Sleeping bag rating for the mountains in spring...

[alexat]

Hallo,

First of all - thanks to all of you in this warm and generous community. Every time I have had a question, I've found a thread where someone else asked the same question years ago and it was answered helpfully, with a lovely mix of practicality and care

This question has too many general key words, though - so I'm putting it out there on its own thread.

I'm planning for my first Camino, next April-May. My plan is to start from SJJP on the Frances, turn right at Leon to Oviedo via San Salvador, and then follow the Camino Primitivo to Santiago/Finisterre.

It's my first Camino, but not my first multi-day hike - I've done a lot of wildnerness thru-hiking in Australia and New Zealand. So in some ways I'm experienced (feels like a luxury to not need to take a tent/stove/fuel/water purification system/week's-supply-of-food!!!) and in other ways there is a LOT that I don't know.

I'm navigating what gear to save up and get Camino-specific things for – and what to use what I already have and use.

I saved up for a new smaller and lighter backpack, as my usual big hiking pack is 2.5kgs on its own.

Am trying to figure out if I also need to do the same with sleeping bags. The blogs/forum suggest that while it might be warm or hot for sections – in the mountainous routes (San Salvador and Primitivo) in April/May it could also be snowing.

If I was camping in the snow, I'd take a sleeping bag rated at -10. I have one of these. It's on the heavier side (1.7kgs).

While I've mostly camped, I've done a couple of hikes with huts - one, the Overland track, the night I didn't tent it and stayed in a hut, the walls were thick and the room was warm and I was SWELTERING because the sleeping bag was far too hot for a room full of warm bodies.

The other time I stayed in a hut was in some mountains in New Zealand - I was in a borrowed sleeping bag, it was a less new hut, and inside the hut that night I was the coldest I've been in my life (spend the night violently shivering, and woke up with my water bottle a solid iceblock by my head).

What should I prepare for in the Asturias

My existing options are:

~ my OG hiking-in-mountains down sleeping bag, rated to -10, 1.7 kgs.
~ newer





I've been here quietly dreaming of Caminos for many years (even had flights booked in 2015 one that I had to cancel, and another in early 2020... third time lucky?)

 

[alexat]

Hahaaaaa ok this is clearly my first post - I have now discovered that pressing 'return' twice quicky posts the post!!

To quickly finish my half-written quesiton, my existing options are:

~ my OG hiking-in-mountains down sleeping bag, rated to -10, 1.7 kgs.
~ newer goose-down hiking quilt, about 1kg packed weight, rated to -8. Lighter, but I am worried about ruining it in a hot dryer if it ends up being bed-bugged (I LOVE IT, it is quite new, and was not cheap - am I being paranoid?)
~ purchase a new, lighter sleeping bag (about 600gms to carry) rated to +5 rather than designed for camping in snow, because this is not camping and the albegues are indoors (and that freezing hut in NZ was an anomaly).

It feels silly to purchase new gear if I have a good bag already and it is temperature-appropriate. BUT ALSO - it seems silly to carry a whole extra kg of sleeping bag if the huts are warm and a thin light bag is enough even in cold weather?

Those who know the route and what the albergues are like do you have advice?

Thank you so much for your time! From my stray thought sitting at the end of my wasn't-meant-to-be-posted-yet post – I have been dreaming of this and gently trying to plan for a long time – very excited to be putting concrete plans in place

 

[RJM]

Since you'll be sleeping indoors and at times with a lot of fellow pilgrims in the room/dorm I suggest and would personally bring a warm weather sleeping bag and one that does not weigh more than about 680 grams.
The quilt will work, and I wouldn't worry about it being infested by bedbugs.

 

[roving_rufus]

I have a sleeping bag rated for 0°C which I take on winter caminos - it is too warm most nights but quite lovely. As for spring - it would be too much! I'd take something lighter for summer season- plus an extra layer to wear if weather in mountains is cooler.

 

[alexat]

I have a sleeping bag rated for 0°C which I take on winter caminos - it is too warm most nights but quite lovely. As for spring - it would be too much! I'd take something lighter for summer season- plus an extra layer to wear if weather in mountains is cooler.

