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Bed sheets

SusanH

Active Member
Time of past OR future Camino
Walked 2014
I have a rather specific question...
As a very restless sleeper, I know for a fact that I can’t use a sleeping bag or a zippered sleeping sack. I’m wondering if anyone has ever used a fitted sheet and a light weight fleece blanket?
When I walked in 2014, I used a cotton sleeping sack that I cut open and a light fleece blanket. I always work up twisted in the cut open sleeping sack and it drove me nuts! Honestly - I’d just like to carry a fitted sheet with me.
Any advice? Also, is a single bed in Spain the same size as in Canada?

thanks!
 
Down bag (90/10 duvet) of 700 fills with 180 g (6.34 ounces) of filling. Mummy-shaped structure, ideal when you are looking for lightness with great heating performance.

€149,-
A regular sheet is pretty heavy - if you sew, or know someone who does you can buy lightweight silk and easily make a fitted sheet. I make silk sleep sacks that have straps to keep them attached to the bed. You may not even need a complete fitted sheet, but simply a way to keep a piece of silk attached to the mattress.
 
€2,-/day will present your project to thousands of visitors each day. All interested in the Camino de Santiago.
I have a rather specific question...
As a very restless sleeper, I know for a fact that I can’t use a sleeping bag or a zippered sleeping sack. I’m wondering if anyone has ever used a fitted sheet and a light weight fleece blanket?
When I walked in 2014, I used a cotton sleeping sack that I cut open and a light fleece blanket. I always work up twisted in the cut open sleeping sack and it drove me nuts! Honestly - I’d just like to carry a fitted sheet with me.
Any advice? Also, is a single bed in Spain the same size as in Canada?

thanks!
SusanH wow finally someone has the same problem. Yes, I have been bringing my own fitted sheet which I sprayed with permethrin, and use my thin sleeping bag which I unzip and use as a blanket and have a great sleep. I cannot sleep in a sleeping bag.
 
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I use a Cocoon Silk Travel Sheet. It is lightweight, rectangular, and packs down very small. It is only sewn from the waist down into a sleep sack. There is plenty of room to roll around at night. I soak the sheet in permethrin (permethrin soak method) before I go. I also use an Enlightened Equipment Revelation down quilt. The quilt is lightweight, rectangular, can be used as a blanket or a sleeping bag. I do not soak the quilt in permethrin. I put the quilt inside the sheet to keep it from sliding onto the floor during the night. I can pull it over me if I get cold, or push it to the side if I get hot. I also think that having my quilt inside my sheet might deter someone from borrowing my quilt.

He tenido suerte y no me han mordido los chinches.🪳 👣:D:cool:
 
I took a proper fitted silk sheet one year. It was luxurious but I did not bring it a second time. It was quite heavy compared to my silk liner which is a lighter grade of silk, and smaller.
 
Technical backpack for day trips with backpack cover and internal compartment for the hydration bladder. Ideal daypack for excursions where we need a medium capacity backpack. The back with Air Flow System creates large air channels that will keep our back as cool as possible.

€83,-
I have a rather specific question...
As a very restless sleeper, I know for a fact that I can’t use a sleeping bag or a zippered sleeping sack. I’m wondering if anyone has ever used a fitted sheet and a light weight fleece blanket?
When I walked in 2014, I used a cotton sleeping sack that I cut open and a light fleece blanket. I always work up twisted in the cut open sleeping sack and it drove me nuts! Honestly - I’d just like to carry a fitted sheet with me.
Any advice? Also, is a single bed in Spain the same size as in Canada?

thanks!
susanh, trust me our Canadian single fitted sheet works because I have used one for years.
 
Do you wash them during the trip?
No, I do not. I use my lightweight sleeping bag on top. I bring the sheet to protect against any possible "human cooties"🙂 on the albergue beds and also hopeful that the permethrin possibly deters bedbugs...it just feels better laying 100% on my own fabrics. I slip the sheet on first thing when I arrive.
 
No, I do not. I use my lightweight sleeping bag on top. I bring the sheet to protect against any possible "human cooties"🙂 on the albergue beds and also hopeful that the permethrin possibly deters bedbugs...it just feels better laying 100% on my own fabrics. I slip the sheet on first thing when I arrive.
My question to you is: "Have you ever been bit by a bed bug on Camino?" I have not. Though, as a mental comfort, I can see the reality of it. I personally bring my own pillow to hotels, on occasion. The occasion is when I know the hotel isn't the best but the only one available. If you really want a wake up call...shine a black light on the bed and furniture in your room. Now, that can really gross you out.
 
