What's the craziest thing you have done to save weight?

[notion900]

Look what I saw on a donativo table - yikes!

 

[Kanga]

Well, I guess one would save a bit of weight by getting rid of the nits...

 

[Jitterbug bender]

I most certainly did not spend hours filling pill bags...lol Just dumped an entire bottle of Tylenol, or Motrin, etc into bags. Not filling daily bags of pills...lol Those tiny pill bags are great for all kinds of things...sawed off Qtips, safety pins, thread and needles, spices....

I actually filled 50 tiny, tiny zip locks (made for earrings) - available at craft stores) with all of my pills for each day. That way I don't have to open and close every bag a couple of times a day. Took me 40 minutes.

 

[trecile]

I actually filled 50 tiny, tiny zip locks (made for earrings) - available at craft stores) with all of my pills for each day. That way I don't have to open and close every bag a couple of times a day. Took me 40 minutes.

I do the same. I actually weighed the little baggies before I filled them and compared them to the weight of larger baggies to hold the pills and it was an ounce or two that I was willing to carry for the convenience of just grabbing a little baggie each day. And if course every one that I used made my pack lighter.

 

[HalfDomeOrBust]

Shorten my tooth brush by cutting the end of it off to make it about 4 inches long......

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

Shorten my tooth brush by cutting the end of it off to make it about 4 inches long......

Don't go halfway. Cut the bristles too.

 

[JoHill]

I just posted a serious thread and yours is the first that made me laugh. THANK YOU!

 

[Darby67]

It is looking more and more possible for me to escape to Spain again in the coming 2 weeks! I'm so excited I can barely contain myself. And this year, my wife will likely join for part or entirety. TBD soon. This year I'm jettisoning my sleeping bag. That is my crazy idea. I barely needed it last year in favor of a heavier liner and a standard silk liner.

But I am choosing to add considerable weight to replace it. I plan on taking my DSLR and one lens...but everything that goes with it. Battery and charger are a bit unique. I've found a knockoff charger that is about half the size and weight as the original, but still considerable. So I'm working the numbers to go bare bones to accommodate the extra burden. Oh and the extra weight of rain gear for the camera. I am working on getting my wife's bag as ultra-light as possible...(shhh, she may check-in here, pack-mule)

 

[Darby67]

Look what I saw on a donativo table - yikes!
View attachment 47085

Uku/piojo/lice comb?

 

[Tassie Kaz]

Tried most of the tips on this post

Just try explaining all this to non Camino walkers
Impossible isn't it?!
They just don't "get it"
And can you blame them really!

Getting ready to fly out and start walking tomorrow (yeah ) This morning I decided that the smallest toothpaste tube I could get at the supermarket was too bulky and heavy so I spent several minutes fiddling around to partially fill a smaller empty tube I found.

I found myself thinking I can't be the only crazy one and wondering what other folks have done.

Oh my...I thought I'd pretty well nailed the 'travel light' thing...until reading the replies to this thread. I'm such an amateur! We're a weird bunch us LDWs (Long Distance Walkers) but you gotta love us. I meticulously weigh everything; that's 18gm...but THAT one is only 17gms...winner! Now...to saw the handle off my toothbrush... Thanks for laughs everyone..& to you NomadBoomer for raising the topic.

 

[Prentiss Riddle]

I get the impression that the ultralight wilderness hikers have us peregrinos beat by a longshot when it comes to obsessing about weight. There are some “ultralight” packing tips circulating in the pilgrim community which they would consider boat-anchor heavy.

For a very entertaining guide to that subculture’s notion of ultralight, I recommend this book.

Lighten Up!: A Complete Handbook for Light and Ultralight Backpacking

by Don Ladigin

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/210669

 

[Tassie Kaz]

I get the impression that the ultralight wilderness hikers have us peregrinos beat by a longshot when it comes to obsessing about weight. There are some “ultralight” packing tips circulating in the pilgrim community which they would consider boat-anchor heavy.

For a very entertaining guide to that subculture’s notion of ultralight, I recommend this book.

Lighten Up!: A Complete Handbook for Light and Ultralight Backpacking

by Don Ladigin

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/210669

I have been known...wait for it...to take the pully bit off zippers leaving just the slidey bit... Yes, sad & desperate, but true In my defence, some them are over-sized & unnecessarily weighty...

 

[Tassie Kaz]

LOL GREAT! I too cut short my toothbrush and comb handles, photograph as much as possible but still carry my paper guidebook, cut labels etc. Mostly I buy as needed which is in my opinion the BEST way to save weight and learn what I really need.

The only problem with 'buy as you go' is you can pretty well guarantee when you need something, you'll only be able to get it in mega sized-jumbo-family pack Been there, done that!

 

[Tassie Kaz]

I have been known...wait for it...to take the pully bit off zippers leaving just the slidey bit... Yes, sad & desperate, but true In my defence, some them are over-sized & unnecessarily weighty...

I've often paid the price for my committment to 'the cause', with many a cut & bloodied fingers...some of those pully thingys are on to stay on!

 

[Sher]

My rule: If I know I need it, it goes in my pack. If I think I need it, it stays home. But these days, after many Caminos, I pack on reflex, and I always end up with a pack of 6.5-7 kgs. It's all OK.

In my packing I had initially packed a lot of things that I would need in certain situations. Like people on here say, I packed my fears. At the last minute I removed all those things and didn’t miss a single one of them. I removed : sink stopper, extension cord, bar of soap (I used shampoo bar for all washing), nylon chord, binder clips (I thought I might need these to hang clothes on the line if there were not enough clothes pins and I brought safety pens instead, which I did use to pin my socks to my backpack and other things, guidebook (I just used the wise pilgrim app). My pack was 6k not counting water and snacks.

 

[Telboyo]

My weight saving went in reverse, when I left home my pack weighed 6 kg( no water).By the time I got to burgos I had to get something we socks after I had to replace my insoles, I paid 25 euro for 2 pairs of super special hiking socks at decathlon, (did not work too thick and tight)at the same time I bought a merino wool top.
(Did not work, too warm) Next day I bought a six pack of socks from H&M for 10 Euro. Brilliant socks. So now I have got 8 extra pairs of useless socks and a merino wool top which was too warm for me, this was middle April temperatures of 18 Deg Celsius. Also my 500g sleeping bag was useless because all the albergues had the heating on over night. At home I sleep with the window open all year round with no heating. There was no way I was going throw these expensive tops and clothes away. I carried these things with me untill I got to a gas station the way to ocebriro on easter day, I went in to use the facilities and then o to the gift shop. I found a lovely cast iron trivet in the shape of a triquel in the bag it went along with several tin of Spanish paprika. The funny thing is that the bag felt much lighter after that than it did for the first week.