Do I bring a full sleeping bag to Alpine huts?

On CAF/FFCAM and CAI huts: no — blankets or duvets are provided; a liner (drap de sac / sacco-lenzuolo) is required. On PNRC GR20 refuges: yes — you must carry your own duvet; blankets are not provided (PNRC, checked 2026-09-10).

Is a Japanese ryokan the same as an Alpine refuge?

No. This desk compares hut rules on Alpine records with pilgrimage lodging on the Kumano Kodo Nakahechi record. Tanabe City’s tips page is the cited logistics source for that walk. Room types and fees are not invented.

Guide · lodging culture

Refuge vs ryokan

Alpine CAF/CAI/PNRC huts versus Japanese pilgrimage lodging on records we hold. Bedding rules are official; fees are not invented.

Alpine records: Tour du Mont Blanc, GR20, Alta Via 1. Japanese pilgrimage record: Kumano Kodo — Nakahechi (Takijiri to Hongū). Overnight fees stay Unverified here.

Alpine huts — two bedding models

CAF/FFCAM huts (French club huts on the TMB and the Chamonix end of the Haute Route): blankets or duvets are provided; a sleeping-bag liner is required for hygiene.aube.ffcam.fr · 2026-09-10

CAI rifugi (standard on Alta Via 1): guests must use a sacco-lenzuolo; blankets are provided.cai.it · 2026-09-10

PNRC refuges on GR20: you must carry your own duvet. Park tents include a mattress. Half-board and grocery are listed on the park GR20 page. Wild camping is prohibited.pnr.corsica · 2026-09-10

TMB association member huts book through Autour du Mont Blanc; non-member huts are contacted directly. That is logistics, not a walking permit.autourdumontblanc.com · 2026-08-24

Kumano Kodo — pilgrimage lodging

The Nakahechi record we hold is Takijiri to Hongū, finishing at a shrine. Tanabe City says to check lodging each day and that natural trail water has not been tested. This desk does not invent ryokan versus minshuku tariffs or a packing list.tb-kumano.jp · 2026-08-24

Also in this desk: How hut-to-hut booking works · Hut-to-hut Europe.