Packing for a Couple's Walk

[tbJoe]

My wife and I are planning to walk the CF in 2015. We keep reading about what to pack and what to leave behind in order to save weight. A question occured to me that if we are walking together, is there anything that we do not need to talk "double" of? For example, do we both need full first aid kits or would 1 (with a few extras) be ok?

 

[lynnejohn]

OF COURSE!! After many caminos we have refined this issue. You only need one "first aid kit", only one sun screen, one moisturizer, (if you take one). We also share the Vaseline for our feet, the shampoo and soap for showering and washing clothes. One clothesline, clothespins, and then there's the daily food load. Just divide it up, but for heaven's sake, don't' double up!!

 

[SYates]

My wife and I are planning to walk the CF in 2015. We keep reading about what to pack and what to leave behind in order to save weight. A question occured to me that if we are walking together, is there anything that we do not need to talk "double" of? For example, do we both need full first aid kits or would 1 (with a few extras) be ok?

Lots of things! As long as you stay in the same albergue (which I assume you do ;-) ) you can save a lot of weight as a couple:

One soap for both of you and your clothes.
One tube of tooth paste.
One first aid kit.
One set of safety / clothes pins.
All other cosmetics can also be shared (sun screen, foot cream ect).

Basically everything what you don't need / use exactly at the same time can be shared ;-) Buen Camino, SY

 

[Stephen Nicholls]

Of course you could cut back even further if you're prepared to "cross dress" .......

 

[gerardcarey]

You just take one wife and the wife one husband. Whatever you do take you own undies cobber.

 

[Magnara]

My wife and I are planning to walk the CF in 2015. We keep reading about what to pack and what to leave behind in order to save weight. A question occured to me that if we are walking together, is there anything that we do not need to talk "double" of? For example, do we both need full first aid kits or would 1 (with a few extras) be ok?

Totally - we shared (but my husband carried a bit more...the water 2kg and the electronic/camera stuff). 6kg me and 9kg him, inlcuding our packs. This is our packing list, refined and well road-tested over the Camino and the Via Francigena in Italy:

Maggie Ramsay
"The Italian Camino" (Amazon)

............................................................................................................
We walked in the winter in Spain (starting December 27) and October-November in Italy. Summer might require cooler clothes, eg no headband or gloves and short sleeves. But if you are walking in winter, be aware that it was a mild winter in Europe and we did not get temperatures much below freezing in Spain in December January, in a more normal winter you might need more warmth (we sent on our thick thermals).


When you walk, you warm up, even in winter, so light clothing is good. I mostly walked just in a fine wool long sleeved t-shirt. My husband used hi-tech synthetic fabric in a long sleeved walking shirt.


In general terms, choose everything small, lightweight wherever possible.


Minimise weight doing things like clip nails before leaving and buy clippers en route and then throw them away. (I know it sounds extreme, but a few days in you’ll understand what I’m talking about).


There are plenty of grocery shops and pharmacies to buy common items eg vaselina, compeed, tissues, nurofen (ibuprofen)


You don’t absolutely need a guidebook, but John Brierley’s was an invaluable and interesting companion along the way. I highly recommend it.


You will need to personally carry some of the “Theirs” items if you are walking alone. We were able to share them. Water weighs 1 kg per litre.


We sent on and gave away some things after we had been walking a few days. You don’t need much. Life is so simple and a light pack makes for a happy walker. It is so common that Post Offices stock what they call Pilgrim Boxes in various sizes: you send on to Post Restante in Santiago and pck up there. (I can’t remember the exact address). But how much easier to be disciplined before you even leave.


I washed every night, usually just socks and sometimes tops.


For long periods we wore one set of clothes for day and one for evening. This minimises washing. This worked well for cool /cold weather.


When you pack, put the heavy things at the bottom (eg sleeping bag) so your hips carry the weight.


I carried:

Hers


Aarn Featherlite 35 litre Freedom backpack

Sleeping bag

Silk long johns and top (for pyjamas and occasional extra warmth), 1 set (NZNature Co brand, bought mail order)

Ultra fine merino wool (Hedrena brand):

- single weight slacks, 2 pairs (I have now changed to Nike walking pants)

- undies, 2 pairs (cotton is very slow to dry, use merino or synthetic)

Ultra fine merino wool (Kathmandu brand, but I think Icebreaker from Paddy Pallin would be just as good):

- Long sleeved t-shirts, 2

Bridgedale wool hiking socks, 4 pairs (I wore two pairs each day, changed at lunchtime, washed them at night)

Anklet stocking sox, 2 pairs

Elastic knee support for a dodgy knee, 1 (two would have been good, worn on both knees)

