Need Help With Rectangular Sleeping Bag

[GoLiveIt]

I've scoured the forums looking for info a lightweight rectangular sleeping bag. I can't sleep in a mummy bag. I tried the REI Helio Sack 55 and it's just too tight. We are doing the Camino Frances from late September - ending the beginning of November. I've seen a few people recommend the North 49® Micra Lite Rectangular Sleeping Bag on the forum. Would love to hear from someone who has actually used this bag!

 

[SYates]

I haven't actually used that particular model but looking at the specs it looks pretty close to perfect. With a rating of 10C it will be warm enough for a September Camino and weight/price look also good. The only ting I would suggest is that you take a bed sheet or similar and fold/safety pin it to the same dimensions and look if the size is comfortable enough for you. Buen Camino, SY

 

[PEI_Heather]

Or, you could find lightweight material (pseudo-down or down or other) and have a seamstress make a bag for you that works for you? Then, when you discover how amazing your homemade sleeping bag is, you can tell the rest of us, start selling them (to us) and make your fortune so you can walk the Camino all the time!
Just kidding about selling them/making your fortune but not kidding about looking at making your own sleeping bag. Buen Camino, @GoLiveIt!

 

[GoLiveIt]

The only ting I would suggest is that you take a bed sheet or similar and fold/safety pin it to the same dimensions and look if the size is comfortable enough for you. Buen Camino, SY

Thanks for the great idea! Unfortunately once I did that I found out that bag is also too tight at the shoulders so our search continues.

@PEI_Heather - we might just end up having to do that!

My next thought is the Big Agnes Cross Mountain 45 https://www.bigagnes.com/Products/Detail/Bag/crossmountain452016. Since we'll be sleeping in alberges, we'll be using the bags without a pad underneath. Anyone have any experience with these bags?

 

[Camino2010]

I've scoured the forums looking for info a lightweight rectangular sleeping bag. I can't sleep in a mummy bag. I tried the REI Helio Sack 55 and it's just too tight. We are doing the Camino Frances from late September - ending the beginning of November. I've seen a few people recommend the North 49® Micra Lite Rectangular Sleeping Bag on the forum. Would love to hear from someone who has actually used this bag!

Hi, GoLiveIt, I love your forum name!

As I've written elsewhere on here (though I think you haven't seen the posts, which is great because it won't be like I'm repeating myself for you ), I wouldn't be without my rectangular sleeping bag on the Camino. I had it the first time I walked in Sept.-Oct. 2010, then for some reason (I think it was to try and cut down on bulkiness), I bought a mummy bag for my second Camino in 2011. I got to Hungary for a three-week pre-Camino hike with a Camino friend from 2010, and quickly found out that a mummy-shaped bag is a disaster for me. I need to move around too much at night and my restless jumpy legs felt trapped! I abandoned the mummy bag at my friend's place in Hungary and (not able to find another rectangular bag there) bought a barrel bag. It was still tapered but not as bad as the mummy shape and I hoped it could work as a compromise. Nope. I hated it, it was so uncomfortable and restrictive! I spent most of the Camino with the bottom of it unzipped to give my legs and feet more room, petrified at the thought of bedbugs finding the easy way to get to me. I think my determination kept them away until Palas de Rei.

When I got back to Canada after my second Camino I gave my rectangular bag a hug and vowed never to do another Camino without it. And I bought a second sleeping bag identical to it so I'd have a spare!

I'm posting a link to my sleeping bag. It's been remodeled but it is still basically the same (new colour, mine is navy blue on the quilted side and tan on the sheet side). I wouldn't hesitate to buy it again. It's been beautiful on my two autumn and two summer Camino Francés journeys and I'll have it with me again in August.

http://www.mec.ca/product/5034-985/mec-intrepid-traveller-15-22c-sleeping-bag-unisex/

Best luck finding what you need, and Buen Camino!

Rachel

P.S. If you read the reviews for the sleeping bag you'll see that two of the four reviewers bought it for the Camino!

