Backpacks only policy in Albergues: A common restriction?

[Bainbridge]

Hello fellow Pilgrims. My wife and I reserved a double room in an Albergue in Hospital de Orbigo in June--we are walking from St. Jean to Santiago de Compostela. We will be using luggage transfer--we are each 72 this year with knee and back issues. After the reservation through Booking.com the albergue notified us that they only accept backpacks and not suitcases. This is an issue for us as we don't want to be carrying weight through aiports, etc. We thought of three possibilities:

(1) write the albergue and see if they will make an exception for us old pilgrims

(2) pack as light as possible and use a backpack for stuff we will not carry during the day (I have considered carrying a very light pack but 10% of body weight is too much for my knees)

(3) change reservations...if feasible

Any suggestions? Also, we have reserved double rooms in a few other Albergues and have not received any messages about this--should we contact them to find out if they have such restrictions?

Thanks for your help.

 

[Pilgrim9]

Possible option (4): use a soft-sided suitcase that converts into a backpack?

I have such a sort-of suitcase. The back side has a zippered space in which the shoulder straps hide when not in use. When the straps are stowed, the pack resembles a soft suitcase or duffel bag. It is very floppy; there is no pack frame or stiffener. I would not want to walk very far with it on my back but for a short distance it works and technically it is a backpack.

Something roughly like this?

https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B09KTSZY5Q/?tag=santiagodec0b-20

 

[Grousedoctor]

My first step would be to write/email the albergue. It could be that they have such a restriction, but it seems highly unlikely as all kinds of travelers/pilgrims from around the world use luggage transport services. If they do have this restriction, I think they’re the exception, not the rule. Contact them directly. I will bet that it might easily and quickly get straightened out.

 

[Felipe]

See Gronze (it is in a very simple Spanish, and you can use the translation opton of your browser). There is an item in albergue's description about "Exclusivo para peregrinos". If it says "No, pero orientado a los peregrinos", it means other kind of travellers (with luggage, I suppose) are accepted.
Consider also hostals and "pensiones". For a couple, they will not more costly than a private albergues, Some albergues are dual-purpose, with a traditional shared room and cozy private rooms. So, you can mix with other pilgrims at the common room, which is an important part of the experience.
Anyway, you are going to need a light backpack, the kind you use for a short walk or the gym, to carry your valuables, some clothes and a packed lunch. As you will discover, the backpack will also identify you as a fellow pilgrim to local people and other walkers.
Buen camino!

 

[Anniesantiago]

There was a notice about this recently from Reb.
I would simply book a different albergue - a private.
I've told all of my pilgrims in the Anniewalkers group this year they are not allowed suitcases.
It got to be a problem last year -

 

[NorthernLight]

Usually there is some other location where the baggage transport people will drop off the bag, such as a local bar or another albergue/hotel. You end up having to chase around town looking for your bag, and then having it picked up the next morning means hauling it back to a designated spot. On my last camino, I watched quite a few people stressed out looking for their bags - they found them, but it took time and energy.

By far, better to change your reservation to somewhere else if you can.

 

[grayland]

Somehow wheeled suitcases are not a big part of my Camino thoughts and experience.

 

[trecile]

For someone who intends to have their bag transferred every day and has no plans to carry a large backpack it makes sense to me to bring the bag which will be easiest to transport during their travels - through airports, on trains, etc. If that means a small wheeled suitcase I don't see a problem with it.

 

[auburnfive]

Hmmm, do the places that don’t allow suitcases let you know ahead of time? I have a fairly small soft sided wheeled duffle that I used last time without a problem, but I’d hate to find out the hard way if it would not be acceptable

 

[Pilgrim9]

Somehow wheeled suitcases are not a big part of my Camino thoughts and experience.

Everyone walks their own camino.

I have walked 3 very long pilgrimages and 2 shorter ones with everything on my back every inch of the way. My knees and to a lesser extent my hip joints were complaining on the last one. Last year (2022) it took three months for my knees to recover. I cannot do that again.

Whatever I had been trying to prove to myself has been proven.

If I do another pilgrimage I will not be carrying everything on my back. I will probably use a suitcase or a large duffel bag, sent forward each day by a daily luggage forwarding service, plus a very small daypack on my back.

Lodging places can make whatever policy decisions they want. Those which prohibit whatever type of luggage I decide to use will simply lose my business, and that is OK. There are lots of lodging places available.

 

[NorthernLight]

Hmmm, do the places that don’t allow suitcases let you know ahead of time? I have a fairly small soft sided wheeled duffle that I used last time without a problem, but I’d hate to find out the hard way if it would not be acceptable

It’s not the type of bag that these places object to, it is rather that they don’t want to have to be there to let the baggage forwarders in, and they don’t want the responsibility or hassle of having luggage sitting basically unattended in their facility.

Many municipal and donativo albergues fall into that category.

 

[trecile]

It’s not the type of bag that these places object to, it is rather that they don’t want to have to be there to let the baggage forwarders in, and they don’t want the responsibility or hassle of having luggage sitting basically unattended in their facility.

Many municipal and donativo albergues fall into that category.

That wasn't the issue that the @Bainbridge ran into - the albergue would accept backpacks, but not other types of luggage.

My wife and I reserved a double room in an Albergue in Hospital de Orbigo in June--we are walking from St. Jean to Santiago de Compostela. We will be using luggage transfer--we are each 72 this year with knee and back issues. After the reservation through Booking.com the albergue notified us that they only accept backpacks and not suitcases.

 

[C clearly]

Several people have responded that they don't think there should be a problem, or suggest that there is a misunderstanding of the actual situation. However that specific albergue has told you very clearly that there IS a problem, so you should deal with them directly to get the correct information on their policies. There is no point in us giving opinions on what the generalities are, or why.

I suggest writing back, maybe with a photo to show exactly what luggage you intended to use. If they confirm that their policy is not to accept such bags (for whatever reason they choose), then you will need to make an adjustment.

There was a notice about this recently from Reb.

Here is her post. It still does not answer the exact question of this thread, but it does give some related background.

 

[NorthernLight]

That wasn't the issue that the @Bainbridge ran into - the albergue would accept backpacks, but not other types of luggage.

This seems very odd. Thanks for highlighting the specific issue.

So there are places that accept zero luggage, and places that will accept backpacks but not suitcases. I guess suitcases smack of tourism.

 

[JabbaPapa]

My first step would be to write/email the albergue. It could be that they have such a restriction, but it seems highly unlikely as all kinds of travelers/pilgrims from around the world use luggage transport services. If they do have this restriction, I think they’re the exception, not the rule. Contact them directly. I will bet that it might easily and quickly get straightened out.

The underlying issue is that the pack transport services are not intended for luggage transport indiscriminately, and the Albergues are not luggage delivery points, although many of them are backpack delivery points.

And increasingly, this is becoming the rule, and suitcase transport the exception.

I would suggest a backpack plus daypack combo, minimal necessaries in the daypack, heavy stuff in the backpack and send it on.

If a wheeled suitcase is needed for travel specifically, either use a dirt cheap throwaway one on the journey in, and purchase one for the way out. Or send the suitcase to Casa Ivar for safekeeping during the Camino.

Or are there some fold-out wheel gizmos that would fit inside a backpack, but could be used to pull it along behind you ?

 

[C clearly]

Or are there some fold-out wheel gizmos that would fit inside a backpack, but could be used to pull it along behind you ?

Good idea!

 

[Molly Cassidy]

Or perhaps a backpack with wheels. All the schoolkids seem to have them these days.

https://www.amazon.com/backpack-wheels/s?k=backpack+with+wheels&tag=casaivar02-20

 

[Former member 92300]

If you are planning to transport luggage every day - I would reach out to the luggage transport companies and arrange all of your luggage transports through them in advance if you must take "luggage" instead of a "backpack". Look for a company that meets your requirements, including the size and type of luggage. Are you planning to reserve all accommodations in advance? If yes - they can take your itinerary and arrange transport for you in advance. Are you planning to NOT make all reservations in advance? Then look for a luggage transport company that allows you to make advance reservations with flexible daily accommodations. This is the only way to guarantee you will always meet the luggage transport requirements.

If you don't reserve all luggage transport in advance - you might have issues now and then like you are experiencing at this particular accommodation.

An alternative is to use a backpack and if you are planning to check your luggage at the airport - you can have your bag wrapped at the airport so that the straps are secured to the bag. This does mean you will have to carry your bag at the airport though - or get a luggage cart if that is an option at your airport.

You could also get a convertible wheeled backpack - but those tend to be heavy. The advantage is you can usually zip the straps into a storage compartment for the straps.

Or yes - change your reservations.

 

[sillydoll]

At the first Friends of the Camino (AMIGOS) Conference held in Jaca in 1987, It was agreed that refugios would be established (only one in each city) for pilgrims who could not afford to stay in pensions or hotels. A refugio would also be established in remote places where there was no other accommodation. The refugios would only be for pilgrims, not for tourists looking for a cheap holiday.
They never intended that pilgrims should only stay in refugios, which would've been detrimental to the local hospitality industry. Those not on a tight budget were supposed to rent rooms, stay at inns or small hostales and hotels and not take beds meant for poorer pilgrims.
It wouldn't be possible to apply a means test, or ask if they were religious pilgrims or devotees of St James the Greater, so the way to identify a pilgrim would be if they had a backpack. This is where the backpack rule originated. You could be an escaped convict with a backpack and would be given a bed. Those are the rules at some albergues, but not all. The albergue in Granon accepts all pilgrims been if they don't have a blackpack or even a credencial

 

[LTfit]

The albergue in Granon accepts all pilgrims been if they don't have a blackpack or even a credencial

And even if you have a credencial, they don't have a stamp!

