Gear notes, early fall on Camino Frances

[tjb1013]

Gear notes
Camino Frances, Sept. 19, 2017 - October 26, 2017

I really benefitted from reading up on this forum, so I thought I'd share these notes about my experience.

Best decisions:

• Merino wool long-sleeve T. Started out with it underneath on chilly October mornings. It didn’t reek at the end of the day; the shirt on top of it did. Slept in it nearly every night.
• Sleeping bag liner. Often the only thing I used while sleeping (warmer nights) and enough hygienic protection from probably less-laundered albergue blankets.
• Trekking poles, a last-minute decision and now somewhat laughable to think of doing without, given my disability (drop-feet and balance issues). Leki rubber pole tips struck me as overpriced at $15 USD, but they did all 799km and still have life in them.
• Pack body towel and hand towel. These had an anti-bacterial treatment and I assume it helped because they were often packed damp.

Worst decisions:

• I needed better after-hike/shower shoes. Flip flops don’t work for me because of foot drop, but I took some anyway figuring I could get to the showers in them. Wrong. Often in albergues, you need to cover some territory. Plus you really want something you can wear after hike that are not shoes to cat about around the neighborhood. Flip flops probably sufficient for people without disabilities.
• I wished I had a big enough carrying device/shower caddy to take clean clothes and shower supplies (including my grab handle) to shower, and carry dirty clothes out. With my balance issues, carrying all this stuff in my arms was precarious. Showers are usually the only private place to completely change clothes in. There aren’t enough hooks in the albergue showers generally and you need a way to keep the clean stuff out of the shower swamps that develop. I had a great caddy that I left behind at the last minute when I started to panic about pack weight, but it would have been perfect.

Didn’t need:

• Rain pants, but probably would take again in case of gales. Rained lightly a couple of days, but I chose to go wet in hiking shorts.
• Lightweight fleece, because of weather, my tendency not to get cold, sufficiency of rain jacket, merino wool, hiking shirt layering. Would seriously consider leaving behind if I walked on similar dates again. However, virtually every other pilgrim I saw was layered up in fleece and more during very brisk mornings.
• Second performance t-shirt, because one was enough (to wear while washing hiking shirts).
• Sunglasses. I used them a few times but could have done without. It seems that when traveling east to west and finishing most days with the sun high in the sky, a broad-brimmed hat is sufficient.
• Clothesline. Every albergue and hostel had somewhere to hang wet clothes.
• Selfie stick. Please.
• Silk pillowcase. Thought I would use this (with zipper) to store valuables and combat icky pillowcases, but pillowcases weren’t icky and albergues seemed to favor those really long pillows.
• Expensive travel adapter. I bought one with additional USB plugs for phone chargers as a defensive move; was worried my CPAP plug would crowd out other pilgrims. Didn't, and a cheap plastic converter would have been fine.

Didn’t need but glad I had:

• Very lightweight sleeping bag (Sea to Summit Tr 1 - only good to 50 degrees F) and an inflatable pillow. Both handy in the parroquials with only mats. However, could have fashioned a pillow out of gear and I believe blankets were available everywhere I stayed.
• Compression stuff sacks for clothes, dry bags for valuables and electronics. It was hard to pack and get organized (this seems crazy now considering the confined space that your stuff is in, albeit splayed out, in an albergue), and this helped. Needed one more stuff sack for medical supplies (blister stuff, cold medicine) that I hadn’t anticipated the importance of.

Personal stuff I lugged that I don’t regret:

• I took a foldable portable bluetooth keyboard and a little stand for my iPhone to be able to more easily compose longer emails. Worked for me, would probably get a lighter keyboard. (Mine was backlit and weighed 1/2 pound more than one without. Now agree that every ounce counts.)
• The grab handle; not surprisingly, the pilgrim infrastructure does not anticipate pilgrims with disabilities.

Worth it, as it turned out:

• Bought a pretty expensive travel CPAP, the Philips Dreamstation Go, that worked great and generated zero complaints from roommates.

Wish I knew:

• Socks and shoes combo critical and not really “testable” without actual Camino conditions: 20+ kilometers, full pack, rocky path, 86F/30C in late September. Needed thicker socks than I brought for my favored shoes. Good outdoor shops in Zubiri, Pamplona, Logroño in early going for socks. See shoe note at bottom.

Tactical Error:

• Lightweight running shorts were good to sleep in and wear during laundry, but mine did not have a pocket big enough for valuables/passport. I ended up sleeping with the valuables/passport in a zipped pocket in my hiking shorts. Never felt that anything was in jeopardy of being stolen, but just seemed sensible.

Might have been lucky:

• I didn't take an extension cord. Needed one for CPAP in a couple albergues, but hospitaleros had one except in Azofra, where an extension cord would have enabled me to sleep in a hallway rather than where I did sleep.

So...

Out:

• Clothesline, selfie stick, lightweight fleece (probably), sunglasses, one of two t-shirts, pillowcase, fancy travel adapter. Some weight drop (and every ounce does count), less stuff to keep track of.

