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No Pack

barryoglick

New Member
Time of past OR future Camino
bogg1000
Just a wild & crazy question:

Has anyone walked the Camino sans backpack & lived to talk about it?

Barry
 
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,-
Ha.

Completely doable, I think (in the summer). I am very proud of my very small 28L bag. Essentially, i have only the luxury of a second set of clothes, a poncho and a sleeping bag liner. I could manage without I think.

What a great idea. Maybe I'll try that next time!!
 
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,-
Could easily be done without a backpack, and I'm assuming you don't mean totally devoid of some type of bag to at least carry water and toiletries, or say a jacket in.
 
Pretty sure that’s how they did it “back in the day” - a robe, sandals, and a shell
 
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.
Don't know about the Camino, but you might be interested in the book, Grandma Gatewood's Walk: The Inspiring Story of the Woman Who Saved the Appalachian Trail by Ben Montgomery. What you see on the cover of the book is all she had, and I believe she walked the AT more than once.
 
...and ship it to Santiago for storage. You pick it up once in Santiago. Service offered by Casa Ivar (we use DHL for transportation).
Thank you for the book title, JanelMecB!
As to walking without a pack, I have come across people who carried very small packs who, upon arrival in an albergue, borrowed from others scissors, plasters, even jumpers against the cold......
 
This pilgrim started with nothing but the clothes he was standing up in. However, he soon acquired a pack someone had discarded and a few other bits and pieces.
 
3rd Edition. More content, training & pack guides avoid common mistakes, bed bugs etc
Thank you HedaP for this very touching video!

Don't know about the mandatory bath stop, LesR! They were still (again?) very smelly when they arrived, unbathed I suppose, in the cathedral in Santiago - hence the botafumeiro....
 
Story I heard was going way back, well beyond your lifetime... bathing wax to knock out the lice and sundry othet pestilences that shouldn’t be visited on the good burghers of Santiago...
 
A selection of Camino Jewellery
I did the santiago to finisterre leg several years ago, with just a simple waist belt - the one that has room for two 1/2liter water bottles in a small pouch in between. In that pouch I had a toothbrush and small paste, a cut off piece of soap to last the distance and a silk wraparound skirt I could change into while washing and drying my clothes and later sleep in. I washed my clothes each day as soon as I got to the albergue, risking they may still be somewhat damp in the morning. I never felt I needed anything else but it was summer. I started off in May in France and walked 1200 km app in total with no more than 6 kg - backpack weight included. I didn't carry a sleeping bag, just a sleeping liner - and most albergues provided blankets - but not all, which did lead to a couple of chilly nights here and there - when someone insisted on having the windows open e.g or in an albergue under renovation without doors or windows! I also had only one of those emergency ponchos for the rain - the garbage bag types they sell at tourist destinations - and did regret that in May in France when it pelted with rain for 5 days in a row - and even hailed on top of Mt Aubrac. So, it depends, I think, not only on the season, but also your tolerance or your travel style and finances maybe (would you consider a hotel at times e.g.).
 
The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
Thank you HedaP for this very touching video!

Don't know about the mandatory bath stop, LesR! They were still (again?) very smelly when they arrived, unbathed I suppose, in the cathedral in Santiago - hence the botafumeiro....

I was referring to the Middle Ages when pilgrims were pilgrims, and backpacks, mobile phones annd hair conditioners were centuries away....
 
and don't forget Peace Pilgrim. Started walking by doing the Appalachian Trail in one season in 1952 then carried on walking across and around America for 28 years, distance estimated at 28,000 miles. This during a time when women were expected to 'be quiet and put the meals on the table' - She only ever carried what she could fit into the pockets of her clothes, nothing else.

cover-bw_wide-c31a5e4c96e8942fdf2dc26c7f09c559e2570df2-s900-c85.webp
 

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