Planning my First Camino

[nekitashalan]

HELLO,

I'M PLANNING MY FIRST CAMINO FOR 2015... WHATS THE BEST ADVICE YOU HAVE FOR A 1ST TIMER? ALSO WHAT IS THE BEST BACKPACK FOR A FEMALE

 

[lbpierce]

My advice to you would be to read all of the posts on this forum that interest you. You will find all the information you need to prepare for your Camino, including what people have liked in terms of backpacks.

Buen camino.

 

[lbpierce]

As a novice pilgrim myself, I have learned so much from this forum and have been able to ask specific questions as well. but I felt it was really helpful to review the posts here first.

 

[mralisn]

Yay for your first Camino! The planning is such a great part of the entire journey.

I fully agree with the above. You have much time to read not only this forum but to find others as well. Here you can see all kinds of questions which have been answered. After some time, your own inquiries will become more specific and useful considering where, when, what, why, who, etc.

On this night especially, I am reminded of my Christmas day of '04. I took a long drive to see family only to be left alone for last minute changes. I had a bottle of wine, a fully prepared dinner, and only the company of two chihuahuas all to myself. I made the best of it! This is when I came across the blog of a Dutch woman who walked the Way. I read her entire journals of both of her Caminos. Dare I say, my addiction started that evening. From there, I spent the next 6 months preparing in all ways I needed.

Through other travels, I found any question I may have has probably been asked and answered tens of times in the last month. Heck, by reading another's post, I usually find some great information I never considered. I like that.

Who knows? You may find you can't wait another two years and start walking sooner.

Extremely excited for you!

Keep a smile,
Simeon

 

[sillydoll]

It can be confusing for a First Timer to negotiate their way through all the information on this Forum.
I am attaching a general information document that I hand out at our Camino workshops in Durban, South Africa. This should answer some of your questions - and some you didn't even know to ask!
Good luck with your planning!

 

[scruffy1]

Tip number 1, try not to shout.

 

[sillydoll]

I think Scruffy means, "Don't type in capital letters" - that is the same as shouting!

 

[Al the optimist]

Scruffy and Sillydoll beat me to it! Please don't take offence. As veterans of the forum they are not criticising only seeking to help, they are just pointing out an internet convention. Sillydoll is one of the mainstays of this forum and is always ready to help. She will prove invaluable in your preparations.
Great to hear another has been bitten by the bug! Welcome and Buen Camino.
allan

 

[fortview]

Hi,
We would not have had the amazing camino we had, without this forum! Reading through the relevant posts will save you from making some fundamental mistakes, like a pack that is way too heavy.

I used the osprey talon 33 . It was perfect, comfortable, light , and just the right size. But read all the posts. And then read some more !

Have fun with the planning and the questions.
Buen camino,
Helen

 

[nekitashalan]

Thanks wasn't shouting ...sorry for the caps I was using a laptop that belongs to someone else and if you hit the shift button the caps lock button would not turn off...super weird. Thanks for the advice and the link to the information.

 

[Al the optimist]

You have already embarked on a wonderful journey. For many of us the forum has become as big a part of our daily rituals as the first cup of coffee. You will find many wonderful people posting lots of useful information and insights.
allan

 

[kathrynwb]

To Sillydoll,

Thank you so much for the first timers booklet. Like all your posts it is extremely helpful! I am planning my first camino for fall 2013.

 

[Chacharm]

Read everything. This forum is extremely helpful. There are many books - one that I read that gave me the best idea as to what to expect of an average day was called 7 Tips for the Camino de Santiago I think.
But know that no one can really fully prepare you. Everyone has a different experience. The only person I knew who had done it had done it in 1991. He had a wildly different experience. Fewer albuergues, fewer peregrinos.
The woman who wrote the above mentioned book did it in the summer time - so she dealt with crowded albuergues and her packing list was much lighter than my own.
That said, I walked with a woman from Scotland who brought a single change of clothes, a toothbrush and a hairbrush and some water bottles and nothing else. I also walked with a man and his elderly father who brought along just about everything you can imagine on a little pushcart he'd found on the side of the road.
There are a few things I'd do differently regarding my gear. I would spend a LOT of time choosing my pack. I would go to a really nice outdoor gear place (not REI) and get GOOD advice. I would get a raincoat that had at least one pocket on the chest. The one I chose had two pockets that were in the exact location that my pack strapped across. I couldn't get to my pockets to get my phone/camera or tissues. I'd start out with some really good trek poles and not wait until my hips and knees were killing me to get them. I'd buy two pairs of zippered tech pants/shorts, 2 long sleeve and two short sleeve tech shirts, Two comfortable tech bras, THREE pairs of tech panties and THREE pairs of good socks and that would be IT. My boots and a pair of croc type slip on sandals you can wear with socks. Keep it simple and keep it light.
And have fun

 

[Christine15]

