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Is carrying your own backpack a thing of the past?

In my case, it's in my past. After 68 years, my back can't take it any longer (although maybe I'm just a bit lazy as well)

I don't think it's passe. When I walked the CF two years ago, there were a lot of people with their life on their backs. It all depends on whether you want to do it and perhaps have tried it for a few days walking somewhere else. It's not everybody's cup of tea and, if you're not ready, can ruin an otherwise great experience.

It's just personal choice combined with the random acts of God, muscles, genes, and nature.

If you can, you have the respect of those who can't but want to and don't need the respect of those who chose not to just because it's available
 
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It is dangerous to judge by appearance: People may be too weak to carry, but good enough to walk. They may have blisters. They may have time constraints. They may be tourists, but still have chosen the Way for some reason. Let us hope they find that reason along the Way.

In any case, concentrate on your Camino. Relax and and enjoy the now, and do not let other people's actions spoil a great, in some cases lifechanging, experience. If we sum it up, the Camino creates a better world through creating better people.
 
briann said:
I'm hoping that transporting bags is possible. My doctor has ruled out a heavy backpack but sees no reason I should not be able walk the Camino with a day pack. Is it really so hard to plan ahead as to where you will stop?
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I found it very easy to organise. As long as you plan one day ahead so that you can let them know the next albergue then it is fine. Buen camino! I wish you health and happiness
 
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Honestly, I don't think you can necessarily know what's in somebody's heart, even by speaking to them. There is no guarantee that they will honestly share with you their motivations or hopes, especially if they feel that they may be being judged. Which, if the nature of some of these posts is anything to go by, they may well.
 


OK I appreciate that, but the comment "The Sarria crowd" felt like a sneer. Our first experience of the Camino was from Sarria and as it happened there weren't "crowds" a lot of the time. It so happens that because of my husband's work, we can never travel for more than twelve nights in any one time (he works with asylum-seekers and when there is a negative decision from the court, you have 14 calendar days to lodge the appeal.) So even though we would dearly love to spend two, three or four weeks on the Camino, it just isn't possible. We didn't regard ourselves as tourists, either.
 
Since English is not my first language I read this many times to be sure I got the meaning. So, who are you to tell me I am not a pilgrim because I haven't carried my backpack all the time on my Caminos?
 
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For me, who can carry a backpack, doing so is an expression of self-discipline. By laying out my possessions for a backpacking trip (and my upcoming Camino), then casting a critical eye at those items on the floor, and then ruthlessly culling out the non-essentials, is all part of the process of looking inward and taking control of my fear of the "What Ifs". I do not want the "what ifs" to interfere with living my day-to-day Camino experience.

This is my challenge alone; it matters not what others think about it. For me, carrying a backpack which is lightened by leaving the "what ifs" behind, is part of what I need to do in order to make my pilgrimage a part of my pursuit for spiritual insight and self-awareness. Because I am able, it is important to me to carry my backpack as a part of my self-sufficiency, because the more self-sufficient I am, the better able I am to help others who need that help.

I have no comment or criticism of how others view carrying or not carrying a backpack. I will not withhold my help or not offer encouragement because others are not carrying their belongs, choosing instead to ship them ahead to their next resting place.

I know what I need, and that is all that I really know
 
Good grief lol
Why does it matter who carries a backpack, a daypack or for that matter nothing?
If carrying a backpack makes you a real pilgrim? Doesn't it make sense that the one who carries the most weight, is the better pilgrim? lol
Oh wait. Ut oh. That would mean they are bringing to many creature comforts. lol
Somewhere out there the original pilgrims are having a good laugh if they are reading our posts
 
Tulle said:
Since English is not my first language I read this many times to be sure I got the meaning. So, who are you to tell me I am not a pilgrim because I haven't carried my backpack all the time on my Caminos?
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I'm Ian. It's my opinion. If you want to tell yourself that you're a pilgrim as you breeze past all those people who are carrying their stuff that's fine. Some of them are on walking holidays too. They just can't afford €5+ per day to get some opportunist to carry their stuff for them.
 
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An excellent piece of sophistry. L
 
May I humbly suggest that we all leave this thread and go for a walk.
Talk to people face to face (especially those you disagree with).
We might just find it brings us joy and happiness. Perhaps, it may restore our faith in humanity.
It might just feel like being on the Camino (with or without a backpack).
 
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Has the idea ever crossed your mind that many of us, more likely the older ones than the younger ones have already done our Camino in different ways?
Some of us have served our country, some have served our communities. Many of us sacrificed, worked hard so our kids could go to college & have better lives. Many have taken care of there elderly parents in there final years, some if not many at the same time as still raising there kids.
I have a younger brother who take care of our 97 year old grandfather for the last year of his life. Took him to the bathroom, bathed him, dressed him and sat by his side for 12 months. I could walk the Camino forever & never be the pilgrim he is.
Everyone does there own Camino. For any us to judge them is shameful
 
Every Pilgrim does the Camino His / Here way , with or without a backpack.
It's the Pilgrims Camino and not what some one else say about it.

In my humble opinion it's not cheating and it's no walking holiday , it's a pilgrimage and we all do it with a different
intention .

Wish you well , Peter .
 
