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Hey Mike!! I wish that I had a nickle for every time I showed the Osprey back pack whistle to a Florida Trail hiker on their own backpack! I guess I would have about $1.50 maybe? No one knows....Osprey backpacks and possibly others have a whistle built-in as part of the chest strap buckle. I think this often is overlooked.
...One of my sons walked with me for a long weekend & urged me to wrap fluorescent tape around my poles in the future so that I would be more visible to traffic...
Suzanne
Thanks @dougfitz for identifying the object - I have tried one of those myself and came to the same conclusion independently without ever knowing the acronymI still have some of the FRED (Field Ration Eating Device) used by the Australian and New Zealand Armies. Similar to the P38/P51 but extended to form a spoon. Unfortunately the FR of FRED is given a slightly different meaning by those of us who had to use these devices.
For me it was a ecosack shopping bag, rolls up to finger size and weighs next to nothing, I had a reusable shopping bag first time, but found ecosack better, smaller.
1.5 metres of muslin, this is my towel, it weighs next to nothing, dries in minutes and does not smell.
A spork with serrated part on handle, found I did not need a knife at all.
A lightweight lavalava/sulu wrap. Slept in this, wore it to bathroom, used it a skirt/wrap with just my fleece over it when I washed everything at laundromat.Got dressed under it, it is my single favourite piece of gear. Most other things have been mentioned. Gitti
I use my airplane pillow, since I already have it. It is an aid for snoring mitigation by keeping the throat open or promoting sleeping on one's side.an inflatable pillow
I keep thinking what my favorite item was... I have taken and will take again, both the spork, a kind of shopping bag and needle and thread without question.
I guess my favorite item would be my pair of crocks!
Weighing virtually nothing, they keep my feet clean in dirty showers, quick-dry and serve as shoes for walking after hours in the towns, so your feet can air out when not carrying a backpack.
Off course, the downside is they are butt-ugly, but then, who cares when you are a pilgrim? :mrgreen:
[Edit] PS Look, I just saw them in my picture after pressing 'Submit' :lol:
I stuffed a sock in the drain hole. Worked pretty well.Falcon, I have this clothesline and it has been invaluable! I use a couple of carabiners to attach it to whatever I can
The sink stopper has been on my mind each camino, then it slips out, but once I'm in Spain, I sure wish I had it in many albergues and hostals. Washing clothes in running water is pretty inefficient alright, but also very wasteful.
To add to the list, one of my favorite items is the cooling neck tie. On 30+ days, this kept me going.
lynne
A knowledge of Spanish is most useful and weighs nothing, and can be so enriching of the whole Camino.
I also bring a tiny booklet with the prayers and responses of the Mass in Spanish which enables me to participate more fully in the Mass each evening. If anyone wants a copy I will send it to them if they P.M. their email address to me.
Buen Camino,
Lydia
Thank-you for posting that Lydia, it will be nice to read along with the prayers at mass!
Deirdre
I'm also taking some dog doody bag rolls. They're small and light, and good for picking up any random trash I come across. Or another pilgrim may see and have a need, so there are some to share.
I also use a ‘day wallet’ - but my ‘important stuff wallet’ is in contact with my skin 24/7 except when I’m in the shower, when it’s In the shower with me. Clearly it’s waterproof.I think all my favorites have been mentioned, but I'm piping in anyway! You asked us to keep it to 1...that's hard! I'll try to pick the one I didn't think I saw mentioned (though I may have missed it). (safety pins, grocery bag, spork, knife were all mentioned!)
I brought a 'Day wallet' separate from my 'important stuff wallet' - day wallet was for petty cash and a few cards, 'important stuff wallet' was for rest of cash, passport, backup cards, etc. This was your 'important stuff wallet' is safe in your pack and you are not likely to accidentally leave it sitting on a table after paying, and you aren't flashing tons of cash around every time you pay for something.
My entire packing list is here. I go into detail about why I brought every item, how I used it, and what I loved or could have left behind. =)
There is a printable copy of the standard mass in English and Spanish in the ‘resources’ section of this forum under ‘miscellaneous’I do the same, Lydia, and was pleased to leave my homemade little 'missal' with a pilgrim who was walking on to Santiago this month, when I left from my shorter Camino. Another is reprinted and laminated for next time, I hope!
For chopping I use the lid of the box I carry “squashables” in - the box is the hight of a fairsized tomato or nectarine. When the box is not in use for squashables you can stuff in your socks and/or underwear...
I did not mean your unwashed socks or underwear! How could you imagine that!!!
Here's a left field idea, I am thinking of a taking a small chopping board. Not tried it before but I can imagine, if you want to eat al fresco, some sort of cutting surface being very useful. Bread, ham, cheese, tomatoes can get very messy if you cut them on a soft surface.
