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  1. S

    28L pack on the Camino Frances this October

    Yeah, when you have to stop and pull a bottle out your pack it can be tempting to not drink often enough. I think you're right, it's probably better to sip as you go, taking a lot of water in one hit just goes straight through me so I don't know how great it is for hydration. I might have to...
  2. S

    WIFI

    Some providers will let you jump to a different network if the default isn't connecting. Depends on who your provider has partnerships with, some might have multiple partnerships in a country, some don't.
  3. S

    28L pack on the Camino Frances this October

    Water really is a balancing act. I carried two 1L bottles which was probably overkill but I'd rather have it and not need it. I saw plenty of people with those little metal bottles you get in kids lunch boxes, I think they are about 350ml and they got by just fine. But some didn't and I ended up...
  4. S

    WIFI

    Wifi is surprisingly common in bars and cafes even in rural Spain. There is usually a card on the bar or a sign on the wall with the password. "Free" depends on how you look at it, I wouldn't use it without buying something first. Bigger towns will have wifi in public spaces. Alsa buses have...
  5. S

    28L pack on the Camino Frances this October

    I think they are a really over-rated piece of outdoor clothing that's been pushed more from fashion than functionality in recent years. Yes, you can get water-repellant treated natural down that stops the clumping that wet down traditionally suffered from but even with synthetic when you start...
  6. S

    28L pack on the Camino Frances this October

    Take whatever is most comfortable. Stick a couple of old milk bottles filled with water in one, stuff some towels round it for stability and go for a long walk. Then do it with the other. You can't tell anything until you've put some miles in with a pack on. At least an hour is about the minimum...
  7. S

    Show me your winter footwear, boots and socks.

    For my winter hiking here I generally wear Salomon Quest 4 boots. They've been a decent balance of warmth, dryness and breathability. Might wear gaiters some days, might not. Depends on the conditions, half-leather need to be kept clean to maintain their performance. I suppose it depends on the...
  8. S

    backpack_size

    One thing I'd add, don't make day one of your Camino the first day you've walked with a fully loaded backpack. Get a few walks in with a similar load before you go. At least an hour, preferably longer. The best way of finding out what is the right weight and pack size is to walk with it. It...
  9. S

    backpack_size

    I used a 36l Berghaus rucksack with very minimal stuff and it was more than adequate. If you are happy being ruthless in your packing then you could get away with even smaller, I could maybe have dropped to 25. If you don't have something that you find you want/need, usually that's just an...
  10. S

    can ponchos be re-waterproofed?

    Re-proofing fabric is notoriously fickle. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Depends on a lot of factors. I usually pay for mine to be done professionally now. It's not that much more than doing it yourself, I think I paid about £35 last time, and the results are more consistent. Also...
  11. S

    Headlamp question

    I don't know about headlamps but for the batteries on their own there are plenty. Lithium rechargeables are used heavily in underwater electronics and there have been a hell of a lot of fires. As I said above, I know one diver who lost his home and was very lucky not to have lost his life. I...
  12. S

    Headlamp question

    Yep. They burn incredibly fast and incredibly hot. If one went up in a bunkroom while everyone is asleep you've got a good chance of deaths. If albergues aren't banning them from sleeping areas then they should be before there is a bad incident.
  13. S

    Headlamp question

    This was the result of a rechargeable lithium fire. These Chinese batteries are a massive fire risk.
  14. S

    Headlamp question

    Cheap Chinese lithium rechargeable batteries have a terrible safety reputation. I use them in diving and caving equipment, I charge all mine in a fireproof box. I've not had any issues but there have been some real horror stories. One French diver recently lost his entire house from a tiny 18650...
  15. S

    What not to bring

    I did my first Camino on very short notice and only took a 30litre pack, a spare set of clothes, waterproof jacket, water bottle, shower stuff, sunblock and my phone. Not even a sleeping bag, I just used a shemagh as a sheet in the places where there was no bedding. No map, guidebook, nothing...
  16. S

    Fitness Wearables

    I don't know if it counts as a "fitness wearable" but I just use a watch :) If you know your pace then a watch is generally good enough to track distance. I generally do a steady 5km/h so I know 1km is ~12min. If I've got 15km to do thats 3hrs and I wouldn't expect to be out by more than about...
  17. S

    Reading while on the Camino

    That's also where, in the book, they go on the fishing trip and meet the Englishman on the Camino, right? I never knew the hotel was still there. One for next time.
  18. S

    Reading while on the Camino

    I find it really hard to get to sleep if I don't read for 20-30 minutes first so I always take either a physical book or a Kindle when I'm on the road. But that aside, I love reading generally so would always have a book with me even if it didn't help me sleep. I don't enjoy reading on a phone...
  19. S

    After hike shoes/sandals?

    When I walked the Camino I took a pair of Tevas. That was about six years ago. In the intervening years I started wearing "barefoot" shoes for about 70% of my life. When I travel now, I take a pair of Tadeevo shoes. Very, very light. Very flexible, you can roll them up into a ball not much...
  20. S

    GPS Watch suggestions?

    I'm old school and found Naismith's Rule pretty bang on target for my walking and gauging distance. Both on the Frances and Salvador I was generally within a few minutes. Anyway, not sure how much they retail at but Suunto make really superb wrist mounted gauges and watches for many sports...

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