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Is it worth taking a foldable bowl? Link in description.

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It's difficult to tell just how big this is. I carry a very similar looking cup that has a capacity around 300ml. It's not essential to have one, but useful eg at fonts, to have something to drink from.
 
I'm trying to decide if it's necessary to take one of these with?

Hi, how heavy is it? Looks a bit expensive, but might be worth it if it’s lightweight and folds up small. I always take a very lightweight, but sturdy, plastic mug that I bought in Pick n Pay several years ago for about R10. It fits quite nicely in the mesh side pocket of my pack, with a 500ml plastic mineral water bottle inside it. Jill
 
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Like Dougfitz, it looks a bit like a cup to me. I had a cup-sized one once, but discarded it when a walking companion persuaded me to undertake a ruthless cull of my overly-heavy rucksack. I've regretted it ever since, particularly as there was no weight to it + also because many municipal albergues are removing all pots, pans, cups and cutlery from their kitchens. Personally, I see value in carrying one only as a drinking vessel.
 
Ideal sleeping bag liner whether we want to add a thermal plus to our bag, or if we want to use it alone to sleep in shelters or hostels. Thanks to its mummy shape, it adapts perfectly to our body.

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It's difficult to tell just how big this is. I carry a very similar looking cup that has a capacity around 300ml. It's not essential to have one, but useful eg at fonts, to have something to drink from.
It's about the size of a small person's palm, so not very big. I thought it would be useful in albergues where utensils are limited as it can be both a plate and a bowl.
 
Hi, how heavy is it? Looks a bit expensive, but might be worth it if it’s lightweight and folds up small. I always take a very lightweight, but sturdy, plastic mug that I bought in Pick n Pay several years ago for about R10. It fits quite nicely in the mesh side pocket of my pack, with a 500ml plastic mineral water bottle inside it. Jill

Hello fellow South African :) It's very light and quite small and thought it could double as a plate and bowl in albergues with limited utensils and/or if I want to picnic during the day.
 
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I usually had muesli every morning so needed a bowl and spoon. Not that much weight and you know you have one if none available. Find one that is easiest to clean.
 
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Great! I have a spork and plastic knife combo thing :)
I used a spork all the time on the Camino. I would get small cups of yogurt whenever I could at the grocery market or small shops. The spoon end of the spork came in handy for that, and the fork end had serrations which I used to cut off pieces of chorizo.
light-my-fire-spork-choose-your-colour-195-p.jpg
 
Nope. All it will do is encourage the production of more petroleum based products that will end up in the trash, sea or recycling bin. :(
 
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
I used a spork all the time on the Camino. I would get small cups of yogurt whenever I could at the grocery market or small shops. The spoon end of the spork came in handy for that, and the fork end had serrations which I used to cut off pieces of chorizo.
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I have that exact thing :) Great.
 
Another vote for carrying small bowl, titanium spork and Opinel knife from me. We used ours all the time for muesli and yoghurt, transporting tomatoes for picnic lunch, filling with pasta in the evening.
 
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My recollection is that while many kitchen pieces were missing in many Albergues, plates and bowls weren't among them. I'd also confirm carrying your own knife and cutlery (spork or a hearty camping plastic fork and spoon) would be highly useful. I also carry a Hydrapack collapsible water bottle that fit in any pocket I had available (and only weighs 2.3 ounces when empty) so easy to pull out when a water opportunity presented itself.
 

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Another vote for carrying small bowl, titanium spork and Opinel knife from me. We used ours all the time for muesli and yoghurt, transporting tomatoes for picnic lunch, filling with pasta in the evening.
Never used any of them, then again I don't walk with 6 of the most adventurous, world savvy kids ever.
 
Hi, how heavy is it? Looks a bit expensive, but might be worth it if it’s lightweight and folds up small. I always take a very lightweight, but sturdy, plastic mug that I bought in Pick n Pay several years ago for about R10. It fits quite nicely in the mesh side pocket of my pack, with a 500ml plastic mineral water bottle inside it. Jill

Pick n Pay - made me smile :) . . . it has been years since I have been back in SA
 
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If nothing else, this thread shows you there's more than one way to walk a camino!! You could leave a bowl at home and never miss it, or you could not take one and wish for one and end up carrying a used yoghurt pottle which works fine, or you could take one and give it away because you never use it....you'll have to decide for yourself!!
 
