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May I make a suggestion for your partner? It may be valuable to hear some perspectives from pilgrims’ partners, and how those partners’s support from afar is so important and a gift to those on the Way. And perhaps a way for your partner to hear that your Camino provides an opportunity for him...
I used the Gregory Jade 33L and loved it. Adjustable back. Big enough to not play jenga with your stuff in the morning but not enough room to be sloppy. Bladder feature. But no pole storage like Osprey has. I am tall as well.
There’s a store called La Tienda in Verdun, Québec. This is in Montreal, ie on the Island, on rue Wellington. I got my Altus poncho from them. They have a website, check them out online or head east on the Queensway!
I did the CF starting mid April. I found this system of tops worked really well for me and handled a temperature variance from say 2 deg C and 35 deg C. This allowed for all the layering gradations necessary both on and off the trail, including for sleeping, while not being heavy at all.
Two...
I walked the CF last year in the Olympus 4s. They were great, held up really well. Got home, bought the Olympus 5s, still fit really well but the inside of the heel is shredded already just from normal use. I tried scouring the market for the 4s but couldn’t find my size.
I recommend the Air Control sports bra by Anita. Great support without underwire.( I found my underwire bra hurt where it got overlapped by the pack straps, after wearing the pack all day). Plus you get good control without the cups being thick or padded. Which all means that it handwashes...
While I was on the Camino last year I came across a paperback copy of Laurie Lee’s As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning. It was left in a book pile in an albergue in León, with a note inside from the pilgrim who had finished reading it. I picked it up and finally dropped it off at an albergue...
Walking solo as female is awesome. You are only as alone as you want to be. You may end up surprising yourself for how much you may come to valuing alone time as precious not lonely time.
I’m tall with a large cup size. In my trying on of many backpacks the torso length and curve of the shoulder straps were the deciding factors. I have the Gregory Jade 33. Loved it. Small enough that you have to think through what you’re bringing but large enough that you don’t have to play...
I’ll put my hand up as someone who wanted to quit. I did well until Burgos, then I hurt my foot. 2 days rest in Burgos then I went on. But just after Sahagun I knew I had to stop. It was a low point. It’s emotionally hard to be injured and to watch pilgrims go by. So I took a week of rest...
One of the key reasons I went with a down quilt over a sleeping bag was constriction over the long haul. While I already owned a lightweight down sleeping bag, it was a mummy bag with a closed toe box. And I figured being in a mummy bag for a month or more wasn’t my preference. If I couldn’t...
Your point is well taken but in my experience the problem re compressibility simply didn’t arise. I walked the CF starting mid April and I used the down blanket almost every night.
I live in Canada and wanted to buy more local as well. I looked at what Altitude Sports and MEC and Sail carried and other retailers and ended up ordering from the US. I was pleased with my purchase in the end.
I have a down blanket from Alpine Outfitters, a small company in Texas. I used it on my Camino and loved it. Weighs in at 411g. I either put it inside my silk liner or if there was a cloth sheet I would just use the blanket on its own.
I have a reservation at Orisson, so it’s very nice to know of the option to get a ride from there in the morning to another destination to continue the walk to Roncesvalles. Before this thread I hadn’t really caught on that that was an option. #newbie
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