 

[GoLiveIt]

Thanks @Camino2010! I didn't see your earlier thread and hadn't hear of that bag. Just looked at the specs and unfortunately the shoulder girth is the same as the REI bag that I'm returning. My husband has very broad shoulders to he needs more room and I sleep with my arms and leg out away from my body so the bottom of your bag would work great but we still need a bag with more room at the shoulders. Our search continues!

 

[C clearly]

Have a look at the options on www.hotcoreproducts.com. I have found them to be good quality.

 

[Stivandrer]

I found Robens products and Active Leisure sleeping bags, only they are the heavy side ......

 

[Albertagirl]

@GoLiveIt:
I took a McKinley Space Light rectangular sleeping bag on my late September to November camino last fall. I chose it because I could not take my regular down bag which I use in the mountains here. I am allergic to down and can put up with it only for a week or two. The McKinley bag is rectangular, comfortable, not too expensive and rated to +9C. I took the women's version, which is a little lighter than the men's bag. You might have a look at it. I bought it in Canada and don't know if it is available in the States (you shop in REI). Good luck in finding a suitable bag.

 

[camster]

I bought this sleeping bag for my future camino. It's 610g when it's out of its compression sleeve. 10 degrees Celcius, has a hood, so no need for a pillowcase. It rolls up pretty small and is synthetic. Bought the 'male' version, it is longer and wider at the shoulders than the women's model (which is a tad heavier, shorter, wider at the hips/narrower at the shoulders and has more padding in the feet and all over to be warmer).
This one is the men's model:
https://www.atmosphere.ca/categorie...-600-5010-regular-sleeping-bag-332109410.html
This is the women's model:
https://www.atmosphere.ca/categorie...10-womens-regular-sleeping-bag-332109492.html
Shop around, bc I did not buy it at this price!

 

[Anemone del Camino]

Why not simply use a comforter/quilt? Only recommendation I would make is to make sure it is at least closed in a bit from the calf down because mine kept sliding off the bed during the night (the shinny material these camping bedding items are made with makes them slippery) when using it open/flat.

For my next Camino I think I will attach a thin sheet to it, with snap buttons, to create a large sleeping bag so it won't be able to run away from me during the night and end up on the floor over and over again. The sheet will replace the liner.

 

[GoLiveIt]

Thank you for all of the great suggestions! I'm off to scour the sites with your suggestions.

 

[PEI_Heather]

Hi, GoLiveIt, I love your forum name!

As I've written elsewhere on here (though I think you haven't seen the posts, which is great because it won't be like I'm repeating myself for you ), I wouldn't be without my rectangular sleeping bag on the Camino. I had it the first time I walked in Sept.-Oct. 2010, then for some reason (I think it was to try and cut down on bulkiness), I bought a mummy bag for my second Camino in 2011. I got to Hungary for a three-week pre-Camino hike with a Camino friend from 2010, and quickly found out that a mummy-shaped bag is a disaster for me. I need to move around too much at night and my restless jumpy legs felt trapped! I abandoned the mummy bag at my friend's place in Hungary and (not able to find another rectangular bag there) bought a barrel bag. It was still tapered but not as bad as the mummy shape and I hoped it could work as a compromise. Nope. I hated it, it was so uncomfortable and restrictive! I spent most of the Camino with the bottom of it unzipped to give my legs and feet more room, petrified at the thought of bedbugs finding the easy way to get to me. I think my determination kept them away until Palas de Rei.

When I got back to Canada after my second Camino I gave my rectangular bag a hug and vowed never to do another Camino without it. And I bought a second sleeping bag identical to it so I'd have a spare!

I'm posting a link to my sleeping bag. It's been remodeled but it is still basically the same (new colour, mine is navy blue on the quilted side and tan on the sheet side). I wouldn't hesitate to buy it again. It's been beautiful on my two autumn and two summer Camino Francés journeys and I'll have it with me again in August.

http://www.mec.ca/product/5034-985/mec-intrepid-traveller-15-22c-sleeping-bag-unisex/

Best luck finding what you need, and Buen Camino!

Rachel

P.S. If you read the reviews for the sleeping bag you'll see that two of the four reviewers bought it for the Camino!