The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
My question to you is: "Have you ever been bit by a bed bug on Camino?" I have not. Though, as a mental comfort, I can see the reality of it. I personally bring my own pillow to hotels, on occasion. The occasion is when I know the hotel isn't the best but the only one available. If you really want a wake up call...shine a black light on the bed and furniture in your room. Now, that can really gross you out.
No, I have not been bitten. I just prefer lounging on my own sheet when resting or sitting on my bunk after I arrive.
I have seen the black light hotel gross out stories on the news. Hotel sheets are "normally" washed before I arrive, but the albergues have a variety of mattress covers and rarely washed. I prefer the ones encased in plastic, but still prefer them covered with my sheet for comfort.
 
No, I have not been bitten. I just prefer lounging on my own sheet when resting or sitting on my bunk after I arrive.
I have seen the black light hotel gross out stories on the news. Hotel sheets are "normally" washed before I arrive, but the albergues have a variety of mattress covers and rarely washed. I prefer the ones encased in plastic, but still prefer them covered with my sheet for comfort.
In my experience, you have a better chance of being bitten at a five star hotel in New York City, than an albergue on the Camino. Though, the introduction of the critters is basically the same. International travelers put their suitcases on the bed to sort through their things...thus bed bugs. Here in the US, especially in the South, if you haven't used your suitcase, or your pack, for awhile the likely hitchhiker is the Stink Bug. In any (suit)case, don't put your stuff on the bed/bunk. Now, where did I put my pillow?
 
I use an oversized silk sheet...the normal ones are too small for me to comfortably toss and turn in at night. In warmer weather, at private facilities, I use it to cover their bed. We take off the bed spreads and blankets ( if on the bed) and I crawl into it with with the aircon on. If no aircon, I just lay on top of it. I actually carry a couple of emergency paper pillow cases, in case , we get to a place (which rarely happens) where there might be a question of used pillow cases not having been changed. Do not want to insult the staff...
 
Technical backpack for day trips with backpack cover and internal compartment for the hydration bladder. Ideal daypack for excursions where we need a medium capacity backpack. The back with Air Flow System creates large air channels that will keep our back as cool as possible.

€83,-
My question to you is: "Have you ever been bit by a bed bug on Camino?"
Yes, several times.
In my experience, you have a better chance of being bitten at a five star hotel in New York City, than an albergue on the Camino.
Does this mean that you have been bitten at a five star hotel in New York City?
 
A regular sheet is pretty heavy - if you sew, or know someone who does you can buy lightweight silk and easily make a fitted sheet. I make silk sleep sacks that have straps to keep them attached to the bed. You may not even need a complete fitted sheet, but simply a way to keep a piece of silk attached to the mattress.
I’d like to make my own. Do you buy the fabric in a local shop or do you find it online? I’m not sure if I’d select the right fabric.
 
I’d like to make my own. Do you buy the fabric in a local shop or do you find it online? I’m not sure if I’d select the right fabric.
I use this 8mm silk habotai fabric from Dharma Trading. I buy the white silk and dye it.
Here's what one of my sleep sacks looks like.


20200718_134013_copy_1612x1209.jpg
 
Technical backpack for day trips with backpack cover and internal compartment for the hydration bladder. Ideal daypack for excursions where we need a medium capacity backpack. The back with Air Flow System creates large air channels that will keep our back as cool as possible.

€83,-
@SusanH Instead of a fleece blanket I would recommend a lightweight down blanket. Costco usually carries them in the fall.
Something like this one that weighs less than half a kilo.
 
I have washed and dried my silk sheet on the Camino. I don't think it shrank much if it all. One advantage of the silk sheet I have, is that it has a built-in pillow pocket. You can use the pillow in the albergue (well we used to be able to) without worrying about it.
 
I use this 8mm silk habotai fabric from Dharma Trading. I buy the white silk and dye it.
Here's what one of my sleep sacks looks like.


