Useful item but hard to justify in your pack

[fenix]

 

[GlenysP]

@trecile , My towel does not wrap all the way around me. Will I be able to dry off and get dressed before leaving the shower area in privacy? Or do I need to get a towel that covers? Thanks for your help!

Last time I was at O'Cebrero, there was no shower curtain on any of the cubicles or curtains over the window, side on to the showers. But by that time, I'd dealt with a lot of things that I had earlier thought important re: privacy.

 

[GlenysP]

Last time I was at O'Cebrero, there was no shower curtain on any of the cubicles or curtains over the window, side on to the showers. But by that time, I'd dealt with a lot of things that I had earlier thought important re: privacy.

Oh, and in O'Cebrero the bunks are set up so that you might be next to complete stranger. But no issues, just more memories. It's the Camino.

 

[trecile]

The albergue at O Cebreiro is the only one that I stayed at that I would definitely avoid in the future. It just didn't have a friendly vibe to it. And I don't think that it was the size, because I thought that the albergues in Roncesvalles and the large donativo in Ponferrada were wonderful.

 

[HilaryF]

I always carry a sarong. It works as towel, blanket, cover up, something to sit on and dries quickly. My hard to justify item though would be my giant beach hat. The brim is quite large and would ensure that not an ounce of my face will get burnt. I'm sure though it would look ridiculous but I hate getting burnt and I have fair skin.

I am with you, I think my sarong was the most useful item I took with me.

 

[Gillean]

Is this book worth taking the time to read? Did it make you appreciate being in Spain or relate to your Camino experience? I've considered purchasing it a few times, but always hold back.

Sorry for late reply. I've been away for a couple of weeks. I'm still working on Iberia so you'll have to rely on Amazon for a complete review. Some really like Mitchener and some not so much. Iberia has mixed reviews and it is a bit dated. In my opinion it does give some wonderful insights into Spain and Spanish culture. He did walk a camino or perhaps three and his final chapter, chapter XIII, is titled Santiago de Compostela and is one hundred pages on the Camino. Pretty good for something published almost 50 years ago.

From the introduction:
“Did any traveler ever enter Spain in a more appropriate manner than I? While a student in Scotland, I had shipped as chart boy aboard a Clydeside freighter which lugged coal to Italy and brought back oranges from Spain to be used in the marmalade factories of Dundee. We sailed from Glasgow, buried in coal dust, as ugly a little tramp steamer as ever skirted the Bay of Biscay. Against headwinds we made only ninety-six miles a day, pitching and tossing the while, so that I was well fed up with the trip before we ever saw land. Then out of the Atlantic we spotted Cabo Finisterre off the port bow, and for much of one stormy day we kept it in view, a tantalizing taste of Spain, solid, dark, mysterious, looming out of the gray waves.”

 

[Eugenia MinskLund]

I bought a Osprey 12 liter ultralight dry sack which weighs 1.2 ounces that I plan to use in the same way as a Scrubba. I've tested it at home, and it works well.


Both of which you can download to a smart phone for no extra weight!


I have a travel type microfiber towel, but mine is extra large so that I can actually wrap it around my body. I've bought a cotton turkish towel to try out. It is even larger and weighs a bit more, so I'll see if it works better for drying off. I can always cut off a bit of it, and hem the edges to reduce weight. I'll definitely remove the fringe if I use it.

What was your decision regarding the Turkish towel? I am choosing between microfiber towel and the Turkish one.

 

[Shalaw]

Yes, please let us know. I don’t like those microfibre ones because I think they just move the water around my body instead of actually drying it!! Lol

 

[trecile]

What was your decision regarding the Turkish towel? I am choosing between microfiber towel and the Turkish one.

