Sleeping Bags -- Suggestions Invited

[Daniel Nighteyes]

Pards,

My wife and I intend to walk the Camino de Santiago de Compostello, in northern Spain, sometime in 2012 or 2013. I already have almost everything we will need, except for one item. I'm turning to y'all for suggestions.

We need to purchase a pair of sleeping bags that meet the following requirements:

1. Extremely lightweight and VERY compressible -- this suggests down bags of around 2 to 3 pounds total weight

2. 20-degree rating

2. RECTANGULAR (rather than mummy) bags -- a critical point. Can have hoods or drawstrings, etc to maintain warmth

3. Must be able to zip together into a double bag -- yet another critical point. I am a much warmer sleeper than my wife, and am more than willing to "share the wealth", so to speak.

4. Price -- is always a factor, meaning that less is more, etc.

Any and all suggestions are welcomed.

Regards,

-- Nighteyes

[Rick]

Eureka recently came out with a dual temp sleeping bag. It's a modified rectangular. It has a box in the foot area that's really comfortable. I picked up the 10/30 rated bag. I've used it once this year and was pretty happy with it. It has a polyester lining that's warm and it weighs a little more than you stated but I was pleased with it. Around $100. MSRP is $140.00.

http://store.eurekatent.com/products/460807/Dual_Temp_1030_Long


Ooh. Just saw the zip together thingie. Sorry.

[Daniel Nighteyes]

Ooh. Just saw the zip together thingie. Sorry.

No prob, my friend, and thanx for your contribution. As pertains my quest, "close" is good in horse shoes, hand grenades and thermonuclear war...

I remain confident that "The truth is out there, somewhere."

-- Nighteyes

[Sourdough]

I suggest you directly contact manufactures. Like REI, North Face, Wiggly, etc. Also contact "Backcountry.com".

[intothenew]

..........."The truth is out there, somewhere."............

Well, in all but the price. And I'm a little over on weight, maybe. Be sure and compare the total with pad on anything else. I own em', and I use em' extensively. BigAgnes, the park series. A right and a left hand Summit Park with two clear pads. You can thank me when you see me again.

[Winter]

Pards,


3. Must be able to zip together into a double bag -- yet another critical point. I am a much warmer sleeper than my wife, and am more than willing to "share the wealth", so to speak.



-- Nighteyes

You should be a politician. When I read this and looked at your avatar, I remembered a scene from Josey Wales. LOL

If your bags are together, you can get away with alot lighter bags.


ETA- when I camp with the missus, we bring blankets as opposed to bags. the blankets allow easy venting and the customary battle over blankets which may lead to romance.

2 wool blankets and a comforter in a stuff sack should do ya.

[Renatus]

deleted....

[Wildthang]

Does anybody make sleeping bags where 3 bags will zip together? I need one if they do!

[SARKY]

I have a Therma-Nest system. It is basically a sheet with a zipper on 3 sides and pockets on the back. The pockets on the back are for slipping your therma-Rest sleeping pad into. It keeps them from shifting under you. The zipper allows you to use only 1 sleeping bag(rectangular) for the 2 of you. I bought mine years ago and don't know if they still make it, but it would be easy enough to get someone good with a sewing machine to make one for you. Just make sure the zippers are the same size as the ones on your bag.

[Daniel Nighteyes]

Winter and Sarky,

Great suggestions, and had considered both. Winter, we actually did something like what you suggested when we were in the Boundary Waters. Sarky, I've seen a product or two very much like what you described. I believe they were in the Campmor catalog.

The fly in the ointment, if you will, is that most of the time we'll be staying in hostels or their equivalent, and sleeping on bunks whose overall cleanliness may be in doubt. So we need two self-contained, fully-enclosed sleep systems that, should we find ourselves spending the night outdoors, we can also join together under a tarp.

-- Nighteyes

[Daniel Nighteyes]

http://www.kelty.com/p-477-galactic-...ping-bags-pads

http://www.campsaver.com/galactic-30...FUkaQgodsjXaYw

Thanks, Renatus! They both look great! I'm thinking of checking with Kelty to learn whether those two bags will zip together.

[Daniel Nighteyes]

Well, in all but the price. And I'm a little over on weight, maybe. Be sure and compare the total with pad on anything else. I own em', and I use em' extensively. BigAgnes, the park series. A right and a left hand Summit Park with two clear pads. You can thank me when you see me again.

Great bags, and the weight is close; just don't know whether we can afford the price.

