Lame question regarding ground mats and the rain

[Deleted member 87865]

Salutations All!

This question is really dumb.

I've just bought my first roll matt for sleeping on overflow flooring in an albergue or church. I don't have a poncho, I'm relying on my raincoat and pack cover, and I'm wondering how to keep the ground matt dry in the event of rain.

Do people use some sort of dry bag for the roll matt, or does it come down to having a poncho to cover all?

Best wishes,

P.

 

[Purky]

What about a heavy duty garbage bag? Get one as a liner for your pack (in case the pack cover doesn't hold up) and one extra for your roll matt if you attach it outside your pack.

 

[Geodoc]

Perhaps a piece of tyvek as a groundcloth or bivvy sack?

 

[Deleted member 87865]

What about a heavy duty garbage bag? Get one as a liner for your pack (in case the pack cover doesn't hold up) and one extra for your roll matt if you attach it outside your pack.

Thanks Purky. I like it. Simple, effective, but then again plastic can be so noisy in an albergue. I'll experiment with the bin bags we have at home (they have drawstrings, so that'll help).

P.

 

[trecile]

The chances of you needing a sleeping mat are very slim. They are the most discarded item on the Camino

 

[Albertagirl]

The chances of you needing a sleeping mat are very slim. They are the most discarded item on the Camino

Trecile is certainly right about this, but it also depends on what camino you are walking, and when. I shall take my chances this fall on the Madrid, and I did not carry one on the VdlP. Both are less busy routes, with some albergues possibly closed, but I did not think one necessary. However, if your mat is very light and you are walking a less travelled route, this may be one way that you can ensure a night's sleep wherever you are. Every pilgrim balances possible/probable needs against additional weight. But don't let yourself go too far on this road or you may end up with an overwhelming load of things that you never need.

 

[JillGat]

It's not at all common to end up having to sleep on the floor at an albergue or church. Spanish people are exceptionally helpful to pilgrims. If you really do end up stranded, you can ask the albergue to call a taxi for you to take you to a nearby town that has a hostel. I would say don't bother with the weight of a sleeping mat.

 

[Kiwi-family]

I wouldn’t worry about a cover - then you’ll have one less thing to get rid of when you ditch your mat;-)
BTW, I can recommend a fantastic place to leave it....free accomodation in the village hall (where there is the sweetest water from a fountain in the middle of the village)....but no beds or mattresses or anything, so leaving a mat there would be most welcome. It’s Valdeperdices, a day out of Zamora, heading westwards towards Portugal.

 

[Davey Boyd]

I sleep outside a lot on camino's. And usually in a field or church porch with just a roll mat and sleeping bag.

Never needed a cover for it at all. Just roll it out wet bit down. They dry really quickly as you walk anyway being waterproof.

And thank you all those that dump your roll mats along the way in albergues. I haven't bought a new one in years, and I can 'upgrade' as I go along.

Can someone leave a Trangia cooker for me please? I cannot afford one.

Or a hair dryer?

Davey

 

[Deleted member 397]

The chances of you needing a sleeping mat are very slim. They are the most discarded item on the Camino

That's exactly what I was going to say....and they are bulky and not very effective...and not needed

 

[Davey Boyd]

That's exactly what I was going to say....and they are bulky and not very effective...and not needed

Funny then how I use mine all the time. And I meet many on every camino who use them too. Not bulky, very effective. There is no bed rush with a rollmat

Glad we are all different.
Best wishes
Davey

 

[Deleted member 397]

Funny then how I use mine all the time. And I meet many on every camino who use them too. Not bulky, very effective. There is no bed rush with a rollmat

Glad we are all different.
Best wishes
Davey

Those thin foam mats provide no support..I had one of the expensive self inflating mats but never used it so sold it on ebay..and some alberques wont allow sleeping on the floor due to local and fire regulations

 

[Deleted member 67185]

I sleep outside a lot on camino's. And usually in a field or church porch with just a roll mat and sleeping bag.

Never needed a cover for it at all. Just roll it out wet bit down. They dry really quickly as you walk anyway being waterproof.

And thank you all those that dump your roll mats along the way in albergues. I haven't bought a new one in years, and I can 'upgrade' as I go along.

Can someone leave a Trangia cooker for me please? I cannot afford one.

Or a hair dryer?