I'm not sure that it is. Just back from my most recent trip and with the exception of a small tour group of older people, everyone was carrying their own pack. I like to carry my own pack for this simple reason that I need to really consider every item that I take with me. What's important ant what isn't. I find it really cathartic. It's what I look for when I travel the Camino, it reminds me daily how little I really need.
 
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I hope that any new or potential pilgrims are not put off or misinformed by some of the views expressed in this discussion. There are NO qualifications nor behavioural prescriptions for being a pilgrim to Santiago - you don't have to carry a rucksack and you certainly don't have to sleep in albergues!

There is nothing new in this discussion. Here are two posts from years ago. One from Sillydoll and one from me from 2006:

"Only real pilgrims sleep in Albergues?

DID YOU KNOW - pilgrims to Santiago were never meant to only stay in albergues?
In 1987 at a conference held by the AMIGOS (Friends of the Camino) in Jaca it was suggested that 'refugios' similar to those offered in the middle ages be established in remote villages and mountain areas of the Camino where there were few options for pilgrims to stay.
As there were many hotels, pensions etc in towns and large villages, only one 'donativo' albergue would be established in bigger towns for pilgrims who could not afford to pay for hotels or pensions.
The minutes of this conference show that the refugios would not be for tourists in cars but for walking, cycling and horseback pilgrims only.
It was never intended that pilgrims should only stay in the sponsored refugios. This would be in conflict with the already struggling hospitaltity industry.
Somewhere, 30-odd years ago, an urban legend that pilgrims should only stay in albergues was started, and soon pressure developed on the donativo refugios.
Today there are many lovely private albergues, semi-albergues established in people's homes, and other great places to stay. There is no way to exact a means test on pilgrims, but if you can afford these, perhaps you can help to take the pressure off the few donativo albergues that still survive by leaving them to those who cant afford the alternatives.
PS: Many people don't like staying in albergues but they say that they felt as though they were 'cheating' by staying in a hotel of pension. There is no such thing!"

"Only real pilgrims carry all their belongings in a rucksack - who am I to judge?
This seems to be an issue which in my view provokes selfish and judgmental reactions. That was certainly the case with me but over time my views have changed. I was very proud of my first Camino. I walked 1000 kms from Seville in winter. It changed my life and I’ve been walking the Camino routes ever since. Whilst this has been a truly spiritual experience in many ways I have also at times experienced a feeling of having “done better” than others who had walked for less kilometres or had walked in better weather. In the beginning I carried everything on my back and slept in albergues. I felt a far better pilgrim than those who used luggage forwarding services and slept in hotels. I went to Mass whenever it was available and often found I was the only one of the pilgrims who had arrived who was there. “Call themselves pilgrims? Where are they?” I privately thought. I walked every step of the way and thought less of those who skipped a bit, or got the bus because they were tired, or missed out what they described as an ugly section. And cyclists! Judgemental - oh yes!

Being here in Santiago now for some years I’ve met many who have come for different reasons and used different ways to get here. Some walked long distances, some short. Some cycled or drove or came with a parish group on a bus, some sailed into Coruña on a great cruise ship and came by bus to crowd the Pilgrims’ Mass and then returned immediately to catch the afternoon tide. Amongst this throng are people with different motives - faith, sport, recreation, holiday-making. So where are the “pilgrims”?

My conclusion is that being a “pilgrim” is nothing to do with the Compostela or how we get here or whether we carry a rucksack or where we sleep, but rather what we feel in our hearts, in that mystical part of us which senses the work of the Divine in the journey which we make.

In my view everyone who defines themselves as such is a pilgrim to the Tomb of Santiago. And I believe there is no such thing as a superior or inferior pilgrim. Like religions there are different roads to the Kingdom and different ways of being a pilgrim to Santiago. I abhor pejorative labels like “quickie pilgrims” or “Sarria starters” because it implies an elitist superiority based on what – miles walked?

A few months ago I met three sets of pilgrims almost all at the same time. The first was a man with a physical disability who had walked from France. He said he was a disabled athlete and had enjoyed the Camino but he didn’t believe in God and wouldn't attend the Pilgrims' Mass. The second was a young woman who had come with a parish group on the bus from Santander. She had collected petitions to Saint James and was here to lay these with her prayers at the Tomb. Last was a family of a pilgrim who had died on the Way to Santiago. They flew here to reconnect in some way with a lost parent. To think and pray and just be around the places their parent had been. Are any pilgrims better than others – who am I to judge?"
 
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Some of the comments on this thread are just ugly. "Dubious character"? "Cheating"? Do we really have to go there? Again?? The fact that an ugly comment is "opinion" doesn't make it less ugly. Why some people seem to need to spread such nastiness is a mystery. I'm just impressed by the apparent psychic powers of those who seem to know all about the characters, histories, health status and finances of people they have never met. Amazing, really. But mainly I hope that not one person reading this thread feels somehow less, because the choices they have made through the complex series of events that is their life leading up to the Camino are described publicly in such unpleasant terms by people they will never meet.

Buen Camino to them.
 
wayfarer said:
Where did I say more.....
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You implied it strongly, by attempting to shut down the discussion
I'm bored with this now - it's obvious that bringing this up this is frowned upon for some reason, which is a pity, as for some of us, it strikes at the very heart of the matter
 
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"as you breeze past all those people.." haha, if you have seen me on the road you would have understood that not everyone can carry their backpack even if they wanted to. I'm still a pilgrim.
 