I bought a Turkish towel, but it's much heavier than my PackTowl Ultralight. TheTurkish towel weighs about 10 ounces and is bulky, and the full body size PackTowl weighs 3.4 ounces. I had a Sea to Summit Pocket Towel microfiber towel previously, and I think that the PackTowl does a much better job of drying, and not just moving the water around. If you want something in between the Turkish Towel and a microfiber towel consider a sarong. I have a rayon one that I bought in Mexico.

 

[MeandIan]

I wear mostly tank style dresses in warm weather, so made a couple out of merino wool t shirt weight fabric to wear on the Camino. I extended the shoulder to create a cap sleeve, and added zippered pockets. They were the perfect thing for me to walk the Camino in. Merino leggings underneath kept me warm on cooler days.

I didn’t know you could get material! I’ll definitely go looking. I carry my scales to the shops and the dresses there were very expensive and heavy. I was even thinking of taking a cheap dress I bought in Singapore but, I shudder when I think of the creases

 

[trecile]

I didn’t know you could get material! I’ll definitely go looking. I carry my scales to the shops and the dresses there were very expensive and heavy. I was even thinking of taking a cheap dress I bought in Singapore but, I shudder when I think of the creases

Here are a couple of sources: https://www.newzealandmerinoandfabrics.com/collections/100-merino-fabrics?sort_by=created-descending

https://thefabricstoreonline.com/collections/merino

I like weights around 160 - 195 gsm.

 

[Prentiss Riddle]

Re towels: what about the idea of just carrying an extra synthetic or Smartwool t-shirt to use as a towel? It should be absorbent and quick-drying, and in a wardrobe emergency you can use it as a shirt!

 

[Deleted member 67185]

Re towels: what about the idea of just carrying an extra synthetic or Sfmartwool t-shirt to use as a towel? It should be absorbent and quick-drying, and in a wardrobe emergency you can use it as a shirt!

Merino wool, like Smartwool, is a weird type of material. What contributes to its ability to draw moisture away from the skin and into the fibers is exposure to continuous body heat during activity. That is also what accelerates its release of moisture. As such, it doesn't make a great passive moisture absorber, like other toweling fabrics.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

Peg volunteered years ago for a five year medical study on vitamins and (fish?) oil. I tease her by saying that she walked for months across Spain carrying cardboard card blister packs of placibos. There's about a year left to the study.

Peg got her results. The vitamins were real, the fish oil wasn't.

 

[Prentiss Riddle]

Once on the trail I saw a peregrina with a bunch of drying clothes hanging from a contraption on the front of her pack.

It looked like it was maybe a very lightweight plastic dish drying rack but I only glimpsed it and it could been anything - salad spinner, desk organizer, bird cage... I’ve wondered for years exactly what it was that I saw..

 

[Anniesantiago]

The albergue at O Cebreiro is the only one that I stayed at that I would definitely avoid in the future. It just didn't have a friendly vibe to it. And I don't think that it was the size, because I thought that the albergues in Roncesvalles and the large donativo in Ponferrada were wonderful.

I agree. I often suggest people stop to sleep BEFORE O Cebreiro, have breakfast there next morning and keep walking down the other side.

 

[Anniesantiago]

Regarding a towel I have found the best option to be a threadbare cotton dish towel or hand towel.

 

[Prentiss Riddle]

I’ve been thinking of walking with one of these.



Or at least one of these.

 

[trecile]

I’ve been thinking of walking with one of these.

View attachment 42648

Or at least one of these.

View attachment 42647

I'd take the horn. Much more original. I've seen several guitars on the Camino.

 

[Orford girl]

I am absolutely LOVING this thread - quirky items indeed ... no one has mentioned a universal sink plug ... so many sinks without plugs and one can use it in the shower to build up the water so that one soaks one's feet.

my quirkies? a universal sink plug, a flannel (face flannel? washcloth?), and a linen napkin (dyed brown of course )

The baby towel is a great tip! - didn't know about that. I have tried the microfibre travel towels and they seem to stick to my skin and not dry me properly so I usually carry a worn 'normal' towel - but am off to Mothercare to look at these baby towels today!!