 

[roving_rufus]

I remembered this article from Gronze awhile back -

Peregrinos con maletas: Los nuevos tiempos

Tras departir estos días con algunos hospitaleros del Camino, han surgido dos problemáticas que están suscitando diversidad de reacciones en los albergues.

www.gronze.com

 

[Anniesantiago]

For someone who intends to have their bag transferred every day and has no plans to carry a large backpack it makes sense to me to bring the bag which will be easiest to transport during their travels - through airports, on trains, etc. If that means a small wheeled suitcase I don't see a problem with it.

The problem is, in my personal experience with groups, the bag is never 'small." It is a giant affair full of everything but the kitchen sink.

 

[Kathar1na]

Hello fellow Pilgrims. My wife and I reserved a double room in an Albergue in Hospital de Orbigo in June

After the reservation through Booking.com the albergue notified us that they only accept backpacks and not suitcases.

We have reserved double rooms in a few other Albergues and have not received any messages about this--should we contact them to find out if they have such restrictions?

I find this a rather weird situation and I had never heard or noticed such a case as you describe it: a privately managed albergue on the Camino Frances that accepts reservations six months ahead of arrival, and on Booking.com to boot, but does apparently not like the look of pilgrim suitcases on their premises and only wants to see backpacks if they have been transported by a company and delivered directly to them ...

I've been on numerous organised trekking trips elsewhere in the world, nearly always with daily transport of baggage included (there it's just not such an existential question whether one carries all of, only a part of or nothing of one's belongings from village to village or from hut to hut) and for practical reasons such as weight and convenience of squeezing it all into a limited space, it has always been required to use a soft shell container such as duffelbags with or without wheels - but that was a requirement set by the transport teams and not by the hosts.

 

[Mito]

I haven’t seen this answer:

Take a backpack packed as if you were going to walk with it. Max at 15 lbs. Pare down to the essentials and no more. And a small daypack. Carry your bag in the airport and wherever else you need to for only those short distances.

I understand you have physical limitations (I’m 68) but if you can walk the Camino, I’m guessing you can carry 15 lbs on your back through the airport. If you can, you’ll have no trouble forwarding your pack for the walk.

You won’t need more. So why not?

 

[Kathar1na]

I haven’t seen this answer: Take a backpack packed as if you were going to walk with it. Max at 15 lbs. Pare down to the essentials and no more. And a small daypack. Carry your bag in the airport and wherever else you need to for only those short distances.

Seconded.

And if the transport backpack is heavier and carrying through airports is too demanding: I had completely forgotten that I own, and have used, one of these compact folding luggage carts. I've just pulled it from under a wardrobe, covered in dust. That's soo 90s. But useful. Light weight, cheap and available on Amazon. Example:

 

[Rebekah Scott]

I said all this elsewhere, but here goes.
An answer to the original question: You will see this more often in coming days. It is a movement among many of the albergues along the Camino Frances, where the luggage transport companies have been "wagging the dog" for a while, demanding albergue access keys, assuming albergue workers will move and handle the bags left in a pile in the doorway and handle customers' lost-and-damaged bag problems... all for nothing.

As for the suitcase question? Suitcases don't have anything to do with hiking. They are for people with ground transport -- tourists, in other words. You don't see suitcases rolling up at Alpine hiking huts. Suitcases usually weigh more and are harder to handle than backpacks; and they often contain delicate medical devices and electronic toys that get broken in transit. Volunteer hospitaleros at facilities dedicated to simple backpackers cannot and should not be expected to take responsibility for them. If you want to travel with sent-ahead suitcases, send them to a hotel or hostal or another place where staff are paid to handle them.

That's the thinking.

 

[Gringazolana]

Ouch, I am smelling a lot of judgmental comments… at this very moment I am struggling with trying to fit things in my huge backpack for my spring Camino. There is simply not enough room for my giant CPAP. I was considering taking a small hard-side suitcase, to best protect it, and shipping that ahead. However, now it looks like I will need to come up with another idea. I have read how others have used their medical equipment on their pilgrimages, but it seems that either they had smaller units, or that times have changed. Maybe both.

 

[Molly Cassidy]

As for the suitcase question? Suitcases don't have anything to do with hiking.

Is the camino about hiking? I thought it was a pilgrimage!

 

[RRat]

Hello fellow Pilgrims. My wife and I reserved a double room in an Albergue in Hospital de Orbigo in June--we are walking from St. Jean to Santiago de Compostela. We will be using luggage transfer--we are each 72 this year with knee and back issues. After the reservation through Booking.com the albergue notified us that they only accept backpacks and not suitcases. This is an issue for us as we don't want to be carrying weight through aiports, etc. We thought of three possibilities:

(1) write the albergue and see if they will make an exception for us old pilgrims

(2) pack as light as possible and use a backpack for stuff we will not carry during the day (I have considered carrying a very light pack but 10% of body weight is too much for my knees)

(3) change reservations...if feasible

Any suggestions? Also, we have reserved double rooms in a few other Albergues and have not received any messages about this--should we contact them to find out if they have such restrictions?

Thanks for your help.

I don't understand the term "accept". In my experience items were simply tossed in a corner. If the drop off location was closed the transport service would drop off at another lodging location or bar. For €5 you are not getting concierge service.

 

[Mito]

Is the camino about hiking? I thought it was a pilgrimage!

I think the greater issue is that suitcases are heavy (mostly because those bringing them overpack) and are more difficult for the transport companies and albergues to deal with. It's not about judging someone for bringing one.

There's no reason why any pilgrim can't pare down as far as they can (which would include med equipment, if needed, which will increase the weight no doubt) to make transport easier for the companies moving bags.

It's the folks who bring everything they might need for a holiday (hair driers, many changes of clothes, etc) that the transport companies and albergues are targeting with limits. I don't blame them!!

 

[J Willhaus]

Ouch, I am smelling a lot of judgmental comments… at this very moment I am struggling with trying to fit things in my huge backpack for my spring Camino. There is simply not enough room for my giant CPAP. I was considering taking a small hard-side suitcase, to best protect it, and shipping that ahead. However, now it looks like I will need to come up with another idea. I have read how others have used their medical equipment on their pilgrimages, but it seems that either they had smaller units, or that times have changed. Maybe both.

I have a travel CPAP and I carry it in a stuff sack, not a hard sided or even the foam case that it came with. My pack weighs less than 6 kg. even with the CPAP. As a volunteer, I have never worked at an albergue where packs are delivered. As a pilgrim, I have often seen the packs left unattended and unsecured while awaiting transport or pickup. I have only shipped my pack once and worried about it the whole day. I just prefer to have my things with me. I do understand about people who have the inability to carry a pack, however, I don't think I would want to walk if I could not have my things with me.

 

[Rebekah Scott]

Gringazolana, no one is discriminating against CPAP machines.. although these are among the things most damaged in luggage transport, in my experience. Is it possible to rent a small unit for a month, something you can carry with you?
It's the people who abuse the albergue system who I am "judging." (Good judgement is part of being an adult, btw. When did judgement become a 4-letter word?) People who are perfectly fit, but just don't feel like carrying a pack... they can afford to send their heavy luggage ahead, but insist on taking a bed where they don't have to pay much to stay. People using a system designed for the poor to subsidize their cheap holidays.
Yes, it's about pilgrimage. Pilgrims walk. They strip down to their simplest self, because they have to carry their world on their back. They learn the liberty of doing without. If you are not ill or somehow disabled, shipping bags full of extra stuff is kinda defeating that purpose.

 

[Gringazolana]

Gringazolana, no one is discriminating against CPAP machines.. although these are among the things most damaged in luggage transport, in my experience. Is it possible to rent a small unit for a month, something you can carry with you?
It's the people who abuse the albergue system who I am "judging." (Good judgement is part of being an adult, btw. When did judgement become a 4-letter word?) People who are perfectly fit, but just don't feel like carrying a pack... they can afford to send their heavy luggage ahead, but insist on taking a bed where they don't have to pay much to stay. People using a system designed for the poor to subsidize their cheap holidays.
Yes, it's about pilgrimage. Pilgrims walk. They strip down to their simplest self, because they have to carry their world on their back. They learn the liberty of doing without. If you are not ill or somehow disabled, shipping bags full of extra stuff is kinda defeating that purpose.

Thanks for the idea, I will check into the possibility of renting a travel-size CPAP! Purchasing one is not in the budget.

 

[trecile]

I think the greater issue is that suitcases are heavy (mostly because those bringing them overpack) and are more difficult for the transport companies and albergues to deal with

The transport companies do impose weight and size limits.

 

[grayland]

Ouch, I am smelling a lot of judgmental comments…

I went back and reread the posts.
I do not see "judgemental" comments. I see folks expressing an opinion as they have experienced it.
Unless...we have reached the point where we are not allowed to share our opinions unless they agree with the "group think". The "luggage" transfer has always been a needful and necessary service for those with physical needs. Others..not so much.

We should be allowed to lament the loss of the Camino experience many of us enjoyed it in the past. To us the Camino was always a challenge and often a spiritual adventure.

(Before anyone decides to point out that the OP has shared that they are 72 and have bad knees and "don't want to be carrying weight through aiports, etc."....I am 12 years older and have bad knees)

 

[C clearly]

(Good judgement is part of being an adult, btw. When did judgement become a 4-letter word?)

