Sleeping Bag - do I, don't I???

seventies'hippy

Or the old 'Carry-On' saying,

Let Sleeping Bags Lie,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

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livin-in-india

let me say that (most of) the advice in this thread is limited in scope.

i live in the south. and it gets cold down here. drop the outsider story that the south is always hot. it isn't.

you say you are traveling along the west coast. this means that you'll have easy access to the western ghats. this beautiful mountain range has so many fantastic hillstations. check out the gorgeous region of coorg, kodaikanal, ooty, etc. they are so beautiful, and they get really cold at night.

even here in mysore, which is just 800 meters high, i am sleeping every night (nowadays) under a wool shawl. my bedroom is chilly. (it is the cloudy season though)

so, you will have plenty of opportunity to use a sleeping bag. however, as some mentioned, there are blankets at most hotels, even the cheaper ones, especially in these hill stations, because it is so cold.

i had one night in kodaikanal in january ('95) that had me shivering, even under a bundle of blankets.

so, the answer to question 1, is yes, it is cold at times in the south.

then, the next question is whether you plan on leaving the seaside. if not, you are fine with a sarong. if you do plan on running up to the hills, which is a nice break from the heat and an opportunity to enjoy some of south india's more sophisticated and civilized towns (in my judgment), then you have the option of bringing a sleeping bag (better to buy in western countries to have a thinner and lighter one that retains body heat) or to buy a blanket or shawl in india.

a blanket or shawl won't keep you as warm, yet it is more versatile. and shawls can be used for so many things.

the best part of the southern cold is that you are never more than 2 hours away from descending back to the heat.

what would i do: nowadays i take long underwear with me instead of a sleeping bag. it is thin, light, and takes up almost no space. and, it is so much easier to clean! i bring at least one top and one bottom with me. and, i buy a beautiful wool shawl to give me a little extra warmth (in addition to the hotel blankets). i find long underwear (capilene) works amazingly in keeping my body heat in, and the shawl is mine, so it is clean, and thus i use it to cover part of my face or neck (the hotel blankets aren't the cleanest as you would expect).

i even bring a thin hat with me when i head to the hill stations. (not necessary)

long underwear top & bottom and a beautiful indian wool shawl should be perfect.

and don't forget the sunscreen!

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India is the great Yin-Yang. Amazing lightness, equally amazing darkness. Wrapped up to make one complete whole.

moonsinarow

That's about how much we'll spend here, for a synthetic on ebay. It will be November and probably pretty cold at night traveling through Rajasthan, Punjab, HP, UP, Bihar and finally West Bengal (maybe Sikkim?)

I'm totally not against buying blankets while we're there, it's just they will probably be a little heavier to carry around than a bag.

As we head south I figure we could either mail our bags and cold weather clothes home or just send it to the train station in Mumbai to pick up before leaving.

Oh, and we also bought silk sleep sacks which we can use by themselves or as liners for our bags. Silk in case of bed bugs and also because it's so pretty.

livin-in-india

yes, carrying a decent blanket is so impractical.

stick with western quality gear and you get lighter, thinner, more durable.

a small investment in the right gear can last you decades of travel (and make you more fit for camping at home- which is such a blessing after returning home from india).

hp66

I personally never travel without my silk sleeping bag liner. Bought it over the net from New Zealand for less than half the price they are in the UK. (Haven't been to India before but excitedly planning my first trip in January. Perhaps others here can advise on getting one made when you're there in good quality silk) It's incredibly light - 160 grams - very spacious single, packs into a tiny pouch packs, and arrived by airmail in about 4 days. Nothing like a little bit of luxury to snuggle up in when the going gets tough. I suppose there are rules about advertising on here, so I won't post a link. A quick google will bring up a few choices, or I'd be happy to respond by pm.

safe travels

Nick-H

Very good info, LII. What sort of temperatures have you encountered at night in the hills? ---this might influence what I take back with me to Chennai this time.

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Just one member of the IndiaMike Mod Team

Selfdefinition

I'm leaving for India in 5 days for two months and I just bought a great tropical sleeping bag that's between a real sleeping bag and a sleep sac. It's light weight and only cost 40canadian (about 1200 r). It keeps you warm up until 14 degrees celius....if I can get cold, I'll figure something else out when I'm there

livin-in-india

web searching for temperatures:

one website says this about kodia: "it gets bloody cold, the water is freezing, and quite often you can spend the whole day shrouded in cloud, transforming walks with beautiful views into monotonous trudges through the mist."

another: "Visit Kodaikanal from April to June or August to September. This is when the weather is at it's best - temperatures stay in the region of a comfortable 20°C to a bracing 10°C. The months between October and March are wet and cold, so it is best to avoid being here at this time."

so that is 10 degrees at night in the warmer season.

here is another:

"The temperatures are between 12ºC and 20ºC in the summer and 7ºC and 16ºC in the winter. It can get quite chilly in the winter, especially at night, and you will need warm clothing."

so, i don't see a good figure on how cold it gets after my five minutes of searching, yet i would suspect that 7 degrees is a pretty normal low, and that it will dip below that too.

don't know if it gets to zero however.

last website info:

"Suggested Clothing:
Summers: Light woollens in evening during summer.
Winters: Heavy woollens during winters."

the altitude is 2133m.

i find coorg to be more beautiful and spacious by the way. coorg is near to mangalore, which can get really hot and humid. the whole lower west coast can get really humid, unlike tamil nadu (lower east coast) which seems to always have a blazing sun but feels much lower in humidity (easier for me, as a hat or umbrella can easily protect me).

coorg has a fascinating culture totally unique to india. they eat pork. they have fascinating wedding rituals. the people say they are pre-islamic arabic in origins, which might explain their sharp features, lighter skin, and at times, non-indian mentality. i feel the place is more wordly, more comfortable, and has more delicious food, than most other places in india. some of the woman are totally gorgeous, in a central asian way.

Nick-H

Hmm, yes, that is chilly. It was 7-8 here in London last night and I needed heat in bed. (although 6 months in Chennai has toattaly screwed my ability to feel at all comfortable under about 18!).

The coolest I experienced there yet was Peryar in April: just like an English spring night, sweet and comfortable with dew on the grass in the morning.

himadventures

For South India-you do not need to pack a sleeping bag.
Get good blanket and this shall serve the purpose.

shanthi

I made and took a sleep "sheet" bag from a double bed sheet when I went the first couple of times - handy enough and didn't cost me a dime

TREKorDIE

"Sleep Sheet Bag"???
Sounds interesting.............actual ly what is that...........can you explain further....... how you made that?

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-m2-

Here is a link to a description of a sleeping bag liner/sleep sheet. Perhaps a bit more elaborate than you need if making yourself:

http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_d...=1127050049482

Here is a link to the combo 'thin bag on one side, sheet on the other' that selfdefinition describes. In my opinion, it is the perfect solution for India travels if you're not planning on trekking or spending a lot of time at high altitudes -- it's easy to throw a couple of hotel blankets on top when you need to (as I've done in places like Kodai and Uttaranchal)

http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_d...=1127049975088

shanthi

Hi TOD, simple as pie - simply fold a double bed-sheet in half lengthways, and run up the side with a sewing machine - or by hand if you want (?) and I put some tape in the big hem at the top so I could pull it as closed as I wanted at night. It worked well enough and like I said, didn;t cost me a dime as most people already have a bed sheet in the cupboard they can use!

TREKorDIE

Good Idea shanthi...............think of using velcro instead of sewing directly