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Sleeping bag/quilt or liner

LakeMcD

Active Member
Time of past OR future Camino
Frances 15' Portuguese 16' GR10/Norte/Primitivo 17' Chemin LePuy 18' Salvador/Prim/Kerry Way 19'
For 7 seasons of Caminos I’ve always taken a silk liner and have just used blankets at my albergue or gite. I do remember just a handful colder nights where blankets weren’t available , roncesvalles comes to mind. Im contemplating taking a lightweight down quilt this year instead, maybe it’s just the winter weather here in Montana that has my attention currently. I’m curious how many of my fellow walkers choose to carry something insulated instead and your reasoning for your decision.
 
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I've added the tag "sleeping bag" to the top of the thread. If you tap it you will find other threads on the topic including this one:

Poll Thread 'Sleep system: Sleeping bag, liner, etc?'

For fun, let's conduct a poll. We have this question come up so often, that it might be convenient to point to poll results that illustrate the range of responses.

Because the forum software offers very limited polling choices, we'll need to make some generalizations and assumptions, to make one recommendation that covers:
  • All routes in Spain and Portugal
  • All months except mid-summer (July and August), and winter (December-January-February)
Feel free to provide more nuanced responses in posts below.

Edited to add: I expect that the option of "None, because I plan to use...
 
Thank you
 
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LakeMcD said:
For 7 seasons of Caminos
Click to expand...
As most of us generally only recognize four seasons in the year I presume you mean seven years.

I'm being picky because it totally depends on what season I'm walking. Shoulder seasons I take both a lightweight sleeping bag (opened completely up and used as a duvet) and my silk sleep sheet, summer just the silk sleep sheet. I don't walk in winter.

I sleep warm, so if the inside temperature is 16 degrees I'm going to be absolutely fine with just the silk sleep sheet. Cooler and I'll probably need something extra. This of course is very individual, the only way to know for sure is to try it.
 
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Well Peter, yes you are being picky, a little unfriendly too - assuming that he lives on the same planet as us he probably already knows four seasons so is fairly obvious what he meant - isn't it?????
I assumed he meant 7 caminos, one a year, when he wrote 7 seasons of caminos .... it is common to say "camino season" to mean temperate part of the year when most go - isn't it? I say 'camino season' quite often.

Lake - Re what to take - so depends on the time of year but also, nowadays, the weather forecast as we have odd weather patterns now in Europe.
This camino season (my 20th camino season) I will be leaving home (England, by ferry to Spain) 14th July and am hoping to take only a sleeping liner and travel super super light, no sleeping bag, no fleeces, etc .. but the weather will decide.
 
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Here's an ultralight down bag that has been recommend on the forum, I think by @Anhalter, but I'm not positive.

MAGIC 100 ZIP

A great choice for those who like simple solutions for the summer months. One of the most basic sleeping bags in our offer. Toray® Airtastic makes it light and soft in touch, and ethically sourced Polish goose down fills the inside. Made in Poland.
cumulus.equipment
 
Summer I use a silk liner bag. Your rain poncho can double as an extra cover.

Winter, fall, spring, I have a very light down sleeping bag that I've owned for about 15 years now. It is very light.

One year I took a army poncho liner that I owned from my military days and it was also light and very comfortable.
 
Train on the 4-day Catalina Camino
Train for your next Camino on California's Santa Catalina Island March 30 to April 2
You are correct, that's the sleeping bag i have been using for two caminos now.
However, it is not perfect (edit: but still VERY good) by itself. I go into more detail in a thread i wrote:

Thread 'My perfect ultralight sleep setup'

Hey everyone,

i guess I'm not good at starting threads, but rather comment. I guess my last "own" thread is the one a couple of years ago where i talked about my 3,6kg loadout for the Camino Frances (see signature).

Today i felt like opening a new one, since 2 Caminos after my last thread i solved a problem that bugged my since Camino #1... the perfect sleep setup.

TL;DR: Bergstop Microstretch liner + something warm (blanket, sleeping bag...). Google it, it's great.

Disclaimer: Nobody paid me to write this. I bought every item with my own money. What i write is my personal...
 
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I’ll contact them to see if they have a distributor in the states. Thanks
 
In Spain and Portugal, my walks have started in spring, late Mar through to early May. I have always carried a sleeping bag and liner. When I have started later, towards the end I was more often unzipping the bag and using it as a quilt.

My current bag is a 3 season bag rated at +4 deg C for cold sleepers or -1 deg C for warm sleepers. The bag weighs just under 700 gm, so a little heavier than some of the very light bags some others use, and if I were buying a bag just for use on the camino, I would probably look for a summer rated bag, ie about +10 to +15 deg C, or if I were starting later, consider carrying a camping quilt or just a liner.
 
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