Reflections on my equipment list for the Camino Primitivo in June 2015

[ebrandt]

I've been meaning to do this and I'm sitting in a loooong , booooring conference call at the moment so I thought I would multi-task.

Here's what I took and my reflections on it after I returned:

Osprey Kestral men's small Backpack -- this was a new purchase and is a 33 liter pack -- It was perfect. I had plenty of room, it was light fit me well -- I loved it!

Altus Atmospheric SC Rain Poncho -- Another new purchase at the last minute and I LOVED it! It poured on us one day and I and my pack were reasonably dry while my husband was in a jacket with pit zips, and wet out. His pants were soaked because it was too hot to put on rain pants. Mine were wet from the knees down, but that was fine as the temps were in the 60's.

Fleece Vest Homemade PolarTech 100 -- only wore this a couple times but it was perfect when I needed it

Manzella convertible running gloves (I have Reynaud's Syndrome and need gloves when normal people don't -- most of you wouldn't need these),

Merrill Moab hiking shoes with goretex -- I thought these were tried and true -- wore them on the Frances and had no troubles. They were too warm for a summer camino. I had issues with sweaty feet and blisters. I would not get waterproof boots again for a summer camino. The day it rained I was squelching as much as anyone because the rain runs in over the top of the boots or spashes in.

Dirty Girl Gaiters -- I have an odd gait and tend to kick the inside of my left foot with my right. These were great for keeping crud out of my shoes and for keeping my laces tied. But combined with the boots they added too much warmth on hot days. I'm not sure how they would be with different boots.

New Balance Minimus trainers, REI Trekking Poles. I use the trainers for after hiking. They give me a bit of support and are light and bendable -- easy to pack. This is the second camino for my minimal REI poles.

Platypus Water system for backpack. I am a water bladder person -- this one is easy to fill for me.

Sea to Summit Traveller TrI Sleeping Bag -- another new purchase and it was GREAT. Just the right level of warmth and a good cover even on warm nights. The bottom is pull string so you can stick your feet out -- I loved this about it.

Sea to Summit Aeros Ultralight Inflatable Pillow and homemade pillow case -- I wasn't sure whether albergues would have pillows since they seemed more basic than on the Frances. Every albergue had pillows, almost all had blankets. I didn't need this and wouldn't take it again.

titanium spork, platic microwavable cup. small, light and convenient. Probably didn't need but for making my tea in the morning and eating yogurt at lunch....

Ear plugs (2 pair), eye cover -- goes without wsaying

2 REI short ankle socks, 2 feetures regular socks, 2 Moving Cofort Fiona sports bras, 3 Ex Officio underpants quick dry, 1 Columbia quick dry sleeveless top, 1 Lolë quick dry short sleeve top, 1 REI Venturi Hiking Shorts, 1 pRana foll up capri hiking pants, 1 Long sleeve button wind/sun vented shirt (homemade), Sunglasses & protective cover, 1 Buff -- these were all great.

1 REI Webbed Belt -- never wore it
1 Lands End long sleeve turtleneck base layer shirt, 1 Montbell Zeo-line light weight tights -- wore once but really didn't need. I think I would take them again for sleeping or wearing with my shorts for a second pair of long pants. We did not run into chilly weather but... I would not take a turtleneck in the future just a long sleeve v neck shirt.

Packlite Ultra light camp towel, 1 Dr. Bronners Soap Bar (person, hair, laundry), Soap Case, small hair brush, small toothpaste, toothbrush w/cover, small deodorant, spf 50 lip balm, sunscreen/lotion, razor, sink stopper (not necessary but really convenient!), 8 small clothes pins, travel shower shoes, 2 small hair clips, white beach glass earrings -- these all were perfect.

sea to summit ultra light stuffable daypack -- another new purchase that was truly great! I used it on the plane to and from, when we were sightseeing and shopping for food, to carry laundry wet or dry, just everything.
1 small LED flashlight -- I didn't need this and would not take it again. I used it on the Frances in April because it was so dark in the morning getting ready, but in summer it was light enough at 5:30 am to see what I was doing.
1 Sea to Summitt ultra sil medium stuff sacks (for clothes), 1 Homemade first Camino toiletries bag, 1 sea to summit ultra sil small stuff sack (for toiletries) -- I'm a stuffer and these were great.

iPad mini, logitech ultralight keyboard/cover,tech cords: camera card reader, keyboard cord, ipad cord, fitbit cord, iPad/Keyboard neoprene protective case, camera & small neoprene protective carrying case -- all perfect.

