The best gadget for the Camino!

[Julia Mumford]

I have just returned from chapter two of our Camino. Chapter one was St Jean to Estella in May 2016, and then we walked from Estella to Carrion De Condes in October. (flew home on 3rd Nov).

I became known as inspector gadget by our Camino family as I took a few toys along with me that made our Camino very enjoyable.

• Polaroid Zip [/B]- this is a mini printer, which is slightly smaller than my iPhone. It prints mini photos onto to self-adhesive paper, which I then placed in a journal. It became the talk of the Camino as everyone wanted to be "in the book". Not everyone wants their photo on Facebook, and having a printer on-route brought people together. There was one lady who did not speak a word of English or Spanish, but when she saw my book she made a cry of joy as she saw the picture of the man with the donkey that she had also seen a few days ago.
• Bluetooth Mini Cube Speaker[/B] - so many people are "plugged in" on the Camino. They take their earphones and spend hours just in their own little world. I purchased a mini cube speaker, which is tiny, but it gave such joy to everyone. We had one day where our group shared their own music by my speaker and we danced the whole 15 miles together. We played everything from Garth Brooks, to the Carpenters. Everyone had something different on their phones and we took it in turns to hook up to the speaker. I MUST STRESS THAT WE WALKED IN NOVEMBER, THE CAMINO WAS QUIET, AND WE NEVER USED THE SPEAKER WHEN OTHERS WERE AROUND. I RESPECT THAT OTHER PEOPLE VALUE THE PEACE AND QUIET AND I AM THE LAST PERSON TO SPOIL THAT.
• Light up paws - I am a keen nordic walker, and I use these paws on the end of my poles that light up in the dark. They were awesome in the early hours when it was pitch black outside.
• A lightbulb tent light [/B]- both my daughter and I had our camping lightbulbs attached to our rucksacks to keep us safe in the dark mornings. The lights also came in handy when getting ready in the morning, or writing up my journal in the evenings. They are not as bright as head torches, but they do the job well. I bought mine from Aldi, but you can also get them on Amazon.

Did you have any gadgets that you took on your Camino that really made a difference to your trip?

 

[mspath]

Some of us happily carry electric coils for boiling water; these are
especially useful when walking off season when many cafes are closed. See more in this earlier Forum thread.

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/com...ric-coil-changed-my-life-on-the-camino.19167/

 

[Icacos]

I'd say you were aptly named. And three of the four items you mentioned I didn't even know existed.

 

[Purple Backpack]

Did you have any gadgets that you took on your Camino that really made a difference to your trip?

I love Mumford and Sons...."I'll walk slow...."

After having my iPhone die at the most inconvenient times, I bought a back up battery case. It's heavier than I would like and pricey, but paid for itself a million times over one day when I needed GPS and realized I had forgotten to charge my phone the night before.

And..do you have a photo of the light up paws???

 

[Waka]

Love the gadgets.

 

[vlebe]

I love my Kindle and Ipod.... Reading and music along the way!

Although I Love music on the Camino, I'd like to take the opportunity on this thread to ask people NOT to bring their Bluetooth speakers as a personal gadget!

One thing is one's own choice of using earphones/headsets and listen to one's own music. Another thing is everyone walking around with bluetooth speakers playing what they like. Even if you consider yourself to have the best taste for music; we cannot please everyone.... This is just impossible.

Can you imagine if one out of every 10 pilgrims walk by with music on speakers??

Keep your music to yourself when on the camino please!

 

[Priscilla NC]

Interesting gadgets! Thanks for sharing.

Having said that, I found that I was irritated with those who played their music on speakers. It felt intrusive. Although I loved walking with people and sharing conversation and stories, I also loved the solitude of walking with nature sounds like birdsong. Even the cuckoo!

Ultreia,
Priscilla

 

[Carol06]

Please no speakers. We spent a day near a chap with a boom box on his back playing very loud music. It was ghastly and so inconsiderate.

 

[Michael Caleigh]

Lovely gadgets and I am very intrigued but this little printer...I need one of those

 

[gerardcarey]

Tks. Neato gadgets.
Regards
Gerard

 

[november_moon]

Other than my phone, Kindle, and a corkscrew , I don't think I took any gadgets. I walked in June, so light wasn't an issue - the sun was up before me everyday. I didn't even take a head lamp, just a small flashlight which I pretty much just used to make sure nothing got lost under the bed. Oh wait, I did take my iPod, but only listened to it once - and that was because someone else had music on a speaker and I didn't want to listen - LOL. I'm not one to listen to music when I walk normally though.

