PLASTIC BAGS!!!!

[Deleted member 397]

Someone else's post about some idiot with their rustling plastic bags and packing and un packing their bag between 11pm-2am. Incidentally I agree with what someone else added..why did'nt someone tell him/her to shut up?
YOU DON"T NEED PLASTIC BAGS!!! I met someone who was annoyed with herself for all the plastic bags she had and how she had to open them all to find what she needed-apparently she was following advice from one of the guide books, Brierley I think.I asked her why she thought it was necessary to put things in plastic bags. She repeated the mantra 'in case it rains'. I asked if she had a backpack rain cover-she had (as well as a cover all poncho!) so I said then the things in your bag wont get wet.She looked a bit sheepish and cheerfully threw out the bags. I've watched many novices at albergues wrap almost everything in noisy plastic bags-someone even wrapped their poncho in a plastic bag-how dumb is that? These people also seem blissfully ignorant of how intrusive they are...let alone harmful to the environment.
I took one small soft plastic bag (non noisy) in case my washing wasn't dry-that's all I needed from seville to sdc, le puy to sdc,granada to sdc,salamnca to sdc and vezelay to sdc

 

[Rebekah Scott]

plastic shopping bags, the rattly kind, are being banned in Spanish stores starting in November. I wonder what impact that will have on the Rattlers? Will they hoard the bags they already have, and carefully count, fold, and stack them every night after lights-out? :x Or will they find some devious new way to wake everyone up all night?

Viva the earplug
Reb

 

[lynnejohn]

I remember that this has been discussed before, but just to add my view:

I use zero plastic bags - at home or on the camino. I am, however, mildly but obsessively compulsive, so I use a variety of fabric mesh bags to organize and contain my belongings. This soothes my need for order and is totally noiseless. (I do carry a couple of large ziplocs for leaky stuff like wet laundry and squishy food, but these need to be accessed only during daylight hours).

Thankfully, through legislation, the plastic bag has been marked for extinction. Sadly, consideration of others, thoughtfulness and selflessness cannot be legislated, so other thoughtless acts on the part of some pilgrims will continue to plague other pilgrims. Two remedies: 1) tell them to stop it, and 2) just ignore it and chill.

lynne

 

[KiwiNomad06]

I am a plastic bag user and I hoard them. What a sinner!!!!! I use a plastic liner inside my pack- essential in some of the torrential rain conditions I have walked in here in New Zealand. And because I don't trust one layer for dryness, I keep things sorted into smaller plastic bags. Because I hoard the bags- I have a variety of colours and sizes in strong plastic, and already have a lifetime supply in the bottom of my cupboard. I can quickly find whatever kind of item I am seeking by the colour and size of the plastic bag. And I will never run out of choices!

However, I am also a considerate plastic bag user. I pack my belongings well before bedtime, only leaving out what I will need to change into the next morning. I then pack the last remaining items outside the bunkroom before I leave.

So plastic-bag haters beware- you will never change me!!!!
Margaret

 

[Deleted member 397]

Kiwinomad06...you can buy backpack liners of varying sizes that will effectively make your pack waterproof..you could combine this with a waterproof pack cover or where an all-covering poncho then you don't need plastic bags. As I mentioned in my post some took the advise to put virtually everything in plastic bags (pointless in the first place) but spent ages opening them to locate particular items. That begs the question-are you carrying too much? The contents of my backpack were easily identifiable at a glance: white shirt,blue trousers,pale ble t shirt etc.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

I don't want to get into an argument with those who can find fault in everything others do, but rustling plastic bags? I have never heard one. Velcro. Zippers. Snoring. Trekking pole tips. Squeaky bunk beds. Dripping faucets. Bright flashlights. I have noticed them. But plastic bags? Ziploc? I must get my hearing checked before my next pilgrimage so I can lengthen my list of irritants and keep an ear out for the frumious plastic bag.

 

[KiwiNomad06]

Yes, omar.... we have very good pack liners here in NZ.... we need them!!!! But you will never change me- I have my system and I am sticking to it- religiously!!! I might be the kind of lapsed Catholic who saw no purpose in leaving a stone at the Cruz de Ferro... but plastic bags? My system will last while I still have legs to travel!

Falcon..... I am amazed you haven't heard the plastic bag rustlers. Some kinds of bags are especially potent. But the worst I have ever heard - the Plastic-Bag-Rustler-from-Hell wasn't anywhere near the Camino: she was in a youth hostel in Singapore. She was outclassed only by the two worst Snorers-from-Hell I heard on the Camino- one in Zubiri (about whom I made a blog post at the time as I was awake well before dawn avoiding her http://kiwinomad06.blogspot.com/2008/06/snorer-from-hell.html) and one in Brea.
Margaret

I am supposed to be writing a university essay. Writing about plastic bags and snorers is a diversionary tactic!!!! Now I am a double sinner. I use plastic bags and I procrastinate!

 

[WolverineDG]

I use zip loc freezer bags for my clothes. No, not to keep out the rain, but to keep out the damn bed bugs when my pack gets infested (usually because of three dirty pilgrims...why they are never denied entry until they bathe & clean their stuff is way beyond me....haven´t seen them in days though, so hopefully, they´re long gone).