In:

• Good after-walk/shower shoes like the Keen Newport H2, shower caddy

Still don't know:

• Shoes. I took Hoka One One Tor Ultra Hi WP boots that were a half-size big, that I put about 75 miles on (with carbon fiber Superfeet insoles) before the Camino, and were super-comfortable and problem-free. Then they tore my feet apart on the first day and I couldn't wear them until my blisters healed between two and three weeks later. I ended up wearing the Adidas Supernova Riot trail runners that I had intended for after-walk shoes (I need ankle support and the ability to attach my orthotic devices). They were good to have, but the sole was not as sturdy or padded as the Hokas.
  
  Someone here said that the only way to know if your shoes would work would be to walk in them in Camino conditions: Full pack, 20 kilometers, proper temperature and terrain. I'm afraid that is right. I don't know what I'd wear were I to do it again.

 

[trecile]

I wished I had a big enough carrying device/shower caddy to take clean clothes and shower supplies

I take a pretty low tech extra large zip lock bag with a handle, like this, but I buy mine at the Dollar store.

 

[JillGat]

Some things I found useful/essential:

PacerPoles

Glasses with transition lenses (darken in the sun)

Down quilt and my silk/cotton (pyrethrin sprayed) liner bag were perfect. I used a tee shirt for a pillowcase when necessary.

Plastic hook for shower things.
Related: a nylon net bag for my bar of soap (I make my own soap, that is long-lasting and grapefruit scented, mmm). Used it as a sudsy scrubber and also to dry my soap on the line with my clothes.

I also made my own shampoo bar (regular body soap does not work for hair) and a hair conditioner bar. They were small and lasted for two months. Way better than the ones I got at Lush last time that disintegrated.

I LOVE my cargo shorts, where I stored my phone in a lower pocket on one side and my money/passport bag in the pocket on the other side. I wore my REI Sahara shorts every single day on both caminos I've done. Before heading off for the day, I'd pat both lower pockets to be sure I had my essentials. Kept TP and hand sanitizer in the upper pockets.

Handy tip: If you tend to lose your electrical adapter like I do, ask the hospitalero for one. They almost always have some that other peregrinos have left behind. Lost-and-found boxes often have valuable stuff like lightweight towels, too.

Wished I'd had:

Travel CPAP. That's something I need that I have put off getting (because of the price).

I'm also interested in the lightweight keyboard, mostly for journaling. I have gotten so out of the habit of writing longhand!

Next time I will consider a thin fleece vest. Versatile, lightweight addition.

 

[t2andreo]

Gear notes
Camino Frances, Sept. 19, 2017 - October 26, 2017

I really benefitted from reading up on this forum, so I thought I'd share these notes about my experience.

Best decisions:

• Merino wool long-sleeve T. Started out with it underneath on chilly October mornings. It didn’t reek at the end of the day; the shirt on top of it did. Slept in it nearly every night.
• Sleeping bag liner. Often the only thing I used while sleeping (warmer nights) and enough hygienic protection from probably less-laundered albergue blankets.
• Trekking poles, a last-minute decision and now somewhat laughable to think of doing without, given my disability (drop-feet and balance issues). Leki rubber pole tips struck me as overpriced at $15 USD, but they did all 799km and still have life in them.
• Pack body towel and hand towel. These had an anti-bacterial treatment and I assume it helped because they were often packed damp.

Worst decisions:

• I needed better after-hike/shower shoes. Flip flops don’t work for me because of foot drop, but I took some anyway figuring I could get to the showers in them. Wrong. Often in albergues, you need to cover some territory. Plus you really want something you can wear after hike that are not shoes to cat about around the neighborhood. Flip flops probably sufficient for people without disabilities.
• I wished I had a big enough carrying device/shower caddy to take clean clothes and shower supplies (including my grab handle) to shower, and carry dirty clothes out. With my balance issues, carrying all this stuff in my arms was precarious. Showers are usually the only private place to completely change clothes in. There aren’t enough hooks in the albergue showers generally and you need a way to keep the clean stuff out of the shower swamps that develop. I had a great caddy that I left behind at the last minute when I started to panic about pack weight, but it would have been perfect.

Didn’t need:

• Rain pants, but probably would take again in case of gales. Rained lightly a couple of days, but I chose to go wet in hiking shorts.
• Lightweight fleece, because of weather, my tendency not to get cold, sufficiency of rain jacket, merino wool, hiking shirt layering. Would seriously consider leaving behind if I walked on similar dates again. However, virtually every other pilgrim I saw was layered up in fleece and more during very brisk mornings.
• Second performance t-shirt, because one was enough (to wear while washing hiking shirts).
• Sunglasses. I used them a few times but could have done without. It seems that when traveling east to west and finishing most days with the sun high in the sky, a broad-brimmed hat is sufficient.
• Clothesline. Every albergue and hostel had somewhere to hang wet clothes.
• Selfie stick. Please.
• Silk pillowcase. Thought I would use this (with zipper) to store valuables and combat icky pillowcases, but pillowcases weren’t icky and albergues seemed to favor those really long pillows.
• Expensive travel adapter. I bought one with additional USB plugs for phone chargers as a defensive move; was worried my CPAP plug would crowd out other pilgrims. Didn't, and a cheap plastic converter would have been fine.

