For 2024 Pilgrims: €50,- donation = 1 year with no ads on the forum + 90% off any 2024 Guide. More here. (Discount code sent to you by Private Message after your donation) |
---|
THIS!!! whatever goes on Camino with me MUST serve multi-purpose....and who says a silk liner can't be worn as a scarf or a clothes line used as a belt?!
I liked the recent suggestion... a silk liner that opens at the bottom could be pulled up, fastened around the middle (perhaps with the clothesline, crisscrossed around the waist and across the shoulders) and worn as evening dinner attire.
I already have no make up and my hair “styling” consists in putting it up in a ponytail (with prior brushing if it’s its lucky day).
I do wear clean clothes every day though, even on the Camino.
So basically my routine is the same on and off the Camino.
Getting up and stuffing your few possessions in a backpack and walking many hours a day and then doing it again day after day is nothing like your regular routine at home.
The first thing to go is any make up. You’ll find that lip balm/chapstick is all you care about.
The next thing you lose is any semblance of “normal” hair styling. You just don’t have time and you find it really doesn’t matter. That’s what hats are for anyway. Hairdryer? Heck no. Just extra weight.
Clothing? Whatever works. You accept that it is now okay to not dress like you might at home. You can wear ridiculous hats, socks with sandals, Crocs, strange combinations of things that you never thought you’d wear. And it’s all just fine.
Your clothes may be stained by now or not perfectly clean from hand washing. You may do the “sniff check” on dirty laundry and then wear the clothes anyway. It’s all good.
It’s hard to describe to someone who hasn’t been there. But really the bottom line is there are so many more important things to think about than how you look.
It’s actually a refreshing change and quite freeing!
Buen Camino!
Here in France le look sport est trés chic ! Small fortunes are spent on monthly gym fees, hiking boots are often worn to stroll along the Champs-Élysées in autumn and winter, and multitudes wear designer backpacks. Attitude is all.
My first camino reinforced basic priorities the hard way. In Villadangos del Paramo glanced in a mirror one morning my face appeared tanned and slimmer; I briefly thought ‘not too bad, considering’. 10 km later after crossing the long medieval bridge at Hospital de Órbigo I lost my footing and fell head first onto the irregular pavement! My pack crashed into my right shoulder. Flat on the ground my forehead and shoulder hurt like hell! An egg quickly swelled on my forehead; by day’s end and for the next weeks I resembled Cyclopes.
Indeed in my case "Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall", Proverbs 16:18
Now after all these years clean, matching hiking socks are the height of what I dare consider camino chic.
Margaret Meredith
So so true..Getting up and stuffing your few possessions in a backpack and walking many hours a day and then doing it again day after day is nothing like your regular routine at home.
The first thing to go is any make up. You’ll find that lip balm/chapstick is all you care about.
The next thing you lose is any semblance of “normal” hair styling. You just don’t have time and you find it really doesn’t matter. That’s what hats are for anyway. Hairdryer? Heck no. Just extra weight.
Clothing? Whatever works. You accept that it is now okay to not dress like you might at home. You can wear ridiculous hats, socks with sandals, Crocs, strange combinations of things that you never thought you’d wear. And it’s all just fine.
Your clothes may be stained by now or not perfectly clean from hand washing. You may do the “sniff check” on dirty laundry and then wear the clothes anyway. It’s all good.
It’s hard to describe to someone who hasn’t been there. But really the bottom line is there are so many more important things to think about than how you look.
It’s actually a refreshing change and quite freeing!
Buen Camino!
Your same old...same old routine will last about 3-4 days...
That's not altogether a daft idea, my liner is multi-coloured dyed silk and would look quite good. I have always had the knack of making even a designer gown look like an old sack tied up in the middle so this certainly wouldn't look any worse!I liked the recent suggestion... a silk liner that opens at the bottom could be pulled up, fastened around the middle (perhaps with the clothesline, crisscrossed around the waist and across the shoulders) and worn as evening dinner attire.
Oh yes! At home and abroad!My recommendation for the most important attire is. A smile. Better than a rain coat never leave the house without it.
That depends how quick a learner you areYour same old...same old routine will last about 3-4 days...