I also carry a Hydrapack collapsible water bottle that fit in any pocket I had available (and only weighs 2.3 ounces when empty) so easy to pull out when a water opportunity presented itself.

This is my favourite item! I clip it on to my pack as I walk. But I am taking a fold flat bowl for the road side picnics. (Or in Hostel Picnics? Do you have road side anything in February???)
 
If nothing else, this thread shows you there's more than one way to walk a camino!! You could leave a bowl at home and never miss it, or you could not take one and wish for one and end up carrying a used yoghurt pottle which works fine, or you could take one and give it away because you never use it....you'll have to decide for yourself!!
When have you seen a bowl in a "backpack review" thread? Never comes to mind. Noone mist have musli in the morning, as noone should be carrying it. Breakfast is why bars open at 7am on the Camino.
 
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Nope. All it will do is encourage the production of more petroleum based products that will end up in the trash, sea or recycling bin.
So it's fine for you to promote an all plastic shoe which you like (here) and which will wear out and might end up in recycling but more likely in land fill, but it's not okay for someone else to think about using a cup that not only will not wear out, reduces the reliance on disposable plastic products, and could last a lifetime. Somehow I think there is a double standard in operation here!
 
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Off topic I know but Yay thank you for the link to the plastic shoes @Anemone del Camino and @dougfitz. They might be exactly what I've been looking for.
To get back on topic...never carried a collapsible bowl and managed perfectly well without one but I can see how one could be useful.
Did take and sometimes used a plastic spoon/serrated knife combo designed for eating avocados. In Australia these little devices are sometimes given away free by supermarkets or fruit shops when you buy avocados. Ultra lightweight and compact but still good for eating yoghurt or slicing bread, tomatoes and chorizo, and of course eating avocados.
 
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Ideal pocket guides for during & after your Camino. Each weighs only 1.4 oz (40g)!
Off topic I know but Yay thank you for the link to the plastic shoes @Anemone del Camino and @dougfitz. They might be exactly what I've been looking for.
No idea what I said about plastic shoes today, but if you are talking about EVA Birkies you will love them. I use them daily on the Camino as well as at home in summer. Plastic put to good use. And they have really nice colours now, unlike when I bought my pair two years ago. And the price is right.
 
If nothing else, this thread shows you there's more than one way to walk a camino!! You could leave a bowl at home and never miss it, or you could not take one and wish for one and end up carrying a used yoghurt pottle which works fine, or you could take one and give it away because you never use it....you'll have to decide for yourself!!

As opposed to being dictated to by someone who thinks everyone should do and pack as they say. Thank you for the rational response :)
 
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As opposed to being dictated to by someone who thinks everyone should do and pack as they say. Thank you for the rational response :)

You're welcome! We never leave home without our bowls - and they're not even collapsible;-) Especially when travelling with four, six, eight kids - because a 12pack of yoghurt and a kilo of muesli tends to cost less than one coffee and a pastry in a cafe! Same reason why we cook for ourselves (and other pilgrims) as often as we can - and those wee bowls are so useful. But I understand that many people always eat out and so it would seem like a wasted exercise to carry one. Know thyself;-)
 
No idea what I said about plastic shoes today, but if you are talking about EVA Birkies you will love them. I use them daily on the Camino as well as at home in summer. Plastic put to good use. And they have really nice colours now, unlike when I bought my pair two years ago. And the price is right.
Sorry, that's exactly what I meant. Planning a trip to Canberra on Tuesday to test them out. :)
 
St James' Way - Self-guided 4-7 day Walking Packages, Reading to Southampton, 110 kms
Here ya go. A titanium cup and a titanium spork. Both combined probably weigh less than a pair of wool socks.
Lots of uses on the Camino. Eat your yogurt. Drink water at the fountains. Drink free wine at Irache. Drink wine with friends. Use to eat cereal. Cup of tea. Slice chorizo. etc etc etc
titanium-backpackers-cup_.jpeg Titanium-Spork-1.jpg
 
Fascinating to read the excitement generated by a foldable bowl! :p
Perhaps we could start a thread about the most jseless items we've see, ok, and also brought, on a camino. Remember the husband who posted about travelling with four kids and his wife's hair dryer?
 