I second that, wish everybody a wonderful journey and a Buen Camino with or without a backpack .
It's your Camino and your alone.
 
OK, if this is seriously meant, it is clearly time that I leave this forum. I have better things to do than read comments by people who clearly think that they are superior to everybody else who is different from them.
 
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Reading this thread , with a light hangover I must say , I don't know if I should feel sad or just laugh/ shrug it away because of the total irrelevance of the subject in the grand scheme of things. It really is a first world problem...
Like on many other threads here on the forum : they are just opinions.
People change , situations change.
Until now I always was physically able to wear my own backpack but if my knee will stay dodgy in the future, let us hope not, I will think about using a taxi service for the pack.

Principles are like farts...If you can't hold them up ....let them go slowly...
 
BarbaraEF said:
OK, if this is seriously meant, it is clearly time that I leave this forum. I have better things to do than read comments by people who clearly think that they are superior to everybody else who is different from them.
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Hi Barbara and welcome to the forum. I hope you can see from the responses to the post you quoted that many would agree there is no "right" way to walk the Camino or be on pilgrimage. Your husband's work with asylum-seekers sounds compelling (some of our friends also work with asylum-seekers and refugees in different parts of the world) and I very much look forward to the perspective your future posts will bring. So please don't leave!
Take care,
Faith
 
BarbaraEF said:
OK, if this is seriously meant, it is clearly time that I leave this forum. I have better things to do than read comments by people who clearly think that they are superior to everybody else who is different from them.
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No need to leave Barbara, the vast majority on this forum do not share these opinions, thankfully.
 
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This thread made me think of something I wrote in my journal last year when I made my way through Northern France. I translated my two cents in English for your convenience.

"As a pilgrim you have a hard time fitting in today's streetscape. You are an anachronistic shadow, an image of the past, quietly searching your way through town, village and field. You are not a tourist and no resident. You are a temporary phenomenon.
Still, everyone recognizes you. Your backpack is showing a shell, your solid walking boots are a clear sign. But, above all, the carrier of a pilgrim's staff makes the perfect replica of the pilgrim from earlier times.
The reactions to your appearance are fascinating. Almost everyone greets you. Some make a joke ("Have you lost your sheep?"), but most are curious about you. Where do you come from, where do you go, how much have you walked?
Especially in the small and poor villages here in northern France you are not just a pilgrim. You are also the outside world, who pops up just like a troubadour in earlier centuries. You are news, you are a curiosity, interrupting the monotony of daily life.
But most notable, and beautiful, are the faces you meet. Almost nobody has a neutral stance on you being there. Curiosity, pleasure, pity, helpfulness, all sorts of facial expressions pass you by.
But the most surprising one, and I notice it much more often than I expected, is the look of desire that I regularly see. The desire to also fill a backpack and walk toward another part of the world. To let go of the old life and maybe find a new one.
This expression usually lasts only a few seconds before it melts away and is replaced by something else. Regret, nostalgia or resentment. But most often I notice a flash of fear, because even thinking of letting go of what (little) you have in search of something new is scary. It is a leap of faith, even for an atheist like me.
Looking like a pilgrim is the easy part, walking like one is another matter. There are no guarantees, and there isn't a right or wrong way to go about it. You have to figure out the rules for yourself as you go along.
This look of fear resonates, maybe even breaks my heart a little every time. It reminds me that everybody has a story, and that some of us will never be able to walk like I do now, because of very real or imaginary reasons. Either way, these reasons matter, and I cannot judge because ultimately it's none of my business. It is a humbling feeling, and I count my blessings as I move on."
 
Ian, who are you to judge that " Pilgrims " without a backpack are not Pilgrims .
And my humble opinion is that everybody who walked to Santiago de Compostela is a " PILGRIM "

Wish you well,Peter.
 
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BarbaraEF said:
OK, if this is seriously meant, it is clearly time that I leave this forum. I have better things to do than read comments by people who clearly think that they are superior to everybody else who is different from them.
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Hi Barbara , please don't leave the Forum for the opinion of a few.
Wish you well,Peter.
 
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Robo said:
Do you think they had their packs transported? I never saw a historic Pilgrim statue or image with a backpack. So I guess they must have ?

Surely walking the Camino has very little to do with backpacks.........

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If you look a little closer you will see that they were carrying small satchels. I reckon that's all they had that and the clothes they stood up in.
 
As the OP for this thread I certainly did not intend for this to be a discussion about what makes a "true pilgrim". Anyone who chooses to call them self a pilgrim is a pilgrim regardless of how or why they walk. An interesting discussion none the less.

I was simply curious about this relatively new and rapidly expanding pack service. We all agree that anyone who needs help should have it. I was wondering about those who use it just because it's there. No judgement, just wondering.

Buen Camino Pilgrims. All of you.
 
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I frankly wonder why some people feel the need to think that all those on the Caminos even want to be described as pilgrims and jump up to defend their pilgrim virtues.

It's as if it's the lable to stive for, and the one you would get by default just because you are walking those routes.

