Take sleep mat or not???

[BevBeevers]

I´m having doubts whether to take a sleep mat or not.. doing the Camino Frances in Sept.. Taking a sleeping bag, not sure about the mat... has anyone any advice/found a sleep mat useful??

 

[Dutch]

Never seen anybody use one inside. So i would say, nope, not needed.

 

[nidarosa]

Never took one or needed one for six week CF, but will take very thin and light one this September in Galicia - to sit or lie on for picnic lunches or just take a breather without needing to find a bench or worry about the ground being wet. Need it? No. But this time around I have got the weight of the pack down so far I can take it anyway.

 

[mralisn]

Not.

One of the most left behind items on the Camino.

 

[wayfarer]

Never took one or needed one for six week CF, but will take very thin and light one this September in Galicia - to sit or lie on for picnic lunches or just take a breather without needing to find a bench or worry about the ground being wet. Need it? No. But this time around I have got the weight of the pack down so far I can take it anyway.

This is a good idea but I took just a small section of a mat for sitting on in 2013 as I had sat on lots of wet areas in 2012, just enough to keep the bum dry.
In answer to the OP I saw many mats discarded along the trail or in the albergues so other than for sitting on I would think there is no need.

 

[nidarosa]

I totally agree, but there will be two of us this time around, so a whole mat makes sense. The one we are taking is the very thinnest and lightest we could find at 180 grammes and won't be very nice to sleep on anyway. It's purely a sitmat. I was just surprised at how many people carried them and I never saw anyone sitting on them, even on the long stretches with no benches.

 

[maggiec]

I haven't been on a camino yet, but why not just take a sheet of plastic? Light and easily folded. A trick learned in girl guides

 

[wayfarer]

I haven't been on a camino yet, but why not just take a sheet of plastic? Light and easily folded. A trick learned in girl guides

The section of sleeping mat gives a little padding to a bony bum.

 

[Stephen]

The section of sleeping mat gives a little padding to a bony bum.

But if you just took the sheet of plastic and put something like a fleece on top of it when you felt the need to rest there'd be ample cushioning for the boniest posterior.
And for the bonniest of posteriors, too.

 

[nidarosa]

Make sure it's big enough that you can remove your shoes and socks too (Free the Camino Ten!) and let them breathe without risking getting sand, dirt or other abrasives on them which can cause a hot spot down the road (literally). Or bring one sheet for the bum and one for the feet.

 

[mikevasey]

I have taken mats with me on 4 occasions and not used them 2 times. This time I did not take one but could have used it on several occassions. On the Frances you do not need one unless you are committed to walking the time you want to walk, stopping where you want then the mat gives you a safety net if you turn up somewhere and it is full, but it would be a lot easier if you went for the no mat option.

 

[Diefenbaker]

I seem to remember seeing people using them on their beds in 2010. Being a holy year it was quite crowded, even in April and I believe they were used to prevent the users getting any bed bugs. I can't remember how often I saw them used or how effective they were as I never heard of anyone encountering any bugs at that time. I like the idea of 2 sheets of plastic when resting though, gonna use that one.

 

[Lotta]

Carried mine without using...

 

[gerardcarey]

A friend walked with her large bright yellow pad all the way from Germany.
Every day around lunchtime she would wander off the Camino and lie down in the cooling shade of a spreading tree and snooze for half an hour.
It was an absolute necessity as far as she was concerned.

 

[cher99840]

For me it's all about weight vs amenities. Keeping my bum dry and/or padded isn't a priority, thus no mat for me. If it is for you, then by all means, take it.

 

[Bajaracer]

Wait till you get to Pamplona and check out Casa Paderborn, lots of items get donated there, there several sleep mats on the shelf as well as other odds and ends people dump off to lighten their load.

 

[Camino Ellie]

Wait till you get to Pamplona and check out Casa Paderborn, lots of items get donated there, there several sleep mats on the shelf as well as other odds and ends people dump off to lighten their load.

Also saw several near the washing machine in Arre.

 

[t2andreo]

Leave the sleeping mat home. No one uses them. Everyone commenting above has it right.

Either cut a small section from your sleeping pad to sit on, when sitting on a cold or wet stone wall or wet cafe chair, or use a section of bubble wrap.

I usually pack one or two 10 x 15 inch (25 x 38 cm +/-) plastic, self-sealing, bubble-mailer envelope in my rucksack as additional padding on my back. It serves as an expedient seat pad as described above, to carry papers you feel are necessary to have, to help organize your pack, and it can be used to mail stuff either "down the road" to Ivar in Santiago, or home.

And, as is usually the case, it weighs "virtually nothing..."

I hope this helps.

 

[obinjatoo@yahoo.com]

A small piece of one is nice in cooler weather to sit on as the ground can suck your body heat.

 

[xin loi]

Carried one and did not regret having it. Ever slept on hard ground for a couple nights? Lot of people slept in fields at least one night a week and during full moon. Try sleeping in your yard for a few nights WITHOUT a pad and report back. And we had people sleeping on hard floors of chapels when albergues were full in June. Sleeping pad weighted a lot less than the rocks I picked up while walking and carried in my pockets to put on the cairns of the Mountain Gods. Pad also makes a good pillow!

 

[kreempuff]

I´m having doubts whether to take a sleep mat or not.. doing the Camino Frances in Sept.. Taking a sleeping bag, not sure about the mat... has anyone any advice/found a sleep mat useful??

Don't even bother taking a mat. My husband and I took a tent, mats, sleeping bags, only used the sleeping bags once, ended sending all that stuff to Madrid so as not to carry extra stuff.

 

[Kathy F.]

Nope, don't take it. Found many purposefully left behind at albergues along the way, never saw anyone using one.

 

[Stephen]

In the run up to my first attempt to walk the Camino I went to a sports shop where the helpful assistant advised a Thermarest. It cost more that £80 and I never once used it. That assistant missed a great opportunity. He could easily have sold me a pith helmet and a few cleft stick for carrying messages if he'd just been a bit cannier.