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how to prepare backpack for flight?

lsm

LucT
Time of past OR future Camino
2015 MAY
Hi Camino Family:
i need your advice. Could someone share how to prepare the backpack for checking in the flight is best and safe? should I put the pack in a big clear bag and tie it of for checking in? I will be putting the two walking posts in the outside side pocket. The tips are jammed into a plastic container so they are protected and I have the rain cover over the bag. Is that good enough? Thanks.
 
Let us pick up your suitcase once you arrive in Europe....
...and ship it to Santiago for storage. You pick it up once in Santiago. Service offered by Casa Ivar (we use DHL for transportation).
Ryanair wrap backpacks in cling film request that at checkin.
 
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The 2024 Camino guides will be coming out little by little. Here is a collection of the ones that are out so far.
In my opinion, the only way to protect a backpack during the flight is to carry it on with you. If it´s too big for the overhead bins, it´s likely to be too big for your Camino. I would never check my pack on the way over to Spain, but I know plenty of people do. I used to check my walking poles but that ended the year they got lost in transit and made my arrival day much more of an anxious hassle than it usually is. Buen camino, Laurie
 
Laurie has offered very good advice.

Consider what you would do if your carefully planned and fretted over pack does not arrive? Will you have extra days to wait in your arrival city to wait for it?
Will you start out without it?
As Laurie posted...her poles did not arrive on one of her Caminos.
I know of many people who have had the misfortune of having the pack lost or mishandled.
I have carried my pack on board (with poles) every year since 2009.
I do check it on the return home trip.
 

I just ordered a canvas drawstring bag from "www.totebagfactory.com." Total price, including shipping, was $10.89. The bag also has a shoulder strap. It should arrive tomorrow. I am hoping to take it to a sewing place to see if they can put three or four metal reinforced holes in it, through which I could put either a small lock or at least a couple of those heavy plastic electrical ties. It won't stop a determined thief in an airport or an albergue, but it would probably tend to send your average pick pocket or other opportunist on to an easier target.
 
Camino Way markers in Bronze
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
Hi,

I am used to putting my back pack with the walking pole (only one) into a white rubble bag. It costs nothing (even in France !) and is extremely solid and light.
 
Pull all the straps tight and tuck them in so there are no loose ends to catch on the baggage conveyors.

Some airlines (such as air canada) will provide a heavy duty plastic bag if asked.
 
Hola! What I use is a transit bag. Your rucksack fits inside the transit bag, which protects it from damage. It depends on what transit bag you get. Some are cheapy and some are wonderfully strong. I've used this transit bag many times and it never lets me down. Here's the one I use. http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/transporter-p292832
 
Altus BALI Sleeping bag liner
Ideal sleeping bag liner whether we want to add a thermal plus to our bag, or if we want to use it alone to sleep in shelters or hostels. Thanks to its mummy shape, it adapts perfectly to our body.

€46,-

I see that the bag weighs 330 gr (.75 lb). Do you carry it empty and folded the rest of your camino?
 
Weight doesn't bother me. I'm used to carrying heavy loads. Yes, it folds up very nicely!
 
Well...... due to the large number of passengers on my flight back from Santiago I had my rucksack checked into
the hold at the last minute as there was't room for it as hand luggage.

It emerged with a small rip in it at Edinburgh which, whilst annoying, I could live with. ( Duct tape is cheap and strong )
However, when I arrived home I found that both of my cameras where missing. They'd been in a lime green dry bag.

I've informed Iberia and with typical British reserve have asked nicely if they found the bag on the plane. ( Rather than
coming straight out and saying your baggage handlers have pinched my gear ) At just over a week I've not had a reply from
them which is starting to get my dander up.

However, on a bright note, I did have the sense to remove all of the memory cards and carry them with me. Obviously
if I'd known my bag was going into the hold I would have taken the cameras on as part of my hand luggage.
 
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I'm really sorry to hear this, Introibo. Thank goodness you have the memory cards, but still... Such a shame.
I hope you pester Iberia
I've always put my bag in the hold and no problems, guess it was just a fluke then...
Oh dear, something else to worry about now...
 
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Hi, however you check it in, make sure your house keys, your phone and the phone charger are with you in your carry-on bag. All are VERY inconvenient to lose if they go missing. Also your toothbrush . . .
 