Davey

A tuna can stove would work well, too, and be the right price

 

[Jeff Crawley]

A tuna can stove would work well, too, and be the right price

Agh! just when I thought my alcohol stove addiction was in the past! You can buy the alcohol in most Spanish supermarkets - look in the cleaning products section.
I took a "Pepsi Can" stove on my first Camino and could often be seen "brewing up" by the side of the road.
Any inquisitive looks were met by me saying "Ingles" - it spoke volumes!
Funnily enough I picked up a "donated" Trangia at Rabanal in 2002 - still have it, never used it.

 

[Jeff Crawley]

Salutations All!

This question is really dumb.

I've just bought my first roll matt for sleeping on overflow flooring in an albergue or church. I don't have a poncho, I'm relying on my raincoat and pack cover, and I'm wondering how to keep the ground matt dry in the event of rain.

Do people use some sort of dry bag for the roll matt, or does it come down to having a poncho to cover all?

Best wishes,

P.

If you feel you have to take a kip-mat you could always carry it inside your pack. Roll it up and put it in vertically and then let it unroll to form a lining. Difficult if your pack isn't long enough. That. along with your pack cover might go some way to assuaging your worries about keeping things dry. If you never need it then it's tucked out of the way but available.
I took one on Camino No2. It got as far as Puenta de la Reina. As others have said these mats are readily available at a variety of refugios across the main Caminos (you didn't say which you are doing - this is not likely to apply to the VdlP).
Don't forget a pack cover will on give partial protection - any rain that falls between your back and the pack is most likely to soak in.
Have a dry and restful Camino!

 

[hecate105]

If someone left a kelly kettle it would be good for you Davey! They are bulky but work as a water carrier too and then you can stop, boil up the water for tea (or if you have a handpresso - an espresso as well!) then cook up an omelette or something and on you go.... And before there's a chorus of 'there's cafes doing food cheap everywhere in spain' - on many routes there is not! and some of us do not have the dosh to eat out several times a day, every day - or take taxis to another town/village.... You sleeps where you ends up!!!!

 

[Camino Chrissy]

Perhaps a piece of tyvek as a groundcloth or bivvy sack?

I use tyvek as a sit pad when eating lunch. Simple, strong and weighs nothing.

 

[Jeff Crawley]

I sleep outside a lot on camino's. And usually in a field or church porch with just a roll mat and sleeping bag.

Never needed a cover for it at all. Just roll it out wet bit down. They dry really quickly as you walk anyway being waterproof.

And thank you all those that dump your roll mats along the way in albergues. I haven't bought a new one in years, and I can 'upgrade' as I go along.

Can someone leave a Trangia cooker for me please? I cannot afford one.

Or a hair dryer?

Davey

Just for you . . .

 

[Jeff Crawley]

If someone left a kelly kettle it would be good for you Davey! They are bulky but work as a water carrier too and then you can stop, boil up the water for tea (or if you have a handpresso - an espresso as well!) then cook up an omelette or something and on you go.... And before there's a chorus of 'there's cafes doing food cheap everywhere in spain' - on many routes there is not! and some of us do not have the dosh to eat out several times a day, every day - or take taxis to another town/village.... You sleeps where you ends up!!!!

You forgot the rice cooker . . . .

 

[dougfitz]

Just for you . . .

View attachment 56337

I have a complete set like this, but it is now rarely used. I made the move to a mini-Trangia some time ago. It is used reasonably regularly, but not on the Camino.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

I sleep outside a lot on camino's. And usually in a field or church porch with just a roll mat and sleeping bag.

Never needed a cover for it at all. Just roll it out wet bit down. They dry really quickly as you walk anyway being waterproof.

And thank you all those that dump your roll mats along the way in albergues. I haven't bought a new one in years, and I can 'upgrade' as I go along.

Can someone leave a Trangia cooker for me please? I cannot afford one.

Or a hair dryer?

Davey

Love this, Davey! Touche'!

 

[Camino Chrissy]

Thanks Purky. I like it. Simple, effective, but then again plastic can be so noisy in an albergue. I'll experiment with the bin bags we have at home (they have drawstrings, so that'll help).

P.

I use a white, extremely sturdy household trash compactor bag. A great size for lining the inside of my pack. And it rolls up and keeps bedbugs out of clothing. I spray the outside of my pack with Permathrin.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

You forgot the rice cooker . . . .

Yep, I'll never forget that post...Robo is a saint!

 

[Davey Boyd]

Those thin foam mats provide no support..I had one of the expensive self inflating mats but never used it so sold it on ebay..and some alberques wont allow sleeping on the floor due to local and fire regulations

True on both counts. A bad rollmat is worse than no roll mat. And would never use a self inflating one, just not comfy for me. There are really decent lightweight one about though that are very comfy. They are more for insulation rather than a mattress substitute though.

At the end of the day though, unless you intend to sleep outside don't bother carrying one, you wont need it.

Davey

 

[hecate105]

You forgot the rice cooker . . . .

but I did take a seed-sprouter...

 

[Moorwalker]

You don't need to protect a sleep mat from the rain, they are made from closed cell foam which doesn't absorb water so all you need to do is to shake of any drops or just put it wet side down.

Trangias are far too heavy if you want to carry cooking/coffee making gear, there are much lighter options available. But the cafes and coffee stalls make darned good coffee anyway.

 

[Jeff Crawley]

but I did take a seed-sprouter...

Interesting - every time I've tried I end up with far more produce than I can consume (at home not on foot). Did you find resupply easy?

 

[Pilger99]

I'll usually have a lightweigt aluminium coated mattress which keeps a warm, dry ass on cold/rainy days, keeps away stones and pine-needles, makes a tablecloth or is a cover against the sun.
It's not really meant to sleep on the ground at night, but it's fine for a nap somewhere out on the way.
If you can't get other kind of cushion look for the recycling container in the village and get some pieces of cardboard. It really makes a difference.

Trangias are far too heavy if you want to carry cooking/coffee making gear, there are much lighter options available. But the cafes and coffee stalls make darned good coffee anyway.

Not all people think like that, since a saw the Trangias on the camino first.
But I agree, if the bar is open the coffee is better. The problem is to find a bar open before 9am. In some rural area they open surprisingly early (6am), but in other places they do not open before 11am (no surprise if the tenant is also the only bartender).
If you are a tea addict, you may get away with a plastic cup depending on having a kitchen or a microwave in the albergue. If you miss a "cup", just buy some cup noodles and you have one.

 

[dougfitz]

Trangias are far too heavy if you want to carry cooking/coffee making gear, there are much lighter options available. But the cafes and coffee stalls make darned good coffee anyway.

If you mean a classic Trangia setup, I would agree that they are heavy, but they are also one of the few all season outside stove options, although this might not be an advantage on the camino! On the weight issue, my lightweight Trangia setup is a much the same weight to a similar one-person gas setup I also use when set up with fuel for a five day trek.

If you were going to camp and need to carry a camping stove, I would be careful about the logistics of fuel supply. Denatured alcohol is generally readily available, gas canisters are not.

 

[Jeff Crawley]

If you mean a classic Trangia setup, I would agree that they are heavy, but they are also one of the few all season outside stove options, although this might not be an advantage on the camino! On the weight issue, my lightweight Trangia setup is a much the same weight to a similar one-person gas setup I also use when set up with fuel for a five day trek.

If you were going to camp and need to carry a camping stove, I would be careful about the logistics of fuel supply. Denatured alcohol is generally readily available, gas canisters are not.

Agreed - at 330g the Mini-Trangia is hardly a heavyweight!

 

[Helen1]

Just for you . . .

View attachment 56337

Ah... happy memories. I still have the Trangia I bought for a school camping trip over 30 years ago and it's still going strong. Totally indestrubile. It makes an awesome bacon, eggs and beans in the morning but not really needed on the camino!

As others have said I wouldn't bother with a roll mat unless you fancy sleeping out one night. However, this https://matadorup.com/collections/accessories/products/pocket-blanket-2-0?variant=34861130950 has become an essential bit of my kit and gets used at work to sit in the park during lunchtimes and on hiking trips.

 

[hecate105]

Re seed sprouter - a bag of seeds lasts ages - i just searched for a health food shop in larger towns.... I use a 'mug' sized plastic one with a holey lid - works really well and gives me a mugful of sprouts every three days...!
I always fear scurvy...!!

 

[Evan Lacer]

Trangias are far too heavy if you want to carry cooking/coffee making gear, there are much lighter options available.

 

[Anniesantiago]

Please note this is a very old post.

 

[C clearly]

In fact, this thread was about sleeping mats, and has diverted into seed sprouters, stoves, and even rice cookers. Time to close it!

We don't have a seed sprouter forum, but camping equipment is discussed here.