Shower footwear

[AJGuillaume]

We're planning on walking the Camino del Norte (as part of a longer walk), and reading through information we have found recommendations for including in our gear footwear when taking showers.
Are showers (and cleanliness) really that bad that one has to use footwear?
Buen Camino
Andrew

 

[trecile]

We're planning on walking the Camino del Norte (as part of a longer walk), and reading through information we have found recommendations for including in our gear footwear when taking showers.
Are showers (and cleanliness) really that bad that one has to use footwear?
Burn Camino
Andrew

I know that a lot of people wear flip flops, ir some other type of sandal in the shower, but I've just gone barefoot.
Some are worried about cleanliness, others athletes foot.

 

[kaixo]

Yep, I wear flip flops. in the shower and to and from the shower.
Most places are relatively clean but I wouldn't walk around barefoot or shower barefoot.
Just my preference.

 

[george.g]

Just think how many people may have used the shower before you!
Regards
George
PS a search would show that this has been discussed any number of times, with the usual outcome, some do some don’t, I do, can’t risk your feet for the sake of an few grammes of flip flop!

 

[C clearly]

We have had this discussion before. It seems to be a personal issue with very different "feelings." Some people are happy to go barefoot while others think that is very unhygienic for everyone. Whichever you do, you'll find others who do the same, as well as the opposite. I wear rubber slip-on shoes to and from the shower and around the albergue, but I stand barefoot in the shower stall, since I don't see that the flipflops will protect me or anyone else.

 

[Sailor]

Flip flops is the way to go [to the shower, in the shower, to go to the restroom in the middle of the night, and to walk around in the albergue]. Simple to do, just go to the nearest 99 cents store and get a pair. Good luck y que la luz de Dios alumbre su camino.

 

[AJGuillaume]

Just think how many people may have used the shower before you!
Regards
George
PS a search would show that this has been discussed any number of times, with the usual outcome, some do some don’t, I do, can’t risk your feet for the sake of an few grammes of flip flop!

Thank you to all for your comments. I must not have entered the right search criteria.
My post was more aimed at asking about the cleanliness of showers. I guess like many public showers (e.g. swimming pools), one has to assume that a high degree of cleanliness cannot be guaranteed, and hence precautions need to be taken.
Flip flops are definitely going in our pack
Cheers
Andrew

 

[FLEUR]

I returned year after year to walk the CF in stages ending in 2016. I have memories of only one place where the facilities were not very clean. Apart from that place I was amazed at how clean the showers and toilets were!
I know two couples who've volunteered to run albergues (in France and Spain) they always spent a lot of their time cleaning.

I have a very old / lightweight pair of flip flops, sometimes I wear them to / from /in the shower, sometimes I don't.

 

[nidarosa]

I take very lightweight and comfortable Birkenstock EVA sandals to walk around indoors, like going to the toilet and showers, not just because of cleanliness issues, but because walking on hard floors is painful after a long walk, and more importantly because wet floors can get very slippy! The same goes for rooms where the shower is placed over a slippery bathtub. I clean the sandals and then step into the tub. Much safer.

 

[peregrina2000]

I would never walk into the showers in any public facility (gym, pool, or albergue) without something on my feet. Now, I know that sometimes the sad reality is that the drainage in the albergue shower has trouble keeping up with the flow of the shower, and the water rises over your feet and defeats the purpose of the footwear, but oh well.

To keep bulk and weight down in my pack, I just wear my chacos into the shower. Sure, the straps then take a while to dry, but this hasn't been a problem for me. I know Chacos are heavy, but I can't walk around town with flip flops and don't want to carry two pairs of footwear, so that's how I've worked it out for me.

 

[Ahaj]

We're planning on walking the Camino del Norte (as part of a longer walk), and reading through information we have found recommendations for including in our gear footwear when taking showers.
Are showers (and cleanliness) really that bad that one has to use footwear?
Burn Camino
Andrew

You say “we”. If your walking company is female she may like the Isabella croc sandals that I took on both my caminos. Very comfortable as an after walk sandal and being plastic they work in the shower brilliantly. I just had those and my boots.
My pack was below 7kg

 

[t2andreo]

Short answer to the "do I really need footwear in a public shower..." HECK YES! You cannot imagine what some people do in a shower...but you do NOT want to be walking in it...point made.