View attachment 98988
It’s beautiful! Thanks for the resource. I’m going to order some today. I’m at Joann’s Fabrics and they don’t carry silk.
 
The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
It’s beautiful! Thanks for the resource. I’m going to order some today. I’m at Joann’s Fabrics and they don’t carry silk.
No, Joann Fabrics doesn't carry silk, and if they did, it would be heavier than the 8mm habotai. You may be shocked at how sheer it is - like tracing paper, but it is very strong. One of the reasons that I dye the fabric - other than it being pretty, is that it creates a sort of camouflage design.
 
No, Joann Fabrics doesn't carry silk, and if they did, it would be heavier than the 8mm habotai. You may be shocked at how sheer it is - like tracing paper, but it is very strong. One of the reasons that I dye the fabric - other than it being pretty, is that it creates a sort of camouflage design.
Do you tie it somehow to the bed frame or sew elastic on the corners?
 
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
Yes, several times.

Does this mean that you have been bitten at a five star hotel in New York City?
Nope, that means I've done my due diligence, when near NYC I stay at Mautock
Yes, several times.

Does this mean that you have been bitten at a five star hotel in New York City?
no, I do my due diligence when near NYC, I stay in Montauk. No bed bugs, just a few mosquitos.
 
Nope, that means I've done my due diligence, when near NYC I stay at Mautock

no, I do my due diligence when near NYC, I stay in Montauk. No bed bugs, just a few mosquitos.
While it is true that one can encounter bed bugs anywhere, at any class of accommodation, I have encountered more bed bugs on the camino than anywhere else I have ever been, including many hotels in NYC.
I too do my due diligence...research, but that is only as good as the reviews posted. BTW Montauk has also had its share of BBs.
 
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I do a "bed bug check" at every hotel I stay at. There is online info on what to look for...it goes beyond checking the mattress.
I have yet to find any in a hotel. I have "seen" a few on the Camino, but not until the next morning and not in my bunk. I also keep my possessions enclosed overnight in a plastic compactor trash bag sealed tight like a drum.
 
Down bag (90/10 duvet) of 700 fills with 180 g (6.34 ounces) of filling. Mummy-shaped structure, ideal when you are looking for lightness with great heating performance.

€149,-
I
I do a "bed bug check" at every hotel I stay at. There is online info on what to look for...it goes beyond checking the mattress.
I have yet to find any in a hotel. I have "seen" a few on the Camino, but not until the next morning and not in my bunk. I also keep my possessions enclosed overnight in a plastic compactor trash bag sealed tight like a drum.
Like you, I always check the bed and mattress. Unfortunately, I seem to attract them. They sometimes come from very tiny wall cracks or corners. At least now after the first bite I wake up and am not looking for a mosquito 😀 They are usually high up a wall or on the ceiling by then!
 
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I bring a fitted twin size bed sheet on all my caminos when staying in albergues. I purchase a super cheap (junky) $6 set at a Dollar Store and the flimsy polyester sheet weighs almost nothing and folds up extremely small. I also bring the pillowcase.
Did the twin fit all or most beds?
 
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My question to you is: "Have you ever been bit by a bed bug on Camino?" I have not. Though, as a mental comfort, I can see the reality of it. I personally bring my own pillow to hotels, on occasion. The occasion is when I know the hotel isn't the best but the only one available. If you really want a wake up call...shine a black light on the bed and furniture in your room. Now, that can really gross you out.
My question to you is: "Have you ever been bit by a bed bug on Camino?" I have not. Though, as a mental comfort, I can see the reality of it. I personally bring my own pillow to hotels, on occasion. The occasion is when I know the hotel isn't the best but the only one available. If you really want a wake up call...shine a black light on the bed and furniture in your room. Now, that can really gross you out.
Yes to being bitten and not fun. The five or so huge bites lining up in a row itched like crazy for a week. Not a happy Pilgrim
 
No, I do not. I use my lightweight sleeping bag on top. I bring the sheet to protect against any possible "human cooties"🙂 on the albergue beds and also hopeful that the permethrin possibly deters bedbugs...it just feels better laying 100% on my own fabrics. I slip the sheet on first thing when I arrive.
You do realise permethrin doesn't actually deter bedbugs? It does kill them though.
 
