Sharing gear as a couple

[Camino Ben]

Hello,

My wife and I have recently decided to do the Camino Frances in 2018. I had a question for which I could not find the answer through searching the forum or googling.

Is it possible to share some basic gear so that way my wife does not have to carry as much? I'm thinking things like toiletries (soap, shampoo, sunscreen) as well as first aid supplies. My thinking is that if we are doing the Camino together and we will always be staying together, can't we just have one of these supplies?

On the other hand, I worry that there may be circumstance which may make this difficult. Any experience from couples or people who've tried this?

Ben

 

[Tincatinker]

We carry one first aid kit, one sunblock, one guidebook, one roll of toilet paper, one sharp knife and one corkscrew.

That whacks about 750gms out of my pack but The Beloved seems to manage fine with the extra weight

 

[nidarosa]

We have walked from Astorga-Santiago twice together, staying in private rooms instead of albergues. We obviously carry our own clothes etc, and a washbag each - he has his meds and shaving gear and toothbrush etc and I have my girl things in mine, but we share the crystal deodorant, tooth paste and the shampoo bar plus things like SPF cream. I carry the first aid, he carries the extra water and the guidebook. Both of our packs are really light so it's never been much of a weight issue, more a space issue as his pack is bigger than mine. When we took our padded jackets with us, he carried them both. There really isn't that much stuff to share unless you start carrying food for al fresco lunches etc. If you are worried that you will end up in different places, take two small items instead of one bigger, and carry one each?

 

[Tia Valeria]

Anything that can be shared lightens the load. As does checking if things can have a dual purpose.

 

[Camino Ben]

Anything that can be shared lightens the load. As does checking if things can have a dual purpose.

What do you mean by 'dual purpose'?

 

[Tincatinker]

The Beloved's razor is really useful for tidying me up before we hit Santiago - but I have to make sure she is sound asleep before I 'borrow' it

 

[Anemone del Camino]

What do you mean by 'dual purpose'?

Clothes that can be use during the bed and at bed time for example. An extra pair of socks that can be used as mittens if it gets cold.

 

[Camino Ben]

Thank you everyone for the prompt replies, it's been very helpful!

 

[jsalt]

Any experience from couples or people who've tried this?

Just make sure you each have your own water. There is nothing worse than slogging up the hill, desperate for a drink, and you-know-who is sitting at the top admiring the view and carrying all the water .
Jill

 

[Camino Ben]

Just make sure you each have your own water. There is nothing worse than slogging up the hill, desperate for a drink, and you-know-who is sitting at the top admiring the view .
Jill

Haha oh yeah, definitely will have our own water. I drink about 2x as much as she does and if I'm not paying attention I'd probably end up drinking all her water.

 

[jo webber]

We walk at different speeds. I can walk longer distances, he walks faster. I am 5 ft tall, he is 6 ft tall. We each carry a pack as if walking alone, which we might be for some distance each day.

 

[Phillypilgrim]

Each bringing a blister kit is important, in case you are walking different pace and you are in need of it.

 

[Peter Fransiscus]

My wife Marianne is 1.59mtr. and I'am 1.97mtr.
Thats one reason we don't do long walks together.
She does here thing and I do mine and thats works fine for us.

Wish you all well,Peter.

 

[SusanPaulus]

Sharing to me was the best part of doing the Camino with my boyfriend. I'm 5'6" and he's 6'4"...I'm better at long distances and he's better at walking fast, we walked together slow and long the entire Camino. We carried our own clothes and anything personal that was deemed extra (I packed a pound of Camino gifts to give along the way). We both carried 2 liter bladders and he carried 2 extra water bottles cause he drinks more. He carried all the toiletries and food we got got daily. I carried the towels and ponchos. Somehow both our packs weighed exactly the same (including water) 12.5 lbs each. Entering Pamplona he got sick and I had to carry both our bags for 1/2 a mile...I was well balanced.
Buen Camino!

 

[jsalt]

A good idea when flying, and you have to check stuff into the hold, is to mix your things up between the two bags. If one bag disappears, there is a change of clothes in the other bag. Not such a disaster as when all of one person’s things go missing.
Jill

 

[hel&scott]

What do you mean by 'dual purpose'?

Good point, and check to see if things are dual sized... By that I mean if you can both fit them... We were lucky in that we were of similar size and therefore could wear each other's gear, this ment we could cut down on spares... Did mean we fought over the odd "clean" pair but first up best dressed.

 

[Kiwi-family]

Just make sure you each have your own water. There is nothing worse than slogging up the hill, desperate for a drink, and you-know-who is sitting at the top admiring the view and carrying all the water .
Jill

"you-know-who"....that would be @Tincatinker 's Beloved, would it not?

 

[dougfitz]

"you-know-who"....that would be @Tincatinker 's Beloved, would it not?

So long as he doesn't walk with Voldemort.