Why is it so hard to accept that for a whole lot of people on these routes this is just a long distance walking holiday?
 
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Horses for courses I expect. But I like to see Pilgrims carry their own back packs unless they have a disability of course. I think carrying your things adds to the experience. That's just a personal choice where else could I hang my shell lol
 
Kieran Kenneally said:
That's just a personal choice where else could I hang my shell lol
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No need to worry about where to hang your shell unless you are also walking back home as the shell is the symbol of a completed Camino and earned upon arrival in Santiago .
 
BarbaraEF said:
OK, if this is seriously meant, it is clearly time that I leave this forum. I have better things to do than read comments by people who clearly think that they are superior to everybody else who is different from them.
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Barbara that's the beauty of a forum its just personal opinions. If we all agreed on everything would life not just be that little bit boring. Your opinion is just as valid as the next persons please don't feel that any particular opinion is a direct attack on you as an individual. Don't be so attached to something that it causes you hurt and that includes opinions. We are all just passing through this life, lets accept that we think differently thats what makes life exciting.
 
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Anemone del Camino said:
No need to worry about where to hang your shell unless you are also walking back home as the shell is the symbol of a completed Camino and earned upon arrival in Santiago .
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Thank you I never knew that
 
If you want to "be a pilgrim" and choose to call yourself that, you are a pilgrim. If you choose not to, you're not. Pilgrims, non-pilgrims, walkers, thru hikers, bus riders, taxi takers, tourists...call yourself whatever you like. It really doesn't matter to anyone else but you.
 
Kieran Kenneally said:
Thank you I never knew that
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Back in the day, there even was trafficking of shells, being sold as early on the route as Leon. The Pope had to threaten those traffickers with excommunication of some kind and a limited number of licenses were then given to a handful of "authorised vendors".
 
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But why then do we have people on this Forum, in this thread, saying that even when having spoken to those who are clear about their intention while walking (a holiday) we still don't know if they are a pilgrim, as they may still see the light at the end of their trip?
 
They sell them in the Pilgrims office In St Jean. Must get the inquisition on to those guys asap. Good to know I just thought it distinguished a pilgrim how standards have slipped lol
 

Because people will always try to convince others to their way of thinking. It's human nature and we all do it. Some are just sharing information, some have a need to be right, and others think they are simply being "helpful". Sometimes it's even sharing one's joy in their experience hoping that you'll experience that same joy.

The key is to let everyone express their thoughts and not take any of it personally.
 
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Typically the service is available where you check in at the hostel. The Hostelero should know. I carried my pack, it weighed 30lbs, everyone called me 15 kilo and wanted to empty out my pack for me. It was super heavy. I stumbled one day where the path was gravel. The path under the gravel had not been graded smoothly and you could not see that. The area under the gravle where I set my foot was a small hole. I stumbled, fell, hurt my ankle. In the next several days the ankle ended up being repeatedly injured. One morning I woke up, crying (being a baby lol) and looked out the window and there was the transport dude. They pick up at certain locations and you select the drop off location. If there is no room at that hostel when you get there, just pick up your bag and walk to another. Crazily enough it really is that simple. I missed the weight of my pack on the day I sent it ahead with the transporter, but if I had done it a few more days I may have finished my Camino. I ended up really hurting the ankle and jumped off in Burgos.

 
No. It's not. I walked the Camino in 2013 and most of the people carried their packs. Only a few transported their packs. Disadvantage of that is that they need to decide a day ahead how far they want to walk the next day...
 
bbates225 said:
I sure hope not. I am planning on carrying mine for the same reasons you mention. I'm just hoping I can do without a few more of my worldly goods because my pack is still just a wee bit too heavy.
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One of the problems in our society is that we can't distinguish between needs and wants. One way to deal with that is to carry your backpack with just your basic needs. If your packpack is too heavy then you have items that are probably not "needs".
 
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).
I also heard that the shells that washed up on the shore of San Sebastián, Bilbao, Santander, Ferrol, Porto, Finisterre, Pontevedra, Porto, Lisbon, Huelva, Cadiz, Malaga, Alicante, Valencia, Barcelona, Marseille, Nice, La Spezia, Lido, Brittany, Amsterdam, Gdansk, etc., etc., were also excommunicated for tempting would-be pilgrims into picking them up.
 
Whether some people like it or not, simply calling yourself a pilgrim, however you choose to travel doesn't cut it - just look at the conditions for the issuing of a Compostela - 100Kms min, religious/spiritual intent, mode of transport - would you dismiss these restrictions as well, or argue with the pilgrim office because you thought they weren't inclusive enough for your needs ?
 
Would love to see your reference to these. Because I have the one about what I am refering to.
 
