Sleeping Mats

[diaz1350]

I wondered if many walkers end up using sleeping mats along the camino???
I am looking very hard as to whether to take or not take my sleeping mat along. It does weigh about 400gm!!!!!!!!! and is infaltable and quite compact (but very comfy) I know that the rubber ones weigh about 250 but these are as hard as the floor and would not improve comfort much. I wondered what most walker take or if a sleeping mat is needed much??
I have read guides and books and spoken to severall walkers and have gotten conflicting information.
So now I am prepared to get more information to digest before making my mind up.
Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
Regards Begonia

PS I am currently at 9km in weight (including sleeping mat, 1lt water and food) 2kg will be carried in front (anterior bumb bag).
I weigh 56-57kg and know that 10% of my weight is about 6.5kg

 

[McAleerSherry]

We walked from LePuy en Velay to Santiago, 25 April-25 June 2008. We carried two mats, staying in French gite d'etapes, albergues, refugios, hostals, and even a tent one night.
At no time we we required to use either pad. In some albergues (e.g. Puente la Reina), they had extra mattresses stacked against the wall. I assume that most places have extra mattresses for just that contingency.
Consequently, if we had to do the camino over at that time of year, we probably would not have lugged them. But things might be different in July/August, or if you plan on arriving at a small albergue late in the day when all the bunks have already been taken.

 

[Timo]

I wondered if many walkers end up using sleeping mats along the camino???
I am looking very hard as to whether to take or not take my sleeping mat along. It does weigh about 400gm!!!!!!!!! and is infaltable and quite compact (but very comfy) I know that the rubber ones weigh about 250 but these are as hard as the floor and would not improve comfort much. I wondered what most walker take or if a sleeping mat is needed much??
I have read guides and books and spoken to severall walkers and have gotten conflicting information.
So now I am prepared to get more information to digest before making my mind up.
Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
Regards Begonia

PS I am currently at 9km in weight (including sleeping mat, 1lt water and food) 2kg will be carried in front (anterior bumb bag).
I weigh 56-57kg and know that 10% of my weight is about 6.5kg

Hello,
I´m thinking the same thing. It´s quite puzzling, isn´t it. I figured it out so that it would easy to be on the safe side and take lite mat with you.
-T-

 

[Anniesantiago]

We carried our mats and never used them once.
But it probably depends on when you're going.
If you ended up sleeping on a church pew, you might wish you had it.
They make VERY lightweight closedfoam mats you can buy at Walmart for $6 -- maybe you should consider one of those?

 

[lullofish]

Just today a friend who did twice the Camino told me that I don't need sleeping bag and mat, but only a sleeping sheet. In some hospitales there are bugs, so it is better to have something against them to spray on the mattress.
Anyway I don't know in July or August, when many are on the way.
In some hospitales there are bugs, so it is better to have something against them to spry on the mattress.

 

[Deleted member 397]

There is quite a discussion on the equipment subject. I took one,also from Le Puy to Finisterre-never used it. It seem to be one of those things first timers think they should take-dont bother

 

[mboulang]

Re: Sleeping Mats & Sleeping bags

I am walking the Camino the end of May starting from St Jean and was wondering whether I should pack a sleeping bag or sleeping sheet. Any recommendations?

 

[Timo]

Re: Sleeping Mats & Sleeping bags

I am walking the Camino the end of May starting from St Jean and was wondering whether I should pack a sleeping bag or sleeping sheet. Any recommendations?

Hello,
I´ve been seaching answers to my questions before my first camino. I found that the "Equipment" section is very helpfull. It´ll take time to go thru it but it´s worth while.
-T-

 

[KiwiNomad06]

Re: Sleeping Mats & Sleeping bags

I am walking the Camino the end of May starting from St Jean and was wondering whether I should pack a sleeping bag or sleeping sheet. Any recommendations?

I walked at the same kind of time. No doubt things vary from year to year, but if last year is any guide, it might be quite a lot cooler in June in Spain than you might imagine. (It was definitely colder than I had imagined, until late in June!)
The dormitories do warm up with lots of bodies sleeping in them, but that said, I would not have found a sleeping sheet enough in June, except in a few places near the end of the month. A light sleeping bag should be enough though.
I know you are likely to get lots of varied opinions on this topic though, as anything to do with equipment always has many viewpoints!!!

All the best for your Camino. The time will soon race around!
Margaret

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Some accommodations become so warm that you will be wishing for a fan or windows that open! Cold locations have blankets, so a lightweight sleep sack will be fine for the late spring and summer.

 

[mboulang]

Thanks for the information. I ordered an eygptian coton sleeping sheet and opt not to bring a sleeping bag, figured I could use the space for something else.

 

[Jaana]

I wondered if many walkers end up using sleeping mats along the camino???
I am looking very hard as to whether to take or not take my sleeping mat along. It does weigh about 400gm!!!!!!!!! and is infaltable and quite compact (but very comfy)

In summertime I have never needed sleeping bag or mat, only a sleeping sheet. First I used sheet made of cotton, now I have one mymmy shape liner made of silk. If you sweat in summer nights, silk is breathable and dries quickly. It weights maybe 100 - 150 g.

