What do you recommend for footwear and sleeping bag that will not break the bank

[Sara Jane Walsh]

What do you recommend for footwear and sleeping bag. I am thinking of buying hiking shoes and I do not know if I need or should consider waterproof. I have also read about sheets vs sleeping bag.

 

[Mike Savage]

Welcome Sara!

What time of year and which path do you need the sleeping bag for?

 

[Sara Jane Walsh]

September. Going from Porto to Santiago. 10 days @ about 15 mi/day

 

[jeffnd]

Merrell and Keen are two popular options. I loved my Vasques. I would look for a shoe or boot with at least some water protection. But remember, that unless it's made out of rubber, no shoe is 100% waterproof.

 

[rometimed]

I looked at liners but they seemed double the price of light sleeping bags... maybe that's just me. I just got a 15 degree sleeping bag... it was $50 or so. I only hike in running shoes in warm weather.

 

[david townsend]

should you decide you need a sleeping bag, that could be a borrowed. my wife and I both ended up buying Merrell shoes after purchasing and returning other shoes previously. these appear to be PERFECT for our feet. if you have an REI store near you, it is worth spending a couple of extra bucks shopping there, just so you can try the shoes on the local trails and bring them back if they don't end up suiting your feet perfectly.

 

[david townsend]

oh,...... and I should mention, as others have mentioned to me,......... don't sweat the small stuff. High heels likely won't work, but people have been walking this camino for generations. Grab a pair of any good walking shoes and you will find your way to Santiago.

where are you located?

 

[Mark Lee]

Asics makes some great trail running shoes and they have them for women. Less that $100.00 and very durable and grippy. I don't like waterproof shoes myself. If it's pouring down rain they are going to get wet no matter what, and since you are planning on doing your Camino in warm weather, your feet will sweat more in the waterproof ones, and sweating can lead to blisters.
Another advantage of non-waterproof is they dry out quicker. If the shoes and your feet get wet from puddles or something like that, just stop and do a sock change at the same time letting your feet dry out a bit.
You can find trail-runners on amazon.com as well as a lot of lightweight, inexpensive sleeping bags. You don't need a high-end super expensive one for doing one summertime Camino.

 

[Sara Jane Walsh]

September. Going from Porto to Santiago. 10 days @ about 15 mi/day

oh,...... and I should mention, as others have mentioned to me,......... don't sweat the small stuff. High heels likely won't work, but people have been walking this camino for generations. Grab a pair of any good walking shoes and you will find your way to Santiago.

where are you located?

Fort Lauderdale, fl

 

[Cailin O Eire]

I wore a pair of Columbia hiking shoes in Easter 2014 one week walking Sarria to Santiago.
I got no blisters and I thank the shoes for that. Loved them and getting a new pair for my next trip.
Buen Camino

 

[Anemone del Camino]

What do you recommend for footwear and sleeping bag. I am thinking of buying hiking shoes and I do not know if I need or should consider waterproof. I have also read about sheets vs sleeping bag.

Consider a silk liner and trekking sandals.

http://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00J99Q34K/?tag=santiagodec0b-20

 

[Sara Jane Walsh]

This was good information. Now I need to do some research and figure out what a silk liner is. I am assuming it is a substitution for a sleeping bag.

 

[Anemone del Camino]

This was good information. Now I need to do some research and figure out what a silk liner is. I am assuming it is a substitution for a sleeping bag.

Traditionaly they are meant to be used inside a sleeping bag, to keep it cleaner and provide extra warmth. But since you'll be walking in warm weather you will be fine using it alone. Plus, if it's silk it will be good at thermoregulation and be super light.

 

[Sara Jane Walsh]

Wow! What a lot of information in a few words. Thank you.

 

[Melensdad]

Sara, whatever you do, do not skimp on the shoes (or socks). Buy a name brand, and probably any quality name brand that fits your foot is going to be good. Bypass the 'store brands' sold by WalMart or other discounters. Probably the single most important piece of gear for any hiker/walker is the footwear. So I will not advocate any specific brand, but I will strongly suggest you find some quality footwear. Boots or shoes, that choice is yours to make. I would suggest a Gore-Tex liner to allow your feet to breathe a bit. Water proof (which is actually highly water resistent since nothing is 100%) is a big plus.

