7 Clever Packing hacks to make your Camino packing easier

[scruffy1]

No explanation needed

 

[Paladina]

Packing for a pilgrimage or a car boot sale? Strange choice of items to take for the journey: denim jeans, cotton tee shirts, shower cap, cosmetics, jewellery, suitcase... I'd love to know which impractical and/or inessential items experienced pilgrims continue to stuff into their scrips. I can't go without at least one woefully heavy book.

 

[Hiawatha]

Really like the T shirt fold ; shades of ' Sheldon ' !

 

[trecile]

I like the shoes in shower cap idea. I'll have to try that one out.

 

[Jeff Crawley]

Packing for a pilgrimage or a car boot sale? Strange choice of items to take for the journey: denim jeans, cotton tee shirts, shower cap, cosmetics, jewellery, suitcase... I'd love to know which impractical and/or inessential items experienced pilgrims continue to stuff into their scrips. I can't go without at least one woefully heavy book.

Harmonica, in 2013 - played it once in Puenta La Reina after which it gradually slipped down to the bottom of the pack not to be seen again until I got home

I look back wistfully to the days when a shower cap would have been useful . . .

 

[Jeff Crawley]

Really like the T shirt fold ; shades of ' Sheldon ' !

OK for display on a shelf but "Ranger Rolling" like they did with the jeans is more practical.

 

[scruffy1]

Harmonica, in 2013 - played it once in Puenta La Reina after which it gradually slipped down to the bottom of the pack not to be seen again until I got home

I look back wistfully to the days when a shower cap would have been useful . . .

Grow a beard and brush it up!

 

[Katerina7]

I don't like the idea of placing my shoes into a shower cap and then wearing it on my hair...

 

[PncessAmy]

I don't like the idea of placing my shoes into a shower cap and then wearing it on my hair...

Yeah, I have a vision of searching in vain for an athlete's scalp treatment. No thanks! But embracing the art of the roll is worth a reminder, and the music is zippy.

 

[scruffy1]

I don't like the idea of placing my shoes into a shower cap and then wearing it on my hair...

????Shower cap(s) don't weigh anything, take three two for your shoes and one for your head.

 

[scruffy1]

Yeah, I have a vision of searching in vain for an athlete's scalp treatment. No thanks! But embracing the art of the roll is worth a reminder, and the music is zippy.

See Scruffy below!

 

[domigee]

No explanation needed

Love it!

 

[nathanael]

No explanation needed

seems like too much clothes?

 

[JennyH94]

Great tips Scruffy and very adaptable for Camino gear. Thank you.
BTW - I don't think the shower cap would rustle as much as the plastic shopping bag at the crack of dawn ... now that's a bonus for the ears of fellow pilgrims as well as being useful on the head and for those shoes!
Cheers from Oz -
Jenny

 

[evelyn Strand]

Packing for a pilgrimage or a car boot sale? Strange choice of items to take for the journey: denim jeans, cotton tee shirts, shower cap, cosmetics, jewellery, suitcase... I'd love to know which impractical and/or inessential items experienced pilgrims continue to stuff into their scrips. I can't go without at least one woefully heavy book.

I packed my electric toothbrush...

 

[notion900]

There isn't anything I would find useful in the video. Personally I dislike all these so called 'hacks' blogs and videos. People with too much time on their hands make them, trying to get famous as some kind of lifestyle guru. When I pack to leave an albergue, if I were to put jewellery in a pill case and shoes in a shower hat, I would expect people to think I was insane.

 

[C3 to Camino]

I wouldn't any for a Camino, but I do like how they rolled the jeans - never seen that before. The rest was old news, I'm afraid.

 

[Jeff Crawley]

There isn't anything I would find useful in the video. Personally I dislike all these so called 'hacks' blogs and videos. People with too much time on their hands make them, trying to get famous as some kind of lifestyle guru. When I pack to leave an albergue, if I were to put jewellery in a pill case and shoes in a shower hat, I would expect people to think I was insane.

Come on, you've done five Caminos - you must be a little bit batty

 

[notion900]

Come on, you've done five Caminos - you must be a little bit batty

I am always amazed when people need an hour in the evening in albergues 'to reorganise my stuff'. They only have a bag full! What on earth do they do at home?

 

[Jeff Crawley]

I am always amazed when people need an hour in the evening in albergues 'to reorganise my stuff'. They only have a bag full! What on earth do they do at home?

It's simple . . . mother does it for them (in the case of men of all ages that is)!