In 2014, I picked up a foot fungus at Orisson on my first night out. I failed to wear my shower shoes. Oh I had them with me, but removed them as I stepped into the shower...WRONG! Two weeks later, with feet that smelled like cheese and were very itchy, I finally asked a pharmacist and caused him to double over with laughter. He then promptly dispensed the apparently camino-standard foot ointment for "cheesy feet."

Everyone has their own thoughts on what is the best footwear to use for these showers. Some say to use something that, while waterproof, is also good to wear in the evenings or on off days when you are not wearing your hiking boots or shoes. Others, including me, bring a THIRD pair of footwear expressly for showers, and nothing else.

My now standard footwear to take on Camino no longer varies. I wear my Keen hiking boots, pack a pair of Ecco or Mephisto leather and nylon sports sandals, and just stick a cheap pair of flip-flops (zories, chacos, whatever) in my outer rucksack pockets. I buy the shower sandals in really bright colors at Oriental or China Bazaar shops for a couple of Euros. While stuck partially in the rucksack pocket they do double duty to alert oncoming drivers with a splash of neon color...

The truly neon colors ensure they do not get misplaced, are easily found, unlikely to be borrowed, and are inexpensive enough to be discarded or not lamented if they wear out or go missing. They also typically weigh very little.

I hope this helps.

 

[Davidmm]

Just finished the Camino. Did not wear shoes in the shower and had no issues.

 

[easygoing]

I have only stayed in private albergues and wear my Crocs to and from the shower. The showers looked very clean. However, since learning that people track dirt into the shower wearing the sandals that they have dirtied wearing around the albergue I will have to rethink this. I am a nurse and floor dirt is contaminated with animal feces and more. If the shower looks dirty I will rinse the shower floor before stepping inside.

 

[gittiharre]

Light crocs sandals like the Cleo are better than flip flops as you can wear socks on a cold night in the albergues.

 

[Daelb]

My wife and I just finished the Frances and one aspect of wearing shower shoes may not have been addressed above. We found that nearly every shower in albergues and in most hotels were very slippery when wet. My wife slipped and fell while showering in Zubiri and strained her knee so bad that she could not stand herself up. The shower pans have no grip/grit so please be careful.

 

[AlwynWellington]

Simple

Sorry, @Sailor but not so simple.

A number of us have a feature my kids call "monkey feet". This is a wide gap between the big toe and the next. And gripping the thong of a flip flop / jandal whatever just does'nt happen.

I have a slide on "slipper" (which I am wearing as I finish dinner at Melide) as it gives the feet a change when done walking for the day.

And could be used for a few km in an emergency.

Others have mentioned Crocs with approval.

And others would say, try to ensure everything you carry has at least two uses.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

You say “we”. If your walking company is female she may like the Isabella croc sandals that I took on both my caminos. Very comfortable as an after walk sandal and being plastic they work in the shower brilliantly. I just had those and my boots.
My pack was below 7kg

Cute shoe! I have a similar lightweight off-brand sandal I bring, but I like the looks of these better. Thanks for the tip!

 

[Camino Chrissy]

Light crocs sandals like the Cleo are better than flip flops as you can wear socks on a cold night in the albergues.

I'm with you on this as it is exactly what I do; a reason I do not bring flip flops. I prefer a very comfortable open toe sandal that is very lightweight as I often like wearing socks on chilly evenings walking around town. They must be shower friendly too, therefore I can avoid bringing 3 pair as my sandals do "double duty".

 

[Sailor]

Sorry, @Sailor but not so simple.

Thanks, Alwyn, in this case Crocs are a good option [also this type]. Good luck y que la luz de Dios alumbre su camino.

 

[Ahhhs]

Nope. Never wear shower shoes. Have traveled extensively and done several Caminos including the Norte this year. Never had a problem. I always turn the water on before stepping in to get a decent temp and a quick rinse of the stall and soap up my feet well before exiting the shower. If the shower looked disgusting (which hasn't happened) I'd skip it. One can pick up all sorts of things in all sorts of places and part of that is just bad luck. I try to take reasonable precautions but showering with shoes on isn't one of them.

 

[Ahhhs]

I did skip a shower in one small albergue because the person before me kept shrieking about how there was no hot water and she was hopping up and down and howling! But that's a different thread...

 

[tomnorth]

We're planning on walking the Camino del Norte (as part of a longer walk), and reading through information we have found recommendations for including in our gear footwear when taking showers.
Are showers (and cleanliness) really that bad that one has to use footwear?
Burn Camino
Andrew

There are an awful lot of people coming and going through these albergues. That's no different than your average health club. The cleanliness may be great, but if someone is carrying a foot fungus and you happen to follow that person in the shower then you may pick it up. Why tempt fate?