So true. I will try to remember these words for future use!

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

This is an issue for us as we don't want to be carrying weight through aiports, etc. We thought of three possibilities:
...
(2) pack as light as possible and use a backpack for stuff we will not carry during the day (I have considered carrying a very light pack but 10% of body weight is too much for my knees)
...

My thoughts are a variant of #2. At home pack the suitcases as you want but add backpack (or backpacks) for clothes and one for walking. At the start of the camino fill the backpacks with the walking gear and send the suitcases ahead to Santiago with the tuxedo, evening gown, fancy shoes, hairdryers, etc. There are plenty of threads on this forum that discuss this. Then send the backpacks daily to your lodging. Pick up the suitcases in Santiago and have a ball at the ball.

 

[Bradypus]

We should be allowed to lament the loss of the Camino experience many of us enjoyed it in the past. To us the Camino was always a challenge and often a spiritual adventure.

I am walking the Camino Frances for the fourth time just now - somewhat to my own surprise as after seeing the three-ring-circus in full swing in September 2016 I was fairly sure I would never return to the Frances. I chose the middle of winter precisely because I hoped the challenges of long stages and no luggage transport would go some way towards recalling an earlier type of Camino experience. Early days yet but I am finding much more common ground with my fellow pilgrims this time round while I had found the sense of entitlement and demanding behaviour of some individuals very distasteful on my 2016 CF walk. Although @Rebekah Scott has explained the reasoning behind accepting backpacks but not suitcases my own preference would be for more albergues to adopt an unambiguous yes/no policy on accepting luggage deliveries at all. I admire those places which make a principled decision not to participate in this particular game.

 

[Rebekah Scott]

I am walking the Camino Frances for the fourth time just now - somewhat to my own surprise as after seeing the three-ring-circus in full swing in September 2016 I was fairly sure I would never return to the Frances. I chose the middle of winter precisely because I hoped the challenges of long stages and no luggage transport would go some way towards recalling an earlier type of Camino experience. Early days yet but I am finding much more common ground with my fellow pilgrims this time round while I had found the sense of entitlement and demanding behaviour of some individuals very distasteful on my 2016 CF walk. Although @Rebekah Scott has explained the reasoning behind accepting backpacks but not suitcases my own preference would be for more albergues to adopt an unambiguous yes/no policy on accepting luggage deliveries at all. I admire those places which make a principled decision not to participate in this particular game.

I heartily agree with you, Bradypus. If it was up to me, I would not accept sent-ahead bags at all, at any of our albergues. IMHO, No bags = no problems. But it's not my decision to make.

 

[henrythedog]

Ouch, I am smelling a lot of judgmental comments… at this very moment I am struggling with trying to fit things in my huge backpack for my spring Camino. There is simply not enough room for my giant CPAP. I was considering taking a small hard-side suitcase, to best protect it, and shipping that ahead. However, now it looks like I will need to come up with another idea. I have read how others have used their medical equipment on their pilgrimages, but it seems that either they had smaller units, or that times have changed. Maybe both.

Or perhaps; with no disrespect intended; they have chosen to do something else.

There are many things I would have wanted to do in my life which for reasons outwith my control I was not able - or permitted - to do.

 

[JudyWanaWander]

Hello fellow Pilgrims. My wife and I reserved a double room in an Albergue in Hospital de Orbigo in June--we are walking from St. Jean to Santiago de Compostela. We will be using luggage transfer--we are each 72 this year with knee and back issues. After the reservation through Booking.com the albergue notified us that they only accept backpacks and not suitcases. This is an issue for us as we don't want to be carrying weight through aiports, etc. We thought of three possibilities:

(1) write the albergue and see if they will make an exception for us old pilgrims

(2) pack as light as possible and use a backpack for stuff we will not carry during the day (I have considered carrying a very light pack but 10% of body weight is too much for my knees)

(3) change reservations...if feasible

Any suggestions? Also, we have reserved double rooms in a few other Albergues and have not received any messages about this--should we contact them to find out if they have such restrictions?

Thanks for your help.

Here is some great advise from Rick Steves. He travel up to 3 months with a very light "backpack" and a small dayback.

Tips for Choosing the Best Travel Bag

www.ricksteves.com

 

[Anamiri]

Hello fellow Pilgrims. My wife and I reserved a double room in an Albergue in Hospital de Orbigo in June--we are walking from St. Jean to Santiago de Compostela. We will be using luggage transfer--we are each 72 this year with knee and back issues. After the reservation through Booking.com the albergue notified us that they only accept backpacks and not suitcases. This is an issue for us as we don't want to be carrying weight through aiports, etc. We thought of three possibilities:

(1) write the albergue and see if they will make an exception for us old pilgrims

(2) pack as light as possible and use a backpack for stuff we will not carry during the day (I have considered carrying a very light pack but 10% of body weight is too much for my knees)

(3) change reservations...if feasible

Any suggestions? Also, we have reserved double rooms in a few other Albergues and have not received any messages about this--should we contact them to find out if they have such restrictions?

Thanks for your help.

I wasn't going to chime in on this one, but I had questions re the airport, and the reality of stairs.

Apart from Frankfurt where due to lack of time, I had to literally sprint through the whole airport carrying a pack, I've seldom actually carried other than hand luggage through an airport. When I have, I used an airport trolley.
I will add that I never take more than 6 kgs with me on Camino, I simply don't need any more than that.
If I was sightseeing after a Camino, I would send my larger bag on to Santiago and collect it there.
For walking during the day you'll need a small pack anyway for essentials, snacks and items which you dont want out of your possession.

My husband needs a Cpap, and we ensure its well wrapped so his bag is a bit bulkier but not much heavier. I have a lot of medications which are bulky but not too heavy (plus they diminish in bulk during the walk). As far as our general wellbeing, we are both healthy, but I have ongoing issues with a foot and knee injury that I need to manage, my husband has dodgy knees. When we use pack transport (including the Cpap), our bags are packs, not suitcases. They each weigh 5-7 kgs, pretty standard for packs I would think. Our day packs would be 1-2 kgs. I have never needed anything more than what I've taken, other than consumables purchased in Spain.

One thing to consider when walking the Camino, is that we seldom encountered lifts, I think I remember twice in 3 Caminos. Every other time there are always stairs to consider so a wheeled bag wouldnt seem to me to be a practical solution, but you can buy smaller convertible bags with wheels and handles for when its flatter. Hotels in larger places may have lifts, but many of the smaller villages/towns wont.

I've seen some seriously large wheeled bags taking up heaps of room in receptions, and I can understand why places are reluctant to take them.
I will admit to having been in an earlier life a chronic overpacker, I would easily have taken 6 white T-shirts all looking basically the same without a thought. I'd be waiting for my giant bag to come around on the conveyor belt, and concerned about losing stuff - and sometimes did.
Travelling from Auckland - Sydney for work every second week for a year cured me of this, and I now agree with the Rick Steves article. I would once have always taken the airline kg limit, now I try to get everything on board with me if possible. My husband is an overpacker, and it has taken a Camino to convert him.
I can understand wanting some tourist clothing for post-Camino, but sending ahead to Santiago would make Camino life much easier.

 

[Susan Peacock]

Since this conversation has gone down the path of making assumptions about those who use bag transport. I must put in my two cents. After 10 Caminos I am turned off by the rolling suitcases and try to to discourage pilgrims from taking them. On the other hand I am now more compassionate with those who physically need the transport in order to walk the Camino. I tore the labrum in my hip this summer while pushing a young man with cerebral palsy on the Frances. I am hoping to walk this spring but know that I will NEED this service for part of the contents of my backpack. My walk without a bag will be more challenging than a healthy younger person with a heavy bag. You could say just wait another year or two, I say who knows if I will be around next year. I just hope that the tourist with their suitcases don’t cause changes that effect those with physical challenges.

 

[Wockin]

Friends stayed right at the end of the bridge . Hostal don suero
You could stay there. Hopefully not much more ? You need to be spoilt once in awhile

 

[grayland]

Needing to transport you pack is just that…needful and appropriate.
Good Luck. Enjoy your continued adventure

 

[JabbaPapa]

OK let's see the diametric opposite perspective.

I am disabled and I am in constant pain, and I walk carrying my backpack every day.

If I didn't, and the pain made me need to stop somewhere with no lodging, but I had sent my pack off ahead of me, that would leave me stuck outside with no sleeping bag, no inflatable mattress, and in dire straits or forced to take a bus by my initial bad decision to use an "easy" JacoTrans solution.

Otherwise, last night I slept in a minimalist pilgrim shelter, no electricity, water outside only, just a couple of bunk beds with (good) mattresses, and shelter from the elements.

Could walk no farther from the disability, but how could pack transport possibly be organised, it's just absurd, the only alternative would be a bus. But then how would that be walking on the Way of Saint James ?

I would say that many of us with a disability have far more need to carry a backpack all the way, to be as reactive as possible to emergencies, than a great many of those who can walk from A to B on a daily basis and without serious difficulty, especially those using the pack transport services for pure reasons of personal comfort versus any real need.

And yes, certain pilgrims do have such real need - - but I will never understand using the needs of others to "justify" using pack transport for purposes of one's own mere comfort, especially not if it involves bulky suitcases, a desire for multiple changes of clothing, large quantity of toiletries and cosmetics, and other such items that are of dubious requirement on a foot pilgrimage.

 

[dick bird]

The transport companies do impose weight and size limits.

