Sleeping bag or fleece blanket? And why?

[nidarosa]

Hi, knowledgeable hikers from all climes! I know there are loads of posts about sleeping bags, down or otherwise, in the forum, but as I am leaving for Norway on Sunday I thought I'd see if I could get some concrete opinions to help me choose. Basically I will be wild camping in lightweight tent half the time and sleeping in hostels/cabins the rest of the time. I do tend to get cold at night so I need something warmer than a silk bag. I also need to keep the pack weight down, and the blanket is slightly lighter (530 g) than the sleeping bag (610 g) and can do double duty as a picnic blanket or wrapped around me for sitting outside in the evening, and it is a lot less restrictive than the bag, which is a mummy shape and zips only half way. I have one short and one full length sleeping mat, not chosen yet, and a set of merino thermals. Has anyone actually taken a fleece blanket instead of a silk or down bag on a summer hike? Does it work? Do you wish you had? Or is it a really bad idea for some reason?

Thanks!
Buen Camino / God tur
Linda

 

[sulu]

My only comment would be that,if you are sleeping in Albergues, they do not generally provide sheets, not until Galicia, so you would be lieing direct on a mattress slept on by loads of other people. I carry a sarong to wrap around the pillow, provided there is one, if not I wrap it around some clothes. A sarong would maybe serve as a sheet, rather than lieing on the mattress, and would be lighter.
I'm not a camper but imagine that you know yourself what you would be sleeping in and on when camping

 

[Tincatinker]

The advantages of a sleeping bag are: no drafts or cold spots; some protection from Mosquitos and other airborne biters and a safe place at the toe to stash your valuable / precious stuff.

As a boy-scout in the sixties I wild-camped in a welsh- wool blanket held with nappy pins into a bag shape. Despite that lengthy experience I have always chosen to use a sleeping bag...

 

[nidarosa]

Good points, both of you. Yes, I have been thinking along the same lines. On the Frances I had a silk bag and bought a lightweight synthetic bag as it got colder, and I still had to wear my thermals at night. Norway in summer should be approx the same temperatures with cold nights. I was thinking I could sleep in my merino thermals as they would be warm but not stifling, always decent around others in hostels and I could sleep on just about anything. I like the idea of the blanket so I can move, throw it off and pull it back on etc but I see that there are valid points against it. I also thought about sewing small press stud buttons on it so it could be made into a bag if necessary. Hm. Food for thought.

 

[Kiwi-family]

I am currently going through the same thought process with flexibility and weight of blanket being very attractive. Uncertain whether I would freeze, I am about to test it. Hubby is taking our girls away for a "Dangerous Girls Weekend" in a couple of weeks and while he is gone I am going to spend the nights sleeping in my silk liner with a blanket and the windows wide open (it's currently not getting above 6 degrees C at night here) - I'll add in merino thermals, fleece jacket, beanie, mittens etc as needed....if I can't do it here, I'll bite the bullet and take the sleeping bag and be thankful I made the discovery at home where I could do something about it and not halfway between Pamplona and Bayonne!

 

[nidarosa]

Good thinking! I only recently started thinking about it, and my tent arrived yesterday, but luckily (?) it has been raining all day (I'm in the UK, similar weather to Southern Norway in the summer) and I have been out in it today trying mats and bags and blanket. What I discovered very quickly was that the full length sleeping mat made me feel a lot more comfortable and warm no matter what I put on over my thermals, so I think that has as much to do with it. On the Camino you have beds, but in a tent it can be cold if you don't have anything to insulate from the ground. Tomorrow I will try the nappy/safety pins and blanket test, I think. Let me know how you get on!

 

[Kiwi-family]

You'll have gone before I get to do my test, but I will pop the results in here for anyone else who might come searching to answers to the same question. Please do make sure you update too!

 

[nidarosa]

I'm tempted to take the blanket in the interest of science now ...

 

[Kiwi-family]

I'm tempted to take the blanket in the interest of science now ...

What's the worst that could happen? You freeze and Tincatinker has to say "Well I did tell you...." :wink:

 

[Loretta Jane]

I took a down 2.2 Kilo mummy bag with a zipper that opened from top and bottom. Since my feet were often burning from walking, I could leave them out to keep cool but the rest of me was toasty zipped in. If it was too hot I just unzipped the whole bag and used it as a blanket or layed on it. It was very functional in many scenarios. Light weight. Could also open for picnic. The hood was good too at times. I also had a light thin scarf/beach pareo to wrap around pillow or clothes. Or to lay flat if I put my face down on mattress when sleeping on tummy. Made a good curtain too on a bunk bed.

 

[Loretta Jane]

Re: Re: Sleeping bag or fleece blanket? And why?

