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If I may add .... don't put it on any other bunk either, even if that bunk is unoccupied. If your pack dirties whatever is covering the mattress, no one will thank you. And that includes the hospitalero.Never put your backpack on your bunk.
I didn't stay in Albergues in small towns I left my backpack outside the cafe church no problem ever Buen CaminoSo, I am starting my first thread after looking through FAQs, doing a search, etc. Please forgive me if I've overlooked obvious answers on this fabulous forum.
Can you give me some tips for proper "management" of my backpack on the Camino? Do I leave it outside when going into a bar? a cafe? a shop? a church? (keeping my valuables with me, of course.)
Also, I've seen some discussion about backpack issues within the albergues, but what would you consider to be a list of "best practices" in albergues? I'll be a newbie, but I don't want to be a jerk!
Half the space under the bunk belongs to the upper bunk. Half the bunk posts belong to each bunk (hanging a pack from a post keeps it off the floor and partially away from bed bugs). A chair is for sitting, not pack or equipment storage (unless there is one chair for each bed). A ladder is for climbing, not laundry.
i agree,the chair is often the safest/easiest way up and down from the top bunk..common sense and basic manners will keep everyone happy.Chairs may also be a way to get to the top bunk if there is no ladder, especially for the less-agile pilgrim. Don't leave your stuff on them. I did not think kindly of the bottom-bunk pilgrim the night I was stricken with a nasty stomach bug and his stuff was not only on the chair, but on the floor the whole length of the bed. Rude.
Yup, a chair is for sitting and often does double-duty in an albergue as an assisting step-up to the top bunk. It certainly is not for storage of backpacks and other clothing and gear. Just plain rude and inconsiderate to do so.Chairs may also be a way to get to the top bunk if there is no ladder, especially for the less-agile pilgrim. Don't leave your stuff on them. I did not think kindly of the bottom-bunk pilgrim the night I was stricken with a nasty stomach bug and his stuff was not only on the chair, but on the floor the whole length of the bed. Rude.
Chairs may also be a way to get to the top bunk if there is no ladder, especially for the less-agile pilgrim. Don't leave your stuff on them. I did not think kindly of the bottom-bunk pilgrim the night I was stricken with a nasty stomach bug and his stuff was not only on the chair, but on the floor the whole length of the bed. Rude.
Well said Rebekah. For us blokes the "family jewels" are always with us!When you wear a backpack, you are twice your usual size up top. You take up twice the usual amount of floor and shoulder-space.
Therefore, when you wade into a crowded room (or bus or train), you feel like you're just your usual bulk, but you are a great big top-heavy item. And if you turn around suddenly, or bend over a bit, everyone around you gets a good shove of your canvas. Including the lady carrying a tray of hot coffees..
So, if the cafe is crowded and you're not in a big city, take off your pack and stand it alongside the wall outside. If your pack is only full of old laundry, no worries. But if you brought along all your electronica/family jewels/etc. and you must bring the thing inside, carry it in your hands, so you can better determine where your big self will fit and move without beaning anyone else.
Another reason not to put your pack on the bunk is to avoid getting bed bugs if the bed happen to be infested. I also delay opening my sleeping bag until I go to bed.
However, I NEVER leave my pack on the floor in an albergue, never.
Bedbugs walk, they don't fly - and that's the quickest way to get bug in your pack.
I look for a place to hang my pack (bedpost) or I keep a large black garbage bag to put it in if there's no place but the floor.
Even when the bar is fully crowded, I never tried to leave the family jewels in the pack: I always have them with me...
Buen Camino, Jacques-D.
Well said Rebekah. For us blokes the "family jewels" are always with us!
Time to walk away ....And you think we gals don't have "jewels"????
In a quiet town I would leave it outside with my sticks but I would have my essentials in my cargo pocket of my shorts.Leaving it outside of a bar is a bit trusting but you see it all the time. I would never leave it outside where anyone in a car or on a bicycle could just pick it up. The thought that pilgrims have valuables in the pack would be a strong incentive to those so inclined to steal things. You (probably) would not leave it on the sidewalk outside a café or store in your home town....at least most of us would not.
I take my pack pretty much everywhere I go when walking and then leave it in the albergues (minus valuables) when I leave for dinner, etc.
I have to say packs on empty chairs indicates a level of cluelessness. I know it sounds petty. Every pilgrim I ever met just wanted a place to sit and rest no matter where they were. Please don't put your pack on a chair.If I may add .... don't put it on any other bunk either, even if that bunk is unoccupied. If your pack dirties whatever is covering the mattress, no one will thank you. And that includes the hospitalero.
And don't assume, when in an albergue, that if you rest your pack on an empty chair, if one is available, that you are entitled to sole use of said chair. We had a very lively discussion regarding this in another thread.
