My packing list for Spring/Summer 2015

[bystander]

This is my list as of the present:
Any thoughts?
I have not at this stage included things like Swiss Army Knife (for Vino Collapso, salchicha, queso etc) or ablution kit and of course the obligatory pebble (already in backpack) and credencial.
I will, of course, take my own medications as well as a basic foot repair kit.
Apart from poncho (Altus) does anything else spring to mind that is missing from the list (I have a wristwatch with a built in light adequate for night time navigation!)?
Apart from the Rohan kit I already have all the rest.
FROM THE SKIN OUT
AIM < 7,500G (I weigh 75K)
Aarn Marathon Magic 33L 1,140g
4 x 5L EXPED Fold Dry Bags 192g
Merrell Moab Ventilator 850g
Keen Newport H2 sandals 404g
2 prs Bridgedale Trekker socks 220g
3 prs Bridgedale Coolmax Liner 30g
Tilley Hat 110g
1 pr Pacer Poles 600g
iPhone 140g
iPad Mini Retina 341g
Silk Mummy Liner 120g
1 Rohan Elite Jacket 330g
1 Rohan Microgrid Stowaway Jacket (fleece) 335g
1 pr Rohan Trailblazer Convertible (trousers) 405g
1 pr Rohan Action Bags (trousers) 305g
2 pr Rohan Ultra Silver Trunks (40g) 80g
1 Rohan Ultra Silver T Short Sleeve 60g
1 Rohan Ultra Silver T Long Sleeve 95g
1 Microfibre medium travel towel 60g
Passport 40g
Debit card 5g
Glasses 60g
TOTAL 6,022g
Bottled water during the day would add 1,000g at the start of the day but that would decrease as the day goes on.
edit: In addition to the Brierley camino app which I already have on my iPad, I will have scanned and edited his book onto my iPad and onto the Cloud; by the time I leave I will, also, have finished compiling lists of hostals, hotels and Paradores with their phone numbers. Plus I have over the past 12+ years been compiling a list of past pilgrims' recommended (and the opposite) bars, restaurants etc. Both lists, apart from also being on my iPad and the Cloud, I will have as printed copies of in a ziplock bag in my backpack.

 

[koilife]

Why the Elite Jacket AND Altus? Seems redundant. If keeping Elite Jacket instead of Altus, you'll probably want a pack cover.

If going to do any serious pre-dawn walking, you probably want a head lamp or dedicated torch. I doubt a wristwatch gives adequate illumination.

Didn't see stuff sacks or money belt. Are your meds, first aid, toiletries, paper copies, also in the current weight? They can add up quickly unless you're ruthless.

On the other hand, since you have the Tilley, all you need is a bit of Dr. Bronner's and you can pretty much leave everything else behind!

 

[bystander]

Koilife, thank you for your comments and suggestions
Re: Altus poncho it was a comment on another thread about the pressure of shoulder straps of backpacks potentially invalidating the waterproofing of jackets that made me consider a poncho.
As far as I know the Aarn backpack is waterproof-ish, but will, following your suggestion (for which thank you), consider buying a pack cover.
Dr Bronner's is not a product of which I was previously aware. In my youth at boarding school we just used soap for body and hair - seemed to do the job - but if staying in an albergue I will buy soap locally and leave behind.
My intention is, as much as possible (I am a foghorn of a snorer and being of a certain age I do need the bog on occasions during the night) to stay in hostals, hotels and the few Paradores on the route so as not to annoy or incommode others.
As to "pre-dawn walking" I have no intention of trying to be on the Camino before the locals are up and providing provender and beverages so I cannot envisage needing a red light head torch!!
Not sure about what money belt to have but I do have my father's from WW2.
My "meds" sans packaging weigh very very little - anything else I find I need, including clothing, I will buy locally.
I should have mentioned that I will be travelling from the south of England to SJPdP by train. So the vast sums of money that you guys, coming from other parts of the globe, are having to pay airlines I am not having to expend thus I can therefore afford to be slightly more self-indulgent!