I have one plastic bag from a store & that keeps the liquid shampoo/soap bottle from leaking all over my other stuff.

Kelly

 

[Deleted member 397]

Wolverinedg.....easy solution to leaking shampoo, do what I do and take a bar of soap which suffices for washing me,my hair and clothes. Falcon 269...never heard the plastic bags,you will when you do your first camino

 

[sillydoll]

I use a 'dry bag' liner. They come in different colours and some even have see through panels.
I also use different coloured mesh bags to seperate my clothing. Usually an outfit per bag - socks, panties, bra, shorts and shirt. I use colours for other clothing such as as a blue bag for long sleeve top and fleece: red bag for the ALTUS rain coat: green bag for the silk sleeping bag liner etc. You soon get used to what clothing is in which colour bag.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Won't mesh bags make a sound like rubbing corduroy or silk stockings? If it can be heard above the snoring, it might be quite distracting to other pilgrims, and it might hide the sound of bedbugs creeping out.

 

[lynnejohn]

Ecological responsibility aside (how many thousands of plastic bags have we all seen blowing along the camino, caught in trees, or filled with garbage and tied to trees and fences?), there are plastic bag CARRIERS and there are plastic bag RUSTLERS. I have seen folks (like Margaret!) with a pack full of plastic bags who pack their gear before bedtime, and oddly, don't feel a need to pack and repack it umpteen times after lights-out and especially around 0400 hours. Considerate.

This spring I woke up one night and watched a young man (I could see because he had his flashlight on, lighting the area) take every single item out of his pack, unwrap it from its plastic bag (the rustling kind), and repack it. This was done not once or twice, but 7 times from about 0100 to 0400. Totally oblivious or unapologetic to the 16 or so others in the room, almost all of whom were awake, and he knew that.

I don't think the issue is finding opportunities to find fault with everything others do. On the contrary - I think this thread can be helpful for those planning their first camino, both in terms of how to live and sleep with dozens of other pilgrims with thoughtful consideration, respecting the land in which one is walking, as well as gear planning.

Packing ones gear need not include plastic bags. If waterproofing/impermeability is desired for whatever purpose, there are stuffsacks that can be bought once and reused for ones lifetime for that purpose. Since silk sleeping bag liners are a barrier against bed bugs, I would think silk stuffsacks are too, but I have no experience with them. Some gear outfitters indicate they are but I'm not sure that this is a reliable function in reality.

I use a colored bag system similar to Sil's which I find very useful and efficient for finding things quickly (mine are not waterproof or bed bug proof). I also don't carry much stuff anyway which simplifies things. This I have only learned over several caminos. My first was not as well planned or organized, because at the time, this forum did not exist!! I'm grateful it now does. Thanks everyone.

lynne

 

[sillydoll]

Falcon - the problem with the mesh bags is that you can't suffocate a plastic bag rustler in them! Throttle them, perhaps? Or, maybe hang them? Mmmmmmmm... thats a thought!

 

[Deleted member 397]

Lynnejohn
Why didn't any of the 16 people kept awake by that obsessive compulsive say anthything?

 

[lynnejohn]

Really good question. I think our socialization and mores prevent us from speaking up (be nice, don't be unkind...). For me, boorish and thoughtless behavior is always so shocking it leaves me speechless at first. I think we often equate "speaking up" with being rude (shouldn't be), therefore we could use more experience in practicing civilised disagreement, confrontation and discourse.

Therefore, me staring at the guy, others thrashing around in their bunks in an exaggerated manner and loudly muttering threats and expletives is what passed for intervention in this situation. Cowards, all of us.

lynne

 

[MichaelB10398]

Anyone that packs and repacks his bag that many times in a short period is obviously suffering from some degree of mental problems. Their issue is different from rudeness because they are not in complete control of their actions. His compulsive behavior is driven by his need to act in a specified manner. That is not to say that we should not speak up, but given his/her condition, it demands a gentleness. Calmly, quietly let them know their actions are disrupting the sleep of everyone. Invite them to go outside if they must continue to pack and repack their bag.

Now for those that are just simply mindless, thoughtless, ignorant, and uncivilized, I wonder if it would not help to have everyone quietly stand in a circle around the individual with with walking sticks in hand, each lightly slapping the palm of their hand with said stick, and invite them to respect the rights of others. Throw a few stones, beat them about the head and shoulders should they resist. In jest, these poor souls are on pilgrimage and have completely, entirely missed the very meaning of pilgrimage. Put your earplugs in and roll over and attempt to go to sleep. Of course, praying that you never repeat their actions would be good too. We all can be pretty thoughtless at times.

Good night, sleep tight and may plastic bags never be heard on your Camino.

