"It's not about the gear" camino article from an irish jesuit blog

[kelleymac]

I found this interesting, and thought others might too

The 80:20 Camino Rule (It’s not about the gear!) - Jesuits Ireland

BRENDAN McMANUS SJ :: A mistake to be guarded against when one goes on pilgrimage is concentrating too much on the issue of gear and technology.

jesuit.ie

 

[trecile]

Interesting take. I think that if you have chosen the wrong gear it will have a greater impact on your Camino. I don't think much about my gear once I'm on the Camino because I've brought things that I know work for me.

 

[dreaming]

I agree with the article. I haven't used fancy clothing or footwear on my 3 caminos only a good backpack and me. It rained nonstop for two weeks on the CF last October. I wore a light rain jacket and plastic pants with hand held umbrella. A couple I met had fancy pants that were supposed to not get wet and they were soaked.

 

[Peterexpatkiwi]

Interesting, but I feel that he's somewhat off with the 80/20 rule. Probably 50% of my prep was concentrated on my gear, the majority of it on shoes and Rucksack as he says . 50% was on research & logistics.

I do agree with this: "The thing is, a lot of the important gear is only useful up to a point, it just has to be ‘good enough’ and after that the gains are fairly minimal" .

I think that if you have chosen the wrong gear it will have a greater impact on your Camino. I don't think much about my gear once I'm on the Camino because I've brought things that I know work for me

I agree completely.

He's 100% right about attitude and preparation though. "The gear on its own doesn’t mean anything without someone in the right frame of mind and prepared physically & mentally ". Of the two, mental attitude is by far the most important.

 

[K_Lynn]

He's 100% right about attitude and preparation though. "The gear on its own doesn’t mean anything without someone in the right frame of mind and prepared physically & mentally ". Of the two, mental attitude is by far the most important.

Yes to the mental attitude! You have to be stubborn lol. You can't let the crappy morning or day stop you. You have to will yourself to get to that tree up ahead, over that ridge, to that shady spot at the bottom of the hill. There were a few days when I forced myself to meet these tiny, incremental made-up-on-the-spot goals of 100-300 meters, whatever it took to get to the next town.

 

[dbier]

• "It is often driven by anxiety/fear and appears to give the illusion of control, as if all Camino issues can be solved with technology and gear. Rather, one thing that the Camino teaches above all others is that you have to let go of control, learn to trust and to live with uncertainty. This is at the heart of the magic of the Camino, there is a beautiful risk to it, you don’t know what’s going to happen and it’s better that you don’t."

THIS. We've all seen people freak out on these boards, and maybe we were those people, trying to control the uncontrollable. We have all had to learn to let go of what we couldn't change.

 

[Flog]

I found this interesting, and thought others might too

I agree with what he writes: there is too much (media driven) focus on planning, logistics and physical fitness and not enough on mental attitude and preparedness for an inner journey. At the risk of offending some, it seems to me, this very forum represents pretty well this 80/20 rule thing..

My comfortable old hiking sandals have finally given up on me after five years of abuse. Looking in a popular outdoor shop at stuff yesterday, this caught my eye and made me smirk to myself..

 

[Peterexpatkiwi]

Wow, your sport shop really knows their customer's don't they!
I've certainly noticed a high proportion of Irish on the Camino (compared to your population). No wonder if even the sports shops effectively advertise/promote it.

 

[Kirkie]

I agree with what he writes: there is too much (media driven) focus on planning, logistics and physical fitness and not enough on mental attitude and preparedness for an inner journey. At the risk of offending some, it seems to me, this very forum represents pretty well this 80/20 rule thing..

My comfortable old hiking sandals have finally given up on me after five years of abuse. Looking in a popular outdoor shop at stuff yesterday, this caught my eye and made me smirk to myself..

View attachment 171108

Quick! Ramblers Way is closing down!

 

[TravellingMan22]

I found this interesting, and thought others might too

The 80:20 Camino Rule (It’s not about the gear!) - Jesuits Ireland

BRENDAN McMANUS SJ :: A mistake to be guarded against when one goes on pilgrimage is concentrating too much on the issue of gear and technology.

jesuit.ie

Interesting take. I think that if you have chosen the wrong gear it will have a greater impact on your Camino. I don't think much about my gear once I'm on the Camino because I've brought things that I know work for me.

100% agree. Thought it was an odd article. Does seem to be an ongoing presumption that doing anything that seems fairly logical and sensible will in some way negatively impact your Camino coming out across a carrying of threads. I.e. taking a phone, securing your valuables. I can’t say they detracted from my experience.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

Interesting (at least to me) that after reading my alerts I was thinking about how my posts are for the technical and practical aspects of the Camino. Maybe I'll discuss this later. Anyway, reading the article the OP steered us to came immediately following those thoughts. At the end though, despite seeing the author's point, this thought poped into my mind, "When you are up to your ass in alligators it's difficult to remember that your initial objective was to drain the swamp." I see my role as alligator control.