I took a down 2.2 Kilo mummy bag with a zipper that opened from top and bottom. Since my feet were often burning from walking, I could leave them out to keep cool but the rest of me was toasty zipped in. If it was too hot I just unzipped the whole bag and used it as a blanket or layed on it. It was very functional in many scenarios. Light weight. Could also open for picnic. The hood was good too at times. I also had a light thin scarf/beach pareo to wrap around pillow or clothes. Or to lay flat if I put my face down on mattress when sleeping on tummy. Made a good curtain too on a bunk bed.

OOPS I meant weight of sleeping bag under 1 kilo=2.2 pounds but my bag was 650gr!

 

[nidarosa]

That sounds better! My down bag is also 600 g and it is lovely and warm, but the zip only opens half way and it is really tight so I feel a bit restricted. Not a nice feeling. I also have a synthetic bag I bought in Burgos, weighing 800 g, and that can be zipped almost all the way down and opened up like a duvet with a comfy footwell. I much prefer that. But that would mean even heavier load, and I'd need some sort of sheet or sleep in clothes ... On the Frances I brought a cotton scarf and a sarong, the scarf was a scarf, headband, towel, pillow case, even tired-foot-hammock in the bottom bunk, and the sarong was a curtain, wrap on my way to the showers, a sheet, a blanket, a skirt ... but I was planning on leaving it at home and just take the scarf, again because of the weight. It all comes down to the happy compromise between comfortable carrying and creature comforts, but a good night's sleep is really important. Luckily I left vanity in Zubiri!

 

[PHJohnson]

Look around for fleece sleeping bags, I have seen them at Walmart/Tesco/on line and for the warmer months they should do fine, add a silk liner and you should be able to get through Late May-June and September-early October. I just checked and in the US Walmart has the Ozark Trail 50 Degree Fleece Sleeping Bag listed at $16 USD

 

[nidarosa]

I am leaving in half an hour, and having looked at the prospective temperatures I have chickened out and opted for my full length sleeping mat and my synthetic bag, because it can be zipped up as a warm bag and also opened up like a duvet. So I went for warmth first and flexibility second - but I can still sit outside with my duvet-bag around me!

 

[Kiwi-family]

I am leaving in half an hour,!

Buen camino!

 

[nidarosa]

And I'm back!

As mentioned I chickened out and opted for comfort and warmth. And I am very glad I did! My tent is very lightweight, about a kilo, with a rain proof fly and a mesh inner, and the first night I hardly slept a wink because it was so damp and cold in there. Basically I needed more ventilation (I have now devised a clever guy line hack to peg the fly out instead of down) and more wool. But even with more ventilation and less condensation it gets cold in the middle of the night - we both woke up in our separate tents between 4 and 5 because we were cold - so I was very happy I had a full length sleeping mat to keep me off the ground and a warm sleeping bag. I wore all my wool to bed and started pulling the layers off in the morning, and by 8ish I had my bag zipped open and used it as a duvet (mainly for throwing off as it got so warm). So all in all, for this walk, the light tent + long mat + duvet sleeping bag is definitely the right combo. Unless of course I get a same weight double wall tent, which is warmer, then a blanket might do, but they can get stifling when it's warm outside.

For albergues you'd probably need a silk bag or sheet so you don't sleep straight on the mattress and that would mean another layer, more warmth - and more weight. I slept in longjohns and a wool vest or long sleeve top and mainly inside the bag so I didn't feel I needed one.

A blanket bag is still tempting though, imagine a merino one that zips open ...

More concrete kit reviews on the Other Pilgimage Routes thread.

 

[Kiwi-family]

Sounds like that was a great decision for you - not chicken at all!
Hubby leaves this afternoon and so tonight is my own first trial of silk liner plus fleece blanket. Temperature dropped to almost zero last night, and I am hopeful it will do the same again tonight. The windows will be thrown wide open!

 

[Kiwi-family]

At 4o'clock this morning when it was 3 degrees (below 40F) and the windows were wide open, the prospect of carrying an extra 600g in the form of a sleeping bag instead of blanket was not so daunting. I was wearing thermal top and legs, merino beanie and gloves and socks, fleece jacket - and I was COLD. That is to say, my legs were cold enough to wake me. I'll try the sleeping bag tonight and see if that is warmer.

 

[Maggie97520]

Hola Kiwi-family, when are you walking the Camino? I've been wanting to experiment with my sleeping kit, too - but it's the middle of a very hot summer and I don't have air conditioning. Can barely wait for Autumn. In the meantime, I am so happy we have this forum - it's great to read everyone's experiences.

 

[Kiwi-family]

Hola Kiwi-family, when are you walking the Camino? I've been wanting to experiment with my sleeping kit, too - but it's the middle of a very hot summer and I don't have air conditioning. Can barely wait for Autumn. In the meantime, I am so happy we have this forum - it's great to read everyone's experiences.

We walked a short way in September last year and some of the family will be returning......probably next May/June (although I'm wavering towards a summer walk rather than spring so we might make that June/July. Cut-off date for returning home will be August 11 when one child becomes an adult fare!