Thank you both. Where i live it is flat and warm even in winter - so so I have limited experience of snow that is hiking/camping in it! Great to hear that something lighter will be warm enough indoors

 

[Anhalter]

My 240g down sleeping bag is rated 13°C for comfort and has so far been enough for all but one night (which was not horibble and i could have put on more clothes). Have walked 3 caminos in May/June with temps dropping down to 0°C some nights (outside). Can't talk of the Salvador however, but i figure they got heating or blankets just as well as everywhere else.
I have a link in my signature where i talk about my sleep system. I added a liner this year for more comfort and i love it.

 

[Peterexpatkiwi]

Whilst I agree that it is always preferable to take what you have and make do, I appreciate your concern about having to stick your quilt in the dryer. And I certainly wouldn't want to carry the larger, warmer one.

You're absolutely correct the Albergues are definitely warmer than the older uninsulated NZ camping huts. Which is what my original sleeping bag is designed for. For the Camino shoulder seasons I purchased a cheap lightweight sleeping bag in the local supermarket for I think roughly 20 euros. Including compression sack it weighs 700 grams, from personal testing is good down to seven degrees (I think the label says 10), and is 14 centimeters by 25 centimeters - I can compress it into a 14 by 14 brick, but find it packs well at the current size. It fully unzips, and I've used it far more often as a quilt than as a sleeping bag.

I also have a silk sleeping sheet (120g) which gets used year round.

Personally I would consider looking out for a cheap light sleeping bag good to approximately 10 degrees, rather than either of the two options you currently own. It does not have to be flash, you may be lucky and find something second hand.
.

 

[RJM]

If you know someone who owns a spring/summer rated lightweight sleeping bag perhaps you can borrow it for the Camino.

 

[dougfitz]

I found myself in a similar position when I first walked the CF, starting at the end of March in 2010. I was equipped for some overlanding trips South America and southern Africa with a similar -10deg C bag. Friends who had walked the CF a couple of years earlier convinced me to buy lighter bag, in my case a +5degC bag from Paddy Pallin. It is a rectangular bag, so slightly heavier that some to the lighter, mummy, bags, but I have difficulty using that style of bag. A couple of years ago I bought a slightly lighter, semi-rectangular bag from Mont. I always use a liner.

There has only been one night where I needed to add a layer of clothing to stay warm, and that was in Granon when someone insisted on keeping a window open in the large overflow area right above the church. Otherwise, this combination is still my go-to sleep system.

 

[JodienBlue]

Hallo,

First of all - thanks to all of you in this warm and generous community. Every time I have had a question, I've found a thread where someone else asked the same question years ago and it was answered helpfully, with a lovely mix of practicality and care

This question has too many general key words, though - so I'm putting it out there on its own thread.

I'm planning for my first Camino, next April-May. My plan is to start from SJJP on the Frances, turn right at Leon to Oviedo via San Salvador, and then follow the Camino Primitivo to Santiago/Finisterre.

It's my first Camino, but not my first multi-day hike - I've done a lot of wildnerness thru-hiking in Australia and New Zealand. So in some ways I'm experienced (feels like a luxury to not need to take a tent/stove/fuel/water purification system/week's-supply-of-food!!!) and in other ways there is a LOT that I don't know.

I'm navigating what gear to save up and get Camino-specific things for – and what to use what I already have and use.

I saved up for a new smaller and lighter backpack, as my usual big hiking pack is 2.5kgs on its own.

Am trying to figure out if I also need to do the same with sleeping bags. The blogs/forum suggest that while it might be warm or hot for sections – in the mountainous routes (San Salvador and Primitivo) in April/May it could also be snowing.

If I was camping in the snow, I'd take a sleeping bag rated at -10. I have one of these. It's on the heavier side (1.7kgs).

While I've mostly camped, I've done a couple of hikes with huts - one, the Overland track, the night I didn't tent it and stayed in a hut, the walls were thick and the room was warm and I was SWELTERING because the sleeping bag was far too hot for a room full of warm bodies.