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Kathar1na said:
I can see how the Cathedral got into the current situation and I can guess why they don't want to give up the current arrangement but it's definitely not suitable for any attempts to define a contemporary peregrino or peregrina on the Camino.
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I think that's for the church to decide, it is, after all their pilgrimage - if you don't agree, why ask for the Compostela ?
And as for "I can see how the Cathedral got into this situation" - wow
 
Simon Thompson said:
I think that's for the church to decide, it is, after all their pilgrimage - if you don't agree, why ask for the Compostela ?
And as for "I can see how the Cathedral got into this situation" - wow
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I think everybody has a different reason for walking the Camino but for whatever reason we begin with sometimes that can change as we walk. Somebody who walked it as a holiday for instance can be touched by someone or by something somebody said.They can have a Paul on the road to Damascus moment or just a different way at looking at things . Who knows what lies in peoples hearts that I leave firmly to God. I just try to meet people where they are in their lives and as the saying goes "Whatever good I can do do it now for I shall never pass this way again" The Compostella is a kind of one size fits all document I haven't got one but I hope to in June please God. From what I have been told you are asked "why you did the Camino? when recieving your Compestella.
 
Cheating? Cheating who?? If a person is on Pilgrimage then who can he cheat? Himself? God? Santiago? Perhaps, but I highly doubt you or I are on the list of who decides such weighty matters. And if this person feels he has cheated himself then that is his burden, not any of the rest of us to decide or ostracize.

In fact, if we take such extreme views perhaps we should really go all the way and say that anyone who is not a Mendicant is not truly a Pilgrim, after all that lazy so-and-so simply chose the 'easy way' and boarded a plane and flew to Spain and then had the audacity to pay their way into a warm, dry shelter with a bed and shower when they were perfectly capable of carrying a blanket and sleeping under a tree or on the Church floor and then 'gave up' and just used their money to buy food and wine when they were perfectly capable of foraging for food like in the good old days... Maybe we should judge not lest we be judged...
 
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Google translated "pietatis causa" to "for compassion".

Initially, I wrote a long reply about baggage transport but stumbled hard upon reading Katharina's post, realizing "for compassion" may be the crux of this thread.

My muscles are worn, I'm jet-lagged and hoisting coffee like a trucker after toting over 20 pounds for the past week (non-Camino trip). Believe me, I was green with envy as I walked through airports yesterday, watching travelers with light bags and a cold Diet Coke in their free hand. Was I a better traveler, walker, person simply because I carried more weight on my back? Not so much. In fact, I felt pretty stupid and really tired.

I usually carry my own pack but there have been times when I've used transport services. I've prepaid trips that included bag transport, had blisters under toenails that made a full pack unbearable, needed to walk 40 km fast to get on schedule and experienced summer heat that melted my soles and my soul. Believe me, I'm not a better or worse person for carrying or not carrying.

There is a 1968 song called "The Weight", written by The Band's Robbie Robertson. The weight on one's head/heart/soul has nothing to do with what is on the back:

" I pulled into Nazareth, was feeling 'bout half past dead
I just need some place where I can lay my head
Hey, mister, can you tell me, where a man might find a bed?
He just grinned and shook my hand, "No" was all he said.

Take a load off Fanny, take a load for free
Take a load off Fanny, and you put the load right on me..."

So, sure Katharina. I can, and do, hike the AT, PCT or the 12,000 foot peaks literally outside my door. But I go on pilgrimages because I believe. I believe in faith, being part of a community, learning a history different than my own and lightening the load of things not carried on my back. That little piece of paper? It signifies the passion, compassion, humor and grace I try to live by and its inevitable renewal on the trail.

Showing a little compassion for "believers/nonbelievers", pilgrims/hikers, travelers/tourists and everyone on The WorldWide Way benefits all of us.
 
I read somewhere that long ago there used to be a quarry somewhere in Galicia and that pilgrims used to go and collect a lump of stone and carry it the last stage of their journey to help build the Cathedral. Now that the Cathedral is finished, I don't see why the lazy pampered pilgrims should get off scot-free. Make them build an overpass or shopping centre somewhere.
 
Camino Way markers in Bronze
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MichaelSG said:
A reference that seas all around Europe have scallops or that the scallops were excommunicated?
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Ya gotta keep an eye on those scallops. You never know what they're gonna do or where they'll turn up.
 
Personally, I saw pilgrims on horseback, and a mule cart on my Camino. I met a pilgrim who suffered a hernia early on and shipped his backpack ahead each day as it was just too much for him. I think they all had full Camino's.

Did I opt for the bag forwarding service on the climb to O'Cebreiro? Yes, I did. Did that ruin my Camino? Nope. Did I use the the luggage service every day? Nope just on a couple days with major climbs and then I still cared some of my gear on those days.

My Camino was more about the Cathedrals I visited, the Masses I attended, the prayers I said, the sights I saw, the people I met. It involved physical challenge, but it was not an endurance event or intentional sufereing. After all I didn't wear a hair shirt or whip myself on my pilgrimage.

Personally, I was more turned off by the Pilgrim buses, I saw each day drive out of towns that I would see later on, when they were handing out water bottles and set up lunches for their tour group members.
 
wrsmith000 said:
One of the problems in our society is that we can't distinguish between needs and wants. One way to deal with that is to carry your backpack with just your basic needs. If your packpack is too heavy then you have items that are probably not "needs".
Click to expand...

Trust me, I can distinguish between a "need" and a "want". Once I am on the Camino I will determine what I thought was a "need" is actually a "want", and that "want" will be the first to go. I am at a bare minimum in my pack, I believe, but my weight and the 10% rule is creating the problem. I have no trouble carrying it as is... but I would like it to be just a little lighter. I have a week to determine if there is anything else I can leave behind (like one pair of the zip-off legs of my two pairs of pants). Thanks for your thoughts though.
 