Ideal pocket guides for during & after your Camino. Each weighs only 1.4 oz (40g)!
Perhaps we could start a thread about the most jseless items we've see, ok, and also brought, on a camino. Remember the husband who posted about travelling with four kids and his wife's hair dryer?
I'm not sure which you are thinking was more useless, the husband, the four kids or the hair dryer:confused:.
 
Perhaps we could start a thread about the most jseless items we've see, ok, and also brought, on a camino. Remember the husband who posted about travelling with four kids and his wife's hair dryer?

Four kids, useless? He'd certainly have had less trouble without them;-)
But remember, one person's useless is the next person's favourite gadget (I'm thinking electric coil here - that was one conversation I stayed out of!)
 
Ideal sleeping bag liner whether we want to add a thermal plus to our bag, or if we want to use it alone to sleep in shelters or hostels. Thanks to its mummy shape, it adapts perfectly to our body.

€46,-
Join the Camino Cleanup in May from Ponferrada to Sarria. Registration closes Mar 22.
Four kids, useless? He'd certainly have had less trouble without them;-)
But remember, one person's useless is the next person's favourite gadget (I'm thinking electric coil here - that was one conversation I stayed out of!)
Did not mean it for your specific situation, in fact I was actually thinking last night that the Camino is probably the only situation I wish I had four kids as I could buy things at the grocery store and not leave most of it behind or have to carry kilos of food with me.

I have always found all the plates, bowls, glasses, cups I could ever want to use in albergues, and buy food accordingly. There is no particular food one must have on the Camino: just adapt. Never carried a knife either, and when I carried a spork I never used it.

Is having a bowl of cereal in a field a must? Nope. And why would one carry the milk and cereal out to a field? And carry the left overs out. Gazpacho? Poor it into a glass at the albergue or drink it out of the container. If you are making pasta at the albergue that must mean they have pots and pans, and therefor plates and bowls. Yogourt? You have to buy them 4 at a time. A waste for a person walking solo, and again all you would need is a spoon from the albergue. No albergue, no spoon? Buy the drinkable yogourt.

As for useless items, on my second Camino I thought it would be nice to have hard boiled eggs for added protein. Brought one of those plastic egg carriers, for two eggs. Left it in an albergue as it was impossible to buy eggs individually. Also had with me an ice pack, thinking I would carry left overs. Never used it as there were never any leftovers, with people always grateful for a bite at the albergues. That also was left in Focebadon. So you see, I do know about useless items.

A useful one I do agree with: the metal cup Mark Lee mentions. Wish I had one many times to be able to drink water straight from a fountain to save my packed water for later, and not have to take off my back pack to refil at a fountain. Have that one somewhere you can get to it without taking your backpack off.
 
€2,-/day will present your project to thousands of visitors each day. All interested in the Camino de Santiago.
I agree that it is a personal preference, however, my husband and I each packed a lightweight cup (which could be used as a bowl) across the whole of the the CF and neither of us every used it. I did not want to pitch them as they were part of my home camping kit and difficult to replace. Instead of a spork, we just ended up with a plastic spoon which was fine for the yogurt and could be relatively easily replaced if broken or lost. I have not found the folding bowls available here to be particularly sturdy that I am able to purchase in this area.

We were able to purchase individual eggs quite often. Sometimes would I just asked at the tienda or other times if the cafe obviously had egg dishes, I would ask if I could purchase a couple.
 
I'm happy to carry what makes me happy :) regardless of what others say I should or or shouldn't do. I carry a little selection of zip top plastic bags in case I have some cheese or ham or ? leftover that I want to carry for lunch. And I've also carried a small plastic ziploc box (a bit deeper than sandwich-size with the snap-on lid) to transport a tomato or a peach or anything else that might get squished or leak in my bag. The lid provides a little surface to cut on (carefully), oh, I carry a knife too.

For those starting out on their first Camino, if you do carry items that you "think" you're going to want/need, by all means take them. BUT, just be willing to donate/give/throw them away or mail them ahead, if you find you don't, so perhaps don't spend a lot of money on these "what if" items. It's a learning curve for every one, every time they go.
 
Ideal pocket guides for during & after your Camino. Each weighs only 1.4 oz (40g)!
Another vote for carrying small bowl, titanium spork and Opinel knife from me. We used ours all the time for muesli and yoghurt, transporting tomatoes for picnic lunch, filling with pasta in the evening.