More 2024 Camino Guides available
The 2024 Camino guides will be coming out little by little. Here is a collection of the ones that are out so far.
Most often I do take my backpack as handluggage, and check in what I can afford to loose to get my backpack in handluggagesize. If I send my backpack, I put it into a blue IKEA plasbag with zip suitable for a medium backpack, cost about 3 euros. Bring it with me to put my bp into it when I suspect bedbugs during
nights. If I can/ am allowed I take my poles onboard. They are my most expensiv items.
 
grayland said:
I have carried my pack on board (with poles) every year since 2009.
Click to expand...
Poles on board? I keep hearing that the Santiago airport has quite a lovely collection of walking poles - possibly donated for the current exhibit on the Camino ;0) -. How are you getting away with it?
 
From the Canadian Airtransport Security Agency: no walking sticks on board: http://www.catsa.gc.ca/complete-ite...=0&submit.y=0&field_wtp_category_tid=All&nid=

Mine have always traveled checked in, my bag either wrapped in plastic-wrap or simply with the dangling bits well attached. The only time I worry about my bags not arriving is when I am travelling to board a diving boat for weeks at a time. When I am on such a trip I leave home 24 hours early to give my diving gear a chance to arrive in time for boarding.
 
Camino Ready, Backpacks, Boots etc
3rd Edition. More content, training & pack guides avoid common mistakes, bed bugs etc
flew AirFrance and asked @ check-in if they could kindly please obtain one of those transparent, heavey-duty bags they use for strollers or baby-seat check-in. - they weren't overly thrilled at first, but eventually someone got one of those for my rucksack (probably 8kg total) . but also had with me Plan B (a heavy duty large rubbish-bag). all went perfectly fine -
 
Anemone del Camino said:
Poles on board? I keep hearing that the Santiago airport has quite a lovely collection of walking poles - possibly donated for the current exhibit on the Camino ;0) -. How are you getting away with it?
Click to expand...

I carry my pack with poles on the outbound flight to Spain.
I always check my bag on the flight home as it really is not important if it arrives with me on the return home.
I have never flown on of Santiago but have heard many times about the no pole policy there.
 
Who knew the US is more lenient than Canada?! I may start flying out of the US to be able to carry my poles on board! ;0)
 
Altus BALI Sleeping bag liner
Ideal sleeping bag liner whether we want to add a thermal plus to our bag, or if we want to use it alone to sleep in shelters or hostels. Thanks to its mummy shape, it adapts perfectly to our body.

€46,-
I don't do anything special other than secure the waist strap. I once had a knife stolen from one of the pockets, 1986 I think it was. BUT some people do have bad luck.
 
I've always checked my backpack in, Qantas and Emirates have always managed to get it to Spain and Vueling to Lourdes but once on my return to Aus it was Left in Dubai, Emirates home delivered it to my door. It was an anxious wait because my Compostella / Credential were in it and I wanted to show off , of course

But for convince I always check my pack so much easier transiting terminals etc

PS I just tighten the straps together at the back my poles are collapsible and fit in my pack (one now, I lost one somewhere out of Arudy)

Buen Camino
 
I end up sewing a waterproof bag with draw string and handle and put the bag in pole and all. got it from safely and in perfect condition. The first bag I sew with flap and buckles was too loose. A co-camino walker friend bought it from me. It worked well for him. T thanks for all your thoughts.
 
Camino Ready, Backpacks, Boots etc
3rd Edition. More content, training & pack guides avoid common mistakes, bed bugs etc
I checked mine with The cheapest duffle I could find the poles loose in the bag including the pack. Glad I did as the bag was very torn up but everything inside was fine. Went thru Paris.
Tossed it in SJPDP
Returning on arrival by train I found a bag shop in Madrid that my pack would fit into & checked it again. No tears upon arrival.
 
Anybody use a thick black trash bag and duct tape? Leaving tomorrow morning and only now thinking of this.....
 
Altus BALI Sleeping bag liner
Ideal sleeping bag liner whether we want to add a thermal plus to our bag, or if we want to use it alone to sleep in shelters or hostels. Thanks to its mummy shape, it adapts perfectly to our body.

€46,-
wayfarer said:
I tuck in all the straps then wrap the bag in kitchen wrap (cling wrap). I buy a roll of the same in Santiago and wrap the bag at the Airport. This has worked a treat so far, cheap to do and will keep inquisitive fingers out of your pack.
Click to expand...

What do you do with yer sandwiches ???
 
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If I were you, I would check with you specific air carrier to confirm that you CAN take walking poles in you pack (even if they are packed in something). You risk having them ask you to check the poles. That is why I am purchasing my poles in St. Jean. No way, so I wish to be parted from my backpack. Good luck and Buen Camino.
 
