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  1. jrewins

    Spanish words for sleeping mask and heating coil?

    Try Decathlon - The outdoor equivalent store.
  2. jrewins

    Folding up an Altus?

    The Altus poncho is like the bottom fitted sheet on a bed…one can spend their entire life trying to figure out how to fold the d@#$ thing! My Osprey pack has a built- in rain cover with its own pocket, soooo; since the Altus covers the pack as well, I don’t need both. The built-in cover is...
  3. jrewins

    Merino wool shirt

    Yes, Amazon’s profit driven curation of search queries drives me nuts as well. It’s one of the reasons that I do product searches on other pages, and then if I want to audition the product, I’ll find it on Amazon and use the ‘no extra shipping charge’ (I’ve already paid for this service with...
  4. jrewins

    Question about phones and SIM cards in Spain

    Rick if you use WhatsApp, you will not need to do any switching back & forth between Spanish & US phone #s. I’m not sure why you would want to anyway…doesn’t that result in the caller incurring the charge for an international call? WhatsApp only requires that BOTH parties have each other in...
  5. jrewins

    Question about phones and SIM cards in Spain

    The new Apple phones have electronic SIMs. Mine is a 15 and I think that’s the first model that has electronic SIMs. Be aware that electronic SIMs are a new concept, and while they are very convenient, some of the Mobil phone retail store employees may not be familiar with them and it may take...
  6. jrewins

    My first Camino gear list

    For me, water systems are not just about “Stop and smell the flowers“. Bladders are very difficult to clean, you never know the water level in the bladder, you can’t share (if necessary), the water is always smelly (I don’t know of a BPH bladder), and the only thing you can do is drink from them...
  7. jrewins

    Say No! to rubber tips on your poles.

    Spot on, Doug. BB may have an opinion, but it’s nothing more than that. It just shows both his inexperience and ignorance of how poles can / should be used in multiple walking environments.
  8. jrewins

    My first Camino gear list

    Welcome Camilla! You’ve got all the basics youll need and maybe a bit more on the clothing side. Everyone here will nit pick according to their personal preferences (I don’t think you’ll need /use the bamboo knife/fork/spoon - Spain has cutlery), but at the end of the day, you’ll make your own...
  9. jrewins

    The Perfect (almost) Backpack?

    Attached is an interesting stab at presenting some UL packs based on their attributes. While I personally would not consider a 45+ liter for a Camino, I sure see a lot of ‘em out here. Whether you agree or not with this assessment of the packs, it does provide several brands and models to...
  10. jrewins

    The Perfect (almost) Backpack?

    Sorry for the typos: it should say;
  11. jrewins

    The Perfect (almost) Backpack?

    Not to be nit-picky here, but why would you compare a 48 L pack with a 28 L pack? That’s kind of apples and oranges. Osprey makes seven 28 L optics - why not compare that to the ultralight? https://www.google.com/search?q=osprey%2028%20litre%20backpack&tbm=
  12. jrewins

    The Perfect (almost) Backpack?

    IMHO: The whole Camino gear thing is one giant trade off of weight, fit/comfort, convenience, ease of use, durability, price, and the all too often forgotten, but ever present and final deciding vote: personal preference. There is no such thing as the “perfect“ anything. It’s all a matter of...
  13. jrewins

    Polarsteps questions

    Very interesting! Do you know of any tutorials or websites that would walk me through this process? My iPhone 12 has a physical SIM card, but just the one slot, so using the e method would be much simpler when traveling between the U.S. and Europe. I especially like the idea of doing all of...
  14. jrewins

    Polarsteps questions

    When I walked the CF last year, I bought a Spanish eSIM card for €20 in the “Orange” network. i replaced my Verizon SIM card with the Orange SIM card so essentialy my phone was now an Orange network connected device. The card was pre-loaded with phone /data minutes (the # of minutes was never...
  15. jrewins

    Down quilt

    FWIW: Putting the down comforter inside a silk sleep sack defeats the purpose of both items. The silk in the sack is an insulator for your body to reduce heat loss from direct contact with air or other items with lower temps. The down comforter is like the insulation in a house; it traps your...
  16. jrewins

    Compression bags for clothes packing?

    Right before I left, I found the Nite Ize waterproof, compression packing cube on Amazon. Pricey, but light, easy to use and holds ALL my clothes. I’m on the Camino now and it’s working great. Highly recommend it for consideration.
  17. jrewins

    Rucksack size carry on plane

    Size of bag is certainly an issue when considering whether to check or carry your backpack on the flight, but there is also the issue of whether the airline will allow trekking poles in the cabin. Does anyone know if there is a definitive airline policy / rule about trekking poles in carry-on...
  18. jrewins

    2nd pair of shoes

    Sandals seem popular as relief shoes and shoes for the evening. But Im concerned that the weather will be too cold for bare feet in just a sandal. Also, I’d like a covered foot for any touristy activities. Has anyone brought light canvas slip-ons as relief shoes? I’ve found a pair that are...
  19. jrewins

    Compression bags for clothes packing?

    This is EXACTLY they type of sack I was referring to. But the other comments about stuff sacks, et al are helpful as well!
  20. jrewins

    Compression bags for clothes packing?

    Anyone use the roll-out style compression bags for clothing? Does the benefit of less space outweigh the physical requirements of rolling these things up every morning? The look like a good, light way to pack / protect clothes in the pack, but I don’t know how onerous they would be to manage...

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