 

[nidarosa]

Hi Kiwi, the friend I travelled with said that it's quite usual for women to be woken by cold back and shoulders - and we both did, at about 4.30 in the morning. So we decided to get some wool vests and merino buffs en route and wore them to sleep and we were fine. But I also think the feeling of something a bit substantial, a bit of weight and insulation, makes you warmer than anything thin. Don't know if there is anything to that or if we are just conditioned to feel warmer and cosier under a duvet than a blanket. But at least now you can say you've tried - and I was in Galicia in September, wearing all my clothes, inside a silk bag inside a sleeping bag, covered in a thick and heavy blanket, and I still needed to put my fleece hat on to be able to sleep. Keep testing your sleeping arrangements, you'll be using them for one third of your time on the camino!

Linda

 

[camino-david]

I have walked the Camino Frances 3 times - twice in September and October, and once in May, and experienced snow in May and October at Cruz de Ferro, and O Cebreiro, and plenty of frosty mornings when I was very happy to wear my gloves. I would not dream of walking the Frances without my sleeping bag, which weighs 600 gms and includes a silk liner. I don't know about a fleece blanket, but a sleeping bag is designed to keep you warm, whereas a blanket is just a covering. Also compare weights of both. David

 

[Kiwi-family]

Camino David
We walked from Astorga in September last year. We did not take sleeping bags, but did take silk liners and thermals and fleeces to wear if it was cold. With the blankets we borrowed along the way, this worked adequately - and there were cold mornings when we used our gloves.
The difference with this trip is that I know there are no blankets available on the Baztan route and I suspect we may need something on the Primitivo too even though it will be June or July by the time we get there.
Weight is the very reason I am/was considering fleece instead of sleeping bag. A fleece blanket weighs only 400g, whereas my good Macpac sleeping bag is 1.5kg. Even the cheaper sleeping bags we have for the kids are 1.1kg With a pack that weighs 1.4kg, I am at almost half my desired weight-to-carry (6kg) with only two items! Hence the fleece trial.
Tonight I'm trying one of the kid's sleeping bags - although the forecast low is 5 degrees warmer than last night so it's not exactly a scientific comparison.

 

[nidarosa]

I am still sort of unpacking after my recent walk and looking at the weights and items going in for the next one. I have to say that the basics: pack, tent, sleeping mat, sleeping bag, Teva sandals and Altus in themselves make up more than half the desired pack weight. Food and water make up another quarter. Obviously I'd like to get the weight down any way I can so I'll be buying a microfleece bag at 350 grammes and trying that out in the tent as soon as the temperatures go down a bit - we're having a tropical summer here in NW England at the moment. I'll get loads of use out of the fleece bag for other things anyway, plus it would add a season to my thin sleeping bags so it will come in handy for autumn jaunts as well. I will let you know when I have done some scientific-ish testing Keep the experiences and comments coming!

 

[LesPat]

Good points, both of you. Yes, I have been thinking along the same lines. On the Frances I had a silk bag and bought a lightweight synthetic bag as it got colder, and I still had to wear my thermals at night. Norway in summer should be approx the same temperatures with cold nights. I was thinking I could sleep in my merino thermals as they would be warm but not stifling, always decent around others in hostels and I could sleep on just about anything. I like the idea of the blanket so I can move, throw it off and pull it back on etc but I see that there are valid points against it. I also thought about sewing small press stud buttons on it so it could be made into a bag if necessary. Hm. Food for thought.

Hi, we are planning a July walk camping along the Frances or Norte (TBD) and are trying to decide on bedding - do you think it will be cold enough at night that we will need a lightweight bag or can we get away with a fleece bag/blanket? We are a couple and will be in a tent. Thank you!

 

[nidarosa]

Oh, I have tried and tested and thought and tweaked, and I now declare myself a fan of the lightweight sleeping bag. The beauty is you can open it up and regulate the temperature that way, snuggle under it at night when it's cold and throw it off when the morning sun heats the tent. YMMV.

 

[Kialoa3]

Consider the Montbell down thermal sheet. It is a lightweight down bag that fully unzips into a quilt. It weighs 15 ozs. It is limited to temps around 50 F.

 

[CaminoKris2013]

I really think it depends on the person on whether a sleeping bag vs. a silk liner with or without a blanket is right for you. Personally I can't sleep if I am too warm, so I am bringing a liner and a lightweight blanket. But I am sure there may be many that need a warmer sleeping. Asking for info is okay, but keep in mind your own needs and what need to compromise on if your need is a heavier sleeping bag.

 

[beckycraig]

Great decision.

 

[dougfitz]

Great decision.

@beckycraig, welcome to the forum.

As you get more familiar with how the forum works, you are likely to get better at recognizing old threads that have been inactive for some time, and members who haven't been active recently. This thread hadn't been active since 2014, and some of the contributors haven't been on the forum since then either. They are unlikely to see your response. That doesn't mean responding to old threads isn't useful all the time, only some of the time .