The other time I stayed in a hut was in some mountains in New Zealand - I was in a borrowed sleeping bag, it was a less new hut, and inside the hut that night I was the coldest I've been in my life (spend the night violently shivering, and woke up with my water bottle a solid iceblock by my head).

What should I prepare for in the Asturias

My existing options are:

~ my OG hiking-in-mountains down sleeping bag, rated to -10, 1.7 kgs.
~ newer





I've been here quietly dreaming of Caminos for many years (even had flights booked in 2015 one that I had to cancel, and another in early 2020... third time lucky?)

Hallo,

First of all - thanks to all of you in this warm and generous community. Every time I have had a question, I've found a thread where someone else asked the same question years ago and it was answered helpfully, with a lovely mix of practicality and care

This question has too many general key words, though - so I'm putting it out there on its own thread.

I'm planning for my first Camino, next April-May. My plan is to start from SJJP on the Frances, turn right at Leon to Oviedo via San Salvador, and then follow the Camino Primitivo to Santiago/Finisterre.

It's my first Camino, but not my first multi-day hike - I've done a lot of wildnerness thru-hiking in Australia and New Zealand. So in some ways I'm experienced (feels like a luxury to not need to take a tent/stove/fuel/water purification system/week's-supply-of-food!!!) and in other ways there is a LOT that I don't know.

I'm navigating what gear to save up and get Camino-specific things for – and what to use what I already have and use.

I saved up for a new smaller and lighter backpack, as my usual big hiking pack is 2.5kgs on its own.

Am trying to figure out if I also need to do the same with sleeping bags. The blogs/forum suggest that while it might be warm or hot for sections – in the mountainous routes (San Salvador and Primitivo) in April/May it could also be snowing.

If I was camping in the snow, I'd take a sleeping bag rated at -10. I have one of these. It's on the heavier side (1.7kgs).

While I've mostly camped, I've done a couple of hikes with huts - one, the Overland track, the night I didn't tent it and stayed in a hut, the walls were thick and the room was warm and I was SWELTERING because the sleeping bag was far too hot for a room full of warm bodies.

The other time I stayed in a hut was in some mountains in New Zealand - I was in a borrowed sleeping bag, it was a less new hut, and inside the hut that night I was the coldest I've been in my life (spend the night violently shivering, and woke up with my water bottle a solid iceblock by my head).

What should I prepare for in the Asturias

My existing options are:

~ my OG hiking-in-mountains down sleeping bag, rated to -10, 1.7 kgs.
~ newer





I've been here quietly dreaming of Caminos for many years (even had flights booked in 2015 one that I had to cancel, and another in early 2020... third time lucky?)

Hi Alexat, I used the attached when I did the CF in 2023 starting SJPdP on 1st April. My wife also used one. Found it more than satisfactory for the conditions. Most albergues are warm enough and a lot have blankets. We will be doing the CF again next year at the same time and will be taking them again.

Sea To Summit Reactor Extreme Sleeping Bag Liner

An essential component in your sleep system, the Reactor Extreme liner with Thermolite® Pro fabric utilises innovative infra red-absorbing ceramic pigments to give your system the thermal boost needed in colder-weather adventures. The soft, wicking stretch-knit fabric provides unmatched comfort...

ultralighthiker.com.au

 

[ThatIrishGuy]

Hi Alexat,

I think your third option would be a good fit. I walked the San Salvador mid March , there was snow on the higher ground ( my avatar) but it was t-shirt walking weather in the main.I can’t imagine there will be much if any left by the time you reach it.

I stayed in three albergues, they were heated, one had blankets (Pola de Lena).,Poladura de la Tercia and Pajares being the others.
The one other walker I met in each of them cranked the heating up each night to the last to dry his clothes rendering my 0*C comfort rated bag overkill really.

I have since got a summer version of what @Peterexpatkiwi described above , a cheap bag from Decathlon that opens fully to a quilt which would have done fine with using some clothes to make up the difference to his rating.
I did find it very cold for the day and a half I had allowed for in Oviedo and was glad I had packed my fears and could walk the town feeling toasty.

