Do I Really Need a sleeping bag on the Camino?

[santhi]

Hey Guys! I am reading Brierley's book and he mentions that it is essential to bring along a sleeping bag. I am wondering if it is really necessary to bring along a sleeping bag. If i am going to be staying in hostels all the way, why the need for one? Brierley mentions that our baggage should not exceed 10% of our body weight. I am a very petite female walking the entire 800 km and my body weight is 124 lbs. I am short and the last thing I want is to add unnecessary weight or bulk to my pilgrimmage. If i really need to bring along a sleeping bag, what brand is the lightest?

 

[MinaKamina]

Welcome to the forum.

The section 'sleeping bag' will most likely answer all your relevant questions.

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/search-forums/sleeping-bag.247/

 

[Anhalter]

If with hostels you mean "hostales", like cheap-ish private rooms, then you will most likely not need a sleeping bag.
If you mean youth-hostel like establishments, called albergues, then you might need one. Many do provide blankets of various cleanliness and some nights are warm enough that a silk liner is sufficient by itself. However i would personally always carry a light sleeping bag. There should be budget options around 1lbs, and even lighter ones at around half the weight (for a lot of money unfortunately).

For your concerns regarding backpack weight, you can have a look at the link in my signature where i discussed my 8lbs packing list. You might not want to go as far as to adapt everything, but to get down to 10-11lbs is rather easy...

 

[rainswift]

Hey Guys! I am reading Brierley's book and he mentions that it is essential to bring along a sleeping bag. I am wondering if it is really necessary to bring along a sleeping bag. If i am going to be staying in hostels all the way, why the need for one? Brierley mentions that our baggage should not exceed 10% of our body weight. I am a very petite female walking the entire 800 km and my body weight is 124 lbs. I am short and the last thing I want is to add unnecessary weight or bulk to my pilgrimmage. If i really need to bring along a sleeping bag, what brand is the lightest?

If you have the funds, you might consider an ultralight quilt (Enlightened Equipment) and a silk sleeping bag liner (Western Mountaineering). This is the combination I'm taking on my first Camino. It lets you keep cool and clean when it's hot, and be warm and cozy when it's cold.

If you do not want to buy the very lightest (but expensive) quilts, you can get a serviceable down quilt or packable blanket on Amazon quite easily - just make sure to check the weight before you purchase.

If you don't have a Western Mountaineering-carrying outfitter near you, Sea to Summit has a number of liners of varying weights that may suit you also.

Sea to Summit also makes the Flame (women's) and Spark (men's) ultralight down sleeping bags - get the LINER weight which is rated for 55F degrees. I don't prefer this but taking a sleeping bag rather than a quilt is pretty common it seems. I just don't see why I would carry the weight of the bottom part of the bag when I'm indoors on a mattress.

I have opted against down although it is lighter than synthetic for the same warmth, because if down needs washing and drying you have to take special care of it and I can't guarantee that on the Camino.

I am a woman, 155cm (5'1") and 70kg (150lbs) and have my base weight for my pack down to under 10lbs. (That is, not carrying water or food, the pack weighs 10lbs).

 

[David Tallan]

Buen Camino!

To answer your questions:

Whether you need a sleeping bag depends on a number of things. One is, what season you are walking. Another is how hot you sleep. A third is whether you are okay using albergue blankets, if present, or just bundling up in your clothes while you sleep if it gets chilly and blankets are not present. In general, most albergues only provide a fitted sheet and pillowcase (often these are disposable, made of paper). Some albergues provide blankets, but some pilgrims don't like to use them because they aren't confident in how often they are washed. Most pilgrims using albergues will bring a sleeping bag liner (like a sleeping bag but much lighter, made of silk or cotton usually) and/or a sleeping bag. For my 2016 and 2018 Caminos I just brought a liner, no sleeping bag. But they were in the hotter months of the year, I was okay using albergue blankets and bundling up in my clothes if I needed to and blankets weren't available (which I think happened once). For my 2023 Camino I took a compromise, which was like a sleeping bag liner with a quilt swen into one side. I could put that side above or below me depending on the temperature.

In terms of Brierley's "10% rule", that is really more of a guideline and should be approached with a fair amount of common sense. Gaining ten pounds won't make it easier to carry another pound on your back. The general rule is "don't carry more than you need to" and when you decide what is needed remember their are shops in Spain. Try not to carry things "just in case". If you find you need something, you can always buy it there. And if you find you don't, you won't have been carrying it all over Spain. This should also be approached with some common sense. I tend to always bring a few tabs of Imodium with me, because if I need them I generally need them right away, not when I get to the next village with a pharmacy. So I'll carry enoiugh to get me to that pharmacy.

 

[J Willhaus]

Albergues do not have sheets or towels. You would be sleeping on a plastic mattress in a bunk bed in a room with other pilgrims. You will need at least a silk liner bag. In the summer, I have used a silk liner bag and my rain poncho as a blanket on cold nights. If you are staying only in private rooms sheets are provided. (Hostal in Spain means a hotel with few ammenities.). In the winter and shoulder seasons it can be cold and I do recommended at least a 3 season sleeping bag for albergues. Mine weighs about 1 lb. or less than 500 gms.

