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I think I see where you are going with quick release tags, but wonder if at the point that you are losing your balance, you will want to be using your hands to protect yourself when falling. I'm not sure there would be time to fiddle with the QR tags.Re Robin's reply above about losing balance while pack is on back. Was thinking of taking quick release shoulder straps off a US Army ALICE pack and putting them on a civilian backpack. Always wondered why no civilian packs have quick release pulls on shoulder straps. Made for getting out of pack quickly in combat but are really useful just to get out of any pack at anytime.
BTW in Latin America these days a lot of travelers buy chicken wire inserts for their packs to stop thieves from just cutting open their backpacks to steal items.
Hi - I agree with Kanga, and would like to add that you should start walking/hiking if you haven't yet, using what you have (sneakers, trail running shoes, hiking boots, whatever, a back pack you use for school) and see what you think the pros and cons are. Don't go buying things just yet, six months from now you may change your mind on what you really need, or what works or doesn't work for you. I was short on funds when I did it last year, making do with gear I already had (a 40 year old pack which still performed just fine), buying wind pants and sealable stuff sacks at Walmart ($7 for 3, one of the best things I brought with me), and hitting up the thrift stores. Albergues in Spain run E5-15 a night, usually less than 10, and if you cook that will bring down your cost. And dinner does not have to be cooked - cheese, crackers, a tomato and some fruit work just fine. Experiment with easy one pot few ingredients meals at home - your mother will love it if you make her dinner (start on Mother's Day!). You have plenty of time to fantasize and plan this trip - enjoy it, keep reading this forum, and ask questions - none are too silly, we've all asked them - it will help you immensely. Buen camino - CherryWhat you "need" is minimal. A pack (40-60 litres), comfortable shoes and a few clothes - very few - one set for walking, one set for when you are washing the walking clothes. Something to keep you dry when it is raining. Something to keep you warm when it is cold. Europe is closely settled and you will be walking from village to village, with a bed and food never more than a few hours away. There are shops along the way that sell everything you need. It is not backcountry hiking. You don't "need" a tent or boots or poles or electronics or a knife or the kitchen sink. But if your heart desires those things, that is fine. We all take some of those things and we each have things we treasure on Camino.
There are lists galore on this forum. Have a search and see what others are taking and the comments in regard to those lists.
Before you get into an orgy of buying, read a few books and blogs about the Camino experience and look at the videos and pictures. There are many links on this forum. Read and look at those.
They don't put them on civilian packs because civilians don't carry 100 pound packs and get into fire fights.Re Robin's reply above about losing balance while pack is on back. Was thinking of taking quick release shoulder straps off a US Army ALICE pack and putting them on a civilian backpack. Always wondered why no civilian packs have quick release pulls on shoulder straps. Made for getting out of pack quickly in combat but are really useful just to get out of any pack at anytime.
BTW in Latin America these days a lot of travelers buy chicken wire inserts for their packs to stop thieves from just cutting open their backpacks to steal items.
Hi again. That was what I weighed when I left, and was 67 years old. I weighed 117 when I came home. To get in shape for the camino, walk. Walk to school and back if you can, at least on nice days, walk errands, etc. From your picture I'm guessing that you live in the Northwest?? You have plenty of great places to walk there. A lot of the CF is on narrow paved roads, a lot on pleasant paths, the smaller but always steeper up or down parts on rocky paths, or, if it's raining hard, rocky "stream beds". So you don't really have to go into the mountains for a lot of your walking. The other part of getting in shape - stretching and being limber is really good, having good muscle tone in your calves and thighs to absorb all the downhill pounding and uphill slogs. If you also can lift weights a bit (not the jock type of thing) it will build up upper body strength which helps with a pack on your shoulders, providing better balance and control of your footing going down some of those steeper trails. And of course eat healthy foods and get in the habit of drinking plenty of water. At least all this seems to make sense to me. I didn't train as much as I meant to - getting my daughter off to college, life in general - all took their toll on time. And I finally decided to go only 5 weeks before I left. So you have plenty of time. Tell your mother not to worry - there are a lot of mothers and grandmothers on the path if you need them. And other teenagers too - I met a group from a college in southern N. Hampshire - they were hiking by themselves, meeting up with their professor in the evenings. Depending on where you do live, you and your mother might be able to meet up in person with someone else on this forum who can help ease her mind - CherryThanks for the advice cherrys. Yeah I definitely don't plan of buying the equipment for some time now, but I want to get a general idea for how much money I'm going to need to attain for the equipment itself. I am hoping once I finally have a general plan finalized, I will be able to convince my parish priest to allow me to ask for alms, all in the pilgrim spirit yes. I definitely won't do that before I am able to tell everyone what exactly I plan to do and what they're money would be going towards. Yeah I really should start walking now. I'm for all intensive purposes a 'twig' at 17 years old I weigh 128 pounds (have barely gained any weight for the past two years) and am 5 ft. 9 inches tall. One thing that seems to concern my mom is that I really need to prepare for walking such a long journey because with myself in my current condition she thinks it could be dangerous for my health (losing weight wouldn't be good for me). So I guess, do you all have advice for gaining some weight healthily (muscle weight) and prepping for the Camino?
Hi yet again - I've done a lot of hiking in the White Mountains. Glad to hear you're going to start training. Here's a quick breakdown on money. I spent about $700 on airfare from NYC , with frequent flyer miles for one leg. Think I spent about $160 on trains from Paris to St. Jean, and from Santiago to Madrid. I just bought new Merrell boots for $90 at EMS, and it seems like you can get a very nice pack for under a hundred. Some were around $60-80. Spent $38 on hiking poles on Amazon, but you're young, you probably don't need them. Poncho or raincoat is a big debate. I had a raincoat, but ponchos are cheaper. Saw one for $15 at Target the other day. Socks, shorts, etc, really won't add up to too much, that's where thrift stores, etc come in. Bring a very light nylon day pack to keep with you at all times and for grocery shopping, etc. Your only other expense will be a sleeping bag, probably get the lightest one you can, don't know about any good/cheap options right now. In all, with airfare, but not including equipment, most of which I had had for years, I spent $1800 on the trip, and I bought a new pair of boots mid camino ($40) and stayed at a hotel for 2 nights with my step sister in Santiago. If I had cooked more, I could have spent less, but since I was by myself, it was more fun to get the pilgrim menu (which occasionally at an out of the way albergue is the only choice), usually around 10 euro, and eat with others. Enjoy your planning - CherryThanks so much for all your replies, they're greatly appreciated. Glad to hear gap years are well received by those who take them, I know at this point I can't wait for mine so I can hardly imagine what it actually is like. Those packs look great, I'm starting to get a general idea for the cost of them which is helpful. I'm curious though how much would you all spend for a new 30 or 40 liter pack? The group as a whole is going to be raising money for the cost of everyones equipment, train fares, help with airfare and everything else will be added to the money they will have to walk. Thats why I'm try to find a general amount of money you would need for equipment. Right now it sounds like the most expensive things one would buy are your pack and your footwear for walking the Camino. Do you think $500 per person would be enough to buy most of the equipment one would need for the Camino or do you think that would be too high/low? Glad to hear others of similar size have walked, at least now I can convince mom that if I train properly and eat properly while walking I'll be fine. I'm actually from the North East, N. Hampshire to be exact. I've heard from my friends from the Pacific North West that the East Coast is similar in climate to the North West just a little drier. I'm definitely going to start training now, that way I can make sure I get into shape by the time I go (and it presents a nice hobby which I've been looking for).
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