 

[kelleymac]

I agree with the article. I haven't used fancy clothing or footwear on my 3 caminos only a good backpack and me. It rained nonstop for two weeks on the CF last October. I wore a light rain jacket and plastic pants with hand held umbrella. A couple I met had fancy pants that were supposed to not get wet and they were soaked.

I bought a new rain jacket for my pilgrimage from Le Puy, and the rain went right through it. Now when I buy a rain jacket, I put it on and take a shower before I trust it on a long walk.

 

[WalkingPlaylist]

Physical, mental, and spiritual preparation all have an impact on your experience and enjoyment. It was nice that once I had the gear sorted, it made the other Caminos easier to prepare for and I could focus on deepening the religious aspect instead, which for me was really what the Camino is about.

 

[RibbonRomanceAuthor]

Yes to the mental attitude! You have to be stubborn lol. You can't let the crappy morning or day stop you. You have to will yourself to get to that tree up ahead, over that ridge, to that shady spot at the bottom of the hill. There were a few days when I forced myself to meet these tiny, incremental made-up-on-the-spot goals of 100-300 meters, whatever it took to get to the next town.

This is the lesson my Camino taught me that I've yet to successfully apply to everyday life. Sigh. But I'll stick with it.

 

[sharonmonty]

I found this interesting, and thought others might too

The 80:20 Camino Rule (It’s not about the gear!) - Jesuits Ireland

BRENDAN McMANUS SJ :: A mistake to be guarded against when one goes on pilgrimage is concentrating too much on the issue of gear and technology.

jesuit.ie

A good read! I like the 80/20 principle but have never applied it to the Camino!

 

[bullingtonce]

Interesting, but I feel that he's somewhat off with the 80/20 rule. Probably 50% of my prep was concentrated on my gear, the majority of it on shoes and Rucksack as he says . 50% was on research & logistics.

I do agree with this: "The thing is, a lot of the important gear is only useful up to a point, it just has to be ‘good enough’ and after that the gains are fairly minimal" .


I agree completely.

He's 100% right about attitude and preparation though. "The gear on its own doesn’t mean anything without someone in the right frame of mind and prepared physically & mentally ". Of the two, mental attitude is by far the most important.

To a degree, we are spoiled. The original pilgrims, many of them, did not concentrate on gear because they could not afford to buy proper clothing/gear. Some even had to depend, partially, on handouts/charity for their food. We never had it so good.

 

[Rita Flower]

I really enjoyed the article. It reminded me of why I am actually walking / doing this - I leave for Camino Podiensis this morning.
I have been deeply engrossed in gear for the last couple of weeks as I know that the right kit and pack weight can make all the difference. I also know that sorting the gear was somewhat about wanting to control the things I can before I get on that plane.
But … in the end it is all about the mind, determination, persistence, perseverance and facing one’s self.
Bon Chemin

 

[OZAJ]

I agree with the OP.

On my first Camino I had no "technical" gear. My pack was an old canvas Karrimor 60 litre. My boots were too small - I lost toenails. I wore heavy cotton work shorts, denim shirt, a wool vest and a fairly useless poncho. I didn't have a mobile phone, my camera used film. I carried 17 kg in my pack.

I was overweight and unfit. No pre-Camino training. I lost 15 kg and ended as fit as the proverbial.

I had a wonderful experience and since that first Camino have walked about 18,500 Camino km.

In my opinion the 80/20 rule applies to this forum, but that is not a bad thing. Too many timid souls and not enough Carpe Diem perhaps? Does that matter? No. The timid souls get what they need to enable them to do something that they might otherwise not do and after that they can help others too.

 

[isawtman]

I have read Brandon McManus's Book called "The Way to Manresa."
He is a Jesuit Priest and hiked the Camino Ignaciano (Way of Ignatius)
in that book. That camino goes from west to east in Spain and coincides
with the Camino Frances for about 6 miles between Navarette and Logrono
except going the opposite direction. It starts in Basque Country and goes
all the way over to Manresa which is north of Barcelona. It is the route Ignatius
took on his way to Rome in 1520 except there was a plague in Barcelona
so he had to divert to Manresa for a year before he got a ship to Rome. Before
"The Way to Manresa" McManus road wrote "Redemption Road" about hiking the
Camino Frances while grieving his brother's death by suicide. I have not
read that book, perhaps because it strikes a little close to home. And more
recently McManus wrote a book with James Fullman called "Brothers in Arms"
about their hike together on the Camino Ignaciano in 2022.
I have not obtained that book yet, but I am hoping to do so soon.
Fullman is a Dublin Taxi Driver so it should be interesting to seeing
the brotherhood between a common man and a priest hiking the camino together.
Hopefully, McManus had better luck on his second hike of the Way of Ignatius.
The first time (in the Way to Manresa) he was hiking in the dark one morning
without a headlamp and tripped on a pothole. He kept hiking but eventually
it got too bad and he went to the doctor. If I remember correctly, McManus
had actually broken his knee cap or some other ailment related to his knee.
He did manage to complete the Camino by resting and sometimes busing ahead.
So, one would think that the main piece of gear advice McManus would
have is to make sure you wear a headlamp when hiking in the dark.