Ah bless you, Rachel! I'm going to be in TO next week and plan a trip to MEC! (Closest one to me is in Halifax and I'm not over there for a while yet!)

 

[PEI_Heather]

Why not simply use a comforter/quilt? Only recommendation I would make is to make sure it is at least closed in a bit from the calf down because mine kept sliding off the bed during the night (the shinny material these camping bedding items are made with makes them slippery) when using it open/flat.

For my next Camino I think I will attach a thin sheet to it, with snap buttons, to create a large sleeping bag so it won't be able to run away from me during the night and end up on the floor over and over again. The sheet will replace the liner.

Or velcro, Anemone!

 

[Anemone del Camino]

Yup, velcro, especially to create a foot box.

What I did to my quilt is have an elastic at the bottom to create a foot box (the dogs ate it!) just like you would have a hood on a winter coat made, and then snap buttons to close up the sides if it ever got quite cold. So plan is to keep using the snaps buttons plus, when not in use, they won't prick the skin like velcro would.

 

[PEI_Heather]

Yup, velcro, especially to create a foot box.

What I did to my quilt is have an elastic at the bottom to create a foot box (the dogs ate it!) just like you would have a hood on a winter coat made, and then snap buttons to close up the sides if it ever got quite cold. So plan is to keep using the snaps buttons plus, when not in use, they won't prick the skin like velcro would.

Yeah, good idea. Velcro can be pretty prickly...too bad there isn't such a thing as silk velco, hey?!

 

[weradln]

Take a look at the Sea To Summit Traveler 50F down bag. Sold by REI as well as other outlets. It is accurately temperature rated and packs really small due to the down filling. Weighs about 12oz if my memory is correct. Unzips to a rectangular comforter or zips to be a fairly roomy mummy bag so versatile.

I used mine starting at SJPDP on April 17 to Santiago. Several mornings there was frost on the fields and many damp cool days. A rainy spring for sure! Am completely happy with the bag.

 

[DocSarvis]

Feathered Friends in Seattle,WA makes the Condor Nano 30 rectangular down bag. Lightweight for it's size and warmth but quite expensive. Made by hand with ethically sourced down and the best fabrics and craftsmanship. Yes, I own FF products. Western Mountaineering in San Jose,CA makes the Terralite; a semi-rectangular bag that's wider in the middle designed for side sleepers. Very light and well made. I also own WM sleeping bags and jackets and am very happy as well. Both companies are great! Montbell imports a very light down semi-rectangular bag that is probably only suitable for summer indoor use but I have not seen it in person.

 

[pudgypilgrim]

I wouldn't describe the Sea to Summit as a mummy bag, more of a rectangular bag with a drawstring for the foot area. But it's a great bag.

 

[DocSarvis]

The bags I described ( FF and WM ) both have a second zipper across the foot section to make them into full-blown quilts. I believe the Montbell item has a single zipper that performs the same function. The comforter on my bed is a Western Mountaineering Ponderosa sleeping bag in 7ft length with the same zipper arrangement. Too long and waay too warm for a summer Camino, but a fine spring and fall semi-rectangular bag. No hood so not ideal for winter. The Feathered Friends Condor is available with an optional zip on hood. Worth it. A good source for used lightweight outdoor gear are the forums at www.whiteblaze.net. A website mainly for Appalachian Trail hikers. Interesting reviews as well!

 

[PEI_Heather]

Hi, GoLiveIt, I love your forum name!

As I've written elsewhere on here (though I think you haven't seen the posts, which is great because it won't be like I'm repeating myself for you ), I wouldn't be without my rectangular sleeping bag on the Camino. I had it the first time I walked in Sept.-Oct. 2010, then for some reason (I think it was to try and cut down on bulkiness), I bought a mummy bag for my second Camino in 2011. I got to Hungary for a three-week pre-Camino hike with a Camino friend from 2010, and quickly found out that a mummy-shaped bag is a disaster for me. I need to move around too much at night and my restless jumpy legs felt trapped! I abandoned the mummy bag at my friend's place in Hungary and (not able to find another rectangular bag there) bought a barrel bag. It was still tapered but not as bad as the mummy shape and I hoped it could work as a compromise. Nope. I hated it, it was so uncomfortable and restrictive! I spent most of the Camino with the bottom of it unzipped to give my legs and feet more room, petrified at the thought of bedbugs finding the easy way to get to me. I think my determination kept them away until Palas de Rei.