 

[alaskadiver]

We shared the soap, the knife, sunscreen, and the first aid kit. We don't walk separately so this wasn't an issue for us. We split the food between us. So I carried the loaf of bread and he carried the meat and cheese.

 

[jsalt]

"you-know-who"....that would be @Tincatinker 's Beloved, would it not?

I notice she's carrying the corkscrew too. Wise woman

 

[Deleted member 12253]

No let her carry her own. Seriously why not. Buen camino

 

[Kanga]

On the Norte, when we carried camping gear (don't is my advice, it is unnecessary) he carried the tent, I carried the fly and groundsheet. And yes, we shared other stuff, although it was me carrying it. Mainly because he did not bring it. Eg toothpaste, deodorant, soap, blister kit. The stuff he thought was unnecessary!

I hasten to add that he took some of it when he realised.

 

[jay quintero]

Hiking / walking cart? Normally, it's the woman who doesn't bring stuff - the guy usually brings everything but the kitchen sink. Proof? look at most women's handbags. Travelling as a couple is advantageous as one person can guard the stuff while the other shops around. the ideal travel number is three. that way, heavy luggage can be "ferried/relayed" from one point to another. Person A stays with the stuff, Persons B&C transport the first batch of stuff, lastly person B or C returns to the position of Person A and they both bring the stuff to the position of person C (my grandparents spoke of this when they did this in their European tour in the early 50s - they went to the Camino de Santiago (by bus from Portugal))

 

[dougfitz]

Normally, it's the woman who doesn't bring stuff - the guy usually brings everything but the kitchen sink. Proof? look at most women's handbags.

@jay quintero, where do these quaint, almost absurd, generalizations come from? I thought they might be for comic effect, but now I'm no longer sure that you don't believe them. As for looking into handbags, I'm not inclined to look into my wife's handbag, let alone attempt to look into a strangers so that I can start my journey to look into most women's bags. It seems like a way of severely shortening what life I have left.

 

[jay quintero]

@jay quintero, where do these quaint, almost absurd, generalizations come from? I thought they might be for comic effect, but now I'm no longer sure that you don't believe them. As for looking into handbags, I'm not inclined to look into my wife's handbag, let alone attempt to look into a strangers so that I can start my journey to look into most women's bags. It seems like a way of severely shortening what life I have left.

Oh, what I meant to say was ... look at the SIZE of women's handbags - not what's in them (that would be an invasion of privacy-4th Amendment?) ... I get most of my observations from the military ... and certain comedians - there is truth in comedy ...

 

[SabsP]

Oh, what I meant to say was ... look at the SIZE of women's handbags - not what's in them (that would be an invasion of privacy-4th Amendment?) ... I get most of my observations from the military ... and certain comedians - there is truth in comedy ...

I don't understand your train of thoughts but that might be me.
What I learned from the different Caminos I walked is that there are no general rules and certainly no packing rules when it comes to gender.

 

[Tia Valeria]

What do you mean by 'dual purpose'?

Examples:-
t-shirt and briefs to walk in or sleep in;
after day's walking/sightseeing travel dress=nightdress;
walking in cool months - long sleeve t-shirt and longjohns=pyjamas.

 

[C clearly]

Normally, it's the woman who doesn't bring stuff - the guy usually brings everything but the kitchen sink. Proof? look at most women's handbags.

This makes no sense if you are suggesting that they have large handbags but don't carry stuff? I find it hard to relate these comments to the Camino I know.

 

[jo webber]

If my pants have pockets I never carry a purse.
If there are no pockets, my flip belt holds everything. No purse.

 

[Elizabeth-o]

Hello,

My wife and I have recently decided to do the Camino Frances in 2018. I had a question for which I could not find the answer through searching the forum or googling.

Is it possible to share some basic gear so that way my wife does not have to carry as much? I'm thinking things like toiletries (soap, shampoo, sunscreen) as well as first aid supplies. My thinking is that if we are doing the Camino together and we will always be staying together, can't we just have one of these supplies?

On the other hand, I worry that there may be circumstance which may make this difficult. Any experience from couples or people who've tried this?

Ben

Hi, Ben!

While my husband and I did not share toiletries on either trip, I would say it's not a bad idea as long as you agree on which items to pack. (FYI, you might actually consider a soap that is made for the whole body as well as for your hair.)

From a security standpoint ($, phones, passports, etc.), it might make you feel better to take turns showering anyway. We never had any "security issues," however.

¡Buen Camino!

 

[C clearly]

There is very little in my pack that would be reduced by sharing things - a few "emergency" first aid/medical supplies only. If you are sharing sunscreen, for example, one person will probably end up carrying more! You can distribute the essential load differently but not reduce the overall weight by much.

 

[november_moon]

My husband and I walked together. We had our own toiletry kits since we might both need them simultaneously and use different products, but we shared a lot of other things. The first aid kit, the knife, bottle opener, sunblock, and that kind of thing. We each carried our own water.