Getting your bag transferred each day

[colacube]

Has anyone walked a full Camino with their bag transferred each day ?
Its seems like a very practical option allowing me to bring more stuff but also enjoyed the walk more by only walking with a small day pack.
Or am I missing out on the pilgrim experience by not carrying my stuff with me.
Id be really interested in any and all views on this topic. Thanks

 

[Dave2525]

I'm sure you'll hear from some who say it's not a real pilgrimage if you haven't carried your own bag.

Ignore them.

It's your Camino and you'll figure out what works best for you. You can always switch it up if you feel like one option is better than the other for you.

 

[Icacos]

Apart from the expense (in 2013 it was 7 Euro per day, dropping down to 3 Euro after Sarria) the main drawback, I think, is that one has to know in advance where one is going to be each night so that the baggage transfer people can be told where to drop off one's bag each day. The loss of flexibility is a big consideration.

 

[Phillypilgrim]

Maybe not look at it as bringing "more stuff", as you probably won't need more stuff. But it surely is an option for you to try out, and could prove to be a smart choice. I think "option" is the key word here.

 

[Bajaracer]

The cost of daily bag transport can be cheaper than buying fancy ultralight gear or those travois wheeled devices.

 

[Felipe]

Well, as feasible..it is feasible. Another option: reduce your backpack to a minimum. Don't depend on anyone, stop wherever you like (instead of a fixed place) and spend the saved money on a lavish dinner, every day.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Has anyone walked a full Camino with their bag transferred each day ?

No responses yet from someone who has done it that way! I don't know if there is meaning in that, though.

 

[pilgrim b]

I have taken a small case for my wife and myself for baggage transfer and also we carry 22ltr day sacks each, though not always full. There are good reasons for us doing so, and the down side is we do have to say where we will finish each day, but the alternative would be we don't walk the Camino which I'm afraid for us both is not an option!
The baggage transfer people are amazing and also the Casa rural owner who when we walked to our night stop far too early (only one occasion) he simply said 'keep walking ring me up when you reach our agreed new point I will pick you up and drop you back again next morning"(of course we did make sure he knew we appreciated his wonderful kindness) another camino angel!

 

[Icacos]

No responses yet from someone who has done it that way! I don't know if there is meaning in that, though.

Okay ……. I, along with one of my two walking partners, had my pack transferred every day starting in Leόn. I did this, not from choice, but because I was recovering from / dealing with tendinitis and I wanted, above all else, to avoid risking the rest of my Camino. My other walking partner had decided very early in our Camino that 20 km per day was the most she could manage so, give or take a few km’s, deciding on where we were going to stop the next night was not too difficult. We did not have a phone with us and the hospitalero was always obliging when it came to booking us into the next albergue – which always had to be a private albergue, as the baggage transfer people don’t deliver to municipal albergues. Private albergues are more expensive. (We chose from the Brierley book where we planned to stay, or went with the hospitalero’s recommendation.)

To be quite honest, it would have been easier having all my stuff, little enough though it was, with me during the day, as well as my pack, which was big enough to carry everything. As it was, I started out every morning with some outer layers, buff, gloves, fleece, wind breaker, etc. which I shed as the day got warmer and these I had to fit into my little pack, which had not been intended for use as a day pack, but only as an ‘evening bag.’ I also carried my umbrella (for UV protection, if necessary, but that’s another thread) plus my poncho – indispensible in Galicia. Add nibblies and water to that, and the weight difference of a day pack to a regular pack with everything in it (i.e. the little I got by with) is not very great. If you are carrying just a day pack, you still need to choose it carefully, for good weight distribution, etc.

That said, I swear I saw day trippers, after Sarria, walking with nothing but a water bottle in hand. If a person is in it for the long haul, I think he needs a bit more than that.

....... Its seems like a very practical option allowing me to bring more stuff but also enjoyed the walk more by only walking with a small day pack.
Or am I missing out on the pilgrim experience by not carrying my stuff with me.