Seems extravagant but the more I think about it, the more it seems.... well nearly... almost sensible.
Two silicone vino tinto glasses, magnetic travel draughts set and invisible ball game helps break down any language barriers
I carry a 3 meter/10 foot charging cable.A 1m or longer fast charging USB cable - so you can easily charge your phone a distance from the socket;
A good european USB socket plug - saves carrying an adaptor;
Hikers wool - the magic anti blister product.
I use a similar sized circle of rubber intended to be used as a jar opener (we use them to pull arrows out of targets) - doesn't seal perfectly but slows the flow significantly . . . you can always open recalcitrant jar lids too!For a universal sink stopper my husband cut a 75mm diametre circle out of a piece of heavy duty innertube - in fact we took a few to share around. They weigh practically nothing and work a treat.
Jacki.
And achievable:Here's a left field idea, I am thinking of a taking a small chopping board. Not tried it before but I can imagine, if you want to eat al fresco, some sort of cutting surface being very useful. Bread, ham, cheese, tomatoes can get very messy if you cut them on a soft surface.
Seems extravagant but the more I think about it, the more it seems.... well nearly... almost sensible.
Ooh I like prolongation but the French is so much more elegant - la rallonge électriqueI carry a thin 3 m prolongation(?) cable which can also be used for other things than charging such as my little immersion heating coil to make coffee or soup.
Do you not think I have enough to carryDo you take playing cards?
Great idea but how many cards are missing from the pack by the end and rules can be a little challenging unless its game of snap. Which card games do you cheat atplaying cards
"Playing solitaire til dawn, with a deck of 51"?Great idea but how many cards are missing from the pack by the end and rules can be a little challenging unless its game of snap. Which card games do you cheat at
That must be a lonely experience not to mention frustrating, bit like time I lost one of my checkers, had to improvise with piece of chewn gum"Playing solitaire til dawn, with a deck of 51"?
Too young to remember the Statler Brothers I'm guessing?That must be a lonely experience not to mention frustrating, bit like time I lost one of my checkers, had to improvise with piece of chewn gum
A square of foam matting shoved down into the bladder pocket of my rucksack weighs nothing and every time i wanted a seat saved me from having to sit on wet or damp hard rocks or earth .
I carry a thin 3 m prolongation(?) cable which can also be used for other things than charging such as my little immersion heating coil to make coffee or soup.
PS to my prolongation(!) cable post: since I have sometimes found that there was only one socket in the dorm I also carry a sort of triple plug which goes into the socket before I connect my cable. This makes it possible to "share" the socket. The device is not the usual bulky multiplug, but very small and therefore light.
You can of course say accumulating items to be shared with others who then do not have to carry such items you will in the end reach the famous straw which breaks the camels back! However this particular camel is still doing alright and has stopped accumulating things - hence no danger!
[/QUOTE
Now thats clever
When I was much younger I backpacked for six months around Europe with a deck of playing cards and didn't lose any. I don't see that it would be much more of a risk on the Camino. And if you do, I imagine replacement decks would be available in Spain. As we are fond of saying in these "what to bring" threads, many things are.Great idea but how many cards are missing from the pack by the end and rules can be a little challenging unless its game of snap. Which card games do you cheat at
On the long Jerusalem pilgrimage, I did buy a pack of cards, we mostly played cribbage (and I am useless at it!). Didn’t lose a single card over the six months even though I did throw them all on the floor at timesWhen I was much younger I backpacked for six months around Europe with a deck of playing cards and didn't lose any.
PS to my prolongation(!) cable post: since I have sometimes found that there was only one socket in the dorm I also carry a sort of triple plug which goes into the socket before I connect my cable. This makes it possible to "share" the socket. The device is not the usual bulky multiplug, but very small and therefore light.
You can of course say accumulating items to be shared with others who then do not have to carry such items you will in the end reach the famous straw which breaks the camels back! However this particular camel is still doing alright and has stopped accumulating things - hence no danger!
I think that here in Australia, we would call this an extension cord, or extension power cord. It is terminated on one end with the local standard power plug, and on the other with a standard power socket.prolongation(!) cable
Don't the immThat's OK Mike - I don't drink Glühwein so I wouldn't have used it at all for that!
But, we found it very useful to make a hot drink before we left in the morning, especially in albergues with no electricity or no kitchens. Also when the kitchens were busy with people waiting to use a pot on the stove to boil water. I often had other pilgrims cups lined up next to mine wanting a cup of coffee before they left.
As a vegetarian I often bought a box of soup and heated it for supper, with cheese and bread it made a nourishing meal. And so quick to prepare.