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Ahhhs said:
Ya gotta keep an eye on those scallops. You never know what they're gonna do or where they'll turn up.
Click to expand...
Yeah. One is going to be attending a local college next fall. He got a scallopship to study marine biology.

On another note, see these old books talking about the scallop shell and the camino:
https://books.google.com/books?id=PksDAAAAQAAJ&pg=RA1-PA282&lpg=RA1-PA282
https://books.google.com/books?id=DrsYAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA389&lpg=PA389
https://books.google.com/books?id=G-vvKgWhIZkC&pg=PA64&lpg=PA64
 
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Hi,

Regardless of the "moral" question ("true pilgrim" etc.), and of potential health problems, does a transported bag make a significant weight difference in practice ?

In any case you will have to wash your clothes everyday (unless you bring 30+ t-shirts in your transported bag ).

So if you stick to really needed items, the difference will be almost one cloth change, your bag liner and toilet kit. You can carry it and save money and possible limitations. Or not. To each his own...
 
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Hi everyone; Sorry I didnt had the time to read all the comments for the thread. I`m trying to come back to the forum slow and steady but with all the things going on here in "real life" Florida, it`s being hard to keep up.

That said, I`m not sure if someone has already said the same thing ( if that`s the case I apologize for being repetitive) but, in IMHO, not carrying their own backpack and being allowed in municipal albergues (therefore, taking the bed from someone else that was carrying their stuff) should ONLY be acceptable if the person would meet some "common sense criteria", such as (just as an example):
- above 60 years old;
- physical problem;
- Childrens under 12(?);
- VERY sick;
- etc.

It seems to me that ( sorry to say that again, I know this is very annoying to read and listen ) " back in the day" there was some of these unwritten rules in place... And they were pretty much respected and made A LOT of sense. It was considered sort of unholy to not obey these rules (I know.... talk about drama!).

During my last two or three Caminos I have to agree that it seems that the unwritten rules are not in place any longer...

Maybe that`s just because of the whole dimension that the Camino have nowadays... I like to think of @Rebekah Scott 's AMAZING piece of writing The future of hospitality on the Camino when reflecting about all this. But, there`s not much we can do ( at least about these stuff) so... WE just have to adapt and accept the way things are and the way things will become.

The Camino is molded and shaped by Us pilgrims: It was an amazing experience, still is, and probably will still be when Rebeka`s predictions all become reality!

So... Just relax, keep walking (with or without carrying your backpack) ! Enjoy it....

When you lose the bed for that " healthy/wealthy" young couple (that ran by you without backpacks and had their`s waiting for them at the albergue) just deep breath, eat a banana and an apple, some chocolate and .... Carry on... Your " place" is reserved where you need to go and where you need to be!

Being in piece with all that is a gift for your soul and spirit!

Non but love;

Ultreia
Vagner
 
Tulle said:
"as you breeze past all those people.." haha, if you have seen me on the road you would have understood that not everyone can carry their backpack even if they wanted to. I'm still a pilgrim.
Click to expand...
I understand that not everyone is able to carry their pack and yet they still walk the walk, which is most admirable. But I had in mind those who are able to carry their pack but choose not to. My apologies if I included you in this latter group.
 
A friend of mine asked me why I carry my backpack every day and that surely it is easier to transport it. I think more and more people are finding reasons "not" to carry a backpack. Obviously I exclude the elderly and unwell.
But I would have to be very unwell to have my backpack transported. I get great comfort in carrying all I own (for this trip).
 
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Im with you! i think carrying all your stuff is the way to go! it is a Pilgrim expierence!
i finished my first camino last November,2016. i found that i liked taking my time walking, taking Photos, eating and drinking the fabulous tapas. why The Rush? now granted , not many young people have two- three months .
I walked at my own pace. depending on weather or blisters, i liked being able to say ' im stopping here!' even if I only did 6-8 miles. i stayed in great private alburges or Hostels. Ate great home cooked meals by the owners of the Alburges. Granted I did send my backpack onward a few times due to tendinitis, but they only transport from Municipal to Municipal. and I wanted to send my bag in between!! so my two cents is . take the least amount you can . lightest weight of stuff. carry it! the Camino is NOT a walk in the Park! it was very hard for me. but I did it! loved it an will be back again soon!
 
C clearly said:
Not at all.
Click to expand...
Like the pilgrims in the medieval time, I like to carry my own 'besace' rocksac and I am please to notice that in it, I just have the thinks I need.
 
IMHO, it is a pilgrimage with all its trials and tribulations. But I think it has become more of a check item in your bucket list and/or a cheap vacation. I understand if you are physically you cannot catty a pack but you don't have to carry everything and travel light.
 
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Carrying your belongings with you is a historical part of the pilgrimage to Santiago. I recently walked the West Highland Way in Scotland where using a baggage forwarding service is common practice. But that is just a walk, not a pilgrimage.
 
It's not you to judge iff pilgrims carry a backpack or not.
It's there Pilgrimage and There's alone.

It's " my opinion " that we have to stop beeing negative about Pilgrims who walk without a backpack.

Wish you well,Peter.
 