I suspect they will start soon if the bags continue to grow.

 

[JabbaPapa]

And apart from all of that, to finish that rant, more and more frequently, those pilgrims who have both the desire and the means to walk with such comforts and services travel with Camino tour groups where all is organised for them by the tour companies.

And good for them !!

Better to walk the Way of Saint James than not to do so !!

The issue is when some want such luxuries but expect such level of "service" from the underlying basic foot pilgrim infrastructure, without probably even realising how destructive their actions are to that infrastructure.

 

[Kathar1na]

See Gronze (it is in a very simple Spanish, and you can use the translation opton of your browser). There is an item in albergue's description about "Exclusivo para peregrinos". If it says "No, pero orientado a los peregrinos", it means other kind of travellers (with luggage, I suppose) are accepted.

You are making a good point that is frequently overlooked, and those who are new to Camino walking may not yet be aware of it: there are albergues and then there are other albergues, they are not all the same.

Since the topic is about the town of Hospital de Orbigo, I had a closer look. Gronze lists 5 establishments that can be booked on Booking.com: 1 hotel, 1 hostal, and 3 albergues. Two other albergues ("parochial" and "Verde") are not bookable. The 3 albergues are obviously commercial establishments: two of them are classified as "not exclusively for pilgrims but oriented towards them" while the third one is actually classified as "only for pilgrims". That is unusual, isn't it, for a commercial albergue or inn? I wonder whether they are the ones with the suitcase ban ... trying to do the balancing act between the travelling pilgrim world and the travelling tourist world which, in reality and in imho, so often overlap anyway.

 

[pepi]

Somehow wheeled suitcases are not a big part of my Camino thoughts and experience.

I think the greater issue is that suitcases are heavy (mostly because those bringing them overpack) and are more difficult for the transport companies and albergues to deal with. It's not about judging someone for bringing one.

The Caminos are backpacker trails and –as said in other posts– suitcases are heavy, unwieldy, and smack of tourism; they are simply out of place..
There will be no problem in forwarding rucksacks, so I suggest rearranging luggage, using two main backpacks light enough so that you can carry them a few hundred meters in the worst case.
(In airports and train stations, there are trollies) In addition, get two foldable daypacks that you can store inside the backpacks during transit.
Finally, be more flexible! You need far fewer things to take along than you think. I am half a dozen years older than the OP, (with 3 cancer surgeries, a quintuple bypass, and 6 stents behind me, btw); nevertheless, I manage comfortably with a main backpack and a daypack weighing altogether 5.6 kg. If you need some more formal clothing after the Camino, consider buying them in Santiago, where you find a wide variety of fashionable, very reasonably priced stores.
And finally, if all above does not work for you, at least send your suitcases from your starting point right through to SdC.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

consider buying them in Santiago, where you find a wide variety of fashionable, very reasonably priced stores.

This is what I have done after arriving in Santiago. It feels good to finally wear something new and fresh after weeks in the same clothes. You don't have to spend a lot and it really perks me up.

 

[sillydoll]

And even if you have a credencial, they don't have a stamp!

Yes, you can get a stamp at the bar up the road

 

[Pilgrim9]

One of the good things that foot-pilgrims frequently mention is the calming effect of the pilgrimage, and the opportunities it offers for contemplation, reflection, and self-improvement.

I sense in this thread an unfortunate deviation from that.

Here is a line of reasoning that might help.

My basic premise is that everyone is supposed to be free to walk their own Camino in their own way as long as they do not interfere with others.

Some pilgrims want or need to carry everything on their backs, and some want or need to have a transportation service provider move the heavy stuff forwards. Both are OK.

Technical compatibility of transported objects:

The technical characteristics (size, shape, mass, structural integrity, "snagginess" (i.e. "too many" dangling straps, buckles, and loops), cleanliness, ease-of-handling, safety, possible emissions of noxious fluids and odours, etc.) of objects that folks send from one location such as a lodging place to another location, affect and therefore must be compatible with the facilities and systems at both locations and also compatible with the facilities and systems of all of the the transportation service providers in the transportation chain.

Transport service providers and lodging places (including not-for-profit albergues and donativos) need to be able to operate safely, effectively, and in a reasonably repeatable manner. That requires that each one be free to decide for itself the technical characteristics of transported objects that will be acceptable to it.

Some transportation service providers and lodging places might decide that they will only accept backpacks - to avoid disagreements, the word "backpack" might need an unambiguous definition - and some might decide that luggage items that are of a more standardized shape and with more-standardised handles are easier and safer to handle, transport, stack, and store than are backpacks, and therefore they might permit suitcases. They might choose to also permit multiple large steamer trunks. Unlikely, but it could happen, and so what, as long as it does not interfere with others?

They will want people to comply with their required technical characteristics, therefore, potential customers will need to know in advance the required technical characteristics, to enable them to plan and to comply.

Establishing, maintaining, and publishing written specifications is a proven effective method to efficiently store and communicate to stakeholders, sets of technical requirements. Written specifications help to provide clarity and commonality of understandings, eliminate ambiguities, and reduce the occurrence of unexpected disagreements and strife. Stakeholders include e.g. management, internal staff members, cooperating organizations, and potential external customers.

All of this can be managed by the lodging places and transportation service providers, perhaps as part of their documented management systems. Some might decide to adopt some notional future Spanish-Camino-wide shared standard specification for transported objects, and some might want to go their own way. Both are OK, but to avoid unexpected disagreements and strife, their requirements need to be declared in advance of bookings.

The prescribed technical requirements for transported objects clearly affect the potential customers who want to have their objects transported from place to place, and that as it should be.

It is less clear to me how the prescribed technical requirements for transported objects affect people who are not customers of the transportation service providers or of the lodging places.

If something does not affect you, why get concerned about it?

Becoming judgmental about how others walk their camino, or how many changes of clothing they bring, or what type of luggage they use, or how many items of luggage they use, or why, is not a requirement for you to have a fulfilling pilgrimage, is not helpful to fhe community, and can interfere with the calming effect upon the judgemental person of their own pilgrimage, and the opportunities their own pilgrimage offers for contemplation, reflection, and self-improvement.

Perhaps it would be better for us all to just let it go, or, to phrase it more clearly, mind your own business.

 

[Gazelle2]

Hello fellow Pilgrims. My wife and I reserved a double room in an Albergue in Hospital de Orbigo in June--we are walking from St. Jean to Santiago de Compostela. We will be using luggage transfer--we are each 72 this year with knee and back issues. After the reservation through Booking.com the albergue notified us that they only accept backpacks and not suitcases. This is an issue for us as we don't want to be carrying weight through aiports, etc. We thought of three possibilities:

(1) write the albergue and see if they will make an exception for us old pilgrims

(2) pack as light as possible and use a backpack for stuff we will not carry during the day (I have considered carrying a very light pack but 10% of body weight is too much for my knees)

(3) change reservations...if feasible

Any suggestions? Also, we have reserved double rooms in a few other Albergues and have not received any messages about this--should we contact them to find out if they have such restrictions?

Thanks for your help.

Take your rucksack which can get moved on and buy a SeatoSummit Ultra-Sil Daypack which will fold into a little bag smaller than your fist and holds up to 22 litres of food wet weather gear and water etc .Ideal for the task if you do not want to carry a full rucksack.

 

[frannie z]

Everyone walks their own camino.

I have walked 3 very long pilgrimages and 2 shorter ones with everything on my back every inch of the way. My knees and to a lesser extent my hip joints were complaining on the last one. Last year (2022) it took three months for my knees to recover. I cannot do that again.

Whatever I had been trying to prove to myself has been proven.

If I do another pilgrimage I will not be carrying everything on my back. I will probably use a suitcase or a large duffel bag, sent forward each day by a daily luggage forwarding service, plus a very small daypack on my back.

Lodging places can make whatever policy decisions they want. Those which prohibit whatever type of luggage I decide to use will simply lose my business, and that is OK. There are lots of lodging places available.

I too am in a different place in my life and possibly overly sensitive. I have developed physical problems which preclude me from carrying 20 pounds. If this was year 1200 I’d have to use a donkey!! Never mind I am walking MY OWN way and use this forum for great information. And I use (thank God they now have such a service — baggage transfer services) That said I get angry when folks however slightly post “opinions” and not facts or information. Especially when you ask direct informational questions and get back “commentary.” That said I didn’t know that a rolling carry on suitcase isn’t accepted for baggage transfer. Also planning another Camino for March 21 (Sarria to Santiago) and this time thought of using roller bag because prior to Sarria will be in Spanish cities. Would appreciate knowing if indeed this is one off situation or policy of baggage transfer services. ?

 

[frannie z]

One of the good things that foot-pilgrims frequently mention is the calming effect of the pilgrimage, and the opportunities it offers for contemplation, reflection, and self-improvement.

I sense in this thread an unfortunate deviation from that.

Here is a line of reasoning that might help.

My basic premise is that everyone is supposed to be free to walk their own Camino in their own way as long as they do not interfere with others.

Some pilgrims want or need to carry everything on their backs, and some want or need to have a transportation service provider move the heavy stuff forwards. Both are OK.

Technical compatibility of transported objects:

The technical characteristics (size, shape, mass, structural integrity, "snagginess" (i.e. "too many" dangling straps, buckles, and loops), cleanliness, ease-of-handling, safety, possible emissions of noxious fluids and odours, etc.) of objects that folks send from one location such as a lodging place to another location, affect and therefore must be compatible with the facilities and systems at both locations and also compatible with the facilities and systems of all of the the transportation service providers in the transportation chain.