1 bra

1 small polyester pretty scarf, when I wanted to look nicer some evenings (we stayed a a few nice hotels and Paradors along the way when we couldn’t find cheap accommodation or felt like a treat)

1 pair small earrings, worn all the time

Reading glasses and lightweight case

Sunglasses (not used)

Headlamp

Polar Fleece headband

Sleeveless Polar Fleece shell

Goretex 2 layer jacket

Goretex waterproof caving gloves

Akubra hat

Waterproof breathable overpants

Short gaiters

2 Trekking poles

Very light shoe horn

Randonnee Proof leather hiking boots

Running shoes (only used in the evening, to give my feet a rest)

In small containers (I have since heard of people usisng ziplock mini-sandwich bags, probably a good option):

- Moisturiser

- Face cleanser

- All purpose detergent (mostly you use the soap from where you are staying to wash your clothes so you don’t need much – one sachet)

Small toothbrush

Small microfibre towel (I regretted not taking a medium sized one)

Tissues

Cotton buds

1 tiny, thin washcloth

2 nappy (diaper) pins

Sponge bag (drawstring plastic bag to hold bathroom items)

Deodorant

Nurofen

Antihistamine

Vaseline

lip salve

tweezers

emery board

notebook and ballpoint pen

Small digital camera

In an inside pocket of my jacket

- emergency money

- one credit card

- info on bank accounts

- credit card cancellation info

- list of credit cards carried

- travel insurance info

- flight info




He carried:

His

Aarn 35 litre Featherlite Freedom backpack and 2 balance packs

Sleeping bag

Travel pillow

Chargers for Ipod, MP3 player, camera, 3G phone (+ Garmin gps in Italy, not needed in Spain)

Device to download photos from camera to Ipod

Adaptor plug

Swiss army knife

Sports watch with alarm, stopwatch, compass

Randonee Proof Leather hiking boots

Running shoes and bag

Running socks

Goretex 2 layer jacket

Some pharmaceuticals

Polar Fleece headband

Goretex waterproof caving gloves

Document carrier with:

- passports

- credencials

- credit cards

- money

- list of flights and accommodation

- pen

Headlight

Glasses and lens cloth

Sunglasses and case

Medium size microfibre towel

Silk handkerchief

Small toothbrush

Razor and replaceable blades

Hi tech clothes:

- 2 pr undies

- 4 pr Coolmax socks

- 2 pr Coolmax sock liners

- 1 pr trousers

- 1 pr calf length shorts

- 2 shirts

Polypropylene thermal undershirt and long johns

Polar fleece sleeveless shell

Waterproof breathable overpants

Short gaiters

Akubra hat

1 Trekking pole (in Italy 2)


We split this: (he carried 3kg more weight, mostly water, so used balance packs in front)

Theirs

Collapsible 2.5 litre water bottle (Platypus brand)

Hotel sewing kit

Twisted elastic travel clothesline

Half a tube of child size toothpaste

Bandaids and Compeeds

Antibiotic cream

Anti-diarrhoea medicine

Anti-cramping medicine

Gel heel inserts in case of heel spurs

Food for the day , usually including chocolate, bread, cheese, wine

2 forks, knives, spoons (Paddy Pallin stocks very light ones, brand I think Sea to Summit)

John Brierley guide book

 

[k-fun]

We started out with one set of toiletries and soon discovered that sharing toiletries meant that we could not shower at the same time. So we purchased another small tube of toothpaste and bottle of liquid soap which we used as shampoo as well as for washing. I found that the body soap did not clean the dirt out of socks, and purchased a bar of laundry soap similar to Fels-Naptha. (If you purchase it at home, only take along half a bar.) To save space in the back pack, one roll of toilet paper is sufficient, just make sure you each have some with you. One of us carried a small clothesline and eight clothes pins (make sure to write your name on the pins.) Only one of us carried the medical kit since we walked together. If you have different walking patterns, one of you may want to carry a few basics such as anti-diarrhea or anti-vomiting pills, band-aids, etc. while the other carries the full kit.

Have a great Camino.

 

[Tia Valeria]

Anything which could sensibly be shared we took just one. We also divided our packs to help differing abilities re carrying weights. Terry had my sleeping bag but I had his spare shirt and tended to carry the bocadillos. He had 2 x 1litre bottles and I had 2 half litres so on a hot day we had enough to share. Toothpaste we took 1 but soap we had a small piece each, as with the mini toilet rolls (Andrex 50sheet travel pack with no inner tube). Then we just cut everything else to 'as little or as light as possible' to keep the weight down.
Buen Camino

 

[DawnsJourney]

I have looked through several packing lists and I was wondering if somebody could tell me what the vaseline is for. How does it help your feet? Man I hope I don't sound really dumb.