 

[AJGuillaume]

You say “we”. If your walking company is female she may like the Isabella croc sandals that I took on both my caminos. Very comfortable as an after walk sandal and being plastic they work in the shower brilliantly. I just had those and my boots.
My pack was below 7kg

Thank you for the suggestion Ahaj. My travelling companion is my lovely wife, and I'll share the info with her.

 

[Deputy Dan]

I took a pair of VERY lightweight "water" shoes that were comfortable with or without socks for wandering around. I just can't wear flip flops - the toe thong causes me a lot of pain between my toes. If I could figure out how to effectively eliminate that part between the toes . . .

Although the "water" shoes drain well, they don't dry out as quickly as I would have liked - still damp the morning after a shower. And while they were reasonably comfortable wandering around city streets (when dry) I'm pretty sure they wouldn't work on the Camino itself. I saw a number of people walking the Camino in sandals due to blisters and thus an inability to wear their regular shoes. I didn't quite reach that point, but just in case next time I'll take a my Teva sandals for the shower or as backups, and leave the water shoes behind.

 

[november_moon]

My experience with a plantar wart that had to be removed by laser, leaving a gaping hole in the bottom of my foot that took ages to heal motivates me to always wear shoes in public showers.

 

[Jen Fawkes]

Thongs, jandals, flip flops, call them what you will, but if you want to prevent a foot fungus, wear them in the shower.
Far more common than you might realise, and breeds in hot sweaty socks too.
A tube of tinea cream applied after each shower also goes a long way... just saying

 

[Tazz]

This is a long thread and I have not read each comment so I apologize if this is redundant.

As a physician I have a few concerns about not wearing flip flops in the shower. Firstly people shave their faces and legs in the shower and often cut themselves. Other bodily fluids are sometimes advertently or inadvertently left in showers. Most of us will have open sores on our feet and ankles at some point during the Camino. That being said the risk of transmission of infection in soapy warm water is very low and many worrisome viruses don't live long outside of the body. Remember too that the drainage in large group shower stalls follows gravity which means that the person at the lowest shower in the room often is in ankle deep water, from all those people showering upstream.
As you can see, I am a bit obsessive, so I do wear flip flops. I clip them with a carabiner onto the back of my pack.
I also carry a pair of comfy sandals to let my feet breath at the end of the day. This leads to a heavier pack but happier feet.

 

[Fredlinton]

We're planning on walking the Camino del Norte (as part of a longer walk), and reading through information we have found recommendations for including in our gear footwear when taking showers.
Are showers (and cleanliness) really that bad that one has to use footwear?
Burn Camino
Andrew

I wear Crocs in the shower and for walking around at night. I have found some of the showers are slippery. The crocs help

 

[MichelleElynHogan]

Yes, it is a personal preference to wear footwear or not in the shower. But, it is a good thing to always have multiple uses for everything that is in your pack or on your person. Most who wear footwear in the shower may also use the same footwear during those hours after walking and before bed. This also gives your walking shoes a good amount of time to dry out before the next morning.

 

[trecile]

For me, I must also be able to wear my sandals for walking on the Camino. A pair of flip flops wouldn't work.

 

[timr]

I did skip a shower in one small albergue because the person before me kept shrieking about how there was no hot water and she was hopping up and down and howling! But that's a different thread...

I am not going to add to the mix of views on shoes. Horses surely for courses. But I love to imagine what you have just described! You have cheered me up!!

 

[Tincatinker]

I've been a bit slow to respond to this thread because I felt I should make some checks before posting. I have a pair of '£1 shop' / Dollar store flip-flops that weigh in at a significant 20gms. However I have established after vigorous experimentation that if my poncho allows the shower water to run in to my wellington boots then each boot can weigh over 2kg. I am therefore resolved not to wear my poncho in the shower unless I have serious concerns in regard to the water source and to leave the wellingtons outside except if another pilgrim has used the shower in a month preceding my visit. Of course none of these considerations apply if I have some soap available.

 

[domigee]

You are indeed a tinker

 

[Older Guy]

Yes, you need shower footwear. Your feet are critically important to your ability to move you along the Camino.

Up until college, I never wore shower foot wear in gym and got some horrible athelets foot infections. Now when I work out in the gym or did the Camino, I take cheap flip flops, as foot health is important.

 

[Gillean]

Plantar warts, athlete's foot fungus, blood, urine, feces: why would you not wear shower thongs?