I don't think you would be missing out on the pilgrim experience by not carrying your stuff with you. I think you would be missing out on the pilgrim experience by not paring down your stuff to the most absolute barest essentials.

 

[Tia Valeria]

If you keep your pack weight down to what you are able to carry (assuming that you can carry a pack at all) then you still have your options open. If you cannot carry a pack at all, apart from the day's essentials(food/drink/waterproof) then you book your pack in daily once you know that day's destination. We have seen folk do both - ie carry a pack but on some days send it on and walk with the bare minimum, or plan to send the main pack on daily. So far we have always been able to carry ours OK but we carry Silsac Daysacs (68gms) in our main packs so could send on if we had a problem. Having too much could be difficult as room space is often limited and if you want to use the albergues a large travel bag might not be appreciated.

 

[wiglaura]

My wife and I walked from Pamplona to Santiago on the spring of 2013 using Jacotrans to transport one bag for the two of us for the entire way. We each carried less than 10 lbs of food, water and clothing essentials. We are otherwise healthy and fit, capable of averaging 40 km a day. We did not strain or suffer as we only averaged 25 km a day. No blisters or physical ailments to speak of. We never had to hand wash our clothes as we had enough until the next washing machine and dryer. We are both healthcare providers. What this allowed us to do was have enough energy to offer help to strangers in need whether it was through massages, extra food, offering better quality socks (brought 20 pairs), care for their feet and health issues. We planned all our stops with an assortment of alburgues, Casa rurals, hostals, hotels, monasteries and convents. If there was a change, a quick call to Jacotrans that morning took care of it. Once or twice, we picked up our bag at the drop off place and carried it to wherever we were staying. Yes, sometimes we did not look like true peregrinos wearing clean clothes, a light pack and with a spring in our step but we were always smiling and happy. We return in 4 weeks to walk SJPDP to Finesterre. We will carry our 15 lb packs but would not hesitate to call upon Jacotrans again if the need arises.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Okay ……. I, along with one of my two walking partners, had my pack transferred every day starting in Leόn.

Has anyone walked a full Camino

The original request was pretty specific, and no one responded! There just are not that many who walk a full camino always using a baggage service. Many of us have used one for shorter walks.

 

[Icacos]

Has anyone walked a full Camino

And I ask, falcon, what is a full Camino?

 

[Deleted member 3000]

And I ask, falcon, what is a full Camino?

Roncesvalles to Santiago de Compostela.

 

[Icacos]

Roncesvalles to Santiago de Compostela.

Yeah, right !

 

[colacube]

Thanks everyone for your comments - these have been very helpful. Due to knee injuries I am not confident about completing my Camino with a heavy backpack, and am most likely to use a baggage transfer service. But perhaps not every day. Thanks again.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

But perhaps not every day.

Hell, do it every day if you need to!

I am 100% in favor of baggage services (and you certainly do not need my approval). I was only commenting on why no one was commenting.

I have met only one person who used a baggage service all the way. He had only one leg, and his pack made him very unbalanced. No one needs that excuse, or any other excuse, to opt for baggage services. Be aware that municipal and parochial albergues may refuse to accept packs or pilgrims without packs. There are plenty of other accommodation choices, though.

 

[Felipe]

Well, if you care about symbolisms, the pilgrimage has been a metaphor for life, of a spiritual quest towards salvation, and our loads (in modern times, the backpack, I guess), everything we carry (sins, possessions, fears, ambitions) and hinder our spiritual growth. The classical example is John Bunyan’ s “The Pilgrim's Progress” (1678). Obviously, this was before hi-tech carrying devices, and baggage transportation services...

 

[pilgrim b]

Which particular areas do you think baggage transfer may be more difficult in your opinion? We accept the need to avoid using municipal and parochial albergues as rightly they allocate on personal representation first come basis. Pilgrims with heavy packs have a greater need of these places anyway.