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You do realise permethrin doesn't actually deter bedbugs? It does kill them though.
Yes, I have learned that it takes a few days to kill them and @trecile's excellent video (posted yesterday on the "Bedbug protector" thread) shows that to be true. I will still continue using it...if I get to walk a camino again.😐
 
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I have a down sleeping bag that I cut the zipper and hood off. This makes a nice featherweight blanket with a foot box to keep it in place.
 
Down bag (90/10 duvet) of 700 fills with 180 g (6.34 ounces) of filling. Mummy-shaped structure, ideal when you are looking for lightness with great heating performance.

€149,-
I have a rather specific question...
As a very restless sleeper, I know for a fact that I can’t use a sleeping bag or a zippered sleeping sack. I’m wondering if anyone has ever used a fitted sheet and a light weight fleece blanket?
When I walked in 2014, I used a cotton sleeping sack that I cut open and a light fleece blanket. I always work up twisted in the cut open sleeping sack and it drove me nuts! Honestly - I’d just like to carry a fitted sheet with me.
Any advice? Also, is a single bed in Spain the same size as in Canada?

thanks!
The thing about bed bugs (as I see it...) In 2014, I walked with people who used sleeping bags. 1 out of us 5 got several bed bug bites. Honestly- whether you use a sleeping bag, or a sheet, or a blanket, they will find you!!!
 
The thing about bed bugs (as I see it...) In 2014, I walked with people who used sleeping bags. 1 out of us 5 got several bed bug bites. Honestly- whether you use a sleeping bag, or a sheet, or a blanket, they will find you!!!
Yes, and it seems they like some people more than others.😳
 
You can also use Permethrin to treat your backpack. This is a good idea as it stops them hitchhiking from one albergue to another (or to your cosy little home for that matter). In spite of their name, bedbugs do not live exclusively in beds. They also like to hang out in the cracks between floorboards and any other nooks and crevices in buildings. This is why you should keep your backpack off the floor by hanging it off the bunk frame. We carry S hooks for this purpose. Move your bunk away from the wall too so the bedding doesn't touch it. Pack your bedding in a dry sack when you travel to isolate it. If you suspect you have been infested, wash and tumble dry everything in the hottest heat it will stand. Heat kills them quite effectively and above 60 Celsius quite quickly. And yes, they do seem to fancy some people more than others but that is probably a case of some people having a stronger reaction than others - unfair, but that's the way it is.
 
Down bag (90/10 duvet) of 700 fills with 180 g (6.34 ounces) of filling. Mummy-shaped structure, ideal when you are looking for lightness with great heating performance.

€149,-
Sew two lengths of elastic (from a haberdasher's) across the sheet to hook under the mattress and hold it in place. If you can attach to the underside somehow rather than the seam it won't stretch over your body, just hold it in place on the mattress. Hopefully this picture shows what I mean. The elastic is blue.sheet elastic.png
 
I

Like you, I always check the bed and mattress. Unfortunately, I seem to attract them. They sometimes come from very tiny wall cracks or corners. At least now after the first bite I wake up and am not looking for a mosquito 😀 They are usually high up a wall or on the ceiling by then!
So do I, I've been bitten twice - and both times none of my companions was bitten, Despite one of them actually seeing them on the wall. If she had said something at the time I think I would have slept in the hallway or something. Both times I wasn't using my (permethrin sprayed) sleeping bag - I was just too hot.
 
You can also use Permethrin to treat your backpack. This is a good idea as it stops them hitchhiking from one albergue to another (or to your cosy little home for that matter)
I treat my sleep gear, my backpack, and all of my cloth stuff sacks with permethrin. Bed bugs may get in, but they aren't coming out alive!
If you suspect you have been infested, wash and tumble dry everything in the hottest heat it will stand. Heat kills them quite effectively and above 60 Celsius quite quickly.
Don't worry about washing in hot water - it's free heat from the hot dryer that does the trick. About a half hour on high heat.
Some fabrics should not be put in a hot dryer when they are wet. Put them in the dryer for half an hour before washing them as usual.
 
A selection of Camino Jewellery
SusanH wow finally someone has the same problem. Yes, I have been bringing my own fitted sheet which I sprayed with permethrin, and use my thin sleeping bag which I unzip and use as a blanket and have a great sleep. I cannot sleep in a sleeping bag.
That’s another problem! We cant find permethrin here.. if the border was open we could make a Maynards run lol. Maybe Amazon?
 