Transport service providers and lodging places (including not-for-profit albergues and donativos) need to be able to operate safely, effectively, and in a reasonably repeatable manner. That requires that each one be free to decide for itself the technical characteristics of transported objects that will be acceptable to it.

Some transportation service providers and lodging places might decide that they will only accept backpacks - to avoid disagreements, the word "backpack" might need an unambiguous definition - and some might decide that luggage items that are of a more standardized shape and with more-standardised handles are easier and safer to handle, transport, stack, and store than are backpacks, and therefore they might permit suitcases. They might choose to also permit multiple large steamer trunks. Unlikely, but it could happen, and so what, as long as it does not interfere with others?

They will want people to comply with their required technical characteristics, therefore, potential customers will need to know in advance the required technical characteristics, to enable them to plan and to comply.

Establishing, maintaining, and publishing written specifications is a proven effective method to efficiently store and communicate to stakeholders, sets of technical requirements. Written specifications help to provide clarity and commonality of understandings, eliminate ambiguities, and reduce the occurrence of unexpected disagreements and strife. Stakeholders include e.g. management, internal staff members, cooperating organizations, and potential external customers.

All of this can be managed by the lodging places and transportation service providers, perhaps as part of their documented management systems. Some might decide to adopt some notional future Spanish-Camino-wide shared standard specification for transported objects, and some might want to go their own way. Both are OK, but to avoid unexpected disagreements and strife, their requirements need to be declared in advance of bookings.

The prescribed technical requirements for transported objects clearly affect the potential customers who want to have their objects transported from place to place, and that as it should be.

It is less clear to me how the prescribed technical requirements for transported objects affect people who are not customers of the transportation service providers or of the lodging places.

If something does not affect you, why get concerned about it?

Becoming judgmental about how others walk their camino, or how many changes of clothing they bring, or what type of luggage they use, or how many items of luggage they use, or why, is not a requirement for you to have a fulfilling pilgrimage, is not helpful to fhe community, and can interfere with the calming effect upon the judgemental person of their own pilgrimage, and the opportunities their own pilgrimage offers for contemplation, reflection, and self-improvement.

Perhaps it would be better for us all to just let it go, or, to phrase it more clearly, mind your own business.

Thank you for this reply. It helped calm me

 

[Anamiri]

I too am in a different place in my life and possibly overly sensitive. I have developed physical problems which preclude me from carrying 20 pounds. If this was year 1200 I’d have to use a donkey!! Never mind I am walking MY OWN way and use this forum for great information. And I use (thank God they now have such a service — baggage transfer services) That said I get angry when folks however slightly post “opinions” and not facts or information. Especially when you ask direct informational questions and get back “commentary.” That said I didn’t know that a rolling carry on suitcase isn’t accepted for baggage transfer. Also planning another Camino for March 21 (Sarria to Santiago) and this time thought of using roller bag because prior to Sarria will be in Spanish cities. Would appreciate knowing if indeed this is one off situation or policy of baggage transfer services. ?

The baggage transfer companies have pricing based on weight. You'd have to check their websites to see if there are any other constraints, I saw all types of luggage in their vans but things may have changed since 2019.

The OP's issue is not with the baggage transfer companies accepting his luggage but with the place he wants to stay not accepting the type of luggage he has planned.

I think you'll have to check when you book. Rebecca has given information that some types of albergue wont accept luggage, but there are private places, hostals etc as well - so I think you would need to check with each booking.

 

[malingerer]

Everyone walks their own camino.

I have walked 3 very long pilgrimages and 2 shorter ones with everything on my back every inch of the way. My knees and to a lesser extent my hip joints were complaining on the last one. Last year (2022) it took three months for my knees to recover. I cannot do that again.

Whatever I had been trying to prove to myself has been proven.

If I do another pilgrimage I will not be carrying everything on my back. I will probably use a suitcase or a large duffel bag, sent forward each day by a daily luggage forwarding service, plus a very small daypack on my back.

Lodging places can make whatever policy decisions they want. Those which prohibit whatever type of luggage I decide to use will simply lose my business, and that is OK. There are lots of lodging places available.

This says it all for me.. I am still recovering from a bad fall pre-xmas. I will be using what I can, when I can, where I can. Private accommodation most of the time so me and my love dove ( AH !) at 69 and 84 WONT be using any place with restrictions as neither of us is getting any younger or fitter! keep on truckin sez me and Buen Camino .

Samarkand.

 

[hikentravel1234]

Hello fellow Pilgrims. My wife and I reserved a double room in an Albergue in Hospital de Orbigo in June--we are walking from St. Jean to Santiago de Compostela. We will be using luggage transfer--we are each 72 this year with knee and back issues. After the reservation through Booking.com the albergue notified us that they only accept backpacks and not suitcases. This is an issue for us as we don't want to be carrying weight through aiports, etc. We thought of three possibilities:

(1) write the albergue and see if they will make an exception for us old pilgrims

(2) pack as light as possible and use a backpack for stuff we will not carry during the day (I have considered carrying a very light pack but 10% of body weight is too much for my knees)

(3) change reservations...if feasible

Any suggestions? Also, we have reserved double rooms in a few other Albergues and have not received any messages about this--should we contact them to find out if they have such restrictions?

Thanks for your help.

I would recommend that you Google “rolling backpacks for adults” or “the 10 best rolling backpacis for adults”. Be sure to look at the dimensions or liters then do some calculations to see how it compares to the dimensions/liters that you have in your suitcase. You may have to take a little less but these would likely get you in the albergues and still give you rolling help in airports, etc (though may not work quite as well), The ones I looked at quickly, for women, were from $99 to $300. It might be worth a higher cost to get a bag that rolls better and works better. Look at reviews when possible. You can also Google “rolling backpacks near me”. REI carries some (Osprey for women in 35 L, etc).

 

[trecile]

That said I didn’t know that a rolling carry on suitcase isn’t accepted for baggage transfer

As far as I know, the luggage transfer companies do accept rolling carry on suitcases. In fact this is on the Correos site:



Caminofacil says "Each piece of luggage can weigh approximately 20 kg. maximum, although this is a flexible limit and there should be no problem if your luggage slightly exceeds this weight. The same goes for luggage: in general, we can take any standard size suitcase or backpack. In any case"

The particular case of the OP was that the albergue would accept only backpacks.

BTW, I'm not advocating for luggage transfer, as I've never done it myself, but I hope to be walking Caminos until I'm old enough that it might be the best option for me if I want to continue walking.

 

[henrythedog]

I think it’s entirely reasonable that some facilities on the Camino Frances, especially - because that it the most frequented- discriminate in favour of pilgrims as opposed to tourists. How to make that distinction is not so simple as it might seem.

I have not yet had had need to, or chosen to, use a luggage transport service - but I certainly do not rule that out in the future.

If I were to do so, I anticipate that I would still have a rucksack on my back. My excess I would seek to pack in something more compact and it’s unlikely that if would be a rucksack.

With respect to posts above; whilst I can be unnecessarily verbose, some are of a length which I’m not going to read. My earlier post ‘TLDR’ quite reasonably did not pass moderation; but might we try to be a little more concise. (I’ll try to take my own advice)

 

[Anniesantiago]

I suspect they will start soon if the bags continue to grow.

I think you. misread the post. The baggage companies DO impose weight limits.

 

[trecile]

If I were to do so, I anticipate that I would still have a rucksack on my back. My excess I would seek to pack in something more compact and it’s unlikely that if would be a rucksack.

Yes, it doesn't make sense to me to bring two backpacks. If I were to send part of my gear ahead it would probably be in a duffel bag, and I would wear my well fitted backpack that transfers the load to my hips to carry what I need for the day (which sometimes can be considerable, depending on the weather) rather than carrying a flimsy backpack while my comfortable backpack rides in the back of the van.

 

[Anniesantiago]

When I walk alone, I carry my bag.
When I take a group, we employ pack transport for those who need it.
Not everybody wants it. I've had several pilgrims who carried their packs.
I see absolutely no issues with albergues refusing to accept rollings suitcases.
They're a pain in the kazoo!
They've been the bane of my existence as a group leader - and this is the first year where I have put a rule in place that states "NO ROLLING SUITCASES - BACKPACKS ONLY!"
My feeling is suitcases imply the person owning them should be able to pay for private lodging, and our groups do book private lodging.
It's not THAT much more expensive for two or three people to book a private room.
I don't know about CPAPS in an albergue.
Seems they'd be annoying but that's what earplugs are for.
My advice is if you can't carry it in your pack, and you need transport, book a private room.

 

[trecile]

I don't know about CPAPS in an albergue.
Seems they'd be annoying but that's what earplugs are for.

Not as annoying as the snoring that would occur without the CPAP!

 

[dougfitz]

My basic premise is that everyone is supposed to be free to walk their own Camino in their own way as long as they do not interfere with others.

@Pilgrim9, I don't think it is as simple as that. If you are walking the Pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, there is a framework, not just of the requirements set by the Cathedral, but also by the many voluntary organisations who support those undertaking that pilgrimage. Perhaps you could characterise complying with these requirements under your rubric 'do not interfere with others'.

If you think this is possible, I would suggest it would be worth reflecting on the several posts where there is a pretty clear indication that voluntary hospitaleros are being asked to become baggage handlers, along with the myriad other responsibilities they take on in their role. Certainly I would not have welcomed this imposition as a hospitalero.