Ah yes a universal sink plug. Keeps me happy with contact lenses. I just bought couple new ones in France-much lighter than ones in USA.
Pack towels-have traveled through Nepal, Canada, s America, & USA. Very absorbent and one can wring it dry. Weighs far less than any towels. Wouldn’t trade it!
Buen camino

 

[Iriebabel]

Collapsible silicon folding coffee cup (on amazon.. I swear they should gift me some stock in the company) ..had coffee every morning before leaving the albergue and the cup is microwaveable..used it for breakfast cereal and fruit, noodles and nuts

 

[iWander]

Well, that certainly is a quirky little item for sure! I've never seen anything quite like it. I bring a simple little S hook to hold my showering bag as it's flat and weighs next to nothing. The only truly quirky thing I bring on the Camino is...myself!

Great idea. I'm adding an s hook to my list

 

[VikingWarrior]

There's three pairs of flip-flops living under my bed because I found lighter ones and they aren't the only items that have been exiled from my backpack in order to keep my pack under 6kg ... my one luxury is a bamboo bath towel ... it's heavier than the last couple of microfiber towels I bought, but I can't stand the feel of those.

 

[Kanga]

There's three pairs of flip-flops living under my bed because I found lighter ones and they aren't the only items that have been exiled from my backpack in order to keep my pack under 6kg ... my one luxury is a bamboo bath towel ... it's heavier than the last couple of microfiber towels I bought, but I can't stand the feel of those.

I'm with you on the horrors of microfibre towels, but don't agree that bamboo is a good replacement. All the bamboo I've tried has taken forever to dry. My substitute for the microfibre towel is a fine cotton muslin baby-wrap. Being a wrap they are quite large, but the fabric is very thin, so light and it dries quickly.

 

[VikingWarrior]

I'm with you on the horrors of microfibre towels, but don't agree that bamboo is a good replacement. All the bamboo I've tried has taken forever to dry. My substitute for the microfibre towel is a fine cotton muslin baby-wrap. Being a wrap they are quite large, but the fabric is very thin, so light and it dries quickly.

Thank you, I'll look into those.

 

[Jodean]

Just found my muslin baby wrap at a yard sale a few months ago. Before this, had a waffle-weave towel that worked so much better than those travel towels, yet weighed the same.

 

[ktchnofdngr]

My "Stick"! To roll out sore muscles-- I use it each morning before walking and usually after stopping for the day. I credit it with getting me through the first week of my first Camino. Took it on the second, and will pack it once again in a few months for the third. Many many other pilgrims have enjoyed using it along the Way, too

I have a 1-2 oz ball that I use in the same way.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B016L9K7X8/?tag=casaivar02-20

Much easier to pack...

Ruth

 

[ktchnofdngr]

My borderline addition is a re-useable ice bag: the kind you see used in old 50s and 60s sitcoms. I have found that most bars will give you ice if you ask for it/buy it, and with some of my foot issues, I've found it to be a god-send. Someone I met on my second Camino just bought a bag of frozen peas every night for the same purpose, though.

 

[trecile]

I have a 1-2 oz ball that I use in the same way.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B016L9K7X8/?tag=casaivar02-20

Much easier to pack...

Ruth

I have a small massage ball too. I found mine at Decathlon.

Aptonia 500 Small Massage Ball

This ball is designed for self-massaging after sports. It allows you to give your muscles and trigger points a deep massage.

www.decathlon.com

 

[Camino Chrissy]

it's heavier than the last couple of microfiber towels I bought, but I can't stand the feel of those.

I can't stand the feel of microfiber towels either, and in my trials it seemed like they pushed the water around on my skin rather than absorbing it. I like baby towels made of thin cotton flannel, first mentioned by @Anniesantiago. They weigh little and take up almost no room in a backpack.

EDIT- I have a few and purchase them at my favorite charity shop for $1.