Some albergues, but not all, have blankets, but keep in mind they are seldom washed. I am a hospitalera and have never washed an albergue blanket.

 

[santhi]

If with hostels you mean "hostales", like cheap-ish private rooms, then you will most likely not need a sleeping bag.
If you mean youth-hostel like establishments, called albergues, then you might need one. Many do provide blankets of various cleanliness and some nights are warm enough that a silk liner is sufficient by itself. However i would personally always carry a light sleeping bag. There should be budget options around 1lbs, and even lighter ones at around half the weight (for a lot of money unfortunately).

For your concerns regarding backpack weight, you can have a look at the link in my signature where i discussed my 8lbs packing list. You might not want to go as far as to adapt everything, but to get down to 10-11lbs is rather easy...

Thank you so much for the packing list. It is extremely useful

 

[rainswift]

Thank you so much for the packing list. It is extremely useful

You may find using Lighterpack.com helpful to track weights and visualize all the things you are carrying. I like it because it's more visually clean than a spreadsheet, but it's also not as customizable as a spreadsheet of your own.

Here is my own lighterpack pack list which weighs under 10lbs without water, 13 lbs with 1.5L of water. I have some luxury items on there for sure, so weight could be cut down even further without things like a swimsuit, or my very heavy journal.

Side note: I do not carry menstrual products because I do not have a period due to having an IUD, so if you are a period-having-person, you will have to add the weight of whatever you normally use for menstrual products.

 

[Purple Backpack]

You may find using Lighterpack.com helpful to track weights and visualize all the things you are carrying. I like it because it's more visually clean than a spreadsheet, but it's also not as customizable as a spreadsheet of your own.

Here is my own lighterpack pack list which weighs under 10lbs without water, 13 lbs with 1.5L of water. I have some luxury items on there for sure, so weight could be cut down even further without things like a swimsuit, or my very heavy journal.

Side note: I do not carry menstrual products because I do not have a period due to having an IUD, so if you are a period-having-person, you will have to add the weight of whatever you normally use for menstrual products.

This is your first Camino? It may be one of the best ultralight lists I’ve ever seen. Congrats!

 

[rainswift]

This is your first Camino? It may be one of the best ultralight lists I’ve ever seen. Congrats!

Thanks! I worked really hard on trimming the unnecessary so I could bring some luxuries. :3 I really appreciate you looking at it. Edit: and yes, it's my first Camino!

 

[Purple Backpack]

You may find using Lighterpack.com helpful to track weights and visualize all the things you are carrying. I like it because it's more visually clean than a spreadsheet, but it's also not as customizable as a spreadsheet of your own.

Here is my own lighterpack pack list which weighs under 10lbs without water, 13 lbs with 1.5L of water. I have some luxury items on there for sure, so weight could be cut down even further without things like a swimsuit, or my very heavy journal.

Side note: I do not carry menstrual products because I do not have a period due to having an IUD, so if you are a period-having-person, you will have to add the weight of whatever you normally use for menstrual products.

Enjoyed looking at your Lighterpack, one tiny suggestion. After many long distance hikes, one of my favorite pieces of gear is the MontBel Travel umbrella. 3 ounces, holds up in light winds, rainstorms and is heavy on sunny days. Buen Camino!

 

[CatPhillips]

I always do Caminos in spring and fall, never summer, so I always bring my sleeping bag. Here's the one I bring: https://seatosummit.com/products/traveller-down-sleeping-bag

Looks like its on sale right now, but it's still not cheap. Says it's 14 oz. It opens flat or you can cinch the foot bed only.

 

[rainswift]

Enjoyed looking at your Lighterpack, one tiny suggestion. After many long distance hikes, one of my favorite pieces of gear is the MontBel Travel umbrella. 3 ounces, holds up in light winds, rainstorms and is heavy on sunny days. Buen Camino!

Ooooh. I shall look into this. Many thanks!

 

[Anniesantiago]

Yes, you need a sleeping bag imo

 

[SabsP]

Hard to answer the OP's question about the need for a sleeping bag until they clarify whether they in fact mean private hostal rooms (as they seem to have indicated) or shared albergue rooms (as most, for some reason, have seemed to assume). Instead, advice has been given on menstrual products, umbrellas, and IUDs. Am I the only one who finds this odd?

It is not odd IMO . It is the meandering spirit of this forum.
I see this happening regularly here. As long as we stay civil and constructive I think we will do fine.

 

[rainswift]

Hard to answer the OP's question about the need for a sleeping bag until they clarify whether they in fact mean private hostal rooms (as they seem to have indicated) or shared albergue rooms (as most, for some reason, have seemed to assume). Instead, advice has been given on menstrual products, umbrellas, and IUDs. Am I the only one who finds this odd?

This comment was so helpful, useful, and constructive!

 

[Ian1963]

Hi, I have walked the camino many times, I personally find sleeping bags restrictive and gave up on them… I discovered the ultralight quilt…a fantastic bit of kit, light, small and compressable… you can wrap yourself up in one, very comfortable….buen camino