I liked the recent suggestion... a silk liner that opens at the bottom could be pulled up, fastened around the middle (perhaps with the clothesline, crisscrossed around the waist and across the shoulders) and worn as evening dinner attire.
Very good use of your time, I'd say!I spent about an hour yesterday figuring out a way that my little Montbell down blanket with all its snaps could be worn as a down vest - just in case.
And easier still when one’s go-to footwear is a good pair of trekking shoes; that way one is always equipped and ready to walk.Life is so easy when clothing stays simple-
The next day I ran into them and she felt it was necessary to explain all the suitcases. Her explanation was simple. She said, "I would just die if any of my girlfriends saw me wearing the same outfit twice in any of my Camino pictures."
Wow. Poor thing."I would just die if any of my girlfriends saw me wearing the same outfit twice in any of my Camino pictures."
No, sorry, @november_moon - some things are over the top.Whatever makes your world keep spinning though, right?
If you are looking to be very grounded leave out the wash-one and carry your collected ground with you.The wash-one-wear-one routine is so much easier, cheaper, and more grounded.
I usually wear all black, because at least it "looks" clean. One year I got to an albergue late and really needed to wash everything, but had run out of soap. Asked the hospitalero if I could use a splash of the cleaning liquid in the bathroom (desperate times). He gave me the thumbs up, although don't think he understood what I needed it for. Left my washing soaking, but when I came back... I realised it was bleach!! So for the rest of that camino I looked some kind of badly dyed zebra... #camino fashion
I will actually care about how I look, not for other people though, but for myself. The Camino doesn't mean going to war. Not even close!Getting up and stuffing your few possessions in a backpack and walking many hours a day and then doing it again day after day is nothing like your regular routine at home.
The first thing to go is any make up. You’ll find that lip balm/chapstick is all you care about.
The next thing you lose is any semblance of “normal” hair styling. You just don’t have time and you find it really doesn’t matter. That’s what hats are for anyway. Hairdryer? Heck no. Just extra weight.
Clothing? Whatever works. You accept that it is now okay to not dress like you might at home. You can wear ridiculous hats, socks with sandals, Crocs, strange combinations of things that you never thought you’d wear. And it’s all just fine.
Your clothes may be stained by now or not perfectly clean from hand washing. You may do the “sniff check” on dirty laundry and then wear the clothes anyway. It’s all good.
It’s hard to describe to someone who hasn’t been there. But really the bottom line is there are so many more important things to think about than how you look.
It’s actually a refreshing change and quite freeing!
Buen Camino!
I kept my hair cropped very short for many years when I was sailing a lot. These days it's almost long enough to sit on and it's surprisingly little trouble. The difficult length is in the middle when it looks a mess if you don't do something to keep it in order. It helps that I really don't much care about appearance beyond being clean and not entirely crazy, and I haven't worn make-up for about 40 years.Good news as I cut my hair off really short last year for a yoga retreat in hot and humid Bali and now it has grown back to about three inches long I thought I might need to buy a comb to take with me when I leave soon....but sounds like I shouldn't bother!
I love it!! I doWhat a wonderful word. discombobulated
Famous quote from the musical Annie - "you're never fully dressed without a smile" !My recommendation for the most important attire is. A smile. Better than a rain coat never leave the house without it.
I called it on my 2X Camino the "luxury of dirt". You will never be this dirty and must just embrace it. I remember washing all my clothes and hanging them on the line outside and watching a big gust of wind blow dust all over my wet "clean" clothes.
I bought my Camino clothes in a thrift shop before leaving, so they were new to me. After a month on the Frances I washed and donated most of them in Santiago and passed them on to someone else. The memories are in my head and my heart and what I wore.
Only in the big cities like Logrono and Burgos did I feel out of place. The cows, sheep and farmers in Galicia never seemed to mind.
What particular socks might be important ... but I just used some regular ankle height hiking socks I bought at MEC. Aside from that I used good after market foam insoles, and slathered my feet and toes with Vaseline every morning before heading off. I had just one blister - three weeks in - but that is another story.Now if I could REALLY know what socks will greatly help with blister prevention ...
Getting up and stuffing your few possessions in a backpack and walking many hours a day and then doing it again day after day is nothing like your regular routine at home.
