• For 2024 Pilgrims: €50,- donation = 1 year with no ads on the forum + 90% off any 2024 Guide. More here.
    (Discount code sent to you by Private Message after your donation)

Search 69,459 Camino Questions

Advanced search…

Search results for query: *

  1. xin loi

    What shall I remove from my pack.... 🤔

    Knife? This is an opportunity to purchase a HIGH Quality knife made in Toledo. I always buy one in Spain and mail it back to US after walking a Camino. They are QUALITY, not the Junk knifes sold in Tourists stores.
  2. xin loi

    What shall I remove from my pack.... 🤔

    Head lamp with red light is definitely needed for those albergues that are pitch dark all night. knife is definitely necessary if you plan to make your own sandwiches. Don't know how many times pilgrims asked to borrow my knife. And take a real knife, not a 5 cm pocket knife. Sleeping...
  3. xin loi

    Female Wide, Big feet : Size 11 (US) mens. Still searching for the perfect walking shoes.

    Ok--you are definitely doing the right thing by trying different shoes. I am an overweight male and wear size 12 mens shoes. I buy expensive sneakers for my Caminos and twice I had shoes fall apart after 200 miles. And that is when you have a problem! I found it extremely difficult in Spain...
  4. xin loi

    Please review my packing List

    Learned on my first camino fraces that expensive underwear/socks , Under Armour or Smartwool , has a habit of walking away from drying clothes lines. Replacing such gear is EXPENSIVE in Spain. I take 4 sets now since I expect to "lose" at least one pair.
  5. xin loi

    Where do you carry your valuables?

    I also go to Peru a lot. In Cusco I always buy some of the big safety pins that local women sell to seal your pockets and for keeping other hands out of your pockets while walking around town. And like you, a money belt.
  6. xin loi

    Where do you carry your valuables?

    Same here! At one albergue EVERY item of clothes hanging on lines was missing in the morning. Early risers sometimes "BORROW" ALL of the food and drinks in the common refrigerator. I wear the "pick pocket proof" shorts with both buttons and zippers on each pocket. For shower I put valuables in a...
  7. xin loi

    Please review my packing List

    No sleeping bag? It will be cold at night in the mountains and NOT all albergues give out blankets. Walked five Caminos and always used both a sleeping bag and a pad. As to Pharmacies, they are NOT always open in small villages or on weekends. In some rural areas, they take turns staying open on...
  8. xin loi

    Please review my packing List

    Wow! And I just put out fat from 2 or 3 deer every year for the woodpeckers and chickadees. Never thought of using it for blisters.
  9. xin loi

    How many miles to put on your shoes before the Camino

    Difficult to answer ! On 3 Caminos my sneakers lasted the entire camino --2 were francs; 1 was Portuguese. But on the Norte and the primitivo my shoes fell apart. On each of 5 Caminos I wore the exact same type of Sascuny sneakers. I think the mountains of the Norte and primitivo killed my...
  10. xin loi

    Walking Sticks! (yes, i know)

    Always amazed at the people who walk backwards down hills in a zig zag ....and they generally use walking poles. Why? Does not look like fun.
  11. xin loi

    rain gear _ Norte

    Walked the entire Norte in August and Sept of 2019. Wore rain pants and jacket which were great for the frequent day long persistent rain events. Prior to walking the Norte I did a practice hike from Santiago to Muxia to Finisterre. While walking I met people who had just finished the Norte and...
  12. xin loi

    WIFI

    Walked the Primitivo in May and WIFI was NOT available in many albergues. And for some strange reason, in several places ONLY cell phones carried by Spaniards worked. Did not make sense to me why other European phones would not work. Only had those problems prior to Lugo. On the Norte in 2019...
  13. xin loi

    Open to criticism on my pack

    My neighbor cuts her finger nails and toe nails EVERY Morning so she does not have to carry the weight. On the other hand after finishing my first Camino from SJPDP to santiago, 19 of us who had walked together sometimes and stayed in the same albergues some nights , pulled a bunch of tables...
  14. xin loi

    Open to criticism on my pack

    When i walked the Norte in 2019, very few people had a guide book or cared where they were going to stay each night. The Norte has lots of side trails and "Short cuts" and people tend to leave the main route frequently. I carried two different books and lent them to others at almost every albergue.
  15. xin loi

    Open to criticism on my pack

    Looks good--Im the opposite. Did the Norte in august-September 2019 at 72 and carried 16 kilos. But i was prepared to sleep outside . Lot of people had to do so then as Albergues filled up and some albergues were even giving tents to pilgrims. Before walking the norte, i did my practice by...
  16. xin loi

    Headlamp question

    Don't agree! There are many places where you need a lamp to find the Camino markings in the early morning. It is also nice to see the eyes of deer and foxes as you walk between the fields waiting for the sun. No headlamp but you carry a cell phone!!!! You need a headlamp more than a phone on...
  17. xin loi

    Poll How heavy is your backpack?

    Weight---neighbor lady cuts her toe nails and finger nails EVERY morning to cut down weight while hiking! On my two Camino France walks I actually added rocks to my pack on the third week, as I got stronger the pack felt too light---that never occurred on the Norte however. Still have not...
  18. xin loi

    Poll How heavy is your backpack?

    Last summer on the Norte , I carried 16 kilos. Would have carried more but I'm 72 and those mountains are steep. In summer on the Norte there are more hikers than beds along the way so many walkers carry tents, etc. Usually do not carry water anymore as both times I walked the Frances Camino, I...
  19. xin loi

    Dry bag for showers?

    Cheap bags work fine.....But Where you going to hang it? A lot of shower stalls are missing a hook to hang things! Buy two "S" hooks at any hardware store. You will NEED them--a lot!
  20. xin loi

    Sandals ???

    Took sandals on first Camino Frances in 2014 to walk in May & June and rarely wore them. So on second Camino last year, I did not bring any. Big Mistake! Hiked in August and September, and feet were BIG from hot weather. Lost three toenails! Wished I had sandals like most other people were...

❓How to ask a question

How to post a new question on the Camino Forum.

Latest posts

This site is run by Ivar at

in Santiago de Compostela.
This site participates in the Amazon Affiliate program, designed to provide a means for Ivar to earn fees by linking to Amazon
Official Camino Passport (Credential) | 2024 Camino Guides
Back
Top