I see the explanations for these rules offered by, amongst others, @Rebekah Scott and @sillydoll, people I trust to have a sound understanding of the development of the Camino de Santiago. As a pilgrim, I have met people in hostels and albergues who get upset by those of us who can afford the occasional stay in more expensive B&Bs and hotels. It would be more difficult for me to undertake any but the shortest Camino if I weren't able to access albergues fairly regularly. As it is, it is difficult to get back to Spain or Portugal every other year - adding something like another 500-1000 Euros to stay in hostels and hotels would make even that pattern impractical.

So far, I have always carried my own pack, and never considered any form of pack transport a viable option. Why? I take the view that were I to do that, I would have joined a large, albeit virtual, motorised support group. And if I am to honour the conditions of the credencial provided to me, and which I accept in my intention to meet the requirements to get the Compostela, then there are conditions about using the pilgrim hostels, ie albergues. The current text provided by the Pilgrim Office states:

• Groups organised with support car or by bicycle are requested to seek alternative shelter to the pilgrim hostels.

My credencial from Les Amis du Chemin de Saint-Jacques Pyrenees-Atlantiques is even more clear on this:

Those making their Pilgrimage with the support of a car must seek accommodation separate from the Pilgrims' Refuges. (emphasis added)

Some might not think that they are walking in a group, but let me suggest that the organisations that provide pack transport services have created the group around you, even if you haven't put your mind to that. If you use their services you are clearly using a support vehicle to undertake your pilgrimage. I long ago decided that within this framework, it would be unconscionable to use both pack transport and albergues, at least those staffed by volunteers.

There have been some suggestion that frailty of some form is reasonable grounds for using pack transport. I am now over 70, and have accumulated a range of medical conditions that need to be managed, some more carefully than others. I don't claim these to be disabilities that stop me walking, but I no longer contemplate doing the CF from SJPP to SDC in 33 or 34 days. I carry a CPAP machine, and medications for hypertension, ideopathic hypersomnolence, reflux and osteoarthritis, as well as a generic (OTC) analgesic, anti-fungal, denture cleaning and fixing treatments and a small first aid kit. Other than the first aid kit, I took none of these on my first camino. So I know that it is possible, with careful pain management and even assiduously avoiding the advice of the ultra-light afficionados, to walk without using pack transport. Those having difficulty carrying a heavier pack have their own decision to make here, but I cannot be in their minds, and I don't think it is appropriate to offer comfort on this matter when it arises.

If you are planning to use pack transport, my view is that you should also be planning to use private albergues, hostels, casa rural, hotels and the like. Anything but the albergues run by voluntary organisations and staffed by volunteers. That is the commitment you make by asking for and accepting the credencial for your journey.

 

[trecile]

If you are planning to use pack transport, my view is that you should also be planning to use private albergues, hostels, casa rural, hotels and the like. Anything but the albergues run by voluntary organisations and staffed by volunteers. That is the commitment you make by asking for and accepting the credencial for your journey.

I agree with this. And if you are using pack transport I think that you should have a reservation at the private albergue/pensión/hotel where you intend to have your luggage delivered. It's beyond rude to expect an establishment to look after your belongings when you have not intention of giving them your business.

 

[dougfitz]

I don't know about CPAPS in an albergue.
Seems they'd be annoying but that's what earplugs are for.

I have carried and used my travel CPAP on the CF and CP. Testing conducted on travel machines indicates they make a little more noise than heavier machines designed for static use at home, but it appears to be just detectable, rather than much louder.

I have only had one objection to the noise of my CPAP, ironically by the pilgrim who had been drinking consistently through the afternoon and evening, and who then spent the first part of the night making it more difficult to sleep with his snoring.

For those who only require a low or moderate CPAP pressure, your sleep physician might be comfortable with you not using the CPAP for a limited period of time. Mine was, and I have done this in the past. What I found was that after a week or so, I was snoring less, presumably having tightened the muscles around my windpipe as a general result of getting fitter, to the point where I wasn't snoring a week or so after that, ie after about a fortnight.

 

[Anamiri]

Yes, it doesn't make sense to me to bring two backpacks. If I were to send part of my gear ahead it would probably be in a duffel bag, and I would wear my well fitted backpack that transfers the load to my hips to carry what I need for the day (which sometimes can be considerable, depending on the weather) rather than carrying a flimsy backpack while my comfortable backpack rides in the back of the van.

What happened in my case though is that I started walking with my pack, injured my knee a few days in, and had to buy a smaller day pack so I could continue. I hadn't intended to, nor even knew about pack transfer before travelling, and intended to carry my pack myself.
Using pack transfer allowed me to continue walking and my knee healed. It cost me about 3 euros to buy a small day pack. Taking the weight off my knee saved my Camino.
I think lots of people fall into this category. You start with a full pack, and intend to carry it, but find part way through that a plan B is required, and at that point you have to buy/acquire whatever you can in order to continue.

 

[Pilgrim9]

... if you are using pack transport I think that you should have a reservation at the private albergue/pensión/hotel where you intend to have your luggage delivered. It's beyond rude to expect an establishment to look after your belongings when you have not intention of giving them your business.

Absolutely!

 

[Pelerina]

And if you are using pack transport I think that you should have a reservation at the private albergue/pensión/hotel where you intend to have your luggage delivered. It's beyond rude to expect an establishment to look after your belongings when you have not intention of giving them your business.

A small anecdote to provide some levity to the thread and demonstrate how things sometimes work ‘on the ground’ - albeit unintentionally. In 2018 we looked after a small private gite in Eauze on the Le Puy way - to give our friends, the owners,a week off. The gite had 12 places in 4 dormitories. Those sending their packs by Transport Claudine needed to have reservations. Other beds were for ‘walk ins’. We usually had a combination.

When our friend who was the driver for Transport Claudine arrived, she had 3 bags with name tags for people who didn’t have a reservation. Hhmm. She tried to call the pilgrims involved without success. So, she said she would keep trying and we said just leave the bags with us and keep us posted. Eauze is a small town - they are sure to be reunited.

It got to about 5 pm. Our gite was full with those who had reserved and those who walked in. And still the extra bags were there. So I decided to walk to the square near the cathedral (all of 5 mins away) to see if I could see 3 pilgrims who looked like they might belong to the missing bags. Sure enough I spotted some likely suspects. It turned out they had written the wrong gite name on their tags and were not contactable on their phones and had not made contact with Transport Claudine. So they were sitting in the square having a drink - I’m not sure what they were expecting would happen. ‘The camino provides’ perhaps? Well, on this occasion it did.

I happily told them that we had their bags safely at our gite and they could come and collect them. To my surprise, rather than being elated (grateful?) the response was ‘Oh, could you bring them to us?’ Err … that would be a ‘non’ - but you’re welcome to follow me.

Happy to say that was the only time that happened. But here I am still remembering the encounter more than 4 years later

 

[Pilgrim9]

@Pilgrim9, I don't think it is as simple as that. If you are walking the Pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, there is a framework, not just of the requirements set by the Cathedral, but also by the many voluntary organisations who support those undertaking that pilgrimage. Perhaps you could characterise complying with these requirements under your rubric 'do not interfere with others'.

If you think this is possible, I would suggest it would be worth reflecting on the several posts where there is a pretty clear indication that voluntary hospitaleros are being asked to become baggage handlers, along with the myriad other responsibilities they take on in their role. Certainly I would not have welcomed this imposition as a hospitalero.

I appreciate your thoughtful comment. Perhaps through patient dialogue all of us can thresh the wheat and winnow the results down to the real issues.

I definitely understand the problem potentially imposed upon hospitaleros, and the staff of all other types of lodging places, by baggage handling.

In my post #10 paragraph 5 I stated that lodging places are free to make whatever policies they want. That includes whether or not they will accommodate incoming/outgoing luggage, and what types of luggage they will accommodate. However, potential customers need some way to know in advance what the policies are, to enable them to plan and to comply.

As a pilgrim, I have met people in hostels and albergues who get upset by those of us who can afford the occasional stay in more expensive B&Bs and hotels.

Not something I have experienced yet but I have taken note and will bear it in mind.

... were I to [use a luggage forwarding service], I would have joined a large ... motorised support group. And if I am to honour the conditions of the credencial provided to me, and which I accept in my intention to meet the requirements to get the Compostela, then there are conditions about using the pilgrim hostels, ie albergues. The current text provided by the Pilgrim Office states:

• Groups organised with support car or by bicycle are requested to seek alternative shelter to the pilgrim hostels.

My credencial from Les Amis du Chemin de Saint-Jacques Pyrenees-Atlantiques is even more clear on this:

* Those making their Pilgrimage with the support of a car must seek accommodation separate from the Pilgrims' Refuges. (emphasis added)

Some might not think that they are walking in a group, but let me suggest that the organisations that provide pack transport services have created the group around you, even if you haven't put your mind to that. If you use their services you are clearly using a support vehicle to undertake your pilgrimage. I long ago decided that within this framework, it would be unconscionable to use both pack transport and albergues, at least those staffed by volunteers.

Good points.

There have been some suggestion that frailty of some form is reasonable grounds for using pack transport.

It is my position that obvious symptoms of the wearing-out of the joints of some or all of the lower extremities (hip, knee, foot) is a reasonable basis to decide to stop carrying heavy loads and instead use a luggage forwarding service.

[Those who] are planning to use pack transport ... should also be planning to use private albergues, hostels, casa rural, hotels and the like. Anything but the albergues run by voluntary organisations and staffed by volunteers. That is the commitment you make by asking for and accepting the credencial for your journey.

