focussing on light gear reduced my packweight from 11kg to 5

[Andrewere]

I have been meaning to compile a gear list ever since returning from the Camino Frances last November.

On a previous Camino I had suffered from foot problems due to my backpack being too heavy and I realised that the only way I could significantly reduce my pack weight was to really apply myself as there is no 'one stop shop' that I could find. It took a while, often reading several reviews for any one item but it paid off as I now have a lightweight pack of durable gear and I can more or less forget about the issue of gear until something wears out. The downside is it wasn't cheap. Anyway I'll put a link here to the relevent page on my blog as it might be useful to someone.

http://spanishfootsteps.blogspot.com/p/ ... pment.html

Andrew.

 

[anniethenurse]

Weldone - I have the same thoughts and doing the same way trying to get super-hyper- light-weight quick-dry- gear. Not inexpensive but worth every penny!
My backpack is very comfortable, too and weighs 1400g. Down sleeping bag 400g and so on...

 

[breakintheclouds]

Andrew,

Greetings from another Salisbury-based gear obsessive! Despite slowly accumulating lightweight gear over the past few years, there were actually a couple of things on your webpage I hadn't seen before, so thanks for that!

Ian

 

[JohnnieWalker]

On a previous Camino I had suffered from foot problems due to my backpack being too heavy and I realised that the only way I could significantly reduce my pack weight was to really apply myself .....but it paid off as I now have a lightweight pack of durable gear.The downside is it wasn't cheap. Andrew.

Everyone should pay attention to this!

Andrew - that's the lesson I also learned. It is decision that has to be taken - if you are going to do more than one long distance walk then the investment is worth it in my opinion. Like you I learned the hard way - pain and blisters. But it doesn't have to be that way even for a first camino there are many lightweight options like synthetic tops, lighterweight packs and shoes and so on. For me carrying less weight is a number one priority.
Investing in good lightweight gear is expensive but the kit is durable - I have stuff which has lasted thousands of kms.

Thanks for repeating the lesson for us all.

 

[sillydoll]

I am ultra-lite obsessive and never carry more than 5kg on my back and about 1kg in my waistbag!
When I was doing research on packs for my book I found that many manufacturers called their rather heavy packs 'ultralight' or 'ultralite' - even those that were over 1kg. I only consider packs of under 1kg as being ultralight and I put the info on all the packs I'd researched on my blog. Maybe the list will help someone who is trying to cut down on their weight. http://amawalker.blogspot.com/2010/07/u ... packs.html

 

[JohnnieWalker]

I agree Sil - and thanks for the helpful list. I think you once said - "it isn't what you put in your pack it is the weight of what you put in your pack which is important."

A good thing to remember.

 

[davidinaus]

This is great - so THANK YOU - I am planning on departing September and the target is about 5kg

 

[JohnMcM]

I know this is an older thread but it seemed more appropriate to post here than start another thread.

I've found a solution (for me anyway) to having something lightweight to carry my valuables after reaching my stopping off points each evening.

It's much more expensive than I wanted but will serve many purposes for me and I'm posting it here in case it might be helpful to others.

http://www.seatosummit.com/products/display/86

 

[Tia Valeria]

I know this is an older thread but it seemed more appropriate to post here than start another thread.

I've found a solution (for me anyway) to having something lightweight to carry my valuables after reaching my stopping off points each evening.

It's much more expensive than I wanted but will serve many purposes for me and I'm posting it here in case it might be helpful to others.

http://www.seatosummit.com/products/display/86

We each have one of these John and they are just so useful. They are waterproof too which is good. We carry our valuables, fleeces and waterproofs round town in ours. After Camino we can use them to carry gifts, food for travel etc by tying the adjusters as small as possible and making a carry bag.

 

[JohnMcM]

Ah! Thanks for your post Tia. Sounds like I've made my second good decision about my Camino. The first being to go.

 

[Stellere]

I want to get one of those daypacks for my dad, but it's hard to find a place in Canada to order them from.

For myself, I had a cross-body bag made out of parachute material by an Etsy vendor:

http://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/15071778 ... custom-bag

It weighs almost nothing!

 

[Tia Valeria]

Stellere we found the 'sea to summit ultra sil day pack' on Amazon. Price can vary with the colour.

[Edit - Ours is the 20 litre style]

 

[JohnMcM]

stellere,
Same here. Try Amazon.

 

[karenfromcali]

Thank you so much for this info. I will be starting my first camino in march and just bough a "great" backpack on sale ...but it weighs 5 lbs. And I haven't put anything in it yet! You have surely saved me sore back and feet. Back to the drawing board
karen

 

[JohnMcM]

Karen,
Hate to burst your bubble now but hold up a second.

Sorry if I've misled you. The sea to summit bag I posted will be great for a few light weight items and not leaving your valuables in your backpack/rucksack when you leave it alone; like going for a shower and such-like.

You know what your plans are and what you want to do so I'm not going to tell you what to do. However............... Personally I wouldn't advise anyone to use that particular bag as their main rucksack. Although it's 20 litres and waterproof it pretty flimsy and it gets it's lightweight from being hardly anything at all in construction so, if that was to be your main bag I fear it won't take much to spoil your Camino. The two shoulder straps will very quickly resemble a thong and with any weight at all be pretty uncomfortable.

May I suggest you try using the forum search using "rucksack" and/or "backpack" for some great posts.

Good luck.

 

[Tia Valeria]

John is right about this being a sightseeing/evening round town type of bag. We love ours but certainly would not want it to be our main pack.
Our packs weigh in at about 2 to 3 lbs and they are Berghaus Freeflow. You can check them out on Amazon (UK) to see the style. Not sure if they are available elsewhere, and we would really recommend going in to a shop to buy a pack as it is so important that it fits well.

 

[karenfromcali]

Thanks for the clarification

 

[ffp13]

Our packs weigh in at about 2 to 3 lbs and they are Berghaus Freeflow. You can check them out on Amazon (UK) to see the style. Not sure if they are available elsewhere, and we would really recommend going in to a shop to buy a pack as it is so important that it fits well.

Hi T&V thanks for the PM I will do what you suggested

Frank

PS
PM your email if you have more info to pass on, then I can send a email address to you, sending PM does not work on the iPad

 

[JohnMcM]

I think I've just made my 3rd good decision (previous 2 mentioned above) as I prepare for my Camino.

Before you read on, remember this is not a slight on anyone who takes a camera.

Given the fantastic photos people put on the forum and that I will want to focus on everything and everyone around me rather than a 'lens eye view', I won't take a camera with me.

That will keep the weight down and hopefully keep me in touch with my surrounds, such as........................watching people taking photographs.

 

[PHJohnson]

A good place to start looking if you have no gear are some of the ultralite back packing sites. One I read is Section Hiker where I have found the gear reviews and other tips and techniques to be good and real: http://sectionhiker.com/

If you don't have a back pack, a nice light one is the Golite Jam 35L which is only 760 grams (1.11 lbs): http://www.golite.com/Jam-35L-Pack-Unisex-P46811.aspx
At $99 from the golite site it is very competitive with the Osprey packs I see a lot of people are using

Another source of packs is Gossamer Gear: http://gossamergear.com/

A good place to check to find info about any pack you are thinking off is on Youtube where you can find a lot more than is written about.