To all:

Weight is a critical factor. By the time of our trip I'll be 67 and she'll be 62. The Camino de Santiago de Compostello is over 800 kilometers (about 500 miles) long and we'll be hoofing every bit of it. We're figuring about 45-60 days to walk it from end to end.

We need to keep the TOTAL weight to 50 lbs: 15-20 for her, and 30-35 for me since I bear more than a passing resemblence to a pack-mule (as to which end I resemble, I'll leave that for you to decide. ) Let's see, now -- 500 miles = 2,640,000 feet. So, each additional pound on our backs will require an additional 2,640,000 foot-pounds of work!

[Rick]

You know you can take the bus, right?

[Renatus]

deleted.......

[intothenew]

Great bags, and the weight is close; just don't know whether we can afford the price..................

2/3rds the price on flea bay.



Linky


I didn't see where it says anything about right and/or left handed.

[kyratshooter]

I am sure you have already researched the trip thoroughly, but do not forget that in Europe your pilgrimage is a common experience with hiking and backpacking an accepted hobby for young and old.

You will be able to take advantage of the hostil system in place on this World Heritage Route with churches and monistaries along the way offering safe accomidations at very reasonable prices. You may find your primary sleeping bag use is indoors used on dorm beds.

This is not like hiking the AT where primitive is the name of the game with endless miles of nothing but mountains, heat and bugs with no regular resupply or comforts along the way. Your route dates back to Roman times.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Way-of...15064448509230

Sounds like a really fun trip. Reminds me of when my grandkids find out I have taken off and done some crazy stunt. They look at my daughter and whine, "Granpa gets to do really cool stuff and we just stay home!"

This is really cool stufffff!

[Daniel Nighteyes]

I am sure you have already researched the trip thoroughly, but do not forget that in Europe your pilgrimage is a common experience with hiking and backpacking an accepted hobby for young and old.

You will be able to take advantage of the hostil system in place on this World Heritage Route with churches and monistaries along the way offering safe accomidations at very reasonable prices. You may find your primary sleeping bag use is indoors used on dorm beds.

This is not like hiking the AT where primitive is the name of the game with endless miles of nothing but mountains, heat and bugs with no regular resupply or comforts along the way. Your route dates back to Roman times.

Exactly! (See Post # 10 above regarding sleeping locations.)

In fact, what draws us most strongly is the opportunity it will provide to meet, talk with, and get to know people from dang near everywhere. I'm learning Spanish this year, and by the time of the trip will have also brushed up my conversational German. Mi Reina de la Casa Ojos Nocturnos (see, I'm practicing already) is working on French and Italian. If we can't cover it with the fundamentals of five European languages (including English), the one we're trying to talk to will be from somewhere far, far away.

[Daniel Nighteyes]

You know you can take the bus, right?

Yep, but that would spoil all the, ah, er, fun (yeah, that's the word)!

[Thaddius Bickerton]

just something that I have been toying with but ya know those fold up luggage things that sort of look like a light weight dolly, they have extendable handles and a fold up shelf.



If you started with a pack frame and added wheels to the bottom that were sort of trail worthy and rigged extension handle with like cotter pins out the top then you could load up the pack and wear it, then once on the trail where needed you could turn it into a kind of pull or push cart thing that might be easier to haul along.

Even with a dab more weight mostly pulling the cart would allow you to haul stuff easier, and add additional food for when you wanted it.

Sorry for no help on the sleeping bags, but I have been a tarp / blanket camper for so long my only bags are older than my oldest kid and in a lot worse shape.

I would love to have a chance to do the hostle thing. When I was in Germany I had a bus / rail pass and would just load up a ruck and go when I got a extended pass off base. They used to be very inexpensive and well worth it to get around and cover ground, not so outdoors as what you plan, but getting more than a few days off just wasn't gonna happen then.

I also hope to take a hiking tour of Israel once my kids are all self sufficient. Just pack a ruck and go and stay till I'm ready to move on. No plans except to see stuff I read about in my Bible and such.

I hope ya'll keep a nice journel and such of your adventures and share them here when you get done. (better yet if you can do updates from the trip itself, but not sure if that is feasable.)

Anyway I do wish ya well on your trip and it sounds like ya'll will be having a grand time.

My brother (the college teacher) had to be in Spain several times over the last couple years, his stories make me think It is a very nice place to explore.

Thad.

[shiftyer1]

I go insane in a sleeping bag, wool blankets all the way!!!