That makes sense.

As you have pointed out, some lodging places are run by voluntary organizations and are staffed by unpaid volunteers. Some albergues appear to be managed by professional hotelliers and run for profit, apparently with paid staff, including a very nice one that I stayed at in Zubiri.

By what method is one to distinguish between the for-profit albergues and the albergues that are run by volunteers, and the pilgrim hostels mentioned on the Compostela published by the Santiago Pilgrim Office, and the Pilgrim's Refuges mentioned on fhe Compostela published by Les Amis du Chemin de Sant-Jacques Pyrenees-Atlantiques?

Let's back up a step or two ...

Volunteer-staffed albergues fall within the general requirement, applicable to all types of lodging places, that potential overnight guests need some efficient and reliably-correct way to know in advance the lodging place's luggage handling policies, to enable them to plan and comply.

 

[Pilgrim9]

The OP's issue is not with the baggage transfer companies accepting his luggage but with the place he wants to stay not accepting the type of luggage he has planned.

I think you'll have to check when you book.

I would prefer that the onus not be on the potential guest to ask about the lodging place's luggage handling policy, particularly for lodging places that are run for profit. That is not efficient, not customer-focussed, and sets the stage for misunderstandings and errors.

If a lodging place has established a luggage-handling policy, then they should publish it as part of their prospectus wherein they describe and offer lodgings. For example, if they have a website, or if they list on an internet booking service such as e.g. Booking.com, they should clearly state their luggage handling policy in the Facilities / Policies section of their listing, to make it easy for potential guests to plan and comply.

On my 2022 CF I pre-booked more than 50 sequential lodging places via Booking.com. I read the Facilities and Policies sections of the listings quite carefully before making the reservations. Due to linguistic and time constraints, it would have been impossible for me to make 50 international long-distance phone calls or to have translated and sent and received 50 emails to poll all the lodging places for additional information about their policies.

 

[dougfitz]

By what method is one to distinguish between the for-profit albergues and the albergues that are run by volunteers, and the pilgrim hostels mentioned on the Compostela published by the Santiago Pilgrim Office, and the Pilgrim's Refuges mentioned on fhe Compostela published by Les Amis du Chemin de Sant-Jacques Pyrenees-Atlantiques?

I can think of several ways. Guides like John Brierley's may include this in their listings. His certainly does. I use Gronze.com, and for albergues that site shows both ownership and management arrangements. Private albergues get shown as such.

Volunteer-staffed albergues fall within the general requirement, applicable to all types of lodging places, that potential overnight guests need some efficient and reliably-correct way to know in advance the lodging place's luggage handling policies, to enable them to plan and comply.

I don't understand what requirement you are talking about here. I suspect that the baggage transport companies themselves will tell you whether or not a particular albergue, hostel, etc is not going to accept a bag if you attempt to send it somewhere without a booking. If you have made a booking, it would be an appropriate question to ask at the time you do that. If you contact somewhere that doesn't accept bookings, you might also ask if your bag can be dropped there, noting that you are taking the risk of arriving and finding you have to walk on if the albergue is full. It seems to me that in all this, the responsibility is on the pilgrim to discover whether their plan to send a bag some place or other will work. I don't think it should be another requirement levied on the albergues themselves.

I don't think the onus should be on the potential guest to ask about the lodging place's luggage handling policy. That is not efficient, not customer-focussed, and sets the stage for misunderstandings and errors.

I disagree. You appear to be asking for standards of service appropriate to commercial hospitality delivery, not the management of the a service managed and staffed generally by unpaid volunteers to provide non-commercial accommodation for those pilgrims who need that support.

If an external information service like Gronze wants to add a data field to their accommodation listings, that might go towards addressing the problem. Although, as has been evident throughout this discussion, there may be more complexity than just whether or not a place accepts bags dropped by a bag transport service.

 

[isawtman]

This guy rolled his suitcase for at least half of the camino.
I first saw him in the meseta, but he may have rolled it
all the way from St Jean. Plus he had a backpack on.

 

[JabbaPapa]

This guy rolled his suitcase for at least half of the camino.
I first saw him in the meseta, but he may have rolled it
all the way from St Jean. Plus he had a backpack on.
View attachment 139181

Excellent reminder that it's not just a backpack/JacoTrans binary, but there's the hiking trailer option too !!

 

[Kathar1na]

If a lodging place has established a luggage-handling policy, then they should publish it as part of their prospectus wherein they describe and offer lodgings

I find the sequence of events described in the first post actually quite strange:

After the reservation through Booking.com the albergue notified us that they only accept backpacks and not suitcases. ​

​

I have made numerous bookings over the years, including on Booking.com for the Camino Francés and for accommodations that were labelled as albergues (obviously privately owned and managed). I don’t recall a single case where I received information of a regular kind from them after I had made the booking. In the rare cases where I was contacted it was either to remind me of something that had been mentioned on the webpage where I had booked or in an exceptional situation (once our rooms at a B&B became unavailable due to a family issue and they informed as about alternative options).

Oh, I just remember that there is organised luggage transport along the Hadrian’s Wall trail and along the Tour du Mont Blanc and numerous other Alpine trails - numerous huts are accessible by motorised transport. It is more common than people may think.

 

[annakappa]

Hello fellow Pilgrims. My wife and I reserved a double room in an Albergue in Hospital de Orbigo in June--we are walking from St. Jean to Santiago de Compostela. We will be using luggage transfer--we are each 72 this year with knee and back issues. After the reservation through Booking.com the albergue notified us that they only accept backpacks and not suitcases. This is an issue for us as we don't want to be carrying weight through aiports, etc. We thought of three possibilities:

(1) write the albergue and see if they will make an exception for us old pilgrims

(2) pack as light as possible and use a backpack for stuff we will not carry during the day (I have considered carrying a very light pack but 10% of body weight is too much for my knees)

(3) change reservations...if feasible

Any suggestions? Also, we have reserved double rooms in a few other Albergues and have not received any messages about this--should we contact them to find out if they have such restrictions?

Thanks for your help.

Up un checking through all the replies, I only saw one who mentioned trolleys in airports and stations.
If that is your issue: carrying a backpack at the beginning and end if your journey, there shouldn’t be a problem. Simply use a trolley.
As far as your knee issues are concerned, you will find many situations where the trail gives serious concerns for someone with a knee problem, starting with your departure point SJPP to Roncesvalles.

 

[Wanderingfriend]

Hello fellow Pilgrims. My wife and I reserved a double room in an Albergue in Hospital de Orbigo in June--we are walking from St. Jean to Santiago de Compostela. We will be using luggage transfer--we are each 72 this year with knee and back issues. After the reservation through Booking.com the albergue notified us that they only accept backpacks and not suitcases. This is an issue for us as we don't want to be carrying weight through aiports, etc. We thought of three possibilities:

(1) write the albergue and see if they will make an exception for us old pilgrims

(2) pack as light as possible and use a backpack for stuff we will not carry during the day (I have considered carrying a very light pack but 10% of body weight is too much for my knees)

(3) change reservations...if feasible

Any suggestions? Also, we have reserved double rooms in a few other Albergues and have not received any messages about this--should we contact them to find out if they have such restrictions?

Thanks for your help.

If it is Albergue San Miguel, they are the nicest people. Just email them.

 

[Anniesantiago]

Not as annoying as the snoring that would occur without the CPAP!

Well I guess that is very true! lol! I hadn't thought of it.

 

[JabbaPapa]

I'm not bothered at all by snoring personally, unless it is genuinely epic in scope, drama, and volume. And well, that was my dad, and I have come across exactly one snorer on these ways of Saint James comparable, though still only about 80% as bad as my father.

I have OTOH been kept awake at least once by one of those machines.

 

[dougfitz]

I have OTOH been kept awake at least once by one of those machines.

I wonder why this happens for some people. Most seem to not notice the white noise and it doesn't disrupt them, but it seems that isn't true for everyone.

 

[alhartman]

Early May 2005 Castrojeriz. My first camino was a big bedrace. My companion had blown his knee out first day over the Pyrenees and was hitchhiking in parallel and mostly staying in B&B types. I made pretty good time from Hornillos- 20km before 1pm. In line with the other pilgrims on the stairs leading up to their entrance when the hospitalero came out and removed 4 unaccompanied packs resting at the front of the queue. Lots of murmuring but seemed that those packs had been transported in a support vehicle and somebody ratted them out to Hospitalero. There were maybe 25 mattresses on the floor and it was full, full, full, so I was very appreciative of a host enforcing the first come first rules in place at the time. It was also the best welcome of the trip with the H playing classical music and carrying each pack upstairs to a mattress on the floor. As my 5 year old granddaughter signs her stories “Good Ending”.
The infrastructure has grown much in the last 18 years. Gronze shows 10 places to stay vs 2 shown in that years Brierly. There now is room for everyones camino if everyone matches their needs/wants to that category of sleeping.
First step would be to disabuse all that donativo is not the same as 'free',
This rant is not aimed at anywhere in this thread, just for some future forum members learning some of the social contracts on the Camino.
FWIW I think that there is a place for an association of 'traditional refugios' with no pack service, no groups, no bikes etc.

 

[wisepilgrim]

This discussion seems weighted towards the companies offering the transport service, and there seems to be a lot of dialog about adhering to their policies.