My friend and I are too planning our first and most probably last Camino, we do live a slight distance away and that is Sydney Australia. We are both apprehensive as well as excited, we should be at SJPP on the 5th September and start the next day. As we do not have infinite time nor can we come back next year, we want to start at SJPP yet will have to make up some time. We have read heaps of forum questions and found unbelievable help. Yes we have started buying what we need and will start our training in about 4 weeks.
We do not know how we will go but will not stress, what will be will be. But we are so excited in anticipation of our adventure and so looking forward to meeting people from all walks of life and nationalities. If you are starting around this time possibly we will meet and enjoy each others company.
Any information gratefully received.
Hoping to meet, Chris & Kath

 

[suzenripley]

Wow I just bought my Salomon x ultra mid GTX boots today, and I plan to be walking from SJPP in late July 2013.. I have been looking at packs and am trying to decide if I really need a 40l or if I can get away with a 35l - so I was interested in the 33 l - I feel like I need to restrict the space - to make sure I don't overpack

Thanks also to sillydoll - much appreciated tips for young players!!!

Sue

 

[fortview]

Hi Sue,
As you are walking in July, you can definitely get away with the 33 l you won't need a sleeping bag for example, just a silk liner, which takes up little space. And you are so right - the less space you have, the less temptation to takes lots of unnecessary weight.
Buen camino
Helen

 

[Tia Valeria]

Hola,
A 30-35lt pack may be a good fit for you, but the best advice I was given for chosing a pack was to make sure it fits comfortably. My original smaller pack is too small for the Camino (OK for training), the slightly larger pack is a good fit and everything goes in easily. Just resist the temptation to overpack You will need some extra space maybe for your compostela in its tube, small gifts etc before you return home.
Buen Camino

 

[sillydoll]

Sue, I weigh about 125lbs (57kg) and am 5' 3" tall (161.5cm)

I have a short torso and after a few years of experimenting with different packs I finally found the perfect one for me - a 32L OMM (Original Mountain Marathon) Ultra-light pack from the UK.
It weighs 600g (21 ounces) empty, has comfy padded shoulder straps, a sternum strap, padded waist belt with pockets, side pockets and a top mesh pocket.

When it is full it weighs just under 5kg but I also carry a few odd items in a waist belt - camera, money, sunstick, route maps, credencial, dictionary, snacks, water bottle etc that can weigh about 1.5kg.
I prefer to spread the weight rather than have it all on my back.

 

[Hutton24]

Hi Chris, I am planning to go at that time as well and I'm also from Sydney. Kate

 

[Hutton24]

Hi Sillydoll ...

19. When you're walking in the woods and you see a backpack lying on the side of the road with no owner in sight, keep your eyes straight forward.

Might be a silly question, but in relation to no. 19 above, why?

Kate

 

[sillydoll]

Ha, ha!!!

Maybe I should elaborate on that one!

Because the owner might have had a call of nature and is squatting behind the only available shrub!!

 

[Rodeojones]

It can be confusing for a First Timer to negotiate their way through all the information on this Forum.
I am attaching a general information document that I hand out at our Camino workshops in Durban, South Africa. This should answer some of your questions - and some you didn't even know to ask!
Good luck with your planning!

Great practical advice found in this booklet. Thanks!!

 

[ncali12]

Some of the things that i found most helpful for me on my Camino were
1) allowing more time than i thought i would need. That gave me freedom not to feel pressure or push.
2) recognizing that everything that happened was part of the camino and in the domaine of divine providence
3) preparing as best I could--for me this mainly involved reading and buying/borrowing good equipment. I probably should have done more training but I'm not wild about walking ;-)
Regarding equipment what was really important:good walking shoes plus crocks for evening. As it turned out i also needed these when my feet were too swollen to where the hiking shoes. Vaseline and merino wool for feet--i never had a problem with blisters. A good pack that fits. Someone loaned me "go lite" rain gear and it was amazing. It weighed nothing and kept me completely dry. I also highly recommend merino wool--socks and t-shirt. Great stuff. I dont use a sleeping bag. Most auberges have blankets so i just take a silk liner to sleep in.
Also, there are probably varying opinions on this but I never drank from fountains even when they said the water was good and I took some preventative supplements along. Important to drink lots of water.
Advice given in this forum from the experts was invaluable.
Buen camino!

 

[draytonfair]

This thread looks like it has some great advice! Thank you!

My husband and I are planning our first Camino this September 2013. I notice that some have good opinions on sleeping bags. Do you think that we will need them in September? No the high summer, but can still get hot; if we go into October, it could get chilly. We are not planning on "camping" outdoors, so are all of the alberges relatively comfortable (temperature wise) at night?

 

[petersimoons]

Very useful

I have done quite some preparation but still need to get a backpack and some more gear. Found this thread very usefull and am learning more and more and getting more and more eager to start on April 15 from SJPDP