 

[mspath]

I have looked through several packing lists and I was wondering if somebody could tell me what the vaseline is for. How does it help your feet? Man I hope I don't sound really dumb.

For some answers check out this earlier Forum thread.

MM

 

[DawnsJourney]

For some answers check out this earlier Forum thread.

MM

Thank you so much!!

 

[tbJoe]

Thanks for all the replies!

 

[Anniesantiago]

When packing a first aid kit, remember... you can buy anything you need along the way - there is no need for a huge first aid kit.
Also, every other pilgrim will be carrying one if you need something and lastly, the albergues have kits.
So far, I have never needed much in the way of first aid.

I carry Compeed, a toothbrush, toothpaste and a shampoo bar.
I take a microfiber or homemade travel towel.
This year, I bought a small tube of vaseline.
I pick up a bar of cold water hand laundry soap in Spain and cut it into 3 or 4 pieces and share it.
To me, some of these things are things you could share, but they're so lightweight, why do it?

I do NOT carry (nor have I ever missed)...
forks, knives, spoons
anti-anything medicine (pharmacies in almost every village)
sewing kit
sunglasses
headlight
swiss army knives (I buy a cheap 1 euro blade at the China shop for sandwich making)
washing detergent
makeup
hair dryer
curlers
extra walking shoes ( I buy a pair of 1 euro flip flops or 3 euro plastic clogs)

Last Camino I wore a Macabi skirt, and if I walk again, that will be my ONLY bottom piece as it never gets dirty and has pockets that hold half my gear!

I also carried an umbrella for the first time this year, and will do it again.
Great for SUN as well as rain!
I wouldn't share that - NOBODY's getting my umbrella!

 

[tyrrek]

If you're flying with a low cost airline you can save money by sharing your luggage allowance. Both backpacks and all clothes in one big laundry bag. My girlfriend and I are doing this on our next trip but I haven't told her yet.

 

[Kitsambler]

When packing a first aid kit, remember... you can buy anything you need along the way - there is no need for a huge first aid kit.

This may be true on the CF in Spain. It is less true in France, and pretty much not true on any routes further "upstream" from Le Puy. The problem in France is that the pharmacies are located only in the larger towns, and are subject to the same mid-day and week-end closings as other shops. Yes, there is generally one open in town, but the Laws of Probability dictate that it's not located anywhere near where you happen to be. Further east of Le Puy (ie, Czech Republic, Germany, Switzerland, etc) one can encounter quite rough terrain between towns, and often few or no other walkers, in addition to the location problems similar to the French. You don't need a huge kit, mind you - but you should carry supplies for cuts/scrapes and the anti-things, in addition to the normal blister kit.

 

[MendiWalker]

Of course you could cut back even further if you're prepared to "cross dress" .......

If you go "neeked" you save time on washing your clothes and carry less weight. And that big decision every morning...... "What shall I wear today?"

Buen Camino!

 

[Anniesantiago]

This may be true on the CF in Spain. It is less true in France, and pretty much not true on any routes further "upstream" from Le Puy. The problem in France is that the pharmacies are located only in the larger towns, and are subject to the same mid-day and week-end closings as other shops. Yes, there is generally one open in town, but the Laws of Probability dictate that it's not located anywhere near where you happen to be. Further east of Le Puy (ie, Czech Republic, Germany, Switzerland, etc) one can encounter quite rough terrain between towns, and often few or no other walkers, in addition to the location problems similar to the French. You don't need a huge kit, mind you - but you should carry supplies for cuts/scrapes and the anti-things, in addition to the normal blister kit.

Yes, sorry. I was referring to the Camino Frances and the Aragones from the border of France/Spain, although we had no problems from Lourdes forward.

 

[coldweather]

I agree with the previous comments that you can share many items.

I will point out the opposite viewpoint just so you have thought about it. My husband and I walk at dramatically different paces. On almost all days we started together to be sure I was on the trail and then we would gradually separate. He would wait for me at the next town/bar. We would usually stop for lunch together. By the end of 30 days on the Camino we were comfortable just meeting up at the end of the day. It was a good balance of each walking at our own pace and sharing the experience.

I was glad that we each had items we would use during the walk such as our own snacks, sunscreen, cash, allergy medicine, rain gear, clothes for upgrading/downgrading based on temperature, etc.

Also I had an injury and needed to "fast forward" a few stages so I was glad to have my own shampoo, soap, toothpaste, etc. Also, some of the alburges do segregate the bathrooms by gender. It is nice not to have to wait for someone to use the toothpaste.

Buen Camino!