 

[camino-david]

One of my most amusing memories was whilst I was walking between Villafranca Montes de Oca and San Juan de Ortega through the forested stretch. Behind me I heard music which grew steadily louder and the source soon appeared. The leader of three men was carrying a very loud ghetto blaster playing marching music. The three of them were marching one behind the other very closely and in step, and I stood aside to let them pass and get out of hearing, thinking that it was very inappropriate on the Camino. After they passed me and were about 300 metres ahead the leader stumbled and fell and the two behind couldn't stop and fell on top of him. Result was a tangled mess of bodies and a smashed ghetto blaster, but no injuries except their embarrassment. Was I mean when I walked past with a big grin on my face.

 

[Smallest_Sparrow]

Result was a tangled mess of bodies and a smashed ghetto blaster

once again, the camino provides...

 

[Icacos]

once again, the camino provides...

That's wicked!

 

[Smallest_Sparrow]

Bluetooth speakers? !!! Really!!!! May be tempted to bring my bagpipes....... Just in case

actually, unlike the speakers, I would enjoy hearing bagpipes...and I suspect there would be a limit on how long you would last playing while walking...unlike the #)^)$ speakers

 

[VNwalking]

Bluetooth speakers?
Shuddering...
Not everyone wants music on the Camino, yours or otherwise.
Please if you're tempted...keep it to yourself.
Or better yet wean yourself from the need of incessant stimulation altogether and learn to rest in silence.

 

[Bill Anlyan]

I used a solar powered light built into my hat. Much lighter than a battery powered headlamp. Check out: BestLightedHats.com (I'm wearing the hat in my profile pic)
Buen Camino

 

[Trumps]

I have just returned from chapter two of our Camino. Chapter one was St Jean to Estella in May 2016, and then we walked from Estella to Carrion De Condes in October. (flew home on 3rd Nov).

I became known as inspector gadget by our Camino family as I took a few toys along with me that made our Camino very enjoyable.

• Polaroid Zip [/B]- this is a mini printer, which is slightly smaller than my iPhone. It prints mini photos onto to self-adhesive paper, which I then placed in a journal. It became the talk of the Camino as everyone wanted to be "in the book". Not everyone wants their photo on Facebook, and having a printer on-route brought people together. There was one lady who did not speak a word of English or Spanish, but when she saw my book she made a cry of joy as she saw the picture of the man with the donkey that she had also seen a few days ago.
• Bluetooth Mini Cube Speaker[/B] - so many people are "plugged in" on the Camino. They take their earphones and spend hours just in their own little world. I purchased a mini cube speaker, which is tiny, but it gave such joy to everyone. We had one day where our group shared their own music by my speaker and we danced the whole 15 miles together. We played everything from Garth Brooks, to the Carpenters. Everyone had something different on their phones and we took it in turns to hook up to the speaker.
• Light up paws - I am a keen nordic walker, and I use these paws on the end of my poles that light up in the dark. They were awesome in the early hours when it was pitch black outside.
• A lightbulb tent light [/B]- both my daughter and I had our camping lightbulbs attached to our rucksacks to keep us safe in the dark mornings. The lights also came in handy when getting ready in the morning, or writing up my journal in the evenings. They are not as bright as head torches, but they do the job well. I bought mine from Aldi, but you can also get them on Amazon.

Did you have any gadgets that you took on your Camino that really made a difference to your trip?

We walked the Camino Frances this past July/Aug and found our hands free trekking umbrellas to be absolutely crucial. "It's the smart Canadians!" They were perfect for providing shade in the Mesita and cover in the rain...no need for a hot poncho!
We ordered ours through Euroshirm but Ivar now carries this nifty gadget to protect you from the elements.
Wouldn't walk again without it!

 

[Julia Mumford]

Bluetooth speakers? !!! Really!!!! May be tempted to bring my bagpipes....... Just in case

I only used the mini speaker when it was just our Camino family walking - no-one else was around (November is fairly quiet). We shared the speaker and had a few songs from everyone's phones. We listened to everything from classical music to cheesy pop. It was not loud, just loud enough for everyone in our small group to have a sing along.
x

 

[Julia Mumford]

Bluetooth speakers?
Shuddering...
Not everyone wants music on the Camino, yours or otherwise.
Please if you're tempted...keep it to yourself.
Or better yet wean yourself from the need of incessant stimulation altogether and learn to rest in silence.

I completely understand this, and we only used the speaker when we were walking with our Camino family. We walked in November and it was very quiet, and each person paired their phone at different times of the walk - so we had a sing song together as we approached a village etc. I would respect others wishes and I usually had my earphones in, but it was nice to sing together on occassion.