But in first days of April 2007 was so cold, that our summer sleeping bags (very techinal, fluff, very light) were no use in albergues with no heating. But we survived those few cold nights and very soon weather was very warm and sunny.

 

[JohnnieWalker]

Ok It is a slightly flippant point but although I have seen lots of people carrying sleeping mats I've never actually seen any one use one. I carried a mat on my first Camino, never used it and have never carried on since then. What do others think?

 

[KiwiNomad06]

Ok It is a slightly flippant point but although I have seen lots of people carrying sleeping mats I've never actually seen any one use one. I carried a mat on my first Camino, never used it and have never carried on since then. What do others think?

Johnnie, I too have seen many people carrying one, usually as a bulky, awkward protuberance on the outsides of their packs, but have never seen anyone using one either. Unless I was walking in the height of summer, when I was expecting to maybe have to sleep outside occasionally, I wouldn't take one.
Margaret

 

[MermaidLilli]

And therein lies the dilemma. Do I take one just in case?
The Frances, more likely to run out of beds. Hmmm
The VdlP, probably will be fine without one.
Will I walk in April or in August?
Do I want to sleep outside?

I took one my first camino and when in Logroño, I mailed it to Leon, where I mailed it to Santiago. Slept on the floor once only and they had mats.

Last year I did not carry one. No need on the Via.
I will not bother with it this year either on the Norte.

Now, if I could..... I would walk the Via and sleep outside, probably on a mat. And if warm. And especially so if someone else! carried a tent.
Lillian

 

[Bridget and Peter]

We have all seen so many hikers, not just on the camino, with sleeping mats sticking out either side of their backs. These mats are rarely wrapped in plastic.

I have often wondered if they have some sort of magic property, like ducks' backs, which repels rain so that, when they lie down in their down sleeping bags at the end of a rainy day, they don't get wet?

 

[andralynn]

My husband wants me to take my sleeping mat, which is very light, in case I get stranded or delayed in an airport but I do t know if I want the weight for that reason only. Any suggestions?

 

[trecile]

My husband wants me to take my sleeping mat, which is very light, in case I get stranded or delayed in an airport but I do t know if I want the weight for that reason only. Any suggestions?

Do you really think that you would be comfortable using a mat in an airport in the very unlikely event that you were stranded and there were no hotel rooms available? Does your husband always carry a sleeping mat when he travels?
Leave all the "what if" items at home.

 

[naplesdon]

It is one of the items I see most often in the excess equipment bins in the albergues at the beginning stages of the Caminbo. They get jettisoned pretty quickly but as someone else posted you see lots of them protruding from backpacks. I guess no one wants to throw one away

 

[C clearly]

My husband wants me to take my sleeping mat, which is very light, in case I get stranded or delayed in an airport but I do t know if I want the weight for that reason only. Any suggestions?

I have been stranded and delayed many times in airports, yet have never even considered carrying a sleeping mat in my travels!

Short answer: No, don't take it.

 

[Anamya]

My husband wants me to take my sleeping mat, which is very light, in case I get stranded or delayed in an airport but I do t know if I want the weight for that reason only. Any suggestions?

So he wants you to carry extra weight for days and days just because maybe in two ocasions (flights in and out) you may get stranded? And if you DO get stranded, are you really going to put a mat on the floor and fall asleep in a foreign country surrounded by people you dont know? Spain is safe, but it does not make sense to me at all, really.

In two caminos I only saw a few mats ditched in albergue donation bins, never saw one being used. Really dont bother with it. In the worst case, buy a pillow at the airport if you indeed need some extra comfort for whatever reason.

 

[Deleted member 67185]

My husband wants me to take my sleeping mat, which is very light, in case I get stranded or delayed in an airport but I do t know if I want the weight for that reason only. Any suggestions?

Take a cheap one from Walmart, and then toss it after he drops you at the airport.

 

[trecile]

In Europe the airlines owe you duty of care in case of delays and cancellations. This includes a hotel room and meals. Much nicer than a mat on the floor.

 

[Karl Oz]

Ok It is a slightly flippant point but although I have seen lots of people carrying sleeping mats I've never actually seen any one use one. I carried a mat on my first Camino, never used it and have never carried on since then. What do others think?

I must admit that I have never even seen a sleeping mat carried by a pilgrim during my caminos in Spain and Portugal. However, I of course didn't see every pilgrim, so there must have been some about. I can see the value if you often arrive late at albergues and are obliged to sleep on the floor, but on the other hand a light-weight sleeping bag would do the same job and offer additional flexibility of use. My other observation is that 400g is quite a bit of weight, and that would make the item superfluous to me. But of course, I am a stickler for going as light as possible, and everyone is different.

 

[andralynn]

In Europe the airlines owe you duty of care in case of delays and cancellations. This includes a hotel room and meals. Much nicer than a mat on the floor.

Really. That is good to know. The airlines here in the U.S. haven’t done that for a long time! Our customer service in most everything SUCKS.