South France - Italy - present time - which sleeping bag?

[Echolalia]

Headed to the south of France this weekend, with my touring bike headed for Malta through Italy.

Debating which sleeping bag to take? My down feathered 3 season or synthetic 1 season one? Also got a cotton liner to add warmth. Could anyone tell me what temperatures camping at night will be like? The down one might be overkil.. Cheers.

 

[willem]

The down one may be overkill, but not necessarily at higher altitudes. Is it much bulkier and heavier than the synthetic summer bag? Chances are it is not. Finally, how warm is your mattress?
Willem

 

[Echolalia]

Down bag is 500g heavier and twice the size. Mat is an Alpkit Airo 180 - seems warm enough. May just risk it with the synthetic one and cotton liner.

 

[Blue Hills]

Good luck.

I'd be interested in your route, or are you busking it?

 

[Echolalia]

Nothing planned as yet - go with the wind BUT have in mind French Riviera --> Genoa --> Lucca (pickup EuroVelo 5 --> Sorrento --> Southern Italy --> Sicily --> Ferry to Malta. Will buy maps etc when I arrive. Am sorted for the first couple of days via printouts from google maps.

 

[the_mikey]

Urgh, I went camping near Cap Esterel in 2005 with not even a sleeping bag, the most uncomfortable and cold night of sleep EVER! (and this was in September)

I'd take the light sleeping bag, the other one sounds a bit burdensome.

 

[rich p]

I found getting maps in Italy wasn't always straightforward. If you have the opportunity to get them in advance I would.

 

[Dave Davenport]

We're doing Santander to Caen this summer and will be taking two 1 season bags and one 3 season, on the basis that the 1 seasons will be fine 'till we get north of the Loire (or we're at a bit of altitude), then one of us can double up the 1 seasons and the other use the 3.

 

[psmiffy]

We're doing Santander to Caen this summer and will be taking two 1 season bags and one 3 season, on the basis that the 1 seasons will be fine 'till we get north of the Loire (or we're at a bit of altitude), then one of us can double up the 1 seasons and the other use the 3.

Do you find doubling them works very well?

 

[Dave Davenport]

We did the same thing when we did Bilbao - St Malo a couple of years ago, it worked well and was flexible enough to give a combination that was comfortable between 8 & 22 deg C, which I'd think would cover most of Europe in the summer. The two 1 seasons aren't as warm as the one 3 but I sleep warmer than mrs d so it works out ok.
I'm sure lots of other bag/liner combinations would be fine but we're just using what we've already got.

 

[rich p]

We did the same thing when we did Bilbao - St Malo a couple of years ago, it worked well and was flexible enough to give a combination that was comfortable between 8 & 22 deg C, which I'd think would cover most of Europe in the summer. The two 1 seasons aren't as warm as the one 3 but I sleep warmer than mrs d so it works out ok.
I'm sure lots of other bag/liner combinations would be fine but we're just using what we've already got.

We used to have 2 bags which zipped together to make a double. Ah, those were the days, when I wanted to do more than sleep on going to bed.

 

[Dave Davenport]

We used to have 2 bags which zipped together to make a double. Ah, those were the days, when I wanted to do more than sleep on going to bed.

A two person tent is a bit of a passion killer, thank goodness most French campsites have mixed showers

 

[rich p]

A two person tent is a bit of a passion killer, thank goodness most French campsites have mixed showers

Lawks!!!!

 

[slowmotion]

A two person tent is a bit of a passion killer

Shouldn't that be " passion is a two person tent killer"?

 

[Echolalia]

Sweltering in a tent in the middle of a field in Italy does not sound good. Synthetic sleeping bag it is - the decisions of a bicycle tourer hey? What fortunate lives we lead. See you nomads in the wilderness.