A theory put forward by a friend and fellow caminista is that everything they need for the Camino was neatly placed in a series of (especially chosen) rustling plastic bags when they left home but what was never explained was what was in which bag.

Hence the need to search each and every bag each and every day.

After a few days they know things are in a mess so more rustling is required to pack everything away in a way they hope it should be.

This is done as late at night as possible. They then spend a restless night fretting about whether they got it all packed away properly so have to get up (very) early to unwrap things again and check to make sure.

I disputed this until staying at Ruitelan in 2013 when the process unfolded during siesta, late at night and before breakfast.

I am now a true believer which is why I used only private rooms/hostals last year!

Buen Camino to all, and to all a good night

 

[Orford girl]

Packing for a pilgrimage or a car boot sale? Strange choice of items to take for the journey: denim jeans, cotton tee shirts, shower cap, cosmetics, jewellery, suitcase... I'd love to know which impractical and/or inessential items experienced pilgrims continue to stuff into their scrips. I can't go without at least one woefully heavy book.

I guess I would say "WHY" to all of those things except the most necessary cosmetic items. No to all, too heavy, too long to dry, shower cap????? with a sweaty head at the end of the day, jewelry - really?. You are on the camino - go barebones - less to carry, less to lose.

 

[trecile]

I guess I would say "WHY" to all of those things except the most necessary cosmetic items. No to all, too heavy, too long to dry, shower cap????? with a sweaty head at the end of the day, jewelry - really?. You are on the camino - go barebones - less to carry, less to lose.

The video is about packing in general, not specifically for the Camino.

 

[SilverAvenger]

I think the most useless thing I brought for my Camiño was.....cutlery. Pretty soon I found out that I could've survived only with a spoon and the pocket knife!

Rolling up all the clothes is a good idea. Takes up less space and leaves more for food and such.

 

[trecile]

I think the most useless thing I brought for my Camiño was.....cutlery. Pretty soon I found out that I could've survived only with a spoon and the pocket knife!

Rolling up all the clothes is a good idea. Takes up less space and leaves more for food and such.

I survived without a spoon or knife.

 

[Jeff Crawley]

I survived without a spoon or knife.

For, after all, what are fingers for?

 

[trecile]

For, after all, what are fingers for?

Actually, what are bars/restaurants for?

 

[SilverAvenger]

I survived without a spoon or knife.

For, after all, what are fingers for?

Well, try eating paella with just a knife. Hardly practical.

 

[trecile]

Well, try eating paella with just a knife. Hardly practical.

I've always been provided with proper cutlery when I've ordered paella or anything else.

 

[Jeff Crawley]

Well, try eating paella with just a knife. Hardly practical.

In the words of the late, great Spike Milligan:

I eat my peas with honey
I've done so all my life
It makes the peas taste funny
But it keeps them on the knife . . . .

 

[Jeff Crawley]

Actually, what are bars/restaurants for?

Nice reposte!

 

[SilverAvenger]

I've always been provided with proper cutlery when I've ordered paella or anything else.

Well, not me.

I walked my first Camiño with the Missionários Claretianos, a cuban-founded congregation that organizes a yearly pilgrimation to Santiago, departing from Lanheses. We walk and carry our stuff, they guide us, and have a support truck that stops in public gyms (where we sleep) and cook for us. On the last day, after Santiago and the final retreat day at a monastary of theirs in Baltar, they served us this absolutely disgusting paella. It had hair and bugs on it, such a shame since the rest of their food was really delicious...needless to say that I ended up making the 10 hour trip back to Lisbon withought food on my stomach.

In the words of the late, great Spike Milligan:

I eat my peas with honey
I've done so all my life
It makes the peas taste funny
But it keeps them on the knife . . . .

Haha! Nice one.

 

[Glenn Rowe]

For decades I've rolled my "traveling pants", just like the video demonstrates. First learned it in the Sea Explorers, where we turned our white uniform pants inside out before rolling to keep them visibly clean. We turned our white jumper-tops inside out before rolling as well.

I like the Tee-Shirt Tuck; will probably use it. Oughta work just as well on polo- and golf-type shirts.

As to the issue of Athlete's Head, the video did instruct the user to turn the shower cap inside out before putting the shoes into it...!

 

[Glenn Rowe]

I like the Tee-Shirt Tuck; will probably use it. Oughta work just as well on polo- and golf-type shirts.

AND the shirts could then be rolled into smaller/tighter units....

IT'S MILLER TIME!