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
We cant find permethrin here..
You can buy it in Canada, at least at low concentrations. Just go to the pest-control section of Canadian Tire or elsewhere, and read the labels. It is not advertised as effective against bedbugs, possibly because there are no studies to support that specific claim.
 
I have them!!! But, they are so slippery!
Not being crafty in any way shape or form I managed to sew a couple of snap fasteners to my down sleep throw and liner - worked a treat - And yes been bitten by bedbugs in private rooms and Albergues on camino, saw them daily as hospitalera, and assisted many pilgrims suffering from the aftermath. I treat my belongings before travel but found my arms were susceptible when outside my sheets - conversely my husband has been beside me in the same place but isn’t as tasty it seems. But then I am more prone to mosquito bites and the like back home in Oz too.
 
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I bring a fitted twin size bed sheet on all my caminos when staying in albergues. I purchase a super cheap (junky) $6 set at a Dollar Store and the flimsy polyester sheet weighs almost nothing and folds up extremely small. I also bring the pillowcase.
 
I have a rather specific question...
As a very restless sleeper, I know for a fact that I can’t use a sleeping bag or a zippered sleeping sack. I’m wondering if anyone has ever used a fitted sheet and a light weight fleece blanket?
When I walked in 2014, I used a cotton sleeping sack that I cut open and a light fleece blanket. I always work up twisted in the cut open sleeping sack and it drove me nuts! Honestly - I’d just like to carry a fitted sheet with me.
Any advice? Also, is a single bed in Spain the same size as in Canada?

thanks!
So glad to know that I am not alone! I can't sleep in a sleeping bag either as I have drenching night sweats and need to be able to throw off all my blankets quickly, which is just not possible when sleeping in a cocoon. For my next camino I have purchased a sleeping quilt, essentially a very lightweight rectangular quilt, and as they have a tendency to slide off onto to the floor if you wrestle around in your sleep, (not too convenient when on the top bunk ) I was going to secure it along one side to the paper sheet with two safety pins. Not elegant but very workable for me. I am going on the assumption that paper sheets are still the norm as they were on the Camino Portuguese in 2017.
 
The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
You can buy it in Canada, at least at low concentrations. Just go to the pest-control section of Canadian Tire or elsewhere, and read the labels. It is not advertised as effective against bedbugs, possibly because there are no studies to support that specific claim.
In Australia I bought it from a camping shop, but it wasn't labelled or described as Permethrin. I found out what it was when I got home. If you ask for something to treat clothes against mosquitoes you will probably be sold Permethrin - might be worth a try.
 
I treat my sleep gear, my backpack, and all of my cloth stuff sacks with permethrin. Bed bugs may get in, but they aren't coming out alive!

Don't worry about washing in hot water - it's free heat from the hot dryer that does the trick. About a half hour on high heat.
Some fabrics should not be put in a hot dryer when they are wet. Put them in the dryer for half an hour before washing them as usual.
Washing might shift the eggs - I say 'might' as they are very sticky. If you are in Spain in summer, you can also shove your pack and contents into a black plastic bag and leave it in the sun for a few hours. We worked as hospis and made incoming pilgrims do that. It seemed to work.
 
I use the Cosco down blanket; I sewed a "footbox" into it. Helps keep it in place through the night.
Instead of a fitted sheet, I use a much smaller sheet with string ties attached at each of 4 corners. I tie these to the bedposts to keep the sheet in place. Works well for me and saves a lot of weight vs a fitted sheet.
 
Ideal sleeping bag liner whether we want to add a thermal plus to our bag, or if we want to use it alone to sleep in shelters or hostels. Thanks to its mummy shape, it adapts perfectly to our body.

€46,-
I ordered it on Amazon only to have the order cancelled as it was enroute?? Now where to find it ? 🤔
Try a camping/outdoors store. They won't necessarily stock it as Permethrin, but they will quite likely sell some kind of anti-mosquito treatment for clothing. If you ask for that, and they have it, it will probably turn out to be Permethrin.
 
I ordered it on Amazon only to have the order cancelled as it was enroute?? Now where to find it ? 🤔
Pet stores? They may sell it as flea treatment for animal bedding. Just check the small print for the active ingredients.
 
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.

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