When I got back to Canada after my second Camino I gave my rectangular bag a hug and vowed never to do another Camino without it. And I bought a second sleeping bag identical to it so I'd have a spare!

I'm posting a link to my sleeping bag. It's been remodeled but it is still basically the same (new colour, mine is navy blue on the quilted side and tan on the sheet side). I wouldn't hesitate to buy it again. It's been beautiful on my two autumn and two summer Camino Francés journeys and I'll have it with me again in August.

http://www.mec.ca/product/5034-985/mec-intrepid-traveller-15-22c-sleeping-bag-unisex/

Best luck finding what you need, and Buen Camino!

Rachel

P.S. If you read the reviews for the sleeping bag you'll see that two of the four reviewers bought it for the Camino!

I'm in TO right now (just finished an intense but interesting medical therapy course) and was in Ottawa before coming here. I got over to MEC AND bought the Intrepid Traveller bag. I'll be going car camping when I get home and trying out my new bag. I'm hoping this is THE one!
For now, I'm heading out to find music happening in the city for the Jazz Festival, walking all the way. TO is a great place, albeit a flat place and full of concrete, to get in a few hours of walking without realizing that a few hours have passed by!

 

[Camino2010]

I'm in TO right now (just finished an intense but interesting medical therapy course) and was in Ottawa before coming here. I got over to ME AND bought the Intrepid Traveller bag. I'll be going car camping when I get home and trying out my new bag. I'm hoping this is THE one!
For now, I'm heading out to find music happening in the city for the Jazz Festival, walking all the way. TO is a great place, albeit a flat place and full of concrete, to get in a few hours of walking without realizing that a few hours have passed by!

I am so happy for you for that, Heather! I imagined you buying one when you said you'd stop in to MEC in Toronto, and I hope it will be perfect for you! Hurray!!

Rachel

 

[Deleted member 43985]

Have you considered a down sleeping quilt instead of a bag? I too cannot be in a mummy and after reading about the down quilts on this forum I decided to try one this April. Very very comfortable!! I used the Therm-a-rest Vela which weights in around 2lbs and is good down to 40F, good enough even for a 3-season camino. https://www.rei.com/product/867241/therm-a-rest-vela-down-blanket

 

[PEI_Heather]

I am so happy for you for that, Heather! I imagined you buying one when you said you'd stop in to MEC in Toronto, and I hope it will be perfect for you! Hurray!!

Rachel

 

[smj6]

Everyone has their favourites & their not so favourites. I've found the following all weather (emergency) sleeping blanket on line (152 x 213 cm & 340g) for only around £25 (around 32 USD). It seems to me that with a sleeping bag liner, this could be a feasible sleeping set/ arrangement since one is sleeping inside.
Any comments?
Suzanne

 

[trecile]

Everyone has their favourites & their not so favourites. I've found the following all weather (emergency) sleeping blanket on line (152 x 213 cm & 340g) for only around £25 (around 32 USD). It seems to me that with a sleeping bag liner, this could be a feasible sleeping set/ arrangement since one is sleeping inside.
Any comments?
Suzanne

It looks like it would be noisy, which would be very annoying to everyone else in the albergue.

 

[Camino2010]

Everyone has their favourites & their not so favourites. I've found the following all weather (emergency) sleeping blanket on line (152 x 213 cm & 340g) for only around £25 (around 32 USD). It seems to me that with a sleeping bag liner, this could be a feasible sleeping set/ arrangement since one is sleeping inside.
Any comments?
Suzanne

It looks quite crinkly to me (and not with any padding either, which for me would be uncomfortable on some albergue mattresses), and bulky to fold and carry, but you can always order one and try it out. I prefer to be more contained, in my liner and sleeping bag.

 

[Kanga]

I use a lightweight hiking quilt and take my own fitted bottom sheet.

 

[Bob D.]