Same for me...and my bowl folded flat could be used as chopping board on reverse. Used it and spork & Opinel all the time even in Paris Hostel last night before flight.
 
Four kids, useless? He'd certainly have had less trouble without them;-)
But remember, one person's useless is the next person's favourite gadget (I'm thinking electric coil here - that was one conversation I stayed out of!)
Read again, not your children being useless, but the man with the four kids who had to carry hos wife's hairdryer. Then again.
 
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I have always found all the plates, bowls, glasses, cups I could ever want to use in albergues, and buy food accordingly.
Some of us have not been so lucky!

There is no particular food one must have on the Camino: just adapt.
Wholeheartedly agree! Having a knife to cut a gifted watermelon was a real boon - it meant we could eat it on the spot (and share some with the farmer) and not have to carry it 10km to the nearest albergue;-)

Is having a bowl of cereal in a field a must? Nope. And why would one carry the milk and cereal out to a field?
Bowl of cereal is not a must at all - it was one of the wee pleasures of the Camino for us - we NEVER have chocolate muesli at home, being more inclined to make porridge. But muesli was an easy option in Spain. And we didn't need to carry it. We just bought it at the supermercado/tienda when we arrived in whichever town we were staying in. And if they didn't have that, we bought bread and cheese. Feeding the kids before taking any steps was always a top priority each day! So we certainly didn't carry it out to a field!

If you are making pasta at the albergue that must mean they have pots and pans, and therefor plates and bowls.
This would seem a reasonable assumption to make, but it did not always work out this way. Of course you could eat directly from the pot, but being able to transfer food to a bowl and then make the second and third rounds of pasta while the hungriest ate was definitely appreciated by those who were having to wait til last! And if there was no pot, we often mixed up salads with chopped tomatoes, cucumber, peppers, carrot, olives, salami and cheese. We certainly could have eaten the items straight from the packet, but it suited us to make salads.

Would our caminos have been ruined if we had not had bowls? No, by all means they would not. They might have been more expensive or less convenient, but I completely agree that it would be possible to walk a camino without a bowl. However, the original poster was asking if there would be any reason to take a bowl so I tried to point out how they were useful to us. Your mileage may vary;-)
 
Read again, not your children being useless, but the man with the four kids who had to carry hos wife's hairdryer. Then again.
@dougfitz and I both read the post the same way at the same time.....and we both replied tongue in cheek....I have observed this is a common problem with us DownUnderites - and it frequently causes misunderstanding. Sorry.
 
I'm not sure which you are thinking was more useless, the husband, the four kids or the hair dryer:confused:.
we both replied tongue in cheek. I have observed this is a common problem with us DownUnderites - and it frequently causes misunderstanding. Sorry.
I had typed a similar comment, about which of those items should have been left behind, but didn't post it. I'm a Northern Hemispherian.
 
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I had typed a similar comment, about which of those items should have been left behind, but didn't post it. I'm a Northern Hemispherian.

I got it too; it was the first thread I opened yesterday morning and had a good chuckle; it brightened up my day! Jill (in South Africa) :)
 
Nah, you're not going out into the middle of nowhere. Don't bother with the extra weight.

I brought a foldable bowl on my Camino and shipped it back to Paris after my first week. A whole box of knick-knacks that were totally useless :p why did I bring a harmonica? I don't even play.
 
Wow. Long thread. I highly recommend Fozzils (correct spelling) folding bowls that weigh 1.4 ounces each. Very useful for soup, salad, cereal. Fold flat so easy to stow and make good cutting boards. Inexpensive. Sold on Amazon and at some backpacking stores. They snap into position. Take care with snaps -- I had one pull loose. Well worth the modest weight!
 
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St James' Way - Self-guided 4-7 day Walking Packages, Reading to Southampton, 110 kms
Nah, you're not going out into the middle of nowhere. Don't bother with the extra weight.

I brought a foldable bowl on my Camino and shipped it back to Paris after my first week. A whole box of knick-knacks that were totally useless :p why did I bring a harmonica? I don't even play.
That must have been an expensive collapsing bowl to warrant shipping it home? I think the one I have cost about $2 US. Donativo table worthy.
 
Don't worry if you decide not to take a bowl and then find you DO need one.

