Why silk?

[SeattleJen]

Hi everyone- I leave in two weeks. I'm not freaking out. Am I freaking out? No, not yet... but it will come.

I digress-- I hope this isn't a dumb question, but I cannot find the answer. Why SILK for a bag liner and not cotton? I bought a brushed cotton bag liner but I keep seeing references to silk silk silk. Do bed bugs hate silk? Is it too slippery for them to crawl on or something? Or is there another reason? Thank you! As stated above, I have exactly two weeks to correct this if cotton is the bad option.

 

[Ungawawa]

Legend has it that bedbugs don't like silk, but no one knows because we can't talk with them. A better reason is that it weighs half as much. Personally though I prefer the feel and extra insulation of cotton.

 

[bmcbride]

A silk liner is very light and compact; it insulates in cold weather, and is breathable. It probably would dry more quickly than a cotton liner.

 

[Anniesantiago]

There's no good reason.
Take what feels good.
I hate the feel of silk and the bedbugs don't care.

 

[trecile]

Silk is very lightweight and strong. My silk liner weighs about 5 ounces.

 

[Kurt5280]

Silk dries quickly...cotton never dries...at least on my Camino...there will be at least one day that it will rain so much that you have to pour water out of your pockets and packs...then you will be glad you have silk.

 

[Former member 49149]

Hi everyone- I leave in two weeks. I'm not freaking out. Am I freaking out? No, not yet... but it will come.

I digress-- I hope this isn't a dumb question, but I cannot find the answer. Why SILK for a bag liner and not cotton? I bought a brushed cotton bag liner but I keep seeing references to silk silk silk. Do bed bugs hate silk? Is it too slippery for them to crawl on or something? Or is there another reason? Thank you! As stated above, I have exactly two weeks to correct this if cotton is the bad option.

Bad option? depends on your purse and the space and weight of your backpack when loaded. Silk was a great luxury for me, but it was worth it. Buen camino when it happens...

 

[MeandIan]

We bought our silk liners in Vietnam for US$2 a few years ago. We’ve used it in hot weather and plan to try it in the next couple of weeks when the weather changes here in Melbourne

 

[RJM]

Silk, and even the synthetic faux silk is lighter, and more breathable than cotton. Try to avoid cotton anything in your backpack on the Camino. It is heavier and takes longer to dry.
Any of the recommendations for certain fabrics and fabric colors in order to avoid bedbugs is pure rubbish. Ignore it. It is the same false advertising of things like snake oil.
BTW, there is absolutely nothing about walking the Camino that should lead anyone to freak out. Absolutely nothing.

 

[SeattleJen]

Thank you, everyone. I don't hear myself say/write this very often: Thank goodness for Amazon Prime. I'm looking to replace the cotton liner now (which I just weighed with a luggage scale, and it came in at 0.85 kg!).

 

[SeattleJen]

Silk dries quickly...cotton never dries...at least on my Camino...there will be at least one day that it will rain so much that you have to pour water out of your pockets and packs...then you will be glad you have silk.

Hoooo boy. Looking forward to THAT! ;-)

 

[Kanga]

For me it is a weight thing. I agree that cotton feels nicer, but it is twice as heavy. I've never considered the drying time. My pack is well waterproofed and I would only wash my liner if the weather was good.

 

[Sunbun]

Legend has it that bedbugs don't like silk, but no one knows because we can't talk with them. A better reason is that it weighs half as much. Personally though I prefer the feel and extra insulation of cotton.

And silk dries quickly.

 

[IngridF]

2015, I slept in a bed where bedbugs must have had a fiesta. I cleaned my gear and everything all together 3 times, that's how much it took for me to feel bedbug free again. Never looked at my silk sheet, believing the legend that they don't like it. Not sure why I had another look and inspected my silk, and there she was, a fat bloody bedbug hiding out in the corner. Bedbugs and I have a funny relationship. If there is one on site, it will find me, just like mosquitos in Canada. I deal with it and walk on. They are part of the Camino and hey, I just recently saw a news item for one of our colleges in Toronto, they had an infestation in one of the class rooms.

 

[t2andreo]

Silk threads are actually hollow, though you need a microscope to determine this. This is why silk has excellent insulative properties both against heat and cold. It is also lightweight and ounce for ounce, stronger than steel. That accounts for much of the popularity.