Check these guys out...custom made to order (8-10 weeks), so it all depends on when you are leaving. Sleeping bag/quilt which are extremely light...weighs as little as 1 lb for the "Revelation", depending on loft of the down, along with temperature rating.

https://www.enlightenedequipment.com

 

[trecile]

Here's a couple of lightweight options
584 gram sleeping bag on Amazon
340 gram (12 ounce) multi-blanket/sleeping bag from Montbell
And I'm taking a silk liner and this 197 gram/6.9 ounce down Montbell throw blanket for my August/September camino

 

[Kanga]

@trecile do you know why they don't think it should be used as part of a sleep system? Because it seems a good idea to me. I like the multi-blanket too. Although happy for now with my Jacks r Us lightweight quilt.

 

[smj6]

Two good comments about the emergency blanket that hadn't crossed my mind. Thank you both @trecile & @Camino2010.

With my first Camino finally approaching (mid September, inshallah), I need to get off the fence & start making decisions. Have received my Pacer poles & Macabi skirt. Have just ordered my Aarn backpack (due in a few days). Need now to decide on sleeping arrangements & foot wear. Looking at the different prices for sleeping bags/ quilts, & given the various purchases that have to be made, & based on various searches, I think I'm going to try the Montbell throw blanket that @trecile mentions - at 74USD it's not a bad price (I can always upgrade another year when the basis of my walking equipment has already been bought).

Suzanne

P.S. Just discovered that 74USD becomes 114USD when shipped to France

 

[David]

I am the same with mummy bags! This is what I have - and I think it is exactly what you need! made by Snugpak who make equipment for our troops and also sell it retail. Their jungle bag is rectangular and roomy, really light, has a zippable mosquito (bed bugs!) hood. comfort 7 and low 2 degrees .. opens out completely into a quilt or throw, packs down really small and is truly cheap to buy, about £36 - see here -
http://www.snugpak.com/outdoor/jungle-bag -

packs down to about the size of a coconut



there are lots of outlets where you can buy them, including Amazon.
and a video review
-

 

[smj6]

Thank you @David, I recall you talking about this in other threads a while back (but I'd forgotten!). Whilst at 900g it's heavy than I'd wanted, the 'price is right' - certainly at this juncture. And with the present drop in the value of the sterling, the price is even better for me. One more item being processed
Suzanne

 

[David]

Thank you @David, I recall you talking about this in other threads a while back (but I'd forgotten!). Whilst at 900g it's heavy than I'd wanted, the 'price is right' - certainly at this juncture. And with the present drop in the value of the sterling, the price is even better for me. One more item being processed
Suzanne

Yes, not the lightest light bag but is only 900 and the price! fantastic price and it really is a good bag, ticks all the boxes for me.

 

[Bajaracer]

The Snugpak Jungle Blanket might fit your needs, it weighs 700g and is very inexpensive.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00BTHREMK/?tag=casaivar-21

 

[trecile]

@trecile do you know why they don't think it should be used as part of a sleep system? Because it seems a good idea to me. I like the multi-blanket too. Although happy for now with my Jacks r Us lightweight quilt.

I really don't know. Possibly because it is just a throw blanket size.

 

[trecile]

Two good comments about the emergency blanket that hadn't crossed my mind. Thank you both @trecile & @Camino2010.

With my first Camino finally approaching (mid September, inshallah), I need to get off the fence & start making decisions. Have received my Pacer poles & Macabi skirt. Have just ordered my Aarn backpack (due in a few days). Need now to decide on sleeping arrangements & foot wear. Looking at the different prices for sleeping bags/ quilts, & given the various purchases that have to be made, & based on various searches, I think I'm going to try the Montbell throw blanket that @trecile mentions - at 74USD it's not a bad price (I can always upgrade another year when the basis of my walking equipment has already been bought).

Suzanne

P.S. Just discovered that 74USD becomes 114USD when shipped to France

Just be aware that it is quite small. It just barely covers my body. I'm counting on it being fairly warm during late August and September, and blankets being available in most albergues.