 

[wayfarer]

Sounds like a good list bystander, why the ipad mini as well as the phone? Also the backpack looks very interesting, Kanga uses one of these and loves it, it looks well balanced.

 

[Urban Trekker]

I can do a lot with my iPhone but it does have its limits. There are just some things that are best done with a tablet, like storing and reading reference material and books, face book posts, as well as storing, sorting, and editing photos from my camera.

 

[Kanga]

Koilife, thank you for your comments and suggestions
Re: Altus poncho it was a comment on another thread about the pressure of shoulder straps of backpacks potentially invalidating the waterproofing of jackets that made me consider a poncho.
As far as I know the Aarn backpack is waterproof-ish, but will, following your suggestion (for which thank you), consider buying a pack cover.
Dr Bronner's is not a product of which I was previously aware. In my youth at boarding school we just used soap for body and hair - seemed to do the job - but if staying in an albergue I will buy soap locally and leave behind.
My intention is, as much as possible (I am a foghorn of a snorer and being of a certain age I do need the bog on occasions during the night) to stay in hostals, hotels and the few Paradores on the route so as not to annoy or incommode others.
As to "pre-dawn walking" I have not intention of trying to be on the Camino before the locals are up and providing provender and beverages so I cannot envisage needing a red light head torch!!
Not sure about what money belt to have but I do have my father's from WW2.
My "meds" sans packaging weigh very very little - anything else I find I need, including clothing, I will buy locally.
I should have mentioned that I will be travelling from the south of England to SJPdP by train. So the vast sums of money that you guys, coming from other parts of the globe, are having to pay airlines I am not having to expend thus I can therefore afford to be slightly more self-indulgent!

Looks like a great list to me. The inner waterproof liner in the Aarn pack, assuming it is the same inner as in my Featherlite, will keep everything dry - one of the good features. I prefer a poncho to a jacket generally but often take both and I need both - the jacket can be far too warm it sometimes it is good for the wind and evenings.

 

[koilife]

Dr Bronner's is not a product of which I was previously aware. In my youth at boarding school we just used soap for body and hair - seemed to do the job - but if staying in an albergue I will buy soap locally and leave behind.

Actually, my comment about Tilley and Dr. Bronner's being all that you need is based on their tongue and cheek miraculous claims about their products. It wasn't a serious recommendation. (P.S. Before I get eaten and shat out by Tilley fans, I have used the same Tilley for almost 20 years now.)

 

[koilife]

Looks like a great list to me. The inner waterproof liner in the Aarn pack, assuming it is the same inner as in my Featherlite, will keep everything dry - one of the good features. I prefer a poncho to a jacket generally but often take both and I need both - the jacket can be far too warm it sometimes it is good for the wind and evenings.

If the Aarn is waterproofed and no pack cover is needed, one more reason to like them! I would still recommend using waterproof stuff sacks (or dry bags) for sleeping bag, clothes, and any other critical items in the event of abrasion or seam seal failures.

 

[koilife]

Re: Altus poncho it was a comment on another thread about the pressure of shoulder straps of backpacks potentially invalidating the waterproofing of jackets that made me consider a poncho.

Never experienced that myself, but I do sweat a lot under my pack straps, so maybe the poster was experiencing something like that???

As far as I know the Aarn backpack is waterproof-ish, but will, following your suggestion (for which thank you), consider buying a pack cover.

The more I think of it, the pack cover isn't really viable with the Aarn front strap bags anyways. I'd still recommend dry bags for protection against critical items.

I should have mentioned that I will be travelling from the south of England to SJPdP by train. So the vast sums of money that you guys, coming from other parts of the globe, are having to pay airlines I am not having to expend thus I can therefore afford to be slightly more self-indulgent!

Indulge away, my friend! I could stay in hostels, pensions, and casa rurals the entire way for the price of a ticket. But, I think I'd really spend it on fine Spanish cuisine and wine, given half the chance.

