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  1. Jo Jo

    Topo Wearers!

    I too use ultraventures (most recently on a CP--See picture with orange Ultraventures in Plaza de Obradoiro). I ignore the little size measuring device at the shoestore. I think it measures me at 10.5. I wear 13s, and they are great. I pair them with injinji toe socks to avoid blisters from...
  2. Jo Jo

    Pants or Shorts? Second pair of Shoes?

    Shorts v. Pants: Depends on how much you like sunburn. I've seen what "I use sunblock" amounts to--lots of sunburn. I use long pants (usually a very loose weave, hemp/cotton mixture--I save the synthetic "hiking pant" ovens for my rainy day/albergue pants). The sun on bare skin is hotter and...
  3. Jo Jo

    Help with shoes!

    Hoka Bondi works for my wife (lots of cushioning). I'm using Topo Terraventure 3 on the CP this October (wider toe box, while keeping a narrow heal, and still with lots of cushioning). Shoes are hard. Good luck. Buen Camino, Jo Jo
  4. Jo Jo

    Old habitual or new technological and lighter

    Every camino I try something new. This next time (Oct. 2023, Porto to SdC): 1) using red tailight lens plastic over the light in my cell phone instead of carrying a headlamp with a red light function (red has shortest wave lengths and avoids waking sleeping pilgrims); 2) a 3oz umbrella; 3)...
  5. Jo Jo

    Socks, no really

    October is just not cold enough to worry about on the CF--it's actually very good walking weather. I'm walking this October on the CP, and wearing lightweight Injinji toe socks. My wife wears medium weight, but for the padding (she gets the kind with double knit around the toes), not for...
  6. Jo Jo

    Men's Pants - There Can Be Only One

    Railriders Eco Mesh with side zips. I swear they are almost a cool as wearing shorts, without the sunburn from exposing my legs. On sale right now. Still expensive, but oh-so-worth it. https://www.railriders.com/men-eco-mesh-pant-with-insect-shield-p-837.html?cPath=104_110
  7. Jo Jo

    Altras - different types ? how to modify the zero drop & comparison to other wide ‘toe box’ trail shoes.

    Just tested Topo's Ultraventure 3 for 5 days on St. Olav's Way in Sweden. Wide toe box, (not Zero drop, which takes some getting used to) and pretty cushy. They have just earned a spot on the CP for this fall (even with all those cobblestones). The key for me is that unlike the Hoka's, Topo...
  8. Jo Jo

    A good hat.....

    This is what we use. The "reverse clam shell" folding really works great to store in the back pocket of a pack when not in use. The wide brim does the job with sun. The neck cape avoids burns there. And the material is very light so it does not make your head hot...
  9. Jo Jo

    HOKA warning

    The reply above about Topo Shoes is the ticket if you want trail runners. I've had similar problems with another trail runner from Hoka (the Challenger). BUT DO NOT THROW OUT THE BABY WITH THE BATHWATER. I have use Hoka road running shoes for 500 miles with no issues (Arahi, Gaviota, and...
  10. Jo Jo

    Is this equipment ok?

    For what it's worth: 1) 40L is probably too big and will encourage overpacking. I try to get something in the 25L area. (My wife carries an 11L Osprey, but she's extreme). 2) I've not tried those Hokas, but I tried a different trail runner from Hoka, and the lugs began detaching from the foam...
  11. Jo Jo

    How to pack Tilley hat (ltm6) into backpack?

    My two cents: return it and get one of these with a folding brim. Problem solved.. https://sundayafternoons.com/products/ultra-adventure-hat
  12. Jo Jo

    Short gaiters with trail runners on CF

    I generally walk the American west in my Dirty Girl gaiters, and find them really useful. They are essential when walking back East in tick zones (Lymne disease). I have used them on caminos, but I find them less useful. The Way is just not as rough as in the wilderness, and I've never heard...
  13. Jo Jo

    Camino Portugués in June in running shoes?

    Your plan is sound. I ended up donating my boots about 10 days into my first CF (too hot, causing feet to blister badly). Never looked back. I write only as a word of caution: I would replace your "very old" shoes with new ones. 500 miles is about all you are going to get out of a pair of...
  14. Jo Jo

    Which Enlightened Equipment quilt

    I've used EE quilts for years. I have a 50 degree that I use for Caminos. For comparison, I just bought a 30 degree for backpacking the AT in shoulder seasons. I think you are too heavy/warm. It's just not that cold inside any building, especially if they have pilgrims stacked in bunk beds...
  15. Jo Jo

    Sleeping sac - I'm looking for the lightest

    I used Cocoon brand because I think they have the most innovative products. Silk is lightest (I use the silk ripstop, which is amazingly durable). For a summer camino I use the Egyptian Cotton. Not that durable (my first one lasted about 6 weeks (three two-week caminos)), but definitely best...
  16. Jo Jo

    Ultralight on the Camino--Zoom Presentation Sept. 15, 7pm Eastern time (U.S.). Registration still open.

    As one of the presenters (the other was my wife), the short notice was largely my fault. I attempted first to post on the APOC Facebook page, but never got approval from the moderators. And somehow in that process, I forgot to just post over here on the forum until just before the event. My...
  17. Jo Jo

    Ultralight on the Camino--Zoom Presentation Sept. 15, 7pm Eastern time (U.S.). Registration still open.

    Ultralight on the Camino de Santiago Ultralight backpacking has been a part of long trails in America for decades, but never quite made it to the Camino. Until now. My Camino pack weighs five pounds (without water or food) and my husband’s pack weighs 10 pounds. I have witnessed pilgrims...
  18. Jo Jo

    What Does 'Light' or Ultra-Light Mean

    No, they were saying that they "needed" it. They did not realize it was a choice. One of the spiritual lessons I learned on my very first Camino was exactly how little I actually needed. That lesson allowed me to get rid of enough stuff to move into a Manhattan apartment. I suspect that the...
  19. Jo Jo

    What Does 'Light' or Ultra-Light Mean

    Candidly, I'd change the weight parameters for the Camino. Those weight definitions are typical for backpacking in the U.S. Where we have to carry tents, stoves, and much heavier sleeping bags to deal with cold mountain weather. The Caminio is not backpacking. I can (and do) carry things...
  20. Jo Jo

    High Tech Fabrics

    For summer Caminos, I stick with cotton/linen (or blends with a majority cotton). I have those high-tech nylons for backpacking in the US mountains where hypothermia is real and dangerous if you get wet, and I would never use cotton in those environments. During the summer, most Camino routes...

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