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Lucyev

Member
Time of past OR future Camino
Camino Frances July 22nd (2020)
Hi,

I'm thinking it may be best to keep my bank cards, credencial and passport hidden away on my body, and not packed in my rucksack?

Is this the type of thing people use?


I'm guessing I would keep money in a money belt too?

Sorry, I have so many questions!

Lucy
 
The 2024 Camino guides will be coming out little by little. Here is a collection of the ones that are out so far.
I prefer to use a couple of heavy duty plastic ziplock pouches which I carry in the zipped pockets of my trousers. Money, cards, passport, credencial and phone all go in these. I am always a little afraid that if I use a money belt or similar I might put it down somewhere and walk off without it. I am not quite absent-minded enough to walk away without my trousers.
IMG_20191019_220944.jpg
 
Hi,

I'm thinking it may be best to keep my bank cards, credencial and passport hidden away on my body, and not packed in my rucksack?

Is this the type of thing people use?


I'm guessing I would keep money in a money belt too?

Sorry, I have so many questions!

Lucy

I had a dry bag I kept that stuff in at all times. If I set my pack down, I took it out and clipped it to myself.
I never felt concerned about being physically robbed (like, in person) but was not willing to leave these items with my bag/out of sight. I kept a 'day wallet' with spending cash in it for grocery stores, dontavios, etc. I elaborate here.
 
The 2024 Camino guides will be coming out little by little. Here is a collection of the ones that are out so far.
Wherever you decide to carry your money remember that all valuables should never leave you. They need to be bundled together and go into the shower with you and be with you when you sleep. To do that you don’t want too many, nor be too spread out, and take nothing that you can’t afford to lose.
 
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My strategy was this:

- Small purse with cash for the day and bank card number 1 in zippered pants pocket.

- Some more cash and bank card number 2 in my waist bag.

Screen Shot 2019-10-19 at 17.41.08.png

(The waist bag also held passport, pilgrim's passport, iphone, ear phones, pen, knife, reading glasses, hand cream, toothbrush & mini toothpaste, comb, toilet paper, wet wipes, mini keyring LED light, maps only guide book. It was on me at all times, day and night.)

- An emergency banknote hidden away in the pack.

I strongly recommend to put your contact data (phone, e-mail) in every purse or bag and in your passport (on a post-it). It is far more likely you leave one of those items behind - and someone will be trying to get it back to you - than being victim of a theft or robbery.
 
Have a couple of sources of funds, carry some cash, keep anything you cannot easily replace as close to skin as you can at all times. Be sensible, but don’t be paranoid. A phone, passport and credit card never leave my sight - waterproof products are available.
 
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Have a couple of sources of funds, carry some cash, keep anything you cannot easily replace as close to skin as you can at all times. Be sensible, but don’t be paranoid. A phone, passport and credit card never leave my sight - waterproof products are available.

I forgot - whatever your preferred option - start using if for a few weeks before travelling. I can sense when I’m missing something that I carry ALL the time.
 
Whatever you choose to wear, just make sure that it feels comfortable against your skin and that the color won't leach out with your sweat. My own neck pouch has soft, non-abrasive cloth on the back.

My first pouch was red leather, which was quite comfortable, but leached color everywhere. Took a while to get the discoloration off my skin :eek:
 
I submit that the answer is... it depends...

For example, if you are 'height challenged' like me, you may (again like me) have an ample belly. This makes wearing a money belt or under the waistband wallet contraption hot, sweaty and uncomfortable, even though it is the all-around safest option. SYates and the other 'skinny' veterans are correct.

OTOH, the belly bag or fanny pack worn around the front brings added volume and convenience. You can also tote all your valuables into the albergue shower and hang the bag near you, always in YOUR eyesight and grab range. This also helps to balance weight to shift some of it from the back to the front.

Finally, my personal solution is to wear zip-off nylon pants with a LOT of pockets. My national passport and pilgrim credencial, along with an ICE (In Case of Emergency) notice in three or four languages), and emergency money / credit card, ride in an aLokSak heavy duty 4" x 7" ziplock bag in one pocket of my cargo pants. My smart phone and other valuables ride in the other cargo pocket. If ALL else is lost or stolen, I can recover with just this one small bag, an a trip to the nearest Decathlon.

