Do I need a Sleeping Bag?

[MnBCamino]

Hi,
This is my first post. Thankyou for the fantastic information and views on this forum. I know there have been hundreds of posts regarding sleeping bags, but I have one simple question that I can't seem to find an answer to.

Myself and partner are walking SJPP to SDC starting 11th May, hoping to take about 5 weeks. For reasons that I won't go into here, we would prefer not to stay in the refugios, preferring hotels, B&B's etc. The added expense is not a problem as we have been saving for this trip for a long time.

This raises the prospect of reducing wieght by a couple of Kgs by leaving the sleeping bag at home. Is this feasible? That is, can we be sure enough that we will always find a hotel? Even if it means getting a taxi back and forth from smaller towns.

A second question: if we decide not to take a sleeping bag, and cannot find alternative accomodation, do the refugios carry spare blankets etc.

I look forward to your responses and opinions.

MnB Camino

 

[dougfitz]

Much depends on when you plan to walk, and how much you are prepared to risk being cold.

I walked the Camino Frances in late Mar, and arrived in Santiago in early May, and carried a +5dec C bag and 'silk' liner. All up in a stuff sack, about 1.1 kg. I would not have been comfortable in several place at that time of year without it. In contrast, I knew of people who were walking with a thick liner, and at least one of them suffered badly on at least a couple of occasions when either there weren't blankets, or weren't enough.

If your sleeping bag weighs a couple of kgs, its probably too heavy for the circumstances. My other bag is 1.8kg in a sack, and it is rated to -5 dec C. In cold countries, it would count as a three season bag, here in Australia it covers four seasons where I live. At the time that I walked, there was never anywhere you would have had to sleep in the open, and need a warmer bag than around +5 deg C.

I saw blankets in most albergues, but I cannot recall whether all of them did.

As a minimum, you should carry a liner, even if it is only a lightweight one. Only once I got further into Galicia did some of the albergues provide disposable sheets, and there were only a couple that did that.

Regards,

 

[grayland]

I would not carry a sleeping bag if I planned to stay in hostals/hotels, etc. They all provide bedding. I would advise a silk sleeping sack in the event you ended up in an albergue. The odds are that there well be blankets and you can sleep in your clothes you will be wearing the next day. This is not uncommon.

You may want to consider the "soft Tyvek" described in this thread: equipment-questions/topic12718.html
I just ordered and received a sheet of this and will be taking it with me on the Le Puy route instead of a sleep bag. The gites along the Le Puy route in France supply more bedding than the Spanish albergues and a sleep sack is all I really need...but I will take the soft Tyvek just in case..much like you are concerned about. Weight is about 7 oz.

 

[camino-david]

You will not need a sleeping bag when walking from mid-May into June, and staying at Pensions or Hotels. The only municipal aubergue that I know of that does not have blankets is at O Cebreiro, where they have central heating. But they certainly would not have heating in May and June. David

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Don't forget that the albergues require a sleeping bag/sack. They don't search backpacks when you check in, so you might be able to slip by. However, I am pretty sure you do not want to sleep on the mattress that has been used by thousands of previous (sweaty) pilgrims with just an albergue blanket! The rule is more for the pilgrim than management, who will not be sleeping on the damp/dirty/buggy/filthy mattress. Linens are included in the room price in hotels. I use my permethrin-treated sleep sack in hotels, too, because pilgrims bring as many bed bugs to hotels as they do albergues (almost). I have never had a bed bug bite, my brother's only bites were at a hotel.

 

[Tia Valeria]

Mid May Camino:- We carried our 800gm sleeping bags (comfort level 0C - 5C) and no liners last year for when we did use the albergues. When we were in B&B, hostals etc there were always enough blankets. Our liners weigh about 350-400gm so we felt that the bags were better. You can always leave them unzipped if it is warm, but being cold is miserable.
Buen Camino

 

[Abbeydore]

Mid May Camino:- ........ but being cold is miserable.
Buen Camino

Agree, always take a bag

 

[anniethenurse]

me too I would bring my sleeping bag (450 g = 1 pound) for the hygienic reasons. My sleeping bag is also treated with permethrin (so are my backpack, boots and sarong). I usually bring a bed bug sheet, too by LifeSystems (100g).

 

[renegadepilgrim]

Reading the original question, I would say no, you don't need to bring a sleeping bag if you are planning to stay only in hostals/pensions/etc. If you think there might be a chance of staying in an albergue, then maybe bring a lightweight sleeping bag liner and hope for spare blankets to stay warm.

 

[micbook]

If you're sure you only want to stay in hotels, I don't think sleeping bags are necessary. You do want to keep in mind, however, that this may affect your flexibility in terms of which towns/villages you choose to stay. The Camino Frances is so accommodating by now that most towns will have a nicer-than-hostel place to stay, but not every town. Walking the Camino Frances last year, I chose to stay at a hotel on average once a week. During those nights, I didn't use my sleeping bag. At the same time, I met multiple pilgrims who didn't bring a sleeping bag at all and stayed in hostels, so they got along just fine with blankets from the pilgrims hostel. If that's the case, you might at least want to bring a flat sheet with you. Temperature didn't seem to be much of an issue from what I could tell as you could ask for more than one blanket, if needed.

Buen Camino!
Michal
--
http://michalrinkevich.wordpress.com/tag/camino-de-santiago/

 

[MnBCamino]

Thank You all for your comments and advice. I think on the wieght of evidence we will dispense with the sleeping bags and just take a silk liner. We are prepared on the odd occasion we get stuck to either stay in a pilgrim hostel or taxi to the nearest town with a hotel and back again in the morning.

MnBCamino

 

[Denzil66]

Thank You all for your comments and advice. I think on the wieght of evidence we will dispense with the sleeping bags and just take a silk liner. We are prepared on the odd occasion we get stuck to either stay in a pilgrim hostel or taxi to the nearest town with a hotel and back again in the morning.

MnBCamino

makes sense and that is my plan too. did this work out for you. and did you take these anti bed bug liners that are being recommended.

 

[Kanga]

Travelling in Spain is like travelling in any other first world country. If you stay in hotels and pensions all the time then your bedding is provided and you don't need sleeping bags.

 

[Kanga]

The OP will not be staying in albergues.