 

[Kanga]

Never experienced that myself, but I do sweat a lot under my pack straps, so maybe the poster was experiencing something like that???

The more I think of it, the pack cover isn't really viable with the Aarn front strap bags anyways. I'd still recommend dry bags for protection against critical items.

Indulge away, my friend! I could stay in hostels, pensions, and casa rurals the entire way for the price of a ticket. But, I think I'd really spend it on fine Spanish cuisine and wine, given half the chance.

It is not the Aarn pack itself that is watertight - but the Aarn inner dry bag that comes fitted with Velcro to the pack (on my model anyway) - I squeeze the air out of the dry bag, Velcro the dry bag together at the top and then roll it down like a canoe bag and secure the ends to each other. My spouse and I can't think of an occasion when the system failed and things got wet, but I do tend to have a poncho over the top in really heavy rain anyway.

I have experienced water leaking into shoulder seams, or somewhere in that region, and down my back - it happens to me wearing a Goretex jacket but never when I have a poncho over the top. So I don't think it is sweat. Maybe just not a very good jacket. I do know that Goretex and Event are not fail proof - the very fact that they "breathe" means they are not impenetrable.

Ah, the joys of walking in the rain. If you don't get wet from the outside, the chances are you will get wet from the inside. It's not the end of the world - you get wet, you dry out and get warm, life is good.

 

[bystander]

Koilife,
".....stay in hostels, pensions, and casa rurals the entire way.... But, I think I'd really spend it on fine Spanish cuisine and wine, given half the chance."
I intend to give my best shot at doing both!
Wayfarer:
"...why the ipad mini as well as the phone?"
1) The iPhone has a much better camera than the iPad and the next iPhone, the 6, will have an even better one.
2) I can use the phone to dictate to my journal which will be stored and edited at day's end on the pad.
3) I can use sketching/painting apps on my pad.
4) and as Urban Trekker says:
"There are just some things that are best done with a tablet, like storing and reading reference material and books, face book posts, as well as storing, sorting, and editing photos from my camera."

 

[koilife]

It is not the Aarn pack itself that is watertight - but the Aarn inner dry bag that comes fitted with Velcro to the pack (on my model anyway) - I squeeze the air out of the dry bag, Velcro the dry bag together at the top and then roll it down like a canoe bag and secure the ends to each other. My spouse and I can't think of an occasion when the system failed and things got wet, but I do tend to have a poncho over the top in really heavy rain anyway.

I have experienced water leaking into shoulder seams, or somewhere in that region, and down my back - it happens to me wearing a Goretex jacket but never when I have a poncho over the top. So I don't think it is sweat. Maybe just not a very good jacket. I do know that Goretex and Event are not fail proof - the very fact that they "breathe" means they are not impenetrable.

Ah, the joys of walking in the rain. If you don't get wet from the outside, the chances are you will get wet from the inside. It's not the end of the world - you get wet, you dry out and get warm, life is good.

The drybag system you describe is far better that silicone or polyurethane impregnated pack cloth, which is what I thought you were describing. Short of a puncture or burst seam, I can't see it failing.

Goretex and eVent typically "fail" at the seams or when the DWR treatment on the outside fails, at which point water is directly on the membrane itself, or if the membrane is dirty, and these conditions completely stop the vapor transport action.

I stopped worrying about getting wet a couple of years ago, and simply concerned myself about avoiding getting chilled (thus wind jackets and merino) and focused on materials drying quickly (while protecting against flash cooling effects). That's the same time I made the break to an umbrella instead of a poncho or rain jacket. I can't imagine going back.

 

[bystander]

My Aarn backpack does not have the inner dry liner Kanga wrote about.
So, having done some research, I am looking to buy some EXPED Waterproof Compression bags.
What do you all think?
Here is a youtube demo of one being used:

edit: Now changed this to EXPED Fold Drybags

 

[tploomis]

Sunscreen, sunscreen, sunscreen--- protect yourself from the sun. You can buy sunscreen in Spain, but you might need to take out a second mortgage on your house to afford it.

