Thanks for your input Pano!
Will drop wine opener.
Was trying to avoid plastic water bottles, but will go get a 1 liter smart water bottle to start (as someone suggested).
I'm skiddish about less than 3 socks. Wanna make sure that I have a backup if one pair wears funny.
Linen bag? Not sure what that is.
Regarding water:
IMHO, and after two complete
Camino Frances, I continue to maintain that the "best" water bottle is the FREE .5 liter bottle that comes with every bottle of mineral water or a soft drink you buy. I maintain this for several reasons:
- They are FREE - they came with water in them;
- They can be most easily spread about your pack, harness, belt and pockets to distribute the weight. One .5 liter bottle weighs approximately one pound or one-half kilo;
- They are reusable and can be used to mix powdered sports / electrolyte replacement, or instant coffee from individual serve packets - available at markets in Spain - just add water, then powder, and shake...;
- They weigh nearly nothing when empty, and FAR less than an empty Nalgene, plastic, aluminum, or other containers;
- When the bottle is either damaged, or gets too scraggy to use, simply RECYCLE IT and buy a replacement; and,
- At the end of your Camino, the bottles can be similarly disposed of properly.
Tip - it has been reported here, and I can confirm, that the stretch of Camino from Carrion de los Condes to Sahagun has few potable water supplies available. It can get VERY HOT and VERY DRY on this stretch of Camino. Think ahead!
When I left Carrion this year, I had THREE 1.5 liter water bottles stuffed in both side mesh pockets and one strapped to the bottom of my bag. I also had FOUR .5 liter water bottles, which is my normal carrying load. That is a total of SIX and a HALF LITERS of water.
By the time I reached Moratinos, 31 Km down the path from Carrion, I was down to less than .5 liters of water. I walked on a sunny, dry day in early May with temperatures in the mid 20 (Celsius).
Along the way, I gave water to several fellow pilgrims who neglected to do their research, were dry, and tempted to use the roadside fuentes. DO NOT DO THIS! Use local fuentes...at least along this stretch of the Meseta. I specifically brought more water than I felt I would need for this purpose, to share. I recommend at least two extra 1.5 liter bottles for this particular stretch of Camino, in addition to your normal daily, water load.
My understanding is that, over the many years of the Camino, much of the ground water has been contaminated by pesticide or organic elements and is no longer fit for human consumption. You can rinse a buff or scarf and cool you head or neck with this water. But, NO NOT ingest it.
Short of - like death - about the worst thing that can occur on the Camino is a serious bout of gastrointestinal illness, with all the attendant yuck. There are have repeated reports and advisories in the forum about this. It is far better in my view to lug the extra water for a day or two than to be seriously inconvenienced by a loose GI system... Enough said on that point I think.
FYI, all pharmacies and most albergues can provide the local equivalent of Imodium. This OTC medication, and anything more than a band-aid / plaster is not sold in a grocery store and must be gotten from a pharmacy.
The .5 liter bottles I spoke of above were clipped to my sternum harness or waist belt using this product:
http://www.niteize.com/product/Drink-N-Clip.asp
Use a tight rubber band, doubled or tripled over, to ensure the top-clip does not pop off the wider-neck European bottles. I learned that a #18 sized silicone "O" ring from my local Home Depot DIY store works brilliantly. The "O"rings are 1 3/16" outer diameter and 15/16:" inner diameter. They come in a package of 10.
In Paris, I bought four .5 liter bottles of water and I attached four clips with four "O" rings. They lasted the 5-weeks until Santiago.
As for clothing -
- I would take 3 complete changes of socks and lingerie. One worn, one just washed and perhaps not yet fully dry, and one completely clean and dry. If you get a couple of rainy days, you will appreciate this. I prefer ziplock bags as everything in the bag stays dry. Packing cubes are NOT waterproof. You can also use a large, empty ziplock (2.5 gallon size) as an expedient washing machine for a hand washes. Add clothes, water and a sliver of soap. Agitate, rinse, wring and hang...
- I would not take an evening dress or skirt (yes, I am a 60 something guy). But I talk to a lot of fellow pilgrims, observe stuff, and ask questions. Besides, nothing embarrasses me, so I just ask politely.