See them here: http://loksak.com/aloksak/

Other needed items are arrayed about my pants pockets. For examples, I carry TWO Buffs, one to each rear hip pocket, where they do double duty as butt-pads when I sit down. These weight virtually nothing, but can be used for a myriad of things beyond just wearing.

I have used Buffs as an expedient compression bandage to staunch bleeding from a head wound (I fell over a fence), a face and hand towel, a means to attach my hiking poles to my rucksack, etc. Uses for a Buff are limited only by your imagination.

One year, I even met a group of runners, doing the Frances in reverse. They carried NO packs. Each person had the taffeta weight running togs they were wearing, one light shell jacket, and watch cap, and a Buff. The Buff was their bath towel - they were very thin people....

In an albergue situation, these pants go into the shower stall with me. I pack a small but strong "S" hook to support hanging my "loaded" pants nearly anywhere.

Also, and just as an FYI, If the lower pants are soiled or wet, I merely zip them off, wash them separately, then rinse, roll, stomp and hang them to dry.. It usually takes less than 45 minutes for the 100% nylon to dry enough to reattach.

Hope this helps.
 
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What SYates said. I wear one of two things, either a waist pack or often I sew a pocket into the waistband of my Macabi or hiking pants.
 
Hi,

I'm thinking it may be best to keep my bank cards, credencial and passport hidden away on my body, and not packed in my rucksack?

Is this the type of thing people use?


I'm guessing I would keep money in a money belt too?

Sorry, I have so many questions!

Lucy
Assuming you're wearing pants with multiple pockets with velcro. In zip lock bags, Pocket 1 has pilgrim passport, daily cash and real passport. Pocket 2 has cell phone, Pocket 3 has your stash of cash. Some where else and pinned inside a pocket is copy of passport and your credit cards. Every morning as you leave the alburgue you do the pilgrim sign of the cross, you tap each pocket to make sure everything is in place.
 
I would suggest you never trust valuables in a zip pocket; whether it be pants pocket or jacket. I lost my wallet on the underground in Madrid. The plastic bag makes it all the easier to remove from your pocket.

it is unfortunate we need to worry about this on the Camino

Buen Camino
Bob
 
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I used a neck wallet which I wore under my shirt and against my skin. Was comfortable, and It worked well, but a bit of sweat did manage to get in to the wallet. I would use it again but put my passport/pilgrim passport in a plastic sandwich bag in the wallet. Tried on some money belts, but they were uncomfortable when wearing my pack.
 
Zip-Loc bag kept in my secure cargo pants pocket or my go-bag, either/both were always in my possession.
 
Hi Lucy, that wallet looks fine, but personally I modified a neck wallet to hang off my belt inside my pants, resting on my upper thigh. This was more comfortable than around my neck or waist and was very secure. I did not need to access it during the day, keeping enough cash for the day in a zippered pocket along with my credencial. it was waterproof enough to to take into the showers and never left me.
 
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I would suggest you never trust valuables in a zip pocket; whether it be pants pocket or jacket. I lost my wallet on the underground in Madrid. The plastic bag makes it all the easier to remove from your pocket.

it is unfortunate we need to worry about this on the Camino

Buen Camino
Bob
Always take extra precautions in large metro areas especially in crowded conditions like subways, buses, etc. Wrap plastic bag, wallet, money clip with large rubber band which creates extra friction.
 
The 2024 Camino guides will be coming out little by little. Here is a collection of the ones that are out so far.
I just had my national passport and credencial loose in the top pocket of my pack. wallet with a couple of cards and cash in my back pocket. I also stashed 2 or 3 spare bank cards in places around my pack.
 
I used a small cross body bag (bagallini) & modified it to wear as a waist pack (outside my body) when walking. Everything was accessible, including my cell phone for pictures. When in the city, I wore it as a cross bag, making me feel more "citified". I also kept an extra credit card, copy of passport and an emergency number in a ziplock in the bottom of my pack. That made me feel secure, as I am a woman and I was walking alone.
 
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