It wasn't clear, but are you planning to buy an Altus poncho in Spain? Personally I would pass on the Altus, although I know many swear by it. I can't see adding two pounds for a redundant piece of equipment that will have condensation issues like every other rain gear if it is raining hard enough. If it is raining hard enough and long enough, no rain gear will keep you completely dry. You can hope for damp and adequately warm as a best outcome in those circumstances. Of course this issue is discussed in great depth on other threads, and there are many differences of opinion. In other areas of your pack list you are obviously trying to be light. Don't throw it all away on redundant rain gear.

 

[Magnara]

Koilife, thank you for your comments and suggestions
Re: Altus poncho it was a comment on another thread about the pressure of shoulder straps of backpacks potentially invalidating the waterproofing of jackets that made me consider a poncho.
As far as I know the Aarn backpack is waterproof-ish, but will, following your suggestion (for which thank you), consider buying a pack cover.
Dr Bronner's is not a product of which I was previously aware. In my youth at boarding school we just used soap for body and hair - seemed to do the job - but if staying in an albergue I will buy soap locally and leave behind.
My intention is, as much as possible (I am a foghorn of a snorer and being of a certain age I do need the bog on occasions during the night) to stay in hostals, hotels and the few Paradores on the route so as not to annoy or incommode others.
As to "pre-dawn walking" I have not intention of trying to be on the Camino before the locals are up and providing provender and beverages so I cannot envisage needing a red light head torch!!
Not sure about what money belt to have but I do have my father's from WW2.
My "meds" sans packaging weigh very very little - anything else I find I need, including clothing, I will buy locally.
I should have mentioned that I will be travelling from the south of England to SJPdP by train. So the vast sums of money that you guys, coming from other parts of the globe, are having to pay airlines I am not having to expend thus I can therefore afford to be slightly more self-indulgent!

We have used our Aarn backpacks for three caminos now ( just finished Le Puy to SJPP last week) and in all sorts of weather including torrential rain at times they never leaked - we didn't take a poncho. Aarn says you can float them down a river and they won't get wet inside! We do take waterproof pants and goretex jackets, but even in rain you get wet from sweat. We invested in quality stuff to start with and have definitely got our value out of it. ( and this time I bought pacerpoles because I broke my arm this time last year and was worried how it would go with trad poles - very happy with the pacer poles, it's a great design). I also use bridgedale socks and they last really well. I would add a little elastic clothesline, weighs nothing and is invaluable. My pack list is on the thread ( along with lots of other peoples).
Maggie Ramsay
(The Italian Camino - Amazon)

 

[bystander]

Sunscreen, sunscreen, sunscreen--- protect yourself from the sun. You can buy sunscreen in Spain, but you might need to take out a second mortgage on your house to afford it.

It wasn't clear, but are you planning to buy an Altus poncho in Spain? Personally I would pass on the Altus, although I know many swear by it. I can't see adding two pounds for a redundant piece of equipment that will have condensation issues like every other rain gear if it is raining hard enough. If it is raining hard enough and long enough, no rain gear will keep you completely dry. You can hope for damp and adequately warm as a best outcome in those circumstances. Of course this issue is discussed in great depth on other threads, and there are many differences of opinion. In other areas of your pack list you are obviously trying to be light. Don't throw it all away on redundant rain gear.

I think I will now erase the Altus poncho from my list - thank you.
And I will add into the backpack UK bought sunscreen (thank you and Baz Luhrmann!)

 

[Peronel]

I'm a huge fan of stuff sacks. Not only do they keep everything reliably dry, they make it easy to organise your pack. I know that my toothbrush is in the small green one, for example, so can find it no bother.