- There are some truisms about the Camino that you will learn - I might as well tell you now:
- There is NO SUCH THING as a good hair day on the Camino. Accept this and plan for it with scarves, caps, and scrungie bands to hold your hair back. Everyone else is doing it;
- Happiness is simply clean, dry clothing to change into at the end of a long, tiring and perhaps rainy or hot and sweaty day. You generally sleep in the undergarments and t-shirt you will wear the next day;
- The Camino is not a fashion contest. As long as you are covered (against sun), discrete (against voyeurs) and respectful when entering churches, etc. you are appropriately dressed - period;
- Generally, female tourists wear skirts and dresses. Female pilgrims wear convertible trousers or shorts. Though some women like the ever-practical Macabi skirts as it has pockets, and makes answering "nature's call" somewhat easier along The Way.
- Smart pilgrims, including nearly every Australian I met on both Caminos, wore long sleeve, loose-fitting shirts and trousers in very light colors to protect against the sun. They ARE the experts at going walkabout in hot sunny conditions. So, I paid attention and asked questions. I learned my lesson this year in that regard. Next year, I will be sporting long sleeve shirts with SPF material. Light and bright colors are better in the sun than dark, or earth tones.
- Why did I lug all that makeup (not ME - YOU)? All I really needed (female gender presumed here) was: moisturizer, sunblock, plain glycerine or olive oil-based soap for everything washable, toothpaste, feminine hygiene products, and lip protection. All of these items can be bought as needed in Spain and could fit in a single 1-liter or 1-quart zip lock bag. Most larger towns and cities have supermercados that carry most internationally known brands. So, bring only travel sizes, and refill as needed.
I sincerely hope this helps. As you are on the West Coast, three hours behind me, you still have time to make some adjustments. Just think through everything you are taking...TWICE. I have a digital food scale I got from Target last year that I use to weigh everything before it goes in the rucksack. If I have a choice between two or more equivalent "solutions" the lighter one wins.
From all the other comments above, the single best one was to load all your Kindle stuff onto your iPhone. Apple has a free Kindle reader that will allow you to transfer all your Kindle books, guides etc. from the Amazon "cloud" to your iPhone. Do not carry more than one smart phone or tablet. It costs weight and makes you more of a theft target.
Theft DOES happen regularly, especially in larger towns and cities. The economy is very bad in Spain and the local petty criminals know that pilgrims have all this good stuff to steal. All of it can readily be sold on the street, fast.
Smart phones, digital cameras, and tablet computers, including readers are favorite targets. Take no electronics with you that cannot go with you, in a waterproof bag (again Ziplock) into an albergue shower stall. If you let these valuable items out of your sight for even a minute, they will WALK.
After walking the Camino for several days, most folks do not get their street smarts back when they enter a large town or city. That is precisely when the petty thieves strike. You are totally chilled out and not paying attention the way you are 24 x 7 when home. Also, the initial arrival at Santiago is profound and affects most pilgrims seeing it for the first time very deeply. As they are in wonderment, they are distracted.
The thieves are watching for these zoned-out pilgrims. They actually use "spotters" to identify victims, and they operate in teams of two or three persons. You need to remind yourself to snap out of the "Camino fog" and back into reality, at least for the 24 hours or so you are "back in civilization."
This year, I worked as a volunteer "Amigo" for two weeks at the pilgrim office in Santiago in early June. Daily, I saw and helped deter thieves who were eying up clueless arriving pilgrims.
One of the things we had to do is to walk up and down the line of arriving pilgrims to remind them that they were now back in a big city, and needed to turn their situational awareness back on.
Tip: Cameras and other electronic items in specialized carrying bags that advertised what they were, e.g. a Canon bag for a high-end Canon DSLR camera positively screamed to be stolen. If you must wear a camera or other accessory bag, please make it very plain and nondescript, with no logo identifying what is likely inside.
There is NO VIOLENT CRIME of which I am aware. However, anything of value placed down, even for a few seconds is subject to being stolen right in front of your eyes. Please trust me on this. I know what I am talking about. The Camino remains very safe for people. However anything not connected to you is tempting to someone else.
I hope this helps. I wish you a healthy and trouble-free Camino.