ALSO, and this is just as important. GOOD MERINO WOOL "HIKING" socks. Darn Tough brand light hikers are my favorites. Smartwool Phd light weight hiking socks are my daughter's favorites. My wife has both, and a couple other brands too! You will want to 'break them in' just like you will want to break in your hiking boots (for a couple months) not a week or two. Realize there are Merino Wool socks that are not hiking socks, so buy hiking socks. I like "light" hikers, meaning they are lighly padded, but others prefer more padding. Its a personal choice, try a couple different types.

You will want 3 or 4 pairs of socks. 1 you will be wearing. 2 or 3 will be in your pack. If you get your feet wet, stop and put on a dry pair of socks.

ALSO, you may want to buy a spare pair of shoe insoles. If you step into a deep puddle/stream/etc and get the inside of your shoe soaked then the spare pair of insoles will allow you put in a dry pair of insoles AND put on a dry pair of socks!

Wet feet = blisters.

 

[WldWil]

I just bought -another- sleeping bag from Mountain Warehouse. It was only $33 and weighs in at a low 655 grams. It is a 50f degree bag. This may be more of 1 season bag, but I figure you are sleeping indoors. It also shaved a 1/2 pound off the sleeping bag I had, that was a 40 degree bag. These are comfort degrees, not survival.

I tried it out. It fit me well at 5'8" 165 pounds. I think it might be tight on a bigger guy and it is a mummy bag. It is light, certainly not like a blanket pressing on you.

I was more concerned about weight and figured this is a good compromise between liner and bag. Plus, the price was right.

 

[MKalcolm M]

Find out what goods you want, try shoes on in retail shops, then go home and check whats available cheap on line via Ebay, Gumtree, Craigslist, etc. I bought a new pair of Keen shoes at half price, good hiking shorts for virtually nothing, waterproof trousers at a fraction of their full retail price and was given enough other (used) gear by friends that I was able to equip myself for the camino within my limited student budget. If you are not going until September then you have plenty of time to regularly check on line until you find what you need.

 

[Tincatinker]

Find out what goods you want, try shoes on in retail shops, then go home and check whats available cheap on line via Ebay, Gumtree, Craigslist, etc.

Of course you can only do this while there are people willing to actually run high-street retail shops where you can exploit their generosity and gullibility. Once they are all out of business you'll be able to experience the joys of monopoly trading.

@MKalcolm M, nothing personal intended. I fully appreciate many peoples' need to save every penny they can and that the internet provides the opportunity for savings, sometimes. But I watch my local book shops, record shops, gear stores, iron-mongers close and I think we are making a mistake.

 

[MKalcolm M]

Tincater, No offense taken, I had my own business for many years, specializing in hand made, fair traded items and faced constant competition by large companies manufacturing in sweat shops and simultaneously being undercut on'line. I am currently employed retailing specialised, eco- friendly products with low margins and once again face being squeezed out by the big retailers. The point of buying second hand goods via the sites recommended is that you are buying things that others have paid full whack for but are selling second hand. Wherever possible I support small, independent retailers on pricipal. The suggestion for trying on at retail shops is to make sure that foot wear fits before you buy it. My choice was simple, spend my money on expensive gear and then stay at home, or buy prudently and walk the camino.

 

[Anemone del Camino]

My previous pair of Camino trail runners (Montrail) (goretex as well!) cost me 20$. I walked into the Columbia outlet store at Woodbury Commons outside of NYC just to browse and there was a pile of shoe boxes. They were larger than I normally wear, but for 20$ I figured I could wing it. And they served me well on 2 Camino stretches (700km) plus fall and spring walks at the local dog run here for those 2 years.

 

[Cecy]

September. Going from Porto to Santiago. 10 days @ about 15 mi/day

Sounds like we are on the same planning journey

Asking and researching the same thing. Sept 16, arriving in Porto but starting at Valenca walking around the same so I can make a bus trip after Santiago to Finisterre.

Dont know your dates but maybe we will meet along the way.

 

[Kanga]

I don't think "brand names" guarantee anything other than money spent on marketing. If you are generally a standard size and you give yourself some extra time at the start you could buy in Portugal. They make lots of stuff, for export and much cheaper than other countries. @Albertinho do you have any advice about buying locally?