Take what's important to you.

[billbennettoz]

I've just returned from Santiago, having completed my first Camino, from SJPdP.

Before I left, I became obsessed with my packing list. I weighed everything individually, I had an Excel sheet of all my items, and even with a camera, a iPad, two mobile phones and their associated chargers and batteries, my pack when I walked out my front door was 8.8 kgs.

I then met various people on the Camino who carried with them things that I thought were a complete extravagance, weight-wise.

My Camino buddy Balazs for instance carried an espresso machine, 250gms of fresh coffee beans, and a grinder! I met a woman who carried a blow dryer and curlers for her hair, another woman was carrying 13 kgs, largely of sundry green coloured hiking outfits. (She was from Italy!) Several people carried guitars, and I heard of one fellow from Finland who set off with 6kgs of cured
Reindeer meat!

Rather than judging these people and thinking them crazy, I came to realise that what they were carrying was IMPORTANT to them.

Having fresh coffee, and being able to offer it to other pilgrims in the morning, was very important to Balazs. Looking good was important to those women. Being able to play music, and entertain others, was important to the guys carrying guitars. Having a supply of Reindeer meat was obviously important to the Finnish bloke.

So, if you're about to head off on your Camino, take what's important to you - but remember that you have to lug it a long way!

Bill

 

[Yallah]

Yes!

I tried to convince my mom not to take an insulated thermos, but she defied me and carried one anyway, along with some others items I thought were unnecessary. She loved having hot water available for morning tea and it was well worth the weight for her, especially on some cold and rainy days. One extraneous "comfort" item can be well worth the extra ounces.

 

[billbennettoz]

Yes!
One extraneous "comfort" item can be well worth the extra ounces.

Exactly! The Camino can be hard work at times, and if you've brought along that special thing that's going to make your time more enjoyable, then you don't mind the additional weight.

I met someone who carried several large cans of tinned tuna with him always. He never had any less than 1kg of cans. But he loved his tuna!

Bill

 

[KinkyOne]

In 2011 I've met a German guy in his early 60's (I think it was in San Nicolas del Real Camino) and he was carrying this huge 18kg backpack!!! We drank a beer or two together and he'd told me of doing 35-45km/day, for the 7th time on CF, and carrying TWO lap tops with all the gadgets

Well if that suits him, that was also fine with me!

 

[Olivares]

Bill-- I read each and every ones of your posts as you blogged along your Camino. More than once I had to wondered about a couple of thoughts you shared that sounded a tad too judgemental. That is why I am elated to read this post.

 

[PadreTeeJay]

This is a well timed post for me as I try to decide what to keep in my pack and what to take out before I fly out from Texas on Monday. Thank you.

 

[billbennettoz]

Bill-- I read each and every ones of your posts as you blogged along your Camino. More than once I had to wondered about a couple of thoughts you shared that sounded a tad too judgemental. That is why I am elated to read this post.

Oh, thanks Olivares. I think I learned some things along The Way... !

Bill

 

[billbennettoz]

In 2011 I've met a German guy in his early 60's (I think it was in San Nicolas del Real Camino) and he was carrying this huge 18kg backpack!!! We drank a beer or two together and he'd told me of doing 35-45km/day, for the 7th time on CF, and carrying TWO lap tops with all the gadgets

Well if that suits him, that was also fine with me!

Yes, Balazs, the bloke with the espresso machine and beans and grinder, ended up walking from SJPdP to Santiago in 26 days - then went on to Finisterre. It didn't slow him down!

Bill

 

[markss]

Not one to pay much attention to arbitrary and artificially established weight limits, my rule was simple ... I had a backpack with a 63 liter capacity so packed it to my heart's content until it was full.

Didn't do any sort of practice walk with the loaded pack in advance, not even around the house. Upon setting out for departure to Spain, I put the thing on my back to get through the airport in Los Angeles. Quickly realized I would need a trolley even to haul the pack to get to the gate. Right, and I am going to carry this on my back all day, every day across Spain for the next month or so. Four or five changes of clothing, five nice sized books to read, significant supply of food and emergency rations in case there was some sort of famine occuring along the Camino, full on survival gear and everything else one might imagine was required or merely nice to have for basic existence in the outer reaches of civilization. What was I thinking?

In the end it all worked out just fine. The only regret I had was that I did not bring a pair of gloves as it was cold in March. However, an ample supply of extra socks became the perfect substitute for keeping hands warm. And only had to wash clothing every three or four days. Sometimes it is good to bring more than you think that you need, but I really do not recommend it.

And then, after realizing that items can conveniently be strapped to the outside of the back pack ... well you don't even want to know what I bought in Spain and carried along on the flight back home.

 

[billbennettoz]

That's very funny Markss.