Very countries in Europe provide a kettle and cups in the Hotel rooms (as they do in England) and I have always used it to make my own hot drink when staying in a hotel.
I also carry a whistle - with a little led torch attached.
Don't immersion coils require electricity? How did you use yours in an albergue that didn't have electricity, Sillydoll? ...a hot drink before we left in the morning, especially in albergues with no electricity or no kitchens.You need to be careful on voltage. If your item is multi-voltage (110V to 240V) then you only need an adapter but if you have a 110V only item then you need a step-down voltage transformer and that will be too heavy. A standard US to Euro adapter will suffice for multi-voltage items. Check the power requirement for voltage.
The locking clip of the chest strap on my backpack is a whistle. The other buckles on the backpack are black, but this part is orange.Not in my backpack, in my pocket: a whistle.
Weighs nearly nothing, hopefully will never be used.
But if you fall down a ravine, you might be able to shout for an hour or so, leaving you without a voice. A whistle goes on and on.
Or to attract attention in other nasty situations.
Ultreya,
Carli Di Bortolo
You've made my day with the picture of the Scottie dog!!!!!!! Thanks!You need to be careful on voltage. If your item is multi-voltage (110V to 240V) then you only need an adapter but if you have a 110V only item then you need a step-down voltage transformer and that will be too heavy. A standard US to Euro adapter will suffice for multi-voltage items. Check the power requirement for voltage.
I've used Spacebags for years. For the the travel size you roll it up to squeeze out the air (instead of the larger sizes that use the vacuum cleaner to suck out the air), and my clothing is flattened and so much easier to pack. And it's basically waterproof packing.Not to nit-pick, but air in your clothes doesn't *weigh* anything. It may increase the amount of space the clothes take up, which could cause weight distribution issues, but it doesn't increase the weight. So, ziplock bags are great for keeping things dry and organized but not for making them weigh less - unfortunately.
Check out Nite Ize Gear Ties instead.Functionally, twist ties are completely different and become twisted wire and shredded paper after a few uses. They also will unravel quickly at the tug of a sneak thief, providing little security. The electrical ties require a toothpick or small screwdriver to release the clamp mechanism, but can be re-used hundreds of times. I agree that shorter ones can be daisy-chained to expand their uses.
I know someone who brings a plastic hook that has a suction cup lock so she can hang up her clothes, towel, shower gear, purse or whatever. She now uses ones that are not white because she's left so many behind--the hooks that have a color are so much easier to see on a white wall.OK peregrinos, this first-time pilgrim (leaving SJPdP on May 19) hopes to learn from your experience. What was the SINGLE smartest "unexpected" item you included in your backpack? Keep it to one item, please, and (may I suggest?) skip the basics. I hoping for examples of items I would NEVER have considered taking! Maybe even little "luxury" items that weigh essentially nothing but that greatly enhanced your Camino experience. Be creative, now!
Yes - you have to have electricity. I always take the heater, on the Camino and the Via francigena.Don't the imm
Don't immersion coils require electricity? How did you use yours in an albergue that didn't have electricity, Sillydoll? ...a hot drink before we left in the morning, especially in albergues with no electricity or no kitchens.
... Don't immersion coils require electricity? How did you use yours in an albergue that didn't have electricity, ...
It’s an extension cord in Canada too.
Thank you, NorthermLight and dougfitz, extension cord it is! Have looked it up at last!
Don't immersion coils require electricity? How did you use yours in an albergue that didn't have electricity, Sillydoll? ...a hot drink before we left in the morning, especially in albergues with no electricity or no kitchens.
Yes - you have to have electricity. I always take the heater, on the Camino and the Via francigena.View attachment 69454
Manjarín doesn't have running water. I don't know about electricity.Are there any albergues without electricity?
There are hardly any albergues left that don't have electricity! So, not an issue at all ...
BC SY
There are hardly any albergues left that don't have electricity! So, not an issue at all ...
BC SY
Pelerine, I am going by what Sillydoll wrote, which I copied in my post in italics:Are there any albergues without electricity? I have been to albergues without any beds, no showers, but without electricity? Which ones are you referring to, Microft?
So do I!
In post #458 above, Sillydoll confirmed that electricity is needed for the immersion coil. (She probably just wrote the original sentence a bit carelessly.) As has been stated, there are very few albergues without electricity, but at many places there could be a shortage of outlets at times.Pelerine, I am going by what Sillydoll wrote, which I copied in my post in italics:
Don't immersion coils require electricity? How did you use yours in an albergue that didn't have electricity, Sillydoll? ...a hot drink before we left in the morning, especially in albergues with no electricity or no kitchens.
