Sleeping Bag and Mat
 

I'll be travelling through Europe for around 3 1/2 months and staying in hostels. My problem is that 2 months into the trip I will need to camp for the running of the bulls and although the tent is provided I will need my own pillow, sleeping bag and sleeping mat. Should I just buy this stuff in Europe or are there ultra portable version I can buy in Aus and take with me, or perhaps could I get away with thermal underwear etc. and sleep in my clothes only.

I will have a sleep sheet with me so if it isn't too cold I could just use that.

Thanks guys :worship:

Personally I'd just sleep in my clothes and try to borrow a blanket from somewhere. You definitely don't want to be lugging the extra weight around for 3 1/2 months for the sake of a couple of nights.

If I were in your position, I'd take into account how many nights I'd be camping for and try and look up some average overnight temperatures for the area during the time of year you'll be going for. I know that some nights even the lightest of sheets can be a burden, but then again the last few summers here have seen mid-30's temperatures.

grass works great as a mat
i carry an ultralight sleeping bag, it is about the size of half a loaf of bread, or smaller than an american football

but since it will be warm, you may be able to get away with something like a fleece sleeping bag liner
http://www.campmor.com/webapp/wcs/st...berId=12500226
with a compression sac those are tiny, and cheap enough if you toss it you wont miss it.

I bought a bag for the exact same purpose as you. It is a "Chinook Technical Outdoor" bag rated to 10 C and cost $49 CDN. It packs smaller than a loaf of bread. They had one rated to 2 C for 120 CDN and it was a bit smaller. I think you will want a bag for any number of reasons, but this is an endless debate on its own. I debated a pillow (there are very small options) but decided a rolled up sweatshirt will do the trick. I thought about a mat for a brief moment, but that passed quicky.

Long story short....there are pretty reasonably priced options out there and I am taking one of them with me for 80 days with 3 in Pamps and a few in a friends place.

Personally, I wouldn't bother carrying around this just for a few nights. You may like to buy something when you're getting close or not bother at all. The only problem is that it gets damn cold there. You won't be getting too much sleep at Pamplona anyway!

ev

well, I'm going to disagree with some people here... I would get the sleeping bag, and I would recommend getting Vango brand in Europe. You can get one that is super light and packs super small without sacrificing comfort. Pillow you don't need, just use clothing. Sleeping mat...that depends. Get one...if its going to be cold at all then get a better one (like therma-rest), if it won't be very cold just get a cheap foam one thats super light.

Sleep is important to good travel in my opinion.

:torch:

But a sleeping mat for 3 nights of how many? If anything, get something en route I would say. I see more uses for a sleeping bag than just thoes 3 nights and it does not take up that much room. A mat on the other hand is only for those nights. Another thing to consider, as my travel mate and I have since we are taking some of this stuff for camping is whethere it is an option to do some more camping in other places to make use of the gear and save money.