 

[Pete Dunn]

Swiss Army Knife - invaluable

Scissors - to cut nails and blister padding material
Corkscrew - obligatory!
Bottle opener - as above
Knife - to prepare lunch on the trail

Pete

 

[john07989]

One of my most amusing memories was whilst I was walking between Villafranca Montes de Oca and San Juan de Ortega through the forested stretch. Behind me I heard music which grew steadily louder and the source soon appeared. The leader of three men was carrying a very loud ghetto blaster playing marching music. The three of them were marching one behind the other very closely and in step, and I stood aside to let them pass and get out of hearing, thinking that it was very inappropriate on the Camino. After they passed me and were about 300 metres ahead the leader stumbled and fell and the two behind couldn't stop and fell on top of him. Result was a tangled mess of bodies and a smashed ghetto blaster, but no injuries except their embarrassment. Was I mean when I walked past with a big grin on my face.

The Camino provides

 

[DyanTX]

I'll have to agree with the naysayers on the speakers. I prefer the sounds of nature - or the strains of "Man of LaMancha" that cruised through my head and kept me on pace!

 

[trecile]

We walked the Camino Frances this past July/Aug and found our hands free trekking umbrellas to be absolutely crucial. "It's the smart Canadians!" They were perfect for providing shade in the Mesita and cover in the rain...no need for a hot poncho!
We ordered ours through Euroshirm but Ivar now carries this nifty gadget to protect you from the elements.
Wouldn't walk again without it!

Totally agree! I debated bringing the umbrella, because it was the heaviest single item of equipment that I had, but it was soooo wonderful on the Meseta! If someone had a little stand selling these gems along the way they would make a fortune! I loved being shaded and not having to wear a hat, because they just make me feel hotter.

 

[J F Gregory]

Bluetooth speakers? !!! Really!!!! May be tempted to bring my bagpipes....... Just in case

My tuba

 

[Jacobus]

I bring a mini leatherman multi tool that has scissors, two blades, pliers, corkscrew, awl and can be leveraged to open bottles. It's also extremely quiet during operation.

 

[Jeff Crawley]

Senz silver umbrella - not hands free but you can turn the "tail" to get more shade.
Works in the rain too!

 

[Anemone del Camino]

Dual USB European plug and a hanging toilettry bag with different size transparent pockets. You get to the albergue, hang it to your bunk, and voila, you see all the meds and toilletries you may need plus sewing kit, ear plga, etc. No need to keep goong through your backpack serching for stuff. Also a nylon grocery bag that folds up the size of a golf ball: perfect for running errands in the evening while carrying Mini Ipad, money, etc.

 

[trecile]

I bought a small packable backpack and messenger bag at Decathlon that I love. The backpack holds 10 liters, and folds to practically nothing. I couldn't find a link to it, but here's the link to the messenger bag, which I use at home too. http://www.decathlon.co.uk/16l-compact-messenger-bag-grey-id_8356618.html
This is another foldable backpack from Decathlon: https://www.decathlon.es/mochila-plegable-pocket-bag-id_8205180.html

 

[momof34man]

I used my cell phone to take photos, so my external hard drive (Sandisk) was a lifesaver. It connected to my cell phone wirelessly which allowed me to dump my photos onto it daily.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DR8LAE2/?tag=casaivar02-20

Another cell phone related gadget was my Mophie. It is basically a cell phone case, but it is also a charger. It charged my phone back up to 100% which was nice when there is no guarantee you will have a place to charge your phone overnight. There were a few days that my cell phone practically drained completely - I was able to power it back up with just a switch. (I have an Iphone, and even their sales rep recommended a Mophie over their product because you can control when the phone charges.)
http://www.mophie.com/shop/iphone-6/juice-pack-air-iphone-6?a92=12

I also brought a packable backpack. I used it within my pack to keep my food separate from everything else. I also used it as a shopping bag when I went to get groceries. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00TEIVUQW/?tag=casaivar02-20

 

[Anemone del Camino]

Oh, and "Gear Ties". Good for hanging shoes from backpack, but I use them to tie my other gadget, a nylon zipped bag in which I keep eyeglasses and valuable items at night, tied to the bed, by my head.

 

[tomnorth]

Weight is a major concern for me. My gadgets have to be really light.

• Apple Camera Connection Kit SD card reader: My DSLR was my one extravagance. I need a way to get images to my iPhone for sharing back home. This SD card reader from Apple is fast and lightweight. When I walked, the iPhone didn't support the SD card reader, so I had to take a SanDisk wireless media drive for this purpose. Now I would just take the card reader. It is lighter and doesn't need a battery.
• Keychain LED light: This replaced a headlamp for me and was also great for early mornings and after lights out in the alburques.
• Multi plug power unit with USB ports: This extended the limited number of power outlets in the alburques. This was the heaviest of my gadgets, and unfortunately, I left it behind a couple weeks in. So clearly, I didn't absolutely need it, but I would bring it again, and this time, I'd remember to pack it up when leaving the alburgue.