To Walk Far, Carry Less : Camino de Santiago (9 page)

Pilgrim Stories

A friend and her husband walked the Camino Francés route starting in late August, when the temperatures were very hot during the day. They carried sleeping sheets instead of sleeping bags. She admitted that they felt cold on many nights, depending on the type of refuge or its location. Overall, they regretted not having sleeping bags.

France

On the Le Puy and Vézelay Routes

French routes have steadily increased in popularity, so the limited-bed situation that occurs in Spain could also happen on the most traveled pilgrimage routes in France. But for those wanting to take a chance on bringing a sleeping sheet instead of a sleeping bag, it’s possible there’s a little more flexibility in France. Again, visit the pilgrims’ forums to get the latest information.

Le Puy Route.
In 2003 I walked the Le Puy route from Le Puy-en-Velay to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, a distance of about 750 kilometers (465 miles). I used a sleeping sheet instead of a sleeping bag. Luckily, I found a blanket and a bed in pilgrims’ accommodations for the entire route.

Again, the number of pilgrims walking the Le Puy route has increased since that time, and today I wouldn’t have the same confidence that I’d always find a blanket—or even a bed.

Another factor to consider: many of the accommodations on the Le Puy route are not exclusively for Camino pilgrims. Recreational hiking routes and pilgrim routes frequently overlap, so you’ll often share these accommodations with weekend and vacation hikers.

Perhaps the key factor in determining whether a sleeping sheet is adequate for the Le Puy route is the time of year you’ll be there. Traditional vacation times and French national holidays always bring more hikers and pilgrims to the trails.

Vézelay Route.
In the spring of 2006 I walked the Vézelay route, a distance of about 885 kilometers (550 miles), and carried a sleeping bag. That was the first year a comprehensive and updated guidebook was available for the route, and I met only a dozen pilgrims the entire way—until reaching the southernmost portion where it merges with the Le Puy route and two other historic (but less developed) Camino routes. Today, however, the Vézelay route is more popular.

Most of the time I stayed in small inns, bed-and-breakfasts, or hotels. Of course those accommodations had beds with sheets, so I didn’t need my sleeping bag. The pilgrim-specific refuges sometimes had as few as four beds, and often those were without blankets. So although I rarely used my sleeping bag on the Vézelay route, I was glad to have it for the several times I really needed it in the pilgrims’ refuges. Check the most recently updated Vézelay guidebook (and the pilgrims’ forums) for current information on the availability of beds for the Vézelay route.

Ultimately, whether you’ll need a sleeping bag on these two popular French routes depends on luck, crowd numbers, where you choose to stay, when you go, and whether blankets are provided and available—which you can’t know until you arrive someplace.

That’s why, overall, I recommend taking a sleeping bag on the Camino routes in both France and Spain. Then you’ll know a warm bed is always with you.

On the Camino

Camping is prohibited on the Camino routes, except in designated camping areas. Check your guidebook: camping facilities, when available, are listed with the other accommodations options.

The perfect-for-everyone Camino sleeping bag does not exist. Some suggestions:

• Get the lightest-weight sleeping bag you can find. Look for a sleeping bag that weighs less than a kilogram (about 2 pounds).
  
• Stuff it into the smallest compression sack that will hold the bag (see Types of Sacks and Bags in
  Chapter 13: Organizing and Packing Your Backpack
  ). Using a compression sack will diminish the sleeping bag’s bulk so it takes up less space inside your backpack.
  
• Get a sleeping bag designed for moderate temperatures. As a general rule, a sleeping bag that’s rated to keep the body warm at 7 degrees Celsius (about 45 degrees Fahrenheit) will keep most pilgrims comfortable at night—even when a pilgrims’ refuge lacks heating or air-conditioning (which is not uncommon). But some people tend to feel cold at night, while others tend to sleep warm. Get a sleeping bag with a higher or lower temperature rating if you think it will be a better match for your sleeping needs.
  
• If you’re planning to walk when the weather is typically hot (summer, early fall, or late spring), consider getting a sleeping bag with a higher temperature rating than “moderate” (in other words, a sleeping bag rated for temperatures above 7 degrees Celsius, or about 45 degrees Fahrenheit). Be aware, however, that it can still get cold in the higher elevations and during storms at any time of the year.
  
• Down-filled sleeping bags have the best warmth-to-weight ratio, and they also compress the best.
  
• Synthetic fill also works well, and it’s less expensive than a down-fill bag. Advantage for some: many synthetic fills are hypoallergenic.
  
• A mummy-shape bag, while less roomy for the body, weighs less than a rectangular sleeping bag.
  

Worried About Feeling Cold at Night?

• Get a sleeping bag designed for below-moderate temperatures, but be mindful of the weight that it will add to your backpack.
  
• Get down fill: those little feathers are still the best for warmth. Shake the bag at night for maximum fluff to keep you warm. Be sure to have good rain protection for your backpack: down is useless when wet.
  
• Sleep in long underwear and socks with a long-sleeve T-shirt covered by a short-sleeve T-shirt. Wear your insulation layer—a down vest or fleece jacket—when feeling especially cold. In other words: wear everything.
  
• Bring a mummy bag liner to put inside your sleeping bag for extra warmth (be sure to find a lightweight liner; I’ve seen some that only weigh about 113 grams, or about four ounces).
  

Worried About Feeling Too Warm at Night?

• Sleep in a mummy bag liner on top of your sleeping bag (again, look for a liner that weighs only about 113 grams, or about four ounces). If you happen to feel cold later in the night, you can easily climb inside the sleeping bag.
  