They sell bowls in Spain as these two pilgrims found last year.

upload_2017-1-28_16-59-38.jpeg



On the other hand, if do you decide to take something, try and make sure it has more than one use
upload_2017-1-28_16-54-47.png
Lock and Lock tub - cup, bowl, stops that big squishy tomato/nectarine from turning into pulp, storage for bits and bobs, can be used in a microwave . . .
 
Don't worry if you decide not to take a bowl and then find you DO need one.

They sell bowls in Spain as these two pilgrims found last year.

View attachment 31442
. . .
I would love to have heard the reasoning behind these. Are they offering to do people's laundry along the way? Because if they each meed one, it must be because they work simultaneously....
 
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Down bag (90/10 duvet) of 700 fills with 180 g (6.34 ounces) of filling. Mummy-shaped structure, ideal when you are looking for lightness with great heating performance.

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I brought a margarine container, mini swiss army knife & a baby spoon. Container worked as plate, bowl and storage contain. Already had the knife and borrowed the spoon. Light & cheap!
 
Do you "need" a bowl? In a word, no.
Perhaps a small, lightweight cup.
You may not really need that either.
I used mine just a few times.

You also don't need a fancy (usually heavier) water bottle. Buy a bottle of water when you get there and refill it.

Evaluate what you want to carry for hundreds of miles if you only use it occasionally or at all.
Just about everything is available as you go.

Buen (lightweight and reusable) Camino ;)
 
Down bag (90/10 duvet) of 700 fills with 180 g (6.34 ounces) of filling. Mummy-shaped structure, ideal when you are looking for lightness with great heating performance.

€149,-
Yes indeed.
When visiting Irache, any container will do.
Perhaps they were VERY thirsty. ;)
 
That must have been an expensive collapsing bowl to warrant shipping it home? I think the one I have cost about $2 US. Donativo table worthy.

I sent it back with a heavy sleeping back and some other things that I regretting bringing along. It wasn't very expensive to send it to Paris (where I was flying home from). They even offered to keep it at the post office in Conques for 3 weeks before sending it to Paris, so that it would arrive exactly when I did.
 
The 2024 Camino guides will be coming out little by little. Here is a collection of the ones that are out so far.
Jeff Crawley : "They sell bowls in Spain ..."

upload_2017-1-28_16-59-38-jpeg.31442


... love this post.
 
I'm trying to decide if it's necessary to take one of these with?
I bought a similar-looking foldable silicone cup that I had planned to take with me, and use for drinks and oatmeal, but trying it out at home, I found that I basically could not touch/hold it when it had anything hot in it. o_O So I ended up not taking it. Instead, I used my water bottle for cold liquids the whole way, and didn't end up drinking hot liquids, except coffee at the café/bar in the mornings. That said, I went in July.

I did pack a lightweight clear plastic tub with lid. It was one of those you get from the supermarket deli, you know, supposed to be disposable. The lid sealed well-- I think there was salsa in it originally. ;) It worked well to protect "crushable" and "scatterable" groceries in my bag, like tomatoes, softer cheese, peaches, loose nuts, etc, and I did use it a few times to prepare and eat food (tub is bowl; lid is plate). With the same handy plastic purple spork so many on this thread seem to have!! That said, I probably could have gotten away without it.
 
St James' Way - Self-guided 4-7 day Walking Packages, Reading to Southampton, 110 kms
... I carry a little selection of zip top plastic bags...

THIS. Taking like 6 sturdy Ziploc bags of various sizes weighs nearly nothing, and you'd be surprised how handy they are!! I like the thicker, "freezer" kind (over, say, the "sandwich" kind), because you can wash them and reuse them many times before they will break.

Some examples of use: keep your Camino passport dry, carry food (in July, even hard cheese will melt in your pack and get everywhere!), emergency water bottle, separate dirty vs clean laundry in pack (or wet vs dry), an extra layer of waterproofing for important items in the rain, wash delicates/socks in them (add soap/water, seal, and shake!), keep misc toiletry items together, carry dirty tissues or lady products for later disposal, etc etc... The list is as long as your imagination!! :)
 
Taking like 6 sturdy Ziploc bags of various sizes weighs nearly nothing, and you'd be surprised how handy they are!!

I even used them to pack clothes. When packing up in the morning (after everyone was up :)) I would always make sure that the same items A,B&C were in bag 1, items D,E&F were in bag 2, etc. Then I checked if I had all the bags. A lot easier than seeing if I had put everything from A to Z in the pack.
 

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