. It's the lightest I have found locally that isn't a mummy bag. Only problem is the pricetag .... $315


You could also consider a down quilt/blanket some of those are super light and can even be folded to used like a sleeping bag but without the zipper ... or even just take a sleeping bag liner instead of a full fledged sleeping bag. I am considering the bag cause I can use it on our boat in the summer when not Caminoing

I also bought an ultralight silk liner (extrawide) for use on the camino and/or on our boat. Some folks say that could be all you need depending on when you walk ... personally I plan to take the liner and probably the bag as well for the cooler nights. I got my liner from Magellan online (it comes with a tiny stuff sack and i got the matching pillowcase as well total weight 224g) but seriously you could make your own for a fraction of the cost ... just pick up a few yards of silk from your local fabric store and sew on a few silk ties strategically placed ... sew the bottom and part way up the side to make a sack. Super luxurious and quite warm for the airy thinness of the fabric as well. Perfect for those sultry summer nights.

Hmmm .... did a little more poking around on the western mountaineering website and it looks like the Tamarack is cheaper and a 2 season bag but it's only a 3/4 length bag so you'd need to be short or maybe just use it as a comforter with your feet sticking out for ventilation or curled up inside and cozy. It looks like it has a full wrap around zipper as well and comes in at a more reasonable $220 and 19 oz or 425 g.

 

[WayWalker63]

Thanks Mystici! They do look nice but a bit out of my price range. I don't mind paying for quality if I think I am going to use something enough to warrant the expense but this will probably be a Camino only purchase (unless it wind up doing more than one.) I think I might try a silk liner with a down type blanket. One of the light weight ones. I am not going to be sleeping in some little nighty anyway. Hopefully we/I an find albergues that have the heat on if necessary.