Are sleeping bags a necessity?

[Hiker Mom]

Hi,

I'm new - just beginning my planning for my first pilgrimage to Santiago. I plan on either the entirety of the Camino Frances or the Via de la Plata (leaning toward this route).

Question:

Do most pilgrims carry a sleeping bag? I am concerned about accommodations being full and having to either walk to the next village/town or having to camp out?

Thank you,
Many blessings,
hiker mom

"Solivitur ambulando" - "To solve a problem walk around," St. Jerome.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Most albergues require a sleeping "container" of some sort. Hotels do not.

Whether it is a sleeping bag or a sleep sack depends on the time of the year, and whether you get cold.

Pretty much no one sleeps outside unless they want to, so outdoor sleeping is not much of a consideration. However, with a sleeping bag you might have more options than a silk sleep sack. To exercise that option, you probably need a sleeping mat, too, which is the most universally carried unnecessary item of equipment. They are abandoned by the thousands after the first couple of weeks.

 

[JohnnieWalker]

Question: Do most pilgrims carry a sleeping bag?

Answer: depends on the time of year and the accommodations you plan to use. If hosteles or hoteles - then no. They provide bedding and towels. If you plan to use albergues then you will need either sleeping back or a sleeping bag liner. Which you take depends on the time of the year. In the summer months I would only take a silk sleeping bag liner and wear clothes to bed if it got cold. In winter, spring and late autumn I'd always take a sleeping bag because whilst some albergues have blankets they are not always available or guaranteed to be clean.

Best wishes

John

 

[sillydoll]

Nearly all albergues require that you have a sleep sack of some sort so that you don't rest your hot, sweaty body directly on their mattress cover or sheet.
With different hot, sweaty bodies lying on the bed every day, you might prefer to have that sleep sack for hygiene purposes!