It’s my favourite walk so far and would have loved to have been carrying on to the Primitivo but time wise I only get to afford much past a week at a time unfortunately. Unlike yourself I am new to all this but am enjoying learning.
Take care and safe travels.

 

[WalkingLester]

A bag with a 10 degree C rating is good enough for me

 

[alexat]

Thank you everyone! It sounds like the albergues are warm/insulated enough that something with a comfort rating of -8/-10 would definitely be overkill, even on a less-travelled route on higher ground in the mountains with sprinklings of snow! So while I do prefer to re-use things, I think not worth risking hot-dryer-melting the new warm quilt, and that I would regret the additional kilo from the older -10 bag.

I will look to source (buy/borrow/thrift) a cheaper+lighter bag rated at around 10 degrees. I have a silk liner, and can wear warm clothes to supplement if needed

Thank you all for the information and clarity! Much appreciated

 

[Colokid]

Thank you everyone! It sounds like the albergues are warm/insulated enough that something with a comfort rating of -8/-10 would definitely be overkill, even on a less-travelled route on higher ground in the mountains with sprinklings of snow! So while I do prefer to re-use things, I think not worth risking hot-dryer-melting the new warm quilt, and that I would regret the additional kilo from the older -10 bag.

I will look to source (buy/borrow/thrift) a cheaper+lighter bag rated at around 10 degrees. I have a silk liner, and can wear warm clothes to supplement if needed

Thank you all for the information and clarity! Much appreciated

Good call. (may not need a bag.) I walked CF 2024 from SJPDP in early April with 700g camp blanket w compression bag. Slept in skivvies; never in clothes, though on several ocassions in mountains I used the heavy blankets, which in my case were always available at albergues when needed.

 

[davebugg]

Look at the coolest average temp. for the area you will be traveling thru. Then consider that your entire clothing inventory you carry will also add to how much temperature range your sleeping bag/quilt needs by itself.

 

[Richard Smith]

I use one of these as a summer/3 season bag and it is what I used on the CF.
700 grams, A$239 on special now, rated as 4 degrees comfort (they also do a large size that is wider for more freedom in bag)

https://www.anacondastores.com/camping-hiking/sleeping/sleeping-bags/adult-sleeping-bags/mountain-designs-travelite-320-4-sleeping-bag/BP90138893-red-dahlia

 

[Beeman]

Hahaaaaa ok this is clearly my first post - I have now discovered that pressing 'return' twice quicky posts the post!!

To quickly finish my half-written quesiton, my existing options are:

~ my OG hiking-in-mountains down sleeping bag, rated to -10, 1.7 kgs.
~ newer goose-down hiking quilt, about 1kg packed weight, rated to -8. Lighter, but I am worried about ruining it in a hot dryer if it ends up being bed-bugged (I LOVE IT, it is quite new, and was not cheap - am I being paranoid?)
~ purchase a new, lighter sleeping bag (about 600gms to carry) rated to +5 rather than designed for camping in snow, because this is not camping and the albegues are indoors (and that freezing hut in NZ was an anomaly).

It feels silly to purchase new gear if I have a good bag already and it is temperature-appropriate. BUT ALSO - it seems silly to carry a whole extra kg of sleeping bag if the huts are warm and a thin light bag is enough even in cold weather?

Those who know the route and what the albergues are like do you have advice?

Thank you so much for your time! From my stray thought sitting at the end of my wasn't-meant-to-be-posted-yet post – I have been dreaming of this and gently trying to plan for a long time – very excited to be putting concrete plans in place

I would choose the 600g bag. It would come in handy on other hikes. Of course it might be handy to know what other clothes you could put on.

 

[Roland49]

For my alpine crossing (temps outside down to -2°C) I used a 550gr. ultra-packable sleeping bag rated 0°C/+5°C to 20°C comfort zone.
It was the recommendation of a friend, who is a seasoned mountaineer. Filled with synthetics. Was quite the right choice. Not to warm and washable up to 70°C. Cost me 80€.

IMO real down is way to complex in cleaning and can't be highly compressed like the synthetic filling.

HTH