I walked in early April and I still needed gloves then!

Rules are meant to be broken...

Bill

 

[freeflyer123]

What I love about us, as a human race, is that we all have such different ideas of what is necessary. One rule I find that both my husband and I have come to accept as a 'truism' is: "Judge not, lest ye be judged". Yet it always interests me what people think of as a necessity in life, let alone when they go on holiday or a pilgrimage. But no further than that. What I think of as very necessary for me, may not be what someone else may think of as something they could not be without. After all, home is a very long way away, and we all do need some comforts.

Having said that, I have found that we can all get around with so much less than we at first thought. All too often we find ourselves thinking "why did I take that?" and so we learn from experience. And how awful it would be if we were a million miles away from home and suddenly wishing that we had something we had originally thought of as 'unnecessary'! I love the idea of a thermus flask to carry hot water - just up my street. But surely we won't be needing more than two sets of clothing? Having said that, we will be travelling in the summer months when drying will be easier than in the earlier months. We will not be taking ipads as we have heard that there have been thefts. While a true pilgrim would never think to steal from another, in the present climate there may be some who pose as pilgrims, so taking lots of really valuable things with you just means that you have to constantly worry about where they are all the time. I truly believe that if the camino teaches us anything, it's that we all attach far too much importance on our possessions instead of on the more important things - like family and friends.
That's why I love this site - because it has sections such as "what did you take that you wish you had not?" - giving the rest of us valuable advice - although, in the end, it's down to the individual just what they do put in their bags.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

So many walk the Camino that it can take an effort to distinguish oneself.

Each of us is unique, just like everyone else. After 750 km, it is possible to discover that you do not need to prove your uniqueness and you can leave the espresso machine and hair dryer behind.

 

[billbennettoz]

So many walk the Camino that it can take an effort to distinguish oneself.

Each of us is unique, just like everyone else. After 750 km, it is possible to discover that you do not need to prove your uniqueness and you can leave the espresso machine and hair dryer behind.

Hi Falcon, Balazs didn't take the espresso machine with him to "be unique," he took it because he not only loved freshly brewed coffee of a morning, but he also made it for other pilgrims too. The espresso machine became a way for him to express generosity and kindness to his fellow pilgrims.

Strong friendships, and bonds, developed as a result.

I think for you to brand a woman who decides to take a thermos (so she can have hot drinks) as doing so to "be unique" is missing the point of this post.

Bill

 

[nidarosa]

I agree wholeheartedly. Of course you should take what's important to you, of course you should pack and carry what you want, no one else can tell you what is right for your camino! I just think it's interesting to have a think about whether or not it's important to me and why.

On my walk I met ultralight packers who were happy carrying next to nothing, a man who read his Kindle while he walked, another who happily carried one bottle of red wine in each bottle pocket and who thanked me endlessly for tightening his load lifter straps, and a girl who had lost her bag in transit, bought all new stuff and then got her old bag back and shared the surplus with everyone to make the pack lighter as she went. I met people who wished they had brought more kit, people who wished they had less, people who threw away and left behind and bought new stuff. Fresh coffee in the morning sounds like pure heaven, the sleeping bag I bought in Burgos was bliss, but the lady who started in SJPdP carrying one change of clothes and 120 nutritional bars in case there was no food to be had in Spain, would possibly have chosen differently in hindsight. My friend and I 'found' a pilgrim who was struggling with the weight of a pack containing several kilos worth of cod liver oil capsules, cough syrup, magnesium tablets, iron supplements, chewy vitamin C tablets, all sorts of tablets - including a two month supply of multivitamins. Not for a specific regime but to avoid malnourishment. Also no less than two pairs of scissors and three flashlights. They say you are what you wear ... She ended up donating most of the pills and capsules to other pilgrims along the way, so maybe there was a reason.

 

[billbennettoz]

What a wonderful bunch of anecdotes!

The thing to remember is: everyone walking the camino is trying their best. And they're all, in their own unique way, extraordinary.

Bill

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Dumbo needed a feather to fly, or at least he thought he did. By all means take your feather!

"How much do I need?" may be the wrong question for some. "How little do I need?" may be a better restatement.

 

[itsjann]

Bill, I enjoyed every minute of your book. what a fun read! Thank you for writing it.

 

[AnnieY]

Bill, I enjoyed every minute of your book. what a fun read! Thank you for writing it.

I am taking perfume! its a public service I reckon!!

 

[enfermera4]

I am taking perfume! its a public service I reckon!!

Annie, perfume was the thing I missed the most and I'm definitely taking some next time.

 

[AnnieY]

Annie, perfume was the thing I missed the most and I'm definitely taking some next time.

yes it helps to keep me sane, I cant become too primitive, what with all the energy bars, sandal wearers and maccabi skirts!