[Gocamino] Sleeping in Hostels; Mats

[Elizabeth Duran]

Actually, the mat was the thing I was happiest to have when I stayed in
the albergues. Many of the beds are not particularly clean and consist
of a truly awful "mattress" with a bunch of strange bits of wire
sticking up into it from underneath.  A nice mat keeps you and your
sleeping bag clean and comfortable; it blocks cold air coming up from
underneath, and it also makes sleeping on the floor or the ground
bearable.  

I bought a Z-Lite Thermarest folding mat - very light, a little
expensive, but it's easy to carry, easy to fold up, and makes life much
nicer.

I also bought a very nice, tiny, light-weight silk sleep sack.  It was a
little expensive, but it weighs nothing, washes out and dries easily,
and even keeps you warm enough so that you generally don't need to use
anything else.  

In Galicia, however, I did have to get a lightweight sleeping bag (also
silk) at a camping store. I went in August but didn't get to Santiago
until the last week of September, by which time it was a little cool in
Galicia.

But I think that even if you don't buy anything else, you should get a
mat!

Elizabeth Duran
eduran at pipeline.com
Cell: 1-352-219-6401
Fax:: 1-646-349-1820