Hope this helps others trying to decide on gear and to know what you might need for a June Camino Primitivo,

Liz

 

[Urban Trekker]

I've been meaning to do this and I'm sitting in a loooong , booooring conference call at the moment so I thought I would multi-task.

Here's what I took and my reflections on it after I returned:

Osprey Kestral men's small Backpack -- this was a new purchase and is a 33 liter pack -- It was perfect. I had plenty of room, it was light fit me well -- I loved it!

Altus Atmospheric SC Rain Poncho -- Another new purchase at the last minute and I LOVED it! It poured on us one day and I and my pack were reasonably dry while my husband was in a jacket with pit zips, and wet out. His pants were soaked because it was too hot to put on rain pants. Mine were wet from the knees down, but that was fine as the temps were in the 60's.

Fleece Vest Homemade PolarTech 100 -- only wore this a couple times but it was perfect when I needed it

Manzella convertible running gloves (I have Reynaud's Syndrome and need gloves when normal people don't -- most of you wouldn't need these),

Merrill Moab hiking shoes with goretex -- I thought these were tried and true -- wore them on the Frances and had no troubles. They were too warm for a summer camino. I had issues with sweaty feet and blisters. I would not get waterproof boots again for a summer camino. The day it rained I was squelching as much as anyone because the rain runs in over the top of the boots or spashes in.

Dirty Girl Gaiters -- I have an odd gait and tend to kick the inside of my left foot with my right. These were great for keeping crud out of my shoes and for keeping my laces tied. But combined with the boots they added too much warmth on hot days. I'm not sure how they would be with different boots.

New Balance Minimus trainers, REI Trekking Poles. I use the trainers for after hiking. They give me a bit of support and are light and bendable -- easy to pack. This is the second camino for my minimal REI poles.

Platypus Water system for backpack. I am a water bladder person -- this one is easy to fill for me.

Sea to Summit Traveller TrI Sleeping Bag -- another new purchase and it was GREAT. Just the right level of warmth and a good cover even on warm nights. The bottom is pull string so you can stick your feet out -- I loved this about it.

Sea to Summit Aeros Ultralight Inflatable Pillow and homemade pillow case -- I wasn't sure whether albergues would have pillows since they seemed more basic than on the Frances. Every albergue had pillows, almost all had blankets. I didn't need this and wouldn't take it again.

titanium spork, platic microwavable cup. small, light and convenient. Probably didn't need but for making my tea in the morning and eating yogurt at lunch....

Ear plugs (2 pair), eye cover -- goes without wsaying

2 REI short ankle socks, 2 feetures regular socks, 2 Moving Cofort Fiona sports bras, 3 Ex Officio underpants quick dry, 1 Columbia quick dry sleeveless top, 1 Lolë quick dry short sleeve top, 1 REI Venturi Hiking Shorts, 1 pRana foll up capri hiking pants, 1 Long sleeve button wind/sun vented shirt (homemade), Sunglasses & protective cover, 1 Buff -- these were all great.

1 REI Webbed Belt -- never wore it
1 Lands End long sleeve turtleneck base layer shirt, 1 Montbell Zeo-line light weight tights -- wore once but really didn't need. I think I would take them again for sleeping or wearing with my shorts for a second pair of long pants. We did not run into chilly weather but... I would not take a turtleneck in the future just a long sleeve v neck shirt.

Packlite Ultra light camp towel, 1 Dr. Bronners Soap Bar (person, hair, laundry), Soap Case, small hair brush, small toothpaste, toothbrush w/cover, small deodorant, spf 50 lip balm, sunscreen/lotion, razor, sink stopper (not necessary but really convenient!), 8 small clothes pins, travel shower shoes, 2 small hair clips, white beach glass earrings -- these all were perfect.

sea to summit ultra light stuffable daypack -- another new purchase that was truly great! I used it on the plane to and from, when we were sightseeing and shopping for food, to carry laundry wet or dry, just everything.
1 small LED flashlight -- I didn't need this and would not take it again. I used it on the Frances in April because it was so dark in the morning getting ready, but in summer it was light enough at 5:30 am to see what I was doing.
1 Sea to Summitt ultra sil medium stuff sacks (for clothes), 1 Homemade first Camino toiletries bag, 1 sea to summit ultra sil small stuff sack (for toiletries) -- I'm a stuffer and these were great.

iPad mini, logitech ultralight keyboard/cover,tech cords: camera card reader, keyboard cord, ipad cord, fitbit cord, iPad/Keyboard neoprene protective case, camera & small neoprene protective carrying case -- all perfect.