Didn’t need but glad I had:

• Very lightweight sleeping bag (Sea to Summit Tr 1 - only good to 50 degrees F) and an inflatable pillow. Both handy in the parroquials with only mats. However, could have fashioned a pillow out of gear and I believe blankets were available everywhere I stayed.
• Compression stuff sacks for clothes, dry bags for valuables and electronics. It was hard to pack and get organized (this seems crazy now considering the confined space that your stuff is in, albeit splayed out, in an albergue), and this helped. Needed one more stuff sack for medical supplies (blister stuff, cold medicine) that I hadn’t anticipated the importance of.

Personal stuff I lugged that I don’t regret:

• I took a foldable portable bluetooth keyboard and a little stand for my iPhone to be able to more easily compose longer emails. Worked for me, would probably get a lighter keyboard. (Mine was backlit and weighed 1/2 pound more than one without. Now agree that every ounce counts.)
• The grab handle; not surprisingly, the pilgrim infrastructure does not anticipate pilgrims with disabilities.

Worth it, as it turned out:

• Bought a pretty expensive travel CPAP, the Philips Dreamstation Go, that worked great and generated zero complaints from roommates.

Wish I knew:

• Socks and shoes combo critical and not really “testable” without actual Camino conditions: 20+ kilometers, full pack, rocky path, 86F/30C in late September. Needed thicker socks than I brought for my favored shoes. Good outdoor shops in Zubiri, Pamplona, Logroño in early going for socks. See shoe note at bottom.

Tactical Error:

• Lightweight running shorts were good to sleep in and wear during laundry, but mine did not have a pocket big enough for valuables/passport. I ended up sleeping with the valuables/passport in a zipped pocket in my hiking shorts. Never felt that anything was in jeopardy of being stolen, but just seemed sensible.

Might have been lucky:

• I didn't take an extension cord. Needed one for CPAP in a couple albergues, but hospitaleros had one except in Azofra, where an extension cord would have enabled me to sleep in a hallway rather than where I did sleep.

So...

Out:

• Clothesline, selfie stick, lightweight fleece (probably), sunglasses, one of two t-shirts, pillowcase, fancy travel adapter. Some weight drop (and every ounce does count), less stuff to keep track of.

In:

• Good after-walk/shower shoes like the Keen Newport H2, shower caddy

Still don't know:

• Shoes. I took Hoka One One Tor Ultra Hi WP boots that were a half-size big, that I put about 75 miles on (with carbon fiber Superfeet insoles) before the Camino, and were super-comfortable and problem-free. Then they tore my feet apart on the first day and I couldn't wear them until my blisters healed between two and three weeks later. I ended up wearing the Adidas Supernova Riot trail runners that I had intended for after-walk shoes (I need ankle support and the ability to attach my orthotic devices). They were good to have, but the sole was not as sturdy or padded as the Hokas.
  
  Someone here said that the only way to know if your shoes would work would be to walk in them in Camino conditions: Full pack, 20 kilometers, proper temperature and terrain. I'm afraid that is right. I don't know what I'd wear were I to do it again.

Generic and LEKI rubber pole tips are available in any outdoor store in Spain at a much cheaper price. The last time I was in Santiago, I bought Leki-branded tips for €2.50 each in Piteira, a sporting goods store near Plaza Galicia, but in the old section.

I have also seen and bought generic 12 mm ID tips in goldfish bowls near cash registers across the Camino. The takeaway is stock up in Spain or France, not at home.

I hope this helps.

 

[Boot of the Beast]

Is that an Aarn pack I spy in the photo? How did that work for you?

 

[tjb1013]

Is that an Aarn pack I spy in the photo? How did that work for you?

With my balance issues I think I would have had a far more difficult time without the Aarn pack. I had tried two others before commencing the Camino, and the Aarn was much more comfortable and made it much easier to manage uneven terrain.

I stowed my CPAP in one of the front packs, which made it easier to mentally keep track of the bits of that that I couldn’t afford to lose track of, and kept other electronics and the few things I needed quick access to in the other, and that was handy as well.

I was surprised I didn’t see more of them (maybe five total on the walk), and they definitely attract attention.

 

[Boot of the Beast]

I used an Alarm Marathon Magic. It worked out very well for me. Super light super comfortable The only negatives I think are not everyone (including me) is entirely comfortable with the unique look of an Aarn pack. Also I found the balance pockets a little untidy when not wearing the pack like in the Albergue or stopping in a cafe for lunch.

 

[David Tallan]

I also made my own shampoo bar (regular body soap does not work for hair) and a hair conditioner bar.

How do you make them? It sounds like a useful pre-camino skill.

 

[tjb1013]

I used an Aarn Marathon Magic. It worked out very well for me. Super light super comfortable The only negatives I think are not everyone (including me) is entirely comfortable with the unique look of an Aarn pack. Also I found the balance pockets a little untidy when not wearing the pack like in the Albergue or stopping in a cafe for lunch.

Mine was the Mountain Magic, which is slightly larger than Marathon and has waterproof liners. I agree about the contraption aspect - no tossing them around in cafes and albergues with the balance packs hanging off the front.