Hope this helps.

 

[lt56ny]

Go with silk it’s lighter and silk sounds cooler than cotton.

 

[Sixwheeler]

Lighter / warmer / stronger.

 

[Shalaw]

Bedbugs don’t care if you have a silk or a cotton liner. I used my silk liner every night and got bit up at least two times. I read somewhere that it’s the oxygen that we emit when we sleep that attracts bedbugs. They must like my breath because my fiancé didn’t get bit at all. But silk is nice and light, especially for hot evenings.

 

[SeattleJen]

Thanks again, everyone. I ordered this: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B016BUI130/?tag=casaivar02-20

I know it's not real silk, but the weight is lighter than what I measured the cotton bag at, and it says "quick dry." I appreciate the feedback. Hopefully that is the last piece of the equipment puzzle to figure out.

 

[Anamya]

Looks like you just reduced 0.6kg of your backpack. Your back/knees will thank you a lot!

 

[SeattleJen]

Looks like you just reduced 0.6kg of your backpack. Your back/knees will thank you a lot!

And it's metallic silver so I get to pretend I'm the flashy disco woman in the albergues.

 

[SeattleJen]

Oh my goodness, I am SO GLAD I asked what I was afraid was a dumb question. The new bag liner arrived... and look how much smaller it is than the cotton one I had purchased! (green is the cotton one, in case you couldn't tell.) Thank you again, everyone.

 

[Aysen Mustafa]

We bought our silk liners in Vietnam for US$2 a few years ago. We’ve used it in hot weather and plan to try it in the next couple of weeks when the weather changes here in Melbourne

Hello - I found that you can buy cheap silk ones from Vietnam on ebay but wasn't sure of the quality. Will they last the camino.

 

[Anamya]

And it's metallic silver so I get to pretend I'm the flashy disco woman in the albergues.

Oooohhh, I love the color!
Mine is neon orange. My husband jokes that it doubles as an emergency flag in case we ever have to call someone's attention! XD

 

[MeandIan]

Hello - I found that you can buy cheap silk ones from Vietnam on ebay but wasn't sure of the quality. Will they last the camino.

The liners are bigger than the normal ones, and I was swirling in mine! Ian was ok, but then he is much bigger. My seam on one side frayed a bit but I think it was because I was quite restless. However a friend cut and trimmed it and it’s fine now. I hate something tight around my legs and I usually have my feet above the covers. I’m not sure how it will go with the bed bugs. So Ian has suggested that I put my sleeping bag inside the liner because it is so big and I will have more space. We’re trying it out in two weeks

 

[Aysen Mustafa]

The liners are bigger than the normal ones, and I was swirling in mine! Ian was ok, but then he is much bigger. My seam on one side frayed a bit but I think it was because I was quite restless. However a friend cut and trimmed it and it’s fine now. I hate something tight around my legs and I usually have my feet above the covers. I’m not sure how it will go with the bed bugs. So Ian has suggested that I put my sleeping bag inside the liner because it is so big and I will have more space. We’re trying it out in two weeks

Thank you, but I decided to buy a Sea to Summit one online but am still waiting for it to arrive.

 

[KariC]

A silk liner is very light and compact; it insulates in cold weather, and is breathable. It probably would dry more quickly than a cotton liner.

What bmcbride said. Weighs almost nothing, WAY more compact, etc.

 

[ortemio]

I have a cotton liner and a silk liner. When its warm I use the silk liner as a bed cover and sleep inside the cotton one. When it gets cooler than I can handle in the cotton liner then I slip the cotton liner inside the silk one and sleep like a baby. They are both very light weight and small.

 

[Robert Nystrom]

Hi everyone- I leave in two weeks. I'm not freaking out. Am I freaking out? No, not yet... but it will come.

I digress-- I hope this isn't a dumb question, but I cannot find the answer. Why SILK for a bag liner and not cotton? I bought a brushed cotton bag liner but I keep seeing references to silk silk silk. Do bed bugs hate silk? Is it too slippery for them to crawl on or something? Or is there another reason? Thank you! As stated above, I have exactly two weeks to correct this if cotton is the bad option.

Silk is warmer and far more comfortable.

 

[Jeff Crawley]

From a sybaritic point of view why do they make cotton nightdresses but silk peignoirs?