Hope this helps others trying to decide on gear and to know what you might need for a June Camino Primitivo,

Liz

I'm a guy but it's close what I carry right down to the brands on some of it.
Buen Camino

Happy Trails

 

[DancingQueen15]

Thank you. Thats really useful. I leave next week and im just starting to get my pack together.

 

[Trainee 1949]

Just saw the sea to summit day pack Definitely getting on myself

 

[Piccata]

Hi Liz-
Thanks for the gear list! I'm wondering how much emergency food you brought and if you used it. Looking back through my records I brought 4 oz. of emergency food on the Camino Frances (two 1-oz. peanut butter packs, small pack of crackers, one dried soup packet and two instant coffee packets) and never used ANY of it. It was basically one meal plus a little. Wondering if that would be adequate for the Primitivo. I'm really trying to get my weight to the bare minimum because of the elevation changes! -Meg

 

[ebrandt]

Hi Liz-
Thanks for the gear list! I'm wondering how much emergency food you brought and if you used it. Looking back through my records I brought 4 oz. of emergency food on the Camino Frances (two 1-oz. peanut butter packs, small pack of crackers, one dried soup packet and two instant coffee packets) and never used ANY of it. It was basically one meal plus a little. Wondering if that would be adequate for the Primitivo. I'm really trying to get my weight to the bare minimum because of the elevation changes! -Meg

Hi Piccata,

We didn't bring anything from home. We really didn't plan to carry "emergency food" either when we walked the Frances or this past summer on the Primitivo. We usually ate lunch at a picnic table or on the grass and had a combo of cheese, bread, dried fruits, peanuts and an orange. So between the two of us we usually had some combo of that kind of stuff in our packs that we picked up along the way. We also started each day with a cup of tea so we always had a bag of tea bags in one of our packs. I guess the most it weighed was a half kilo, but often less. I just never worried about it and we never had issues with not finding food. Liz

 

[Artizar]

Liz,
What was the weight of your pack with your bladder filled, more or less?

I've been working on my pack and with 2.5 L of water in my Platypus, I'm still at like 24 pounds.

Extra things I've considered ditching:

--a Prolite by air mattress that weighs 1.5 pounds. Know I should ditch it but want something to sleep on in case running into bedbugs.
-- A sleeping bag liner that weighs about .5. I already have a sleeping bag that's similar to yours by sea to summit.
-- Rainsuit or poncho, I'm still deciding. Right now I've got the rainsuit that's about 1.45 pounds, the poncho is a little less.
-- i'm not taking an iPad, just an iPhone but I do have a charger brick that weighs about 1.25 pounds.

Without my platypus full, I'm at about a little under 19 pounds which still I think would be OK, but then I have to add water.

Any thoughts?

 

[BrettP]

Thanks for your insight, Liz, and all the time you've spent sharing your experiences of the Camino Primitivo on this forum and in the guide.

I leave for the Camino Primitivo in three weeks (start walking on 15th Sep), and am finalizing my packing list too. It will be much the same as the one I had for the Camino Frances in Sep-Oct 2013, but with a few minor amendments. For example, my new digital SLR camera is bigger, but I won't be taking a second lens this time. I'll pare down my clothing supplies a little, and I won't bother with any emergency food (except some tea bags and a few dried apricots) - last trip I took 600g worth, but I didn't use it and every gram counts. I have slightly lighter walking shoes/boots (Salomon X Ultra Mid GTX), which saves another 240 grams.

Last time I used a very light, disposable plastic poncho (100g), which can be shaken out, scrunched up and put into a pocket, and threw it away when I reached Santiago. I think I'll do the same this time, as it did the job pretty well. I won't bother carrying the light rain pants that I had last time, but will instead use lightweight gaiters to prevent rain water running down my legs into my boots.

I will have a water bladder, which I used last time too, but I only fill it on days when I expect there to be few water points. Otherwise I have a light 750ml disposable water bottle that I prefer drinking from, stored in an accessible side pocket on my pack.

Thanks to Liz's eGuide, I won't need an actual guide book this time - that takes care of 300 grams! I'll also pare down my first aid kit to the essentials (470 grams to perhaps 250 grams).