Peter Fransiscus said:
It's not you to judge iff pilgrims carry a backpack or not.
It's there Pilgrimage and There's alone.

It's " my opinion " that we have to stop beeing negative about Pilgrims who walk without a backpack.

Wish you well,Peter.
Click to expand...

Oh Peter you are so right.
Every time I pop in here and see new alerts for this thread a great weariness comes over me. The discussion is a futile one and imho leads to nothing. In view of world famine and other big problems this discussion is meaningless.
 
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,-
Peter Fransiscus said:
It's not you to judge iff pilgrims carry a backpack or not.
It's there Pilgrimage and There's alone.

It's " my opinion " that we have to stop beeing negative about Pilgrims who walk without a backpack.

Wish you well,Peter.
Click to expand...


Couldn't agree more with both of you! Buen Camino de la Vida, SY
 
Well compared to those things one could argue that the Camino and this forum are meaningless. But we still come here.
 
Ian Afloat said:
Well compared to those things one could argue that the Camino and this forum are meaningless. But we still come here.
Click to expand...

Actually no, there have been some really serious/heart breaking topics discussed here lately, like the one on the practicalities on how to transport legally the cremated remains of a beloved one to Spain. The forum is what we all make out of it. Buen Camino, SY
 
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).
Ian Afloat said:
Well compared to those things one could argue that the Camino and this forum are meaningless. But we still come here.
Click to expand...

It's a common bonding experience to discuss all things Camino here. That's why there is this forum. Learning how other people see the world and the information they share can be enlightening. Do we really need dozens of threads about what socks to choose? Of course not. Just pick a comfortable pair and move on. However someone may benefit from the information.

If you want to discuss famine this is not the right forum.

Buen Camino
 
I just finished my Portuguese two weeks ago. When you get Compostella, they ask if you walked for religious/spiritual or other reasons, but not WHY (like they do in The Way!). Which was interesting, because as a non-religious person, I had spent a good deal of time formulating in my head what I might say when they asked me!
 
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The motto of this forum is "Where past pilgrims share, and future pilgrims learn".

I would like to hear from you after you have walked a Camino

In the meantime, this may be an interesting read: The Dunning-Kruger effect
 
Last edited:
alexwalker said:
The motto of this forum is "Where past pilgrims share, and future pilgrims learn".

I would like to hear from you after you have walked a Camino

In the meantime, this may be an interesting read: The Dunning-Kruger effect
Click to expand...
And does the motto go on to say "where past pilgrims patronise people they know nothing about?" 7 weeks tomorrow I leave for SJPDP. This will be my 2nd attempt. 2 years ago I had to stop after 160km due to infected feet and acute anxiety.
 
Ian Afloat said:
And does the motto go on to say "where past pilgrims patronise people they know nothing about?"
Click to expand...
Not at all. But when making statements, experience on the subject will help.

Good decisions come from experience.
Experience comes from bad decisions.

Being an old skipper in the Arctic, I always stay afloat

Buen Camino!, and I hope your 2nd attempt on the Camino will be a successful one, with much joy and new friends. Just take care of your feet, so that you can complete it this time.
 
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The word pilgrim comes from the Latin peregrinus (per-agrum, the (free stranger that comes over the fields). In this sense we all are pilgrims, no matter what we carry or how we do our own pilgrimage. Judge not for not being judged - Just something to think about. Buen Camino, SY
 
BarbaraEF said:
OK, if this is seriously meant, it is clearly time that I leave this forum. I have better things to do than read comments by people who clearly think that they are superior to everybody else who is different from them.
Click to expand...

Please don't leave - threads like this flare up from time to time but in general - we are friendly band of fellow pilgrims ;-) Buen Camino, SY
 
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clearskies said:
But I would have to be very unwell to have my backpack transported. I get great comfort in carrying all I own (for this trip).
Click to expand...

I am very unwell. Therefore, on Camino next if you see me using transport, discover I am only a Sarria Starter, enter some compassion into the mix. I neither look nor act ill ... but, there it is. The Camino is calling, I am praying I make it asap. I do not know the hearts, minds, bodies, or lives of the non-pack carrying souls, or the least for most walkers, but I do know this: Try not to judge a pilgrim by their means of pilgrimage; they may have walked a thousand miles to trek 100kms, they may be carrying burdens which far outweigh your pack.
 

I haven't walked past Sarria in 6 years. I prefer the Camino without the hustle and the bustle. However, I am returning to Galicia in September 2018 with my brother who is walking the Camino for the first time. He has chosen to have his bags transported despite being fit and well. My comments were not aimed at the unwell.
 
I understand. My comments were aimed at all. Sometimes, forum threads get a bit harsh, seemingly a my way or highway diatribe. Buen camino.
 
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I walked the Frances in 2015 and recently returned from doing it a second time, just two years later. Like you, I definately noticed a huge increase in daypacks, the many large backpacks waiting at the albergues for their owners to arrive and taxis driving to and fro. This is quite a change in such a short time, but I am in no way judging. It was just an observation.
 
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For the life of me it still baffles me why anyone would concern themselves with what other people carry or don't carry.
If you have a problem with who carries what? In my opinion you just, just might have issues the Camino is not going to fix.
Either that or you are way too self righteous.
 