Michael

 

[Deleted member 397]

Coincidentally I've just received an email from a compatriot of mine,Janet,who is also a member of this forum. She too started from Vezelay some months after me and is now on the primitivo and nearing SDC. Here is an extract:
" I have been travelling with threeseñoras who arrive at the albergue, are so exhausted that they have a couple of hours siesta, eat,and then are in bed by 9.00. They then set the alarm at 6.00 am and proceed to get up quietly -rattling plastic bags, zipping and unzipping things, and clipping and unclipping various catches!Having successfully woken everyone up they then proceed to hang around the albergue until it islight enough to go at 8.00 ish! "

 

[KiwiNomad06]

lol Omar. I think you and me have an unbridgeable cultural divide here. I can just imagine your formative tramping experiences, slogging it out in the sweltering heat in some dry, barren desert-like part of Australia. Whereas my early tramping experiences were around Mt Egmont in Taranaki, catching all the rains arriving from the Tasman, dumping them torrentially on any poor young unsuspecting trampers. So I learned early to double-protect everything in plastic bags. You never knew when your next torrential downpour was going to last all day!!!
Margaret

 

[MermaidLilli]

On this last trip: I used a small mesh bag for my toiletries. I use a poncho that covers my pack as well as me. I pin moist clothes to the outside of my backpack. Other than a snack sized ziplock for my Qtips I used no plastic bags this trip and all was fine without them. It can be done. I hate plastic bags and say no to them at the grocery store as well.
Lillian

 

[Deleted member 3000]

I have been using my plastic bags WRONG. No wonder I cannot detect the noise. Here is the right way (from the internet):

Intro How to make a loud annoying noise
A loud annoying noise that’s made with a wrapper, part of a plastic bag or plastic wrap, or paper.

step 1 What you need
a candy wrapper, plastic bag/plastic wrap, or paper
a mouth to blow with
scissors

step 2 Cut
Cut your paper, candy wrapper, or plastic bag a little smaller than your mouth.

step 3 Make the sound
Get the piece of wrapper, paper, or plastic at the edge of your bottom lip and open your mouth just a little tiny bit so the wrapper, paper, or plastic can almost be pushed in your mouth. Now blow real hard and you should get a loud squeak that might hurt your ears if its loud enough.

I should be much more popular in the albergues now. A kazoo concert will be my next project.

 

[Rebekah Scott]

I have not done a really full-scale camino since 2001, but I may well be doing one in 2010. I have outgrown all my tolerance for such idiotic thoughtlessness. So this may be a very interesting trip.

Reb.

 

[WolverineDG]

Zip Loc freezer bags make noise, but not on the levels of plastic bags from stores. To lessen the amount of crish-crashing, sleep in the clothes you are going to wear the next day & pack your bag before you go to bed, before dinner if possible. Keep your toiletries bag out of your backpack & under or near your pillow. That way, all you have to do in the morning is grab the toiletries bag & head for the bathroom, then toss it in your pack before you leave.

Or find all the neat little zippered compartments that your backpack has & put your most used items in them for easy-reaching in the middle of the night if the occasion arises, instead of the bottom of your pack under layers of plastic bags.....So simple, yet so few do this....I almost want to go on the camino with Rebekah now just to see what happens..... :twisted:

Kelly

 

[alipilgrim]

Rebekah,

I've really enjoyed reading about your recent caminos on your blog, where might you be considering for a full-scale Camino?

Allison

 

[Tia Valeria]

I have been using my plastic bags WRONG...............
step 3 Make the sound
Get the piece of wrapper, paper, or plastic at the edge of your bottom lip and open your mouth just a little tiny bit so the wrapper, paper, or plastic can almost be pushed in your mouth. Now blow real hard and you should get a loud squeak that might hurt your ears if its loud enough.

I should be much more popular in the albergues now. A kazoo concert will be my next project.

No, no, no Falcon. You don't need a plastic bag for this. Far more effective is a wide blade of grass or a suitable leaf. The noise can be earsplitting and in different tones according to the leaf used.
Maybe a concert of leaves when bags crackle ...........?? :wink:
On a more serious note:- some clothing in a plastic bag to ensure a dry change might be a good idea. For the rest it packs better without bags, or else the nylon stuff bags are useful and quiet. Some of them are water resistant too.
I am experimenting while on practise walks so cannot speak for the Camino itself yet, but we used to 'blow leaves' - which also needs practise - on walks with our children.
Tia Valeria

 

[Deleted member 397]

Tiavaleria.."some clothing in a plastic bag to ensure a dry change might be a good idea. For the rest it packs better without bags"
That would only be a good idea if:
you don't have a waterproof liner
your backpack was not waterproof
You do not have a waterproof backpack cover
You don't wear a poncho which covers you and your pack
Otherwise, yes,great idea

 

[Deleted member 3000]

you don't have a waterproof liner - 4 oz.
You do not have a waterproof backpack cover - 5 oz.
You don't wear a poncho which covers you and your pack - 15 oz.

Plastic bag - .8 oz.
Kazoo - 1.6 oz.

 

[Anniesantiago]

It is well past November 1 and they are still handing out those rattling plastic bags in Santiago markets.

WAIT! It is still October! :::::sad face:::::

 

[Anniesantiago]

We need a few new buttons and badges for the forum...

One would have a plastic bag with a red line through it

The other ... well, nevermind :lol: