Traveling Light

[andrewlaue]

We found that by staying in small hotels that we avoided carrying a sleeping bag and a tent and loved traveling very light when we did the Camino Frances in 2002. Now, we are leaving from Le Puy on April 5. Can we assume that we do not need a sleeping bag as long as we are prepared to pay around 50 euro a night for sleeping? A

 

[KiwiNomad06]

The Le Puy route does not always have small hotels en route, though there are many chambre d'hotes (like bed and breakfasts). However, the gites in France have good blankets pretty much everywhere, and are usually very well heated if it is cold. They tend to be smaller, and have smaller 'rooms' in most places, rather than big dormitories as in Spain. The hospitality in many of the private French gites, where you can often get demi-pension with an evening meal, is often outstanding.

The Miam Miam Dodo guide, which you can get at the sacristy in Le Puy where you get your credential, has details of prices for various kinds of pilgrim accommodation along the route. Otherwise, the tourist offices are also very helpful with accommodation bookings, though of course you don't find them in smaller places.
Margaret

 

[BobM]

On the Camino Frances in May/June I took an 800gm summer sleeping bag, but it was often too hot. Now I take only a silk sleeping bag liner, not a sleeping bag, to save weight/space.

Even in spring it can actually get quite hot at night in crowded dorms with doors/windows closed and all those bodies radiating heat aas they metabolise the evening meal.

Bob M

 

[andrewlaue]

So I take this to mean that on the Le Puy route, we will not need a sleeping bag but we should bring some kind of sheet or sleeping sack. Or is it possible that we could do without even that? We are interested in super light. A

 

[KiwiNomad06]

So I take this to mean that on the Le Puy route, we will not need a sleeping bag but we should bring some kind of sheet or sleeping sack. Or is it possible that we could do without even that? We are interested in super light. A

You probably will get by without a sleeping bag.....but sheets won't usually be provided, so you will need some kind of sleeping sheet. You might strike a few places without blankets in the bedrooms...... but I imagine they might 'rescue' you with blankets from somewhere on the premises....
Margaret

 

[gittiharre]

Hi, most of the gites hire out sheets at extra cost, no point, a light silk liner is better I reckon. There is usually a bottom sheet and pillowcase provided and blankets 95 per cent of the time. A silk liner weighs around 150 grams. I averaged 37 Euros per day all in, including accommodation and food. Mainly Gites d'Etapes with demipension and I took a picnic lunch and usually had an aperitif. I stayed in a couple of gites communal and a couple of more expensive lodgings, but 37 Euro was my average. I felt I lived like a king on that. Gitti

 

[gittiharre]

I meant to say, the 2 small hotels on the Le Puy route I stayed at were really bad value for money, grubbyish, awful beds, musty, one had bedbugs, food was terrible and so much more expensive than the gites d' etape, which were amazing by and large, clean, lovey homecooked food, wine, great company, lovely settings with gardens etc, infinitely superior to the hotel experience. Gitti

 

[BobM]

So I take this to mean that on the Le Puy route, we will not need a sleeping bag but we should bring some kind of sheet or sleeping sack. Or is it possible that we could do without even that? We are interested in super light. A

You probably will get by without a sleeping bag.....but sheets won't usually be provided, so you will need some kind of sleeping sheet.Margaret

On the Camino Frances I met one pilgrim who used a kind of sleeping sack I had not seen before. The bottom layer was a thin, light sheet and the top layer was a more substantial, but still quite light, blanket. It was a compromise between a silk liner and a light, summer-weight sleeping bag. The theory being that you do not need much insulation beneath you (the mattress provides that).

Anyway, it is another option to think about. But I think the silk liner is the best option, unless one is a person who really notices "cold". I hope that does not sound too dogmatic :shock: Everyone has their own metabolism, so what is comfortable for me may be unbearable for someone else. Metabolising a heavy evening meal will pump out heat for a few hours in the evening, so that will affect comfort.

I hope this helps.

Best wishes

Bob M

 

[elzi]

Hi, we used a mixture of accommodation from very cheap gites to hotels. We rarely used our sleeping bags. I would say if you wanted to stay in mainly chambre d'hote and hotels etc you could get by without a sleeping bag. Often where you do want to stay in the walking gites you can request a private room for a little more money and they may have sheets in.
If you wanted to be safe then take some form of sheet liner as suggested above. I would day 95% of the french gites provided blankets (unlike the albergues in spain). Btw if you want to go superlite I saw some people on the camino portugese with virtually no luggage whatsoever who simply slept in the their clothes everynight without any form of sleeping bag etc and were just carrying a change of clothes and some water!!
I second what has been said about hotels. Mostly they were fairly unpleasant and bad value for money. You are better off going for the middle option of private chambre d'hotes which were frequently very nice, provided bedding and generally a very nice evening meals and breakfast and interesting company. We only stayed in hotels when we really wanted a quiet night without having to talk to anyone.
You can read my mum's accomodation guide here to give you an idea:
http://www.windeatt.f2s.com/walks/camino.htm