Like you, Artizar, I'm contemplating an ultra-lite air mattress (440g), thermolite bag liner (250g), inflatable pillow (50g) and flysheet (550g), to cater for the option of camping out or avoiding bed bugs for a couple of nights. I'm not completely wedded to the idea, though, as with the additional 1.29 kg it puts me well over the 10% of body weight threshold. It will probably boil down to a last minute decision the night before I leave.

Regards,

Brett
New Zealand

 

[Artizar]

Brett,
I made an executive decision to ditch the air mattress. Not only was it a pound and a half I can lose, it was also quite bulky and I really had no extra space in my backpack with it in there. If I run into bedbugs, I'll just use my sleeping bag as a mattress per se and use my liner to sleep in. Now if I don't just fill it up with another pound and a half of other junk, I should be around 17 pounds and I think that's good. Maybe I'll see you out there.

Artizar

 

[BrettP]

Artizar,

My mattress and bag liner are not too bulky, thank goodness. I use them for back country hiking here in New Zealand, where there are often only camp sites, or huts may be full so I end up on the floor.

Yes, perhaps we'll bump into each other, although your profile says you'll start walking on 4th Sep, so perhaps you'll be almost finished by the time I start on 15th? Regardless, have a wonderful walk ... buen camino. (it feels good to be saying that again!)

Brett

 

[ebrandt]

Liz,
What was the weight of your pack with your bladder filled, more or less?

I've been working on my pack and with 2.5 L of water in my Platypus, I'm still at like 24 pounds.

Extra things I've considered ditching:

--a Prolite by air mattress that weighs 1.5 pounds. Know I should ditch it but want something to sleep on in case running into bedbugs.
-- A sleeping bag liner that weighs about .5. I already have a sleeping bag that's similar to yours by sea to summit.
-- Rainsuit or poncho, I'm still deciding. Right now I've got the rainsuit that's about 1.45 pounds, the poncho is a little less.
-- i'm not taking an iPad, just an iPhone but I do have a charger brick that weighs about 1.25 pounds.

Without my platypus full, I'm at about a little under 19 pounds which still I think would be OK, but then I have to add water.

Any thoughts?

My pack was 7.5 kilo with 2 liters of water.

On the other stuff I'd say take the bag or the liner not both. Mi think a liner would be fine. Most places had blankets. No need for an air mattress. I LOVED my Altus poncho. I'm not sure what you mean by a charger brick but it very heavy. I'm would get a light adapter, I took a Kensington adaptor that was about. 4 ounces.

Ultreia,

Liz

 

[Artizar]

Brett, I am taking this Camino very slowly as it is my first and although I've made some great practice runs I'm a little concerned that my fitness is not up to par to take it at the normal pace. So again who knows, I may see you.

Liz, I'm still at about 19 pounds but that is every single solitary thing I am carrying from pack to pockets--everything and honestly, I'm leaving in two days so I'm kind of tired of worrying about it. I've done two 15Ks, 1 21K, a 25K and 16 K with about 22 pounds and survived-- actually been able to walk more later in the day without the pack. I'm going to go with what I've got if I have to mail something to Santiago I will, some of the things I'm taking are consumable so the Pack will certainly get lighter. And maybe I just won't pack as much water every day. Thanks for the great advice and thanks for the Guide I was able to print it out in a booklet form even in the PDF.

Burn Camino, ya'll!

 

[BrettP]

Have a wonderful trip Artizar, and I hope we do meet up somewhere along the way. Only a week or so to go until I leave on the lengthy series of flights and buses to Oviedo. All the best, and you're right to take it slowly.

Regards, Brett

 

[Seabird]

Brett, I am taking this Camino very slowly as it is my first and although I've made some great practice runs I'm a little concerned that my fitness is not up to par to take it at the normal pace. So again who knows, I may see you.

Liz, I'm still at about 19 pounds but that is every single solitary thing I am carrying from pack to pockets--everything and honestly, I'm leaving in two days so I'm kind of tired of worrying about it. I've done two 15Ks, 1 21K, a 25K and 16 K with about 22 pounds and survived-- actually been able to walk more later in the day without the pack. I'm going to go with what I've got if I have to mail something to Santiago I will, some of the things I'm taking are consumable so the Pack will certainly get lighter. And maybe I just won't pack as much water every day. Thanks for the great advice and thanks for the Guide I was able to print it out in a booklet form even in the PDF.

Burn Camino, ya'll!

You sound like you have the right frame of mind, as I hope to have next spring. Buen Camino!