Montbell has a store in Switzerland. Maybe they ship from there?

http://en.montbell.jp/shop/overseas/zermatt/

 

[elkwoman]

I too get claustrophobic in mummy bags. I have to be able to move around and feel like I can escape easily. My solution has been just a fleece bag that opens to a blanket, but has a zipper across the bottom and up the sides. http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/43014?page=cabin-fleece-sleeping-bag. Even with this though I end up leaving the side zipped down to about my hips so I can stretch out my arms. It doesn't however smush down to the size of that little snugpak jungle bag mentioned.

There are a lot of very helpful reviews for the snugpak on this amazon site:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001KAT3IO/?tag=casaivar02-20

 

[elkwoman]

And if it is really warm, how about just a silk liner or super lightweight bag? This sounds like luxury. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MRF32D8/?tag=casaivar02-20

 

[GoLiveIt]

Thanks for everyone's suggestions. We ended up using the Big Agnes Cross Mountain bags https://www.bigagnes.com/Products/Detail/Bag/crossmountain452016 and for both my husband's broad shoulders and my tossing and turning, worked out to be very comfortable. It felt just like slipping under my comforter at home.

 

[Yellowfriend]

I've scoured the forums looking for info a lightweight rectangular sleeping bag. I can't sleep in a mummy bag. I tried the REI Helio Sack 55 and it's just too tight. We are doing the Camino Frances from late September - ending the beginning of November. I've seen a few people recommend the North 49® Micra Lite Rectangular Sleeping Bag on the forum. Would love to hear from someone who has actually used this bag!

Hi, GoLiveIt, I love your forum name!

As I've written elsewhere on here (though I think you haven't seen the posts, which is great because it won't be like I'm repeating myself for you ), I wouldn't be without my rectangular sleeping bag on the Camino. I had it the first time I walked in Sept.-Oct. 2010, then for some reason (I think it was to try and cut down on bulkiness), I bought a mummy bag for my second Camino in 2011. I got to Hungary for a three-week pre-Camino hike with a Camino friend from 2010, and quickly found out that a mummy-shaped bag is a disaster for me. I need to move around too much at night and my restless jumpy legs felt trapped! I abandoned the mummy bag at my friend's place in Hungary and (not able to find another rectangular bag there) bought a barrel bag. It was still tapered but not as bad as the mummy shape and I hoped it could work as a compromise. Nope. I hated it, it was so uncomfortable and restrictive! I spent most of the Camino with the bottom of it unzipped to give my legs and feet more room, petrified at the thought of bedbugs finding the easy way to get to me. I think my determination kept them away until Palas de Rei.

When I got back to Canada after my second Camino I gave my rectangular bag a hug and vowed never to do another Camino without it. And I bought a second sleeping bag identical to it so I'd have a spare!

I'm posting a link to my sleeping bag. It's been remodeled but it is still basically the same (new colour, mine is navy blue on the quilted side and tan on the sheet side). I wouldn't hesitate to buy it again. It's been beautiful on my two autumn and two summer Camino Francés journeys and I'll have it with me again in August.

http://www.mec.ca/product/5034-985/mec-intrepid-traveller-15-22c-sleeping-bag-unisex/

Best luck finding what you need, and Buen Camino!

Rachel

P.S. If you read the reviews for the sleeping bag you'll see that two of the four reviewers bought it for the Camino!

Does anyone knows where I can order it online from Holland? Thanks!

 

[trecile]

@trecile do you know why they don't think it should be used as part of a sleep system? Because it seems a good idea to me. I like the multi-blanket too. Although happy for now with my Jacks r Us lightweight quilt.

Just wanted to report back that my silk liner and little down throw blanket were perfect for my August/September Camino.

 

[Stivandrer]

Does anyone knows where I can order it online from Holland? Thanks!

I have scoure4d the forums that I buy here and in Germany and cannot find your choice.
Enclosed is however another squareboxed version that I would consider:
http://www.robens.de/nl-NL/Producten/slaapzakken/far-away/far-away-square
The wight is however a full kilo and not the attractive 700 grms you are lokking for,
happy hunting,
and good trails !

 

[Glenn Rowe]

Try this:

https://www.bigagnes.com/Products/Detail/Bag/bigpine