• For 2024 Pilgrims: €50,- donation = 1 year with no ads on the forum + 90% off any 2024 Guide. More here.
    (Discount code sent to you by Private Message after your donation)

Search 69,459 Camino Questions

Advanced search…

Search results for query: *

  1. david marquez

    Qhapaq Nan! Colombia, Ecuador, Chile, Peru!

    I am going to try to rouse this thread from its slumber. I live in Medellin Colombia, and I am trying to plan a section hike of the Qhapaq Nan from Pasto Colombia to somewhere in Ecuador. Hopefully between 500-850 km of walking. My planned timeframe is between early September 2024 and...
  2. david marquez

    Surprised at our test results poncho vs jacket

    I used a ultrasil nano poncho in 2018. Weighs about 8 oz and packs down to the size of a pair of socks. It worked quite well and lasted for about 5 years. The only drawback is they are quite pricey! https://www.backcountrygear.com/ultra-sil-nano-poncho/
  3. david marquez

    Walking with a messenger bag rather than a backpack

    I plan to do several long walks/hikes to field trial it. I won’t be down into ultralight territory, but I am pretty confident that if I carry my water in the lumbar pack I can keep the messenger bag at 15-18 lbs. with another 5-6 in the lumbar pack. Thats actually a bit less total than what my...
  4. david marquez

    Walking with a messenger bag rather than a backpack

    I have an extremely light dyneema frameless top loading pack built by Hyperlight which I used in 2018. Its by far the best backpack I have ever used…but I have tried several shorter hikes and walks and no matter how I adjust it, it still rubs over the pacemaker. It might be just fine, it...
  5. david marquez

    Walking with a messenger bag rather than a backpack

    I am not interested in a trailer or pull behind or push in front device. I saw both types in 2019 and I am not interested. I have done a LOT of cycling using small and medium courier bags with the waist strap to minimize sway and movement. They stay pretty well centered on my back. My plan is...
  6. david marquez

    Walking with a messenger bag rather than a backpack

    I saw a couple of those pull behind trailers on the portion of the Frances I did in 2018. I also am familiar with monowalkers, 1 wheel and attaches via a hip harness. However I am not interested in such a contraption and my total gear weight will be under 12 kg easily
  7. david marquez

    Walking with a messenger bag rather than a backpack

    I have a pacemaker on my left upper chest, right where a backpack strap goes. I am considering using a large messenger bag, approximately 20 litres, and a small hip pack, less than 5 litres rather than a backpack. Note, I will not be using a transport to move my luggage from place to place. I...
  8. david marquez

    Late august 2024, route choices

    I have been planning to do do more Camino walking for several years. Last year to celebrate 5 years since my introduction to the Camino experience I was prepared to walk in April, May, and June. Irun to Ribadeo, then switch to the Ruta del mar and merge into the Ingles. However family and...
  9. david marquez

    Qhapaq Nan! Colombia, Ecuador, Chile, Peru!

    Just checking ro see if anyone is interested in giving this a go in 2024 or 2025!
  10. david marquez

    OK guys, what underwear?

    Years ago I gave up on synthetic fabrics, particularly underwear. My perspiration reacts with synthetic fabric to create a less them pleasing miasma surrounding me. After experimentation I have found that for normal use, good old cotton briefs work stupendously well and they seem to outlast the...
  11. david marquez

    Tired of the bed race? Try the Qhapaq Ñan

    Anyone interested in some section hiking here in 2024? Live in Medellin and could be available to join you depending on dates and what section. Its looking more and more interesting and the various Camino routes become progressively more crowded.
  12. david marquez

    Minimal but comforting packing list

    One thing I will throw out here, if your feet are bigger than a size 45, which would be about 11 1/2 US, I suggest you seriously consider bringing a 2nd pair of shoes. I wear 47 (12 1/2) and when my shoes blew out on the camino del norte near Llanes, I had to waste the better part of 2 days...
  13. david marquez

    Searching for a walking quote

    I think Tolkien gave Bilbo Baggins a couple great lines about walking!
  14. david marquez

    Camino del Norte in Winter season

    I did it April 6-may 18 2018. The albergues were mostly just starting to open, and a few were still closed the first couple weeks of April. I started in Irun. be aware you may not have access to many albergues in Feb-March.
  15. david marquez

    Help with shoes for someone with big feet....

    Just as an FYI, in 2018 walking the Camino del Norte, I ran into a serious footwear problem. One pair of shoes I brought with me was too tight in the toes for the long sometimes steep downhills on the del Norte, and my other pair pf shoes blew out near Po. I wear 12 1/2 or 13 US (47-48 euro)...
  16. david marquez

    John Sikora Cee to Finisterre

    Same here in 2018. I thoroughly enjoyed removing my blown out shoes and walking barefoot thru the surf the last couple miles. I do not remember any dangerous road between Santiango and Fistere.
  17. david marquez

    Walking Primitivo from Oviedo from Oct. 15th any tips are welcome

    Just a word of caution, I walked the primitivo from Ovideo in late April-ealy May 2018. The portion over the mountains was very cold-very windy, and visibility was mostly under 50 meters due to being in the fast moving clouds. Thankfully the way was very well marked with reflective markers...
  18. david marquez

    LIVE from the Camino Struggling with doubt on the Camino Frances

    Well said. Its a pilgrimage: A pilgrimage is a journey, often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, others, nature, or a higher good through the experience. It can lead to a personal transformation, after which the pilgrim...
  19. david marquez

    28 walking days in March / April '24 - which Camino routes would be possible?

    My suggestion for 28 days of good walking: start in Irun and do your homework here on the forums to find the paths that stay along the bay of Biscay as much as possible. Near Gijon cut south to Oviedo and walk the Primitivo down to the Camino Frances. When you arrive in Santiago if you have...
  20. david marquez

    5 “Unproven” Facts About Norte

    When I walked up El Purgatorio on April 4th 2017 I was stunned by that first kilometer up. My pack was almost 35 lbs, and I was sidestepping up the hill like a skier! In my opinion that was the hardest kilometer I encountered on either the del Norte or the Primitivo, although there was a long...

❓How to ask a question

How to post a new question on the Camino Forum.

Latest posts

This site is run by Ivar at

in Santiago de Compostela.
This site participates in the Amazon Affiliate program, designed to provide a means for Ivar to earn fees by linking to Amazon
Official Camino Passport (Credential) | 2024 Camino Guides
Back
Top