On both of my Caminos I stared and ended at the same place, Madrid on the first and Lisbon on the last one. I made arrangements to leave my suit case at the hostel/hotel that I stayed at. Put my pack in my suit case along with a clean set of return flight clothes and checked it in. Another thing I have seen is people will wrap their suit case or packs in plastic (cellophane) wrap. It helps protect your straps and attachment points but also deters pilfering. Leonardo da Vinci out of Roma had stations that did this for a fee. Buen Camino

Happy Trails
 
I bought a cheap, lightweight duffle bag that I used to check my pack on the flight over. My plan was to just fold it up and carry it with me, then use it again on the flight home. The problem I ran into was that it was just so bulky in my pack that I ended up leaving it in Paris. For the trip home, I wrapped the shoulder straps and hip belt around the back and cinched them down tight. Then I put the rain cover on and made sure all the rest of the straps were tucked away so they wouldn't get caught. I cinched the rain cover as tight as it would go. It made it through 3 airports with no problems.
 
Get a Spanish mobil number + data while on the Camino
Get a spanish phone number with Airalo. eSim, so no physical SIM card. Easy to use app to add more funds if needed.
ToteBag does not deliver this item to Canada, so I found a local bed/bath company that has a perfect size polyester laundry bag with drawstring which I can tape down. Very jazzy colour & design as well….Buen Camino Maggie
 
Prior to my outgoing flight in 2013, I purchased a very lightly used soft-sided suitcase/bag for $3.50 from my local Sally Ann. It was almost like an old fashioned carpet bag and in fab condition. In it I put my poles and anything that I could not carry in the cabin, crossed my fingers that it would arrive and checked it in. (I carried my backpack into the cabin.) In Spain I left it in my first-night hotel room, with a note that it needed a home. I would not have left just any old thing in the room, but this really was a very nice bag.

On the return flight from Madrid, I had my whole backpack, poles included, shrink-wrapped at the airport and checked it in, as I had done on my 2009 camino. But the shrink wrap service had really increased in price in the intervening 4 years, from about 4 Euros to 10 or 12 (can't recall exactly.)
 
Let us pick up your suitcase once you arrive in Europe....
...and ship it to Santiago for storage. You pick it up once in Santiago. Service offered by Casa Ivar (we use DHL for transportation).
For my Osprey 36L which is staying with me for the flight, I will use the built-in rain cover, which covers the bag quite snugly…I realized that only after I had purchased a nylon laundry bag with drawstring and had a shoulder loop made for it. I'll going with the rain cover.
 
2024 edition: The Brierley Camino Frances Guide
The first edition came out in 2003 and has become the go-to-guide for many pilgrims over the years. It is shipping with a Pilgrim Passport (Credential) from the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela.
My backpack was just a bit too large for Iberia Airlines and Nostrum airlines going from Madrid to Pamplona, so will be checking it. Purchased a sturdy plastic bag made for backpacks and plan on using this for the flight and also for in the Alberques when my bag has to sit on the floor. (a bit more protection against bedbugs though will be spraying the pack too)

Plan is to bring a carry-on in a bag that I can throw away in Pamplona and have all of the items in it that would be difficult to replace in a day. The back pack will have my poles, Swiss Army knife, toiletries, water bottles, flip-flops, etc. in it. Carry on will have clothing, socks, hip pack, guide book, map, sleeping bag, poncho, fleece coat.

The thought of losing everything is a bit scary, but if I only had to replace a few things, items that were readily available in Pamplona, it wouldn't be so bad.

Has anyone else done this? I have lots of old bags laying around the apt. that I can use as a carry-on and then toss them after arrival. Returning home isn't a problem to check everything.
 
Hi, Jodean, my Plan A would be to try to carry on the packed backpack, with the throwaway bag at the ready in case they tell you it's too big to carry on. I have carried on my pack for years on those smaller internal flights in Spain and no one has ever measured it or looked at it. Unless yours is a monster, it might make it. One year Delta lost my checked tube with hiking sticks, knife, etc, and since that time I have not checked anything and have bought a new knife in Spain.

But your plan is also doable, because there are several good outdoor stores in Pamplona where you can replace all those things you plan to put in the pack and check. I would never want to have to replace my pack at the last minute because it's such an individualized fit, but hey, you could do it. Which country are you leaving from? How big is your pack? Buen camino, Laurie
 
Get a Spanish mobil number + data while on the Camino
Get a spanish phone number with Airalo. eSim, so no physical SIM card. Easy to use app to add more funds if needed.
Curious what kind of bag is made just for backpacks
Curious what kind of bag is made just for backpacks..
 
It is made by Tatonka. You can put other stuff in it of course, but they are marketing it as a back pack cover. It is re-inforced plastic, almost woven, but weighs 215 gr.