Enough, already! I was trying to make a joke and clearly I am a poor communicator. I was not asking about albergues with or without utilities!In post #458 above, Sillydoll confirmed that electricity is needed for the immersion coil. (She probably just wrote the original sentence a bit carelessly.) As has been stated, there are very few albergues without electricity, but at many places there could be a shortage of outlets at times.
When I was much younger I backpacked for six months around Europe with a deck of playing cards and didn't lose any. I don't see that it would be much more of a risk on the Camino. And if you do, I imagine replacement decks would be available in Spain.
Crazy Eights (with variations) is the universal card game.
It would be hard to beat playing cards as a combination of portability and flexibility in game play.
In that trip to Europe I didn't make it to Britain or Iberia. I still have yet to make it to Ireland, actually. Some day.Good on you, my backpacking has mostly involved agricultural work in Europe, like to earn whilst I travel. Did you include Ireland?
If we didn't lose items on the Camino then how would we be other's 'camino provides' moments
The only problem with replacement decks in Espana for me would be my limited Spanglish might have some difficulty understanding the numbers on a Spainish deck
Never heard of this card game, expect pontoon or 21's might be more universally coherent or snap although can get very competitive
I agree but variation in rules and different language playing cards makes it challenging, try playing a game of strip poker with an Irish deck. My magnetic travel draught set has served me well and I've had many nights and mornings of fun trying to locate the little black counters on the dark floor. Its never the red counter that goes missing. My board doubles as a chopping board
Crazy Eights is a pretty simple game and easy to teach even without a common language. Everyone starts with a hand of cards. There is a card face up on the table with a draw pile of the rest of the cards next to it. The goal of the game is to get rid of all of the cards in your hand. You do this by taking turns putting cards on the face up pile. The card you put there must be the same number or the same suit as the card on the top of the pile. Cards are added to players' hands when they can't put down a card. That's the basic game. Some cards have special powers when you play them (wild cards, cards that make players miss a turn or play again or make the next player draw additional cards). This is where the variation comes in that quickly becomes apparent when the game is taught.
Exactly. Uno is one variation that requires a special deck, but the game can be played with regular playing cards. The way I learned it, eights were wild (hence "crazy eights"), jacks cause the next player to miss their turn, fours allow you to play again immediately, queen of spades causes the next player to pick up 5 cards, and twos cause the next player to pick up 2 cards (unless they themself immediately play a two, in which case the next player must pick up 4 cards, unless they themself immediately play a two, in which case the next player must pick up 6 cards, and so on). We didn't have a card for reversing direction, although I've heard some have the ace do so. Some play that if you can't play a card you only draw one. Others play that you keep drawing until you can play a card.Ah! Uno! Even I can play it. To the delight of the children I tend to forget to cry “Uno” when I am down to one card!
instead of sink stopper or plug, cut a round from a tyre tube to place over the drain hole, one size fits allTwisted elastic clothes line. No clips are necessary; clothes are slipped into the line gaps for drying. There is a lot of competition for drying lines at albergues, and the clothes clips provided are used up fast (and if you supply your own, they will be gone by the end of the trip). In the U.S., AAA stores have an excellent line with suction cups for attaching to windows.
A sink stopper would have been handy in all the places where they were gone. It is hard to wash clothes in running water. $8.50 at Amazon.com.
Exactly! Took me a while before I figured out I had a whistle on my backpack, too.Hey Mike!! I wish that I had a nickle for every time I showed the Osprey back pack whistle to a Florida Trail hiker on their own backpack! I guess I would have about $1.50 maybe? No one knows....
Isn't that what all the French fries are for?I always carry sea salt - we need salt, lots of it!
You could take the jokers out of the deck to cut down on weight.Do you not think I have enough to carry
You can take the jokers out of the deck, but not out of the forum.You could take the jokers out of the deck to cut down on weight.
How heavy is one of these?A spiral immersion heater to make tea, coffee, cup-of-soup etc. Never travel without it.
Never seen one. Good to know that it exists such a thing. Everyday learning something new.
I also brought a sarong and I’m so glad I did. Other women said to me “I wish I thought of that…”. Also worked as a scarf!Nearly forgot. One item that was invaluable (but then it's also invaluable in my every day life) was my kanga (sarong). Can be used as a towel, skirt, sheet, pillowcase, privacy screen (if in bottom bank then hang from underneath top bunk), and many more uses.
Buen camino
Suzanne
There are many comments on the need for a whistle. In the interest of smart packing, check the chest strap of your pack for a hidden whistle before tossing another one into the pack. Many packs have one already built into the clip for the chest strap.
I didn't know that was possible - I just looked it up and it will be very convenient!. When I walked in 2022 I just let others scan my QR code in WhatsApp. Easy peasy.
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