 

[Kanga]

My Aarn backpack does not have the inner dry liner Kanga wrote about.
]

Yes, pity, I just looked up the Aarn website and your model does not have the inner liner. My spouse uses Sea to Summit dry bags in the panniers of his motorbike and they work well. A bit heavier and more rugged than my Aarn inner liner.

 

[bystander]

Yes, pity, I just looked up the Aarn website and your model does not have the inner liner. My spouse uses Sea to Summit dry bags in the panniers of his motorbike and they work well. A bit heavier and more rugged than my Aarn inner liner.

Kanga, see my earlier post on this thread re: EXPED Waterproof Compression Bags.
I have now changed this to EXPEDFold Drybags (v. similar to the Sea to Summit bags) which I have now been added to my shopping/packing list.

 

[bystander]

This is my final list(until someone tells me what I am getting wrong!)
I have either already bought or ordered everything on the list
Only things missing, I think, from the list are medicines, hairbrush and shaving kit
The cloud, my pad and phone will contain all info from Brierley, MMD about accommodation, route etc
Am undecided but may take my Canon SX280 HS compact camera

Comments, please

SO FROM THE SKIN OUT
AIM < 7,500G
Aarn Marathon Magic 33L 1,140g
4x5L EXPED Fold Drybags 192g
Altra Paradigm shoes 258g
Keen Newport H2 sandals 404g
2 prs Bridgedale Trekker socks 220g
3 prs Bridgedale Coolmax Liner 30g
Tilley Hat 110g
1 pr Pacer Poles 600g
iPhone 140g & iPad Mini Retina 341g – 581g
Silk Mummy Liner 120g
1 Rohan Elite Jacket 330g
1 Rohan Microgrid Stowaway Jacket (fleece) 335g
1 pr Rohan Trailblazer Convertible (trousers) 405g
1 pr Rohan Elite Overtrousers 290g
2 pr Rohan Ultra Silver Trunks (40g) 80g
2 Rohan Ultra T Silver Short Sleeve 120g
1 Rohan Core Silver Zip 195g
1 Rohan Freelance Shirt Long Sleeve 190g
1 Microfibre medium travel towel 60g
Passport 40g Debit card 5g Glasses 60g - 105
SUB-TOTAL without water 6,170g
Blue Desert SmarTube Hydration System
Bottled water 1,000g
TOTAL 7,170g

IN BAG WHEN WALKING
Aarn Marathon Magic 33L 1,140g
4x5L EXPED Fold Drybags 192g
Keen Newport H2 sandals 404g
1 prs Bridgedale Trekker socks 110g
2 prs Bridgedale Coolmax Liner 20g
iPhone 140g
iPad Mini Retina 341g
Silk Mummy Liner 120g
1 Rohan Elite Jacket 330g
1 Rohan Microgrid Stowaway Jacket (fleece) 335g
1 pr Rohan Elite Overtrousers 290g
1 pr Rohan Ultra Silver Trunks 40g
1 Rohan Ultra T Silver Short Sleeve 60g
1 Rohan Core Silver Zip 195g
1 Rohan Freelance Shirt Long Sleeve 190g
1 Microfibre medium travel towel 60g
Passport 40g
Debit card 5g
Glasses 60g
SUB-TOTAL without water 4,072g
Blue Desert SmarTube Hydration System
Bottled water 1,000g
TOTAL 5,072g

 

[Dutch]

Just curious, why so many drybags? I take one, for my flipflops, but 4? Do you really use 'm as drybags or just to sort your things neatly?

5kg, thats pretty good!! You can easily afford to bring your camera.

No earplugs? Thats at least adding antoher 1-2 grams...but well worth the extra weight

 

[bystander]

Dutch, thank you for your reply.
Drybags? yes sorting clothes into separate groups and thereby, by colour of bag, knowing what is in which!
Earplugs? Will, courtesy of my snoring and nocturnal habits, be staying mainly in hotels/hostels etc. If, perforce, in an albergue it will be the others who will need earplugs!

 

[Dutch]

Well, then all thats left to say is....Poor others