Are sleeping bags a necessity?

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.

Hiker Mom said:

Question: Do most pilgrims carry a sleeping bag?

Click to expand...

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

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!