In reality though the quickly brewing problem is their ability to drop off at certain establishments.... places which have, as @dougfitz mentions, become baggage handlers. Imagine receiving a dozen bags in the middle of your morning routines:
1. they get stacked in your lobby, or worse they get dropped off in front of your building.
2. you have not played any part in making the arrangements for the bags. the bag owners may or may not (see 3) be your overnight customer.
3. a pilgrim strolls in, light on their feet from not carrying a bag all day, and decided that they want to walk another 5km to the next town.
4. all the while, and into the afternoon, you field phone calls or address the worries of pilgrims who have no real way of knowing where their bags are.

I have spoken to many hospitaleros, particularly ones on international borders, who turn the transport companies away day after day; and for every bag that gets turned away you have an anxious pilgrim on your hands... They want to know where their bag is, and you have no idea because it is very much NOT your responsibility. You would think that the transport companies would get wise and put a notice that they do not deliver to certain places... but the truth is that they are not that well run.

Time and time again bags are left unattended, and in large quantities, in front of albergues whose unsuspecting hospitalero has simply snuck out for a morning coffee. Who moves them to a secure location, and who insures them when they get stolen?

In short, there is zero upside for an albergue owner to receive a bag. 2023 will absolutely continue the trend of owners turning bags away... or charging pilgrims more to receive and hold them. So much so that I have begun inquiring specifically about it in all of my communications with albergues.

 

[trecile]

charging pilgrims more to receive and hold them.

Sounds fair to me.

 

[C clearly]

In reality though the quickly brewing problem is their ability to drop off at certain establishments.... places which have, as @dougfitz mentions, become baggage handlers

You have given a very good summary of the problem, which should help people understand why albergues are taking this position. There is a widespread misunderstanding of how the Camino is "organized" - or more accurately, not organized.

 

[pepi]

This discussion seems weighted towards the companies offering the transport service, and there seems to be a lot of dialog about adhering to their policies.

In reality though the quickly brewing problem is their ability to drop off at certain establishments.... places which have, as @dougfitz mentions, become baggage handlers. Imagine receiving a dozen bags in the middle of your morning routines:
1. they get stacked in your lobby, or worse they get dropped off in front of your building.
2. you have not played any part in making the arrangements for the bags. the bag owners may or may not (see 3) be your overnight customer.
3. a pilgrim strolls in, light on their feet from not carrying a bag all day, and decided that they want to walk another 5km to the next town.
4. all the while, and into the afternoon, you field phone calls or address the worries of pilgrims who have no real way of knowing where their bags are.

I have spoken to many hospitaleros, particularly ones on international borders, who turn the transport companies away day after day; and for every bag that gets turned away you have an anxious pilgrim on your hands... They want to know where their bag is, and you have no idea because it is very much NOT your responsibility. You would think that the transport companies would get wise and put a notice that they do not deliver to certain places... but the truth is that they are not that well run.

Time and time again bags are left unattended, and in large quantities, in front of albergues whose unsuspecting hospitalero has simply snuck out for a morning coffee. Who moves them to a secure location, and who insures them when they get stolen?

In short, there is zero upside for an albergue owner to receive a bag. 2023 will absolutely continue the trend of owners turning bags away... or charging pilgrims more to receive and hold them. So much so that I have begun inquiring specifically about it in all of my communications with albergues.

Predictably, the forwarding of luggage is here to stay and to increase steadily, therefore the transport companies (actually they are not companies but free individual agents gathered under labels like Jacotrans) need to assume more responsibility by first of all getting properly constituted; it is up to them to organize "neutral" pick-up places in the stages. In small villages, this can be done in cooperation with an Albergue (who is paid for the work), elsewhere it can be a central storage run by the transporter or a designated associate. As a consequence, the cost of forwarding will increase, and thereby perhaps slow down the trend.

 

[dougfitz]

Predictably, the forwarding of luggage is here to stay and to increase steadily, therefore the transport companies (actually they are not companies but free individual agents gathered under labels like Jacotrans) need to assume more responsibility by first of all getting properly constituted; it is up to them to organize "neutral" pick-up places in the stages. In small villages, this can be done in cooperation with an Albergue (who is paid for the work), elsewhere it can be a central storage run by the transporter or a designated associate. As a consequence, the cost of forwarding will increase, and thereby perhaps slow down the trend.

@pepi, this seems like a pretty massive change for the individual agents to contemplate, and it seems to require a level of coordination that might be currently absent amongst these transport operators. I wonder what catalyst be needed to create sufficient momentum to move the operators away from their current practices towards this model you are proposing.

 

[Molly Cassidy]

@pepi, this seems like a pretty massive change for the individual agents to contemplate, and it seems to require a level of coordination that might be currently absent amongst these transport operators. I wonder what catalyst be needed to create sufficient momentum to move the operators away from their current practices towards this model you are proposing.

I suppose if the majority of accommodations decided to refuse luggage transport that might do it.

 

[JabbaPapa]

I suppose if the majority of accommodations decided to refuse luggage transport that might do it.

It seems to be heading that way.

 

[pepi]

@pepi, this seems like a pretty massive change for the individual agents to contemplate, and it seems to require a level of coordination that might be currently absent amongst these transport operators. I wonder what catalyst be needed to create sufficient momentum to move the operators away from their current practices towards this model you are proposing.

@dougfitz, You make a valid point. Here is what I think:
Pilgrims have no fundamental entitlement to luggage transport.
The carriers have discovered and promoted a demand; their performance is based on rules of their own. They have unilaterally decided to limit their services to pick up and transport only and leave additional cost factors such as handling and storage and responsibilities (theft, loss) to third parties (albergues) without compensation. Of course, it could be argued that the albergues are thus providing incentives for the use of their own services (rental of beds), but in this case, it is perfectly legitimate for them to limit such a voluntary offer at their own discretion.

The Camino and business interests should be kept apart, therefore the latter should be regulated
We all want that our beloved Camino should remain completely unregulated. In order to safeguard this freedom, the sprawling forwarding services should be given rules that apply to all businesses and assume additional responsibilities. This is in their own interest.
Until this happens, pilgrims should be (made) aware, that the fee they pay to forwarders gives them no entitlements other than mere transport, no right of storage, no security, and no bed.

 

[Wanderingfriend]

Predictably, the forwarding of luggage is here to stay and to increase steadily, therefore the transport companies (actually they are not companies but free individual agents gathered under labels like Jacotrans) need to assume more responsibility by first of all getting properly constituted; it is up to them to organize "neutral" pick-up places in the stages. In small villages, this can be done in cooperation with an Albergue (who is paid for the work), elsewhere it can be a central storage run by the transporter or a designated associate. As a consequence, the cost of forwarding will increase, and thereby perhaps slow down the trend.

This sounds like a plausible solution.

 

[grayland]

A quick count of Threads with "luggage" in the title shows over 45 threads in the last 5 months.

The number of posts inside those threads are huge. This obsession with "luggage" has pretty much taken first place in subject matter.

This same issue seems to hold true in other media such as Camino and Pilgrim sites on FaceBook.

I miss the old Camino atmosphere. Please don't "judge" me for having this opinion.

 

[C clearly]

This obsession with "luggage" has pretty much taken first place in subject matter.

Yes, it is as if "The Camino" has become the name of a luggage-forwarding service across Spain.

 

[Marbe2]

Somehow wheeled suitcases are not a big part of my Camino thoughts and experience.

It is not the intention and not the type of bag one uses?!

 

[Marbe2]

I have never found a bag waiting outside an establishment I sent it to with Correos or Caminofacil! They list specifically online where they deliver to. Most owners know about when they will deliver to their place. When shipping a bag ,if you can’t find the establishment…that is, it does not appear to be on their routes, you can contact them and they will tell you precisely where you might send it. However, I do not stay anywhere, anymore, where my bag won’t be delivered. Perhaps the issue might be concerns that wheels might damage the flooring of an establishment? That I could understand. The bags for Correos and Caminofacil limit max bag weight to15kgs, regardless of the type of bag, so I am interested in knowing the rational as to why a few establishments might be prohibiting bags with wheels.

 

[Vacajoe]

The number of posts inside those threads are huge. This obsession with "luggage" has pretty much taken first place in subject matter.

As it is said, people pack their fears.

In a modern world populated with people of means and their possessions, suddenly being without one’s “things” can seem terrifying. This causes travelers to pack more and more, creating additional and heavier luggage. The proliferation of documenting and sharing one’s camino also generates a need for many not to have on the same outfit in all of their pictures and to spiffy up a bit versus simply being tired and sweaty in every photo. This results in even more luggage. These are driving factors that certainly should be addressed, but will never truly go away.

So rather than focusing on the cause, limiting the effects is an area that the businesses on the Camino can affect. As noted, if bars and albergues refused baggage acceptance, then bags would only be dropped off at places the travelers had reservations. Those accommodations could set the standard for what they would accept (like the OP noted) versus simply being at the will of the various transport agencies. This would eliminate baggage safety concerns when they are simply piled up outside of a door since those proprietors already have a business agreement with the pilgrims who will be staying there.

Expecting anyone else to freely accept responsibility for transported bags from a money-making enterprise is unrealistic.

 

[Bradypus]

Came across this bloke just outside my albergue this afternoon. A plaque says he was put there in 2011. Seems the business of lugging suitcases along the Camino goes back further than I expected.

 

[Vacajoe]

And that full length leather jacket!

 

[Evan Lacer]

Pilgrims walk. They strip down to their simplest self, because they have to carry their world on their back.

When did the Diocese of Santiago impose these strict requirements?