That's what is so wonderful about this Forum. We can have great discussions, among friends, and meanwhile we can all become less clueless.I have to say packs on empty chairs indicates a level of cluelessness. I know it sounds petty. Every pilgrim I ever met just wanted a place to sit and rest no matter where they were. Please don't put your pack on a chair.
My only comment is to not place it on a chair. It's nice to have a place to sit especially when you on in a bunk bed.So, I am starting my first thread after looking through FAQs, doing a search, etc. Please forgive me if I've overlooked obvious answers on this fabulous forum.
Can you give me some tips for proper "management" of my backpack on the Camino? Do I leave it outside when going into a bar? a cafe? a shop? a church? (keeping my valuables with me, of course.)
Also, I've seen some discussion about backpack issues within the albergues, but what would you consider to be a list of "best practices" in albergues? I'll be a newbie, but I don't want to be a jerk!
Exactly!That's what is so wonderful about this Forum. We can have great discussions, among friends, and meanwhile we can all become less clueless.
..........When I ran into fellow Pilgrims who laid their gear out in the floor space between bunks at night, I would always respectfully and carefully, pick up their gear .......... and set it aside under the bunk.
I saw that referenced somewhere else -- seems very useful.I used a carabiner to hang my pack from bunk posts (I was pretty much always in the top bunk because I walked with an older friend). They are very lightweight to carry and able to hold heavy weights.
On Camino 2, we put a 12' velcro (hook and loop) strip, like those that come with your laptop power cord, on the loop/handle on the top of the backpack. This allowed us to attach the backpack to a footboard of the bunk so it didn't fall over. It also worked well to attach our packs to a fence, for example, outside a restaurant. If a "grab and run" was to occur, the pack would probably get ripped out of their hands.
Sounds like a wonderful experience. Can't wait for mine.I just got back and the Camino had a lot of walkers. I did not see and did not hear of any thefts. Here is what I felt comfortable doing:
- In Albergues, no issues leaving my pack closed up beside my bunk and going out. Everyone else did the same that I saw.
- In Albergues, there were tables full of phones and tablets charging with nobody around. No problems that I heard of.
- In Albergues, chairs should be available for anybody's use. Putting your stuff on them and leaving or going to sleep is inconsiderate. I did see some of that.
- Always, I kept my important papers, valuables, and money with me in a fanny pack. Even to the shower. No problems to report.
- Outside of Albergues in small towns that were not yet open, I did observe a line of packs with only a couple people around. No problems to report.
- I always placed my pack outside of bars in small towns. Most people did. Otherwise it is too crowded inside. In larger, busier towns, the pack always stayed with me at bars. After the first week, you knew enough people that you felt more comfortable and trusting around them. Most of the time there was one person available to keep an eye on things while others went inside to order or visit the loo.
- I did not hear of anybody's pocket being picked and was not approached by any person arousing my suspicion.
- I felt safe and my stuff was not messed with during my entire Camino. It was great! Spain is very safe and crime-free compared to other places, in my opinion.
Sounds like a wonderful experience. Can't wait for mine.
It's kind of you to think so, but the Camino, for some reason, brings out the very best in me (most of the time? some of the time?). It is my opportunity to be who I really want to be without fear of being judged or responded to negatively. But it is easy when you are treated so well by the other Pilgrims and locals. It gets in the air. Luckily, I've been able to extend that a little into normal life. Honestly, I've not actually had to move someone's stuff very often, and it mostly has been shoes, pants, a towel once, etc., so easily done.Anybody who could do that with a straight face gets my vote. You are a good man!
It's good to hear that. I was not at my best when I walked, but the Camino did work its magic and I feel I made steady progress. I can now dream that on my next Camino my best will shine through. By the way, I am having some trouble reconciling your avatar with what you say in your post. That's Oscar the Grouch, isn't it?..........but the Camino..........brings out the very best in me.
I used a carabiner to hang my pack from bunk posts (I was pretty much always in the top bunk because I walked with an older friend). They are very lightweight to carry and able to hold heavy weights.
Thanks for the great advice. And how to say backpack in Spanish!Most of it its common sense, but "real jerks" don't give a darn about it anyway and you will find plenty of then, so don't wait for the bar keeper to tell you "mochilas afuera", so bars specially the small ones , restaurants no mochilas and churches at the back of the pews its ok, as for CLOSED umbrellas, dripping rain coats etc by your mochilas, oh if you need to take a bus (intercity ) its also down the hole , inside albergues on top of the beds its a no no, and a lot of the albergues dont let take in shoes and sticks ( sticks I refuse to leave it at the door) I will snick them in some how, I have heard of too many walking away.
zzotte
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