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May I suggest we start having dental work Novocain free from now on.
That would make us more like real pilgrims
 
There are thousands of people out there walking in all kinds of weather. Just why they're doing it is anybody's guess.
I think we all agree that it's nobody's business how you make your way to Santiago, or even why.

But I think we all can agree that there are time-honored ways to going about a spiritual quest, proven over the ages. They involve stripping yourself down to minimal possessions,
leaving behind home and family to step into an unknown place,
taking things as they come (even unpleasant things), and
thinking about others' welfare as well as your own.
These are elements that make a pilgrimage a pilgrimage, and a pilgrim a pilgrim. It's a simple formula that's worked wonders in millions of lives.

Some people are sure they are the exception to "all that medieval suffering crap." And to them I tip my hat and say, "enjoy your walking holiday."
 
I despair!! Try re-reading post #190 and stop to think that some of the judgemental comments expressed here may be putting some-one off walking the Camino, or joining the forum.
As I read it the OP was just considering that bag transportation was more common, not that it was 'right' or 'wrong'. Perhaps we can just leave it at that.
 
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I'm curious.... some pilgrims' day packs weigh more than other pilgrims' whole packs. Which one is the bimbo? My whole pack, which I carry even when i am tired or it is cold and raining, weighs more than most other pilgrims' whole packs. Can I call anyone with a lighter weight pack a "tourist"? Is someone carrying more than 14kg more holy than I am? I am just curious about these new definitions & rules and where you found them.
 
Thanks for the interesting contribution. It certainly gave me pause and then fuel for thought. The first thought that came to mind, and I'm hoping you are able to fill in the blanks for me, was that if anyone walking less than 300kms earns the title of Bimbo/Himbos, what title did you receive when you rode a bicycle and [then with no lack of good humour] called it a 'Camino' in your forum bio? I wasn't sure because I don't know what qualifies lower than Bimbo/Himbo as surely someone who doesn't walk a step must surely be as inferred by your logic. And further to that thought, did you have to return the previous 2013 Compostela that you received when you undertook such an unholy tourist cycling vacation? Sorry, questions just keep stacking up but just one last one. Was your [almost whole] Camino this year done to seek absolution from the cycling vacation of 2015? And maybe since you walked [almost] the 'whole' Camino is it fair to surmise that you must be back in the 'good books' now and once again free to throw stones in glass houses?
 
Who are you to judge Pilgrims walking with or without a backpack.

There is a number 4 , biking to Santiago.

Why use the word frauds.?
Have a question for you , what do you name taking a taxi.

Rest my case.

Wish you well.
 
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I only have my own experience and the experiences of a few others to draw on. I was mostly worried that something would happen to my pack if I shipped it ahead. At many locations packs waiting to be shipped were not kept in a very secure and unmonitored location like a back room or an unlocked closet. I also encountered people who had their bags left behind by the shipper (did not get picked up and shipped ahead) or were sent to someplace different than designated. Those friends were having to cab back to the prior day's location or wander around the town looking for their bags at the end of a long day of walking.

We did try the bag shipping thing one day when we were planning to go further than usual. We actually beat our packs to the location and then I worried for 2 hours about whether they would arrive. It just seemed less worry for us to carry them no matter what.

I did not mind carrying my pack. It was less than 10 kilos and my husband's was only about 11 kilos. He had a travel CPAP and his medications in it so it just seemed safer to carry everything with us.

I am fine with people who want to ship ahead for whatever the reason, however, for us it just felt safer for us to keep our things with us.
 
Well, this is confusing... In your post you referred to those frauds who started in Sarria as bimbos/himbos yet when you cycled the required distance you consider that 'legal'. Sounds an awful lot like a double standard since we all know the Church considers anyone walking at least 100kms to have 'legally' completed the requirements for a Compostela. Hard to understand why you would disparage them when they also accomplished the requirements. As for definitions of family forums and 'drongo' comments, I suppose we there too have different opinions because in front of my family (or anyone else for that matter) I wouldn't purposely slag anyone in public who took their time and their effort to walk to Santiago, with or without a backpack. There are many kind, decent people on this forum who have walked the last 100kms and are rightly proud of their Pilgrimage and didn't deserve to have anyone tell them they are bimbos/himbos. We have a term for that type of person but as you say, family forum...
 

@Saint Mike II when I first read these comments I assumed they were tongue in cheek, as I have often enjoyed your light-hearted and humorous posts. But your subsequent comments make me think you were serious - and seriously angry, it seems. I can't quite understand why you would describe someone walking 100km as a bimbo, or a fraud, or in fact why their clothing or motivation should be so apparently upsetting to you. But congratulations on completing your Camino, anyway. I hope your anger with so many of your fellow - er - travelers did not prevent you from enjoying some of it.
 
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I'm on board with you. I worry about giving charge of my backpack to another party. That and I think it's good for my health to carry my own backpack. But, but each to there own. I could care less if someone walks bicycles or rides a horse. I would like to think I'm humble enough to not judge anyone else.
 
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).
Neat packing tip: when hiking and backpacking I only bring an ounce of judgement in my pack, to avoid sticky situations and the likes. The rest I leave at home, because it weighs me down too much.
 
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