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  1. HeidiL

    Backpack size

    I bought a bigger pack some years ago - the 60l pack itself isn't much heavier, and I don't have to take everything out to get an item at the bottom. And I can buy loads of cheese, chorizo and olives to take home after each camino... I carry around 6 kilos plus water, occasionally a bit extra...
  2. HeidiL

    Small juicer, vegetarians and heating element?

    There is a thread about the cult of the heating coil. Stray thoughts: Not everyone is a hardcore fan of ultralight packing. If you are happy walking with the weight of your backpack, go for it. Spanish supermarkets, even quite small ones, have lots of vegetable options, not to speak of the...
  3. HeidiL

    Packing - edition one

    I like having a long charging cable so I can have the phone in my sleeping bag (in albergues) or on my bedside table (in hotels). I also carry more food and adjacent things than you are planning to do, since I'm generally walking remote caminos where there may not be bars or other places to...
  4. HeidiL

    Last minute decisons - fleece or puffer?

    Fleece for me - it dries faster.
  5. HeidiL

    Need help deciding to bring or not to bring

    Personally, I'd skip the headlamp - you can use your phone to check for the stuff you forgot under your bunk, or to light your way to the loo at night.
  6. HeidiL

    It's been done before... cutlery/bowl/cup?

    With the years, we have started carrying more and more kitchen stuff and food - probably because we're walking less popular caminos. The last time (Camino de Levante) the two of us carried: 1 microwaveable plastic bowl with a good lid (=cutting board and plate) - 1 litre 2 foldable plastic cups...
  7. HeidiL

    Did you get tired of wearing same colours for weeks?

    the albergues only allowed clothes in the dryer that had been washed in the washing machine not hand washed. Perhaps they deemed the clothes too wet when hand washed. Some people don't know how to hand wash clothes so they get clean, not just wet. I have shared a few tips with young boys who...
  8. HeidiL

    Uncertain Newbie

    Semana Santa in Spain is wonderful! Google "Semana Santa (name of place you're passing)" and you'll get information about all the processions etc. You should also ask in the tourist offices you pass about the places you will pass in the next few days. Just don't be shocked at the people in...
  9. HeidiL

    Protecting backpack during flight and from rain

    Why both poncho and rain jacket?
  10. HeidiL

    Poles on the Plane and Security

    Regarding poles and donating them in Santiago, is there a way to have someone pick up the donated poles in Santiago and bring them to the albergues? We had to send several people to the Chinese shop from the albergue in Grado, since it was open later in the day than the sports shop. We had...
  11. HeidiL

    The electric coil changed my life on the Camino!

    Pasta - by boling the water, removing the coil, putting the spaghetti in (broken in half so it would fit), putting a tight lid on the bowl (we've been using the same plastic bowl since 2004) and wrapping the whole thing in a sleeping bag to maintain the temperature. After half an hour the...
  12. HeidiL

    The electric coil changed my life on the Camino!

    I once heated around 3 liters of water at once with my coil - in an albergue without hot water and cooking facilities, but with an enormous soup tureen in the closet in the room where the kitchen had once been. Enough for two cups of soup and a quick wash!
  13. HeidiL

    Favorite gear items

    Crocs. In the evening walking around town, in the shower, on the last bit of the day's walk if I fear a blister is coming. Immersion water heater - hot drinks, soup, noodles, even warm water for washing in an albergue where the hot water tank wasn't working.
  14. HeidiL

    Too big shoes?

    At home, I wear Euro size 38-39; on the Camino, 40-41. The first day, I need two pairs of socks and some creative lacing, from the second or third day, the shoes are perfect. When I get home, it takes me 3-4 days of NOT walking to get back to my normal size.
  15. HeidiL

    Makeshift privacy for lower bunks

    Yes, scarves are great. I have a large, thin, square one in wool that I have used for SO many things on every single camino I have walked.
  16. HeidiL

    The electric coil changed my life on the Camino!

    By all means, try it - but you may need to go to a ferreteria to pick up a new one. The last one I bought was less than €5.
  17. HeidiL

    Key Essential Item(s) for Your Camino

    It has become more available (it was impossible to find except for the very biggest health food shops when I lived in Spain twenty years ago), but I'd probably bring some, at least for the first few days.
  18. HeidiL

    Backpack indecision help!

    I'm going to look for a new backpack today with my son, who spent a lot of time researching what is available and possible last year, when he wanted a bigger pack. My requirements: good fit, with the right back length at least 60 l light well padded hip belt that fits me at least three...
  19. HeidiL

    The electric coil changed my life on the Camino!

    Our coil was in use when we finished our walk to Trondheim this summer. This is our second coil - the first one got rusty after I put it away wet, this one will not suffer the same fate! Many hotel rooms in Norway do not have facilities for heating water - hah! We had tea and porridge every...
  20. HeidiL

    Backpack indecision help!

    No need to push through bushes? You’ve stayed on the Camino Francés, then? The best argument for a big backpack is that you can take a whole Jamón Serrano home afterwards…

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