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I don't quite get this. I've carried my poles on the plane in San Francisco, Heathrow, Gatwick and Santiago. Never a problem. It seems that if they fit in your pack they go on the plane. I think if you are friendly with the TS, security person you have a good chance of getting your walking...
I switched to a Western Mountaineering "Summerlite" bag (18 oz/530 g, 35°) last year and was very happy with it because I sleep cold. (Sports Basement offers a 10% discount for AAA, AARP and Costco on purchases, and their prices are frequently lower than REI.)
I was in REI yesterday buying a new pair of trail runners. Their shoe guy who was showing me a new way to lace my shoes suggested I might not need the liners (Fox River under SmartWool). That might be so, but I've had two blister-free caminos and don't want to jinx myself. Meanwhile, a friend...
I have the Cocoon pillow and the Exped ultra light pillow. Both have a tendency to sound a bit like an empty potato chip bag. I opted for the Exped inside a pillowcase because it was easier on my ears, lighter, and didn't tend to roll my head off. I think the key is to under-inflate them. Like...
I had a silk liner and a sleeping bag last year and found the liner wasn't enough for me. I was happy to use my own sleeping bag as the blankets, when available, fell into the "yikes" category. There are others who are just fine using the albergue blankets. I think you will find there are many...
Hi Alyssa,
Someone told me that "my stuff was my burden". I was a slow learner and didn't jettison my Tevas, an air mattress and a few other "necessities" until I reached Leon. That said, I would have been chilly in the albergues in a silk liner last June/July and am taking a light fleece...
Thanks for your thoughts everyone. I bought an Eagle Creek silk money belt, put my stuff in it and it's perfect! I especially like that there isn't a lot of bulk to make it uncomfortable. Wish I'd had this solution last year.
Last year on the camino I slept with my valuables in the toe of a lightweight sleeping bag and never had a worry. The downside was that I would twist and turn and get tangled up in the sleeping bag.
This year I'm considering a small fleece blanket and an inflatable pillow. I'd appreciate...
My running shoes were my best friend. Pacer Poles (with street feet) were second best. They were especially valuable coming down from Cruz de Ferro to Molinaseca through all that slate.
I cut off the spine, scanned the pages with Genius Scan, then saved it as a PDF and loaded it into iBooks and the Kindle app on my iPhone. 295 grams/10 ounces saved!
About the nano SIM, you can cut a micro SIM to size with nail clippers...borrowed, of course, from someone who has a backpack filled with all the extras ; )
I used two different SIM cards. One was from Movistar and cost 12 euros for the card and 1GB of 3G data but much of the time 3G wasn't available. The other was from Orange and was about 20 euros for unlimited data. I believe the first gig was 3G and after that Orange slows it down. Both were...
I used an iPad mini for blogging. That said, wifi was sometimes dodgy and I found that I could blog from an iPhone 5 with a tiny bit more effort (and a Spanish SIM card). I'll leave the iPad at home next year.
I've been using Fox River silver liners under SmartWool socks for nearly a year. Last week I tried the Injinji Lightweight toe socks under the SmartWool and found that my feet got uncomfortably hot. I finally changed back into the Fox River midway through my hike. Will give the Injinjis one more...
Alright already. I've just ordered a pair of pacer poles. If they live up to their reputation I'll have two pairs of Black Diamond poles on Craigslist soon!
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