Sleeping bag in September

[CaminanteKevin]

We are walking from Sarria to Santiago the third week of September. Wondering if we need a proper sleeping bag or if a sleeping bag liner will be enough. Any thoughts?

 

[roving_rufus]

Do you sleep warm or cold?
Truthfully I would chance just going with a liner - but you have a luxury with such a short camino you can have a good idea of the weather before you go it would be possible to find an extra layer to adapt if it was to be unseasonably cold.

 

[davejsy]

You will likely be ok with just a liner, but of course it's never outside the realms of possibility of a cold snap in today's confused climate. I started my Camino end of September last year and it was HOT for the first few weeks. You can likely judge it just before you leave perhaps.

 

[Richmond Gardner]

I like to pack light, so if it is cold (unlikely) you can put on thermal layers you have for cooler mornings - to sleep in. Leave the sleeping bag at home and reduce the size and weight of your pack!

 

[peregrina2000]

I hate to be the naysayer here, but whether you need a sleeping bag or not doesn’t have anything to do with whether any of us would need a sleeping bag. We can only tell you whether we would need a bag, but that doesn’t really help you answer the question about you. I always take a lightweight sleeping bag, and I always use it, even though I almost always walk in April, May, or June. This issue is one of my soapboxes, so please excuse me for beating the dead horse, but here is my standard answer to this frequent question.

I think the "should I take a sleeping bag" question is the same as the "what are the best hiking boots" or "which backpack should I use" questions. This is a question that no one else can answer for you because it depends exclusively on your own body. I don't doubt that all of the posters have accurately reported on what feels good for them in those conditions, but they have their own unique internal heating and cooling systems. I always take a lightweight sleeping bag (850 grams), even last year arriving in Santiago in late July. But then I'm what the Spanish call "friolera", someone who gets cold easily. Only you know if that describes you too. If you're the one who always pulls out a sweater to warm up in summer air conditioning, or who needs extra layers when sitting around in the winter, then you will probably be very happy with the decision to carry a sleeping bag. If you sweat a lot and run around the house in shirt sleeves in winter, then you are likely to be fine with something much less.

There is also a gender difference here — women run colder than men, in general, but of course other factors are at play like weight, blood circulation, etc.

Why women secretly turn up the heating

While male and female body temperatures are similar, subtle biological difference conspire to make household temperatures a perennial bone of contention

www.theguardian.com

It’s not the end of the world of course — if you don’t take one and get cold, you can add layers or hope for blankets (though I think the number of places with blankets is decreasing). Buen camino!

 

[Lexicos]

I always err on the side of caution and take one with me, a sleeping bag that is very light and very compact. It folds out into a blanket too. I never go without it. And I nearly always end up using it several times along the way.

 

[dougfitz]

After @peregrina2000's response, with which I wholeheartedly agree, I would only add that I have always carried a sleeping bag and liner. Even in mid-Jun, I have used them, albeit at that time the bag was more often used as a quilt. Her comments on resilience are worth noting. I suspect that some people who advocate going without a bag are still tough enough to sleep on bare rock in the snow. I'm not!

 

[Xali1970]

A sleeping bag is like insurance...
Better looking at it and not needing it rather than looking for it when you need it...

 

[pkonopka]

We are walking from Sarria to Santiago the third week of September. Wondering if we need a proper sleeping bag or if a sleeping bag liner will be enough. Any thoughts?

I agree with @peregrina2000 . But would add I always carry a light, synthetic (or washable down) bag - if it’s warmer I can sleep with it unzipped, or if colder buried deep inside. I also spray the outside (only the outside) with permethrin as an added layer against bed bugs.

Remember, the Camino is not a stay at a luxury, resort spa. There will be times when you’re tired, or hot, or cold, or hungry, or soaked wet. But that’s part of the experience - finding and unleashing your strength, tenacity, and resilience! Buen Camino!

 

[J Willhaus]

Are you staying in albergues? Then yes. If you are staying in hotels and private rooms, no.

 

[trecile]

I have always taken my silk sleep sack plus tiny down blanket on Camino - until this year (May/June), when I decided to chance it and leave the blanket at home. The last couple of years I found myself tempted by private rooms about a third of the time, and when I was in albergues blankets were usually provided, so it was a calculated risk. I ended up in two albergues without blankets, and was a little cold despite wearing all of my layers, including outerwear. I will probably make the same decision next Camino (depending on season) to save the weight.

 

[J Willhaus]

I never use albergue blankets due to a possible bedbug issue. By the same token, I am always suspect of private rooms on the CF as I know a stream of pilgrims are coming through.

My only bedbug issue since 2016 was last December in the very low pilgrim season when a dorm room of my female university students woke up with bedbugs. Everyone got the heatvtreatment and things went well from there.

Still, I prefer to have my comfy 1 lb down bag which can be easily heat treated than use an albergue blanket that is seldom washed.