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I’m sorry to hear that happened, I’m glad you got it worked out finally.
For those that use Iphones I just returned from Spain myself and I used the Airalo app and ESIM that I heard about on this forum and it worked great. They contract through Guay Mobile which uses the Moviestar network and it...
I got back last week after walking a section of the Ruta de Lana with the capilene cool hoody, a capilene cool daily long sleeve shirt and an Eddie Bauer resolution long sleeve along to test all 3. The capilene long sleeve without the hood was by far the best.
I was warm when I needed to be and...
Plastic shopping bags from home(or bought there) work fine.
I clip to my belt the Sea to Summit 20liter daypack and use it for groceries, it’s about the size of a golf ball. This bag doubles as my personal item on planes and trains and it’s a great backpack to have while sightseeing.
Once when...
Ex Officio give n go work great for me. They are wicking and comfortable and don’t get too stinky. I’ve gone to silver infused socks liners to help with stinky feet, and Jockey and others make silver infused underwear which I’m trying this April in addition to the Ex Officio’s.
Wool is really...
It has a really good hipbelt and a low weight, which is why I like it.
The hip belt is the most important thing to me in a bag, that’s why I’ve gone through so many other backpacks.
I’m a gearaholic and have at least 9 backpacks, several you mentioned :REI Trail 40, Gregory Zulu and Jade (for my daughter), Osprey Exos and Talon, and others.
I think it might have been Dave Bugg that first brought to my attention the cottage industry makers like Gossamer Gear and others. I...
I have the Euroschirm umbrella that Ivar sells that weighs 16oz and the Gossamer Gear one that weighs 6oz, both with the hands free kit.
I’ve been hiking with the Gossamer gear and it’s has worked great even in the wind and rain, however if it’s was gale force the Euroschirm is sturdier. I’m...
I still get sunburned around the edges of that cap, which I tried it in 2017, then in 2019 I tried a baseball hat and gaiter and this year a sunshirt and hat.
While walking this year I walked with a Spanish peregrino who used a sun umbrella and didn’t break a sweat, and so I bought one for this...
I have the Mariposa and the Gorilla and when doing practice hikes before my Camino trip in September I did half the hike with the Zulu and the other half with the Gossamer gear bag (both with full weight and water) and the Zulu was a little better ( especially so in the heat). Gossamer gear has...
I like my Zulu 40 for the fit as well. Adjustable torso length and the ventilated waistbelt and trampoline back breathe like no one’s business. The only downside is the 3lb weight. I’m considering a Gossamer Gear pack at half the pack weight for my next trip, but the Zulu 40 fits so well it’s a...
You can gets poles for under $10 each at the Decathalon, I splurge at Corte Ingles and they run $15-20 each. We’ll worth the extra for me. I’ve left used poles all over Spain for the next person.
Depending on what time you arrive (if too early the stores aren’t open) you can take the Metro from the Madrid airport to the stop “Nuevos Ministerios” and then exit the subway as there is a Corte Ingles directly above the subway station and the sporting good store Decathalon right next door. I...
I think you’ll find with the poncho on you’ll be warmer thank you think. It blocks the wind well, and like all rainwear doesn’t breathe that great. I tested mine in near freezing weather and definitely didn’t need additional layers.
Caminoteca for sure. They know what’s going on and give you current information for any stage of the Camino .
The owner also keeps in touch with manufacturers like Altus and can advise you more knowledgeably about gear than almost any other place.
I wear only the Challengers when hiking or walking the Camino. My feet are wide and the Challenger 7 and 6 in wide aren’t as wide as the 5’s. Like you wrote they go on sale and so I’m bought a few, and I’m down to my last 2 pair of 5’s, which will do the Madrid in September and the Lana in...
I use the Zulu 40 and the suspension/waist belt is better than my Osprey, Deuter or Gossamer Gear bags (I have a Camino gear obsession and am in therapy) The Zulu 30 has the same suspension and I’ve considered getting it and force myself to use a smaller bag. The Zulu is really well thought out...
I put my arms into the sleeves and turn and face into the wind while leaning forward and the wind, and the poncho kind of slides over me. I was walking in the wind and rain the other day and someone I walked by said I looked like Superman with his cape. (My poncho is red, the only one they had...
Camino de Madrid this year. Doing the Lana next year. I’m hoping to move to Spain eventually and so I walk a section then I scout locations to live before going home.
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