• Plan to sleep in a lightweight short-sleeve T-shirt and your underwear. Most pilgrims do that anyway, and some will do so even if it’s cold inside the pilgrims’ refuge.
  
• Finally, a tip that may be obvious but is worth mentioning: if it’s too warm, unzip your sleeping bag all the way and arrange it so it covers only part of your body.
  

Necessity or Luxury?

Some pilgrims take a sleeping pad. It’s a good idea if you’re worried about the possibility of sleeping on a hard floor during the crowded Camino walking seasons.

Every time I packed for a Camino journey, I considered taking a sleeping pad because I worried about that hard-floor scenario. Then, I’d remember Vidal’s words: “We carry our fears in our backpack.” So I’d throw away the fear and not take the sleeping pad.

So far, I’ve never needed it.

But I had the fear once again before walking the Vía de la Plata route. I’d read that the route was increasing in popularity, and that some refuges had few beds. For the first time, I carried a sleeping pad—just in case.

The no-bed-for-me-tonight fear was never realized.

But that sleeping pad became a delightful luxury. I sat on it every day while eating a picnic lunch, and sometimes unrolled it during the hottest part of the day to take a little siesta. I kept the pad strapped to the top of my backpack for quick and easy access.

Still, I consider the sleeping pad an option, not a necessity. I’d eliminate the sleeping pad if my backpack’s total weight needed to be reduced.

Lightweight Notes

Pillows

Don’t carry one. Your sleeping bag’s stuff sack filled with extra clothes makes a satisfying little pillow.

An Inexpensive, Lightweight Sleeping Pad

If you choose to take a sleeping pad, consider a closed-cell blue foam pad. It weighs and costs far less than other sleeping pads. (Some closed-cell pads come in other colors, such as gray, but these often weigh more than the blue ones.) “Closed cell” means that it doesn’t need air—the material’s density provides the padding.

Most sleeping pads weigh well over a half kilogram (a pound). After I cut my blue foam pad to fit my body, it weighed 130 grams (4.6 ounces).

A pad that reaches from the shoulders to the knees is long enough. If you need to sleep on a refuge floor, use a stuff sack filled with extra clothes for a pillow. Use your emptied backpack to cover the floor below the knees.

Use Velcro straps to hold together the rolled-up pad; they weigh less than straps with metal buckles.

A disadvantage of the blue foam pad: it’s not likely to last beyond one Camino journey, even if you don’t use it very much. That’s because it easily compresses and loses its thickness.

Heavier and thicker sleeping pads often require someone (you) to blow air into them to inflate them. These pads are thick, long, wide, made of durable fabrics, and more comfortable than a blue foam pad—and they weigh too much. They’re best used for wilderness camping, where there’s no chance of finding a bed at night.

Gear Guide

Accidental Smart Shopping

I searched for “blue foam pad” on the website of a store where I’d recently bought such a pad.

There were zero matches for the search.

Over 200 “similar” items were listed, however.

They all appeared to be the expensive (heavy) sleeping pads.

Puzzled, I clicked on the very last page of the similar items.

Voilà!

The blue foam pad.

Listed as “Blue Foam Pad.”

Inexpensive option, listed last.

A friend’s blue foam pad. Velcro, rather than metal buckles, will eliminate a few grams (ounces) of weight from the straps wrapped around the pad.

* * *

Staying well fed and hydrated on the Camino is just as important as making sure you have a good setup to get some rest at night. We’ll take a closer look at food and water in the next chapter.

Food and water add more weight to the backpack than any other category of items. That weight diminishes during the day’s walk, thank goodness, as you eat lunch and snacks and drink the water. There are times, however, when one should plan to carry extra water and food.

Read ahead in your guidebook to see what resources lie ahead. Look for places where you can get water containers refilled. Notice the locations and hours of restaurants, bar-cafés, grocers, butchers, bakeries, and outdoor village markets. If you see a village or hamlet on the map, don’t assume there will be access to potable water or a place to buy food.

Plan at least a day in advance. Pay particular attention to Saturday afternoons, Sundays, and even Mondays, as town and village shops, restaurants, and some bar-cafés are often closed on these days. That’s when you’ll need to have extra food and water.

Pilgrim Stories

Caution: Easter and Other Holiday Weekends

One day in France I had to ration out a bar of chocolate—my only remaining food—for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It was Monday of the long Easter weekend—a tricky time to get food in both France and Spain. All the restaurants, bar-cafés, and shops were closed for the day in the area where I was walking. I had already eaten the “emergency” food in my backpack.

If you want to avoid every kid’s dream and most adults’ nightmare—chocolate for every meal—carry extra food, particularly around the long Easter weekend. This is a big holiday in both France and Spain, and although timing varies by region, it’s best to plan for limited food access from the Thursday before Easter through the Monday after.

For other national holidays, ask the locals about anticipated shop or restaurant closures. It could depend on the location, with cities or large towns usually having more places that stay open.

When organizing your backpack, guess the amount of food and water you’ll need for a day’s walk. Add that weight to your total backpack weight.

Then pad it a little.

Needing an extra bottle of water is a good example of why you should pad the weight estimate for food and water. You could indeed find you’ll need extra water once you’re on the Camino, depending on water access and the weather (particularly when it’s hot).

Guessing what you’ll need and padding that a little provides a more accurate, even if approximate, total backpack weight. Not adding a guesstimate for food and water creates only the illusion of a lightweight backpack.