I live in Germany. Reading the airline website, the measurements of my bag were too long. It is a Deuter ACT Lite 35 l.
 
My advice is to carry it on.
I've known more than one pilgrim arrive in Spain with no backpack.
 
Camino Ready, Backpacks, Boots etc
3rd Edition. More content, training & pack guides avoid common mistakes, bed bugs etc
Hi Jodean and welcome (from another newbie). It seems like a good idea. Personally, I would not ever check anything, especially on a journey such as this. After mulling over a couple of options of what to put my bag in, it occurred to me, it has a built-in rain cover so will just use that. Mine is a 36L Osprey. Love it. 11 days to go and counting :>) Wish you Buen Camiono.
 

I agree with anniesantiago 100%. If you have to check it, so be it, but I would definitely try to carry it on. You can get a sense of the airline's attitude about its size limits by asking others on the forum who have had this issue and who have flown on your airline. Buen camino, Laurie
 
Anemone del Camino said:
Poles on board? I keep hearing that the Santiago airport has quite a lovely collection of walking poles - possibly donated for the current exhibit on the Camino ;0) -. How are you getting away with it?
Click to expand...
As grayland's alter ego on this topic, I can tell you that both of us always advise people that carrying poles HOME from Santiago is impossible, but that we have never heard of anyone who has had a problem carrying poles TO Spain (be it Madrid, or further on on an internal domestic flight) from the US. And it's important to stress "from the US" because other countries may be different. Buen camino, Laurie
 
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All I know is that British Airways (Vancouver/London/Madrid) is saying no, no, no poles. I even called. I just would never chance it. I know we all have our own opinion on this, so to each his own to decide for their own sense of peace of mind….what works for one does not always work for all; too many factors. Other than that…..11 days and counting:>) yeeaaayyyyy
 

I don't disagree with anything you say, maggie, because I have no experience with Canada. Grayland and I only bloviate about passengers leaving from the US.

11 days is not many! I'll bet you're ready to get going. Buen camino, Laurie
 
movinmaggie said:
After mulling over a couple of options of what to put my bag in, it occurred to me, it has a built-in rain cover so will just use that.
Click to expand...
If you are carrying your pack on board (not checking it), then you don't need to put any cover on it. Just carry it normally on your back! I think the concerns about how to "prepare" your back pack are for checking the bag, to avoid the straps from catching on conveyor equipment somewhere in the bowels of the airport. When you carry it, the only such equipment is at security and you can put it in a plastic tray for that part.

I always have a small bag of some sort (I use my drawstring day pack, or a disposable bag) for the things that I'll want during the flight, so I don't need to rummage in the overhead compartment. On arrival, I can stuff it into the top of the pack, and walk off.

11 days!
 
Last edited:
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peregrina2000 said:
I don't disagree with anything you say, maggie, because I have no experience with Canada. Grayland and I only bloviate about passengers leaving from the US.

11 days is not many! I'll bet you're ready to get going. Buen camino, Laurie
Click to expand...
Oh my…and I ever. And again, my thanks to you and staffers like you, veterans, moderators and the like…what service you heap upon us all. As for the poles, I am purchasing them in St. Jean. Returning home, I will check them and IF they were to go missing, it's no problem. I have my own here in Victoria.
 
See…..it's good folks like you that make it all so much easier, and practical. Of course this makes total sense. I too will carry a small soft bag for any 'go to' items needed on the plane. Now would you like to stop by and help me eliminate items from my bag? I do seem to hone it down each week. My thanks. Maggie
 
Camino Way markers in Bronze
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
movinmaggie said:
right around 8 kilos
Click to expand...
Is that including water and snacks? Personally, I try to keep it to 6 kg before water - at that weight, the back pack is virtually a non-issue for me. If you really want to reduce the weight, but don't want to post your list, feel free to send a Private Conversation to me. Or we could even shout loudly across the Georgia Strait. Or even phone.
 
Last edited:
Thanks for this discussion. I have been going between check or carry-on, check poles in 'something' or buy in SJPP. All what seem to be critical decisions that catch me up - I have same pack @movinmaggie and am quite happy with it. Working at getting my pack down at the moment.
 
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Don't worry she will be fine, apparently its her first flight right? Most likely she will sleep, Just leave her some snacks and soft music. hahahaha


Zzotte
 
As an update, I re-measured my back-pack and will be carrying it on the plane with me. Checking in an old bag that will have my walking poles and Swiss Army Knife.
Thanks for all the tips.
Only 3 more days!
 
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