The first thing to go is any make up. You’ll find that lip balm/chapstick is all you care about.
The next thing you lose is any semblance of “normal” hair styling. You just don’t have time and you find it really doesn’t matter. That’s what hats are for anyway. Hairdryer? Heck no. Just extra weight.
Clothing? Whatever works. You accept that it is now okay to not dress like you might at home. You can wear ridiculous hats, socks with sandals, Crocs, strange combinations of things that you never thought you’d wear. And it’s all just fine.
Your clothes may be stained by now or not perfectly clean from hand washing. You may do the “sniff check” on dirty laundry and then wear the clothes anyway. It’s all good.
It’s hard to describe to someone who hasn’t been there. But really the bottom line is there are so many more important things to think about than how you look.
It’s actually a refreshing change and quite freeing!
Buen Camino!
As for clean clothes, I walked with only two sets of clothes: one wear and one spare. I washed my worn clothes every evening and therefore started with a fresh outfit every morning. I felt no need for wearing stained clothes or for “sniff tests”.
I love my little Montbell blanket!Lol I spent about an hour yesterday figuring out a way that my little Montbell down blanket with all its snaps could be worn as a down vest - just in case.
That thought that I would be wearing the same two outfits in over a month's worth of photos crossed my mind for about two minutes.She said, "I would just die if any of my girlfriends saw me wearing the same outfit twice in any of my Camino pictures."
Same hereI will actually care about how I look, not for other people though, but for myself.
While my hair is not that long, it is well past my shoulders, and is much easier to care for than when it was cut into a "style".I kept my hair cropped very short for many years when I was sailing a lot. These days it's almost long enough to sit on and it's surprisingly little trouble.
Me too! And I carry a little bag with bandaids, folding scissors, spork, tissues, ibuprofen and a phone charger, everywhere I go! It makes me feel good.I have imported it into my “normal” life.
You might get plenty of different answers but I vote for and wear Smartwool. Two Caminos, zero blisters. Looks like you have your kit all figured out.I love this thread! Going for the first time this coming Fall and looks like I have figured it out: toothbrush, comb, sunscreen and lip balm (And No pictures, please! lol).
Now if I could REALLY know what socks will greatly help with blister prevention ...
Thank you all for sharing.
Not socks but tape. I swear by Omnifix or Hypafix tape applied to blister prone areas daily. I think of it as my insurance policy against blisters.Now if I could REALLY know what socks will greatly help with blister prevention ...
I plan to take one set of clothes to wear and one extra set, a jacket, and long sleeve shirt. They will be my favorites whether they match or not. So looking forward to the simplicity of it all. No decisions except what to eat and where to sleep. Starting August 21 the minute I step out my door in Indiana.I am a well-groomed, conservative lady in real life, permed hair, make-up and perfume. It was SIMPLY WONDERFUL to let it all go - right from hour 1 of day 1! Airdried fuzzy perm, one change of jeans/T-shirt/jacket, cotton pareo to wear while everything was drying or as a scarf, all clothes happily crumpled, a very unbecoming white linen sunhat, and voilá! (No make-up, of course. Foot balm doubled as lip balm.). View attachment 55532Ah, the remembered bliss...
My one concession were bright colours. I love them in real life, and I loved my teal and coral-pink T-shirts and pareo on the Camino. They show the dirt just as little as black does, and are no more difficult to wash and dry.
........It’s such a comfortable hassle-free way of living that I have imported it into my “normal” life. Now people must think there’s something wrong with the woman who wears the same two outfits day after day, week after week!
This is so funny. My six year old grandson asked me the other day why I always wear the same clothes, and a former neighbour once told me that she wouldn’t recognize me without my backpack. Plus my wallet is still identical to the tiny little one I used on camino, and It fits into my back pocket; it’s there now as I type this. I love the simplicity of post-camino life.Me too! And I carry a little bag with bandaids, folding scissors, spork, tissues, ibuprofen and a phone charger, everywhere I go! It makes me feel good.
However I have never heard a man say that, nor any criticism of men for wearing the same suit repeatedly. I stopped even thinking about it as soon as I spotted it. For many years I lived in the original Rohan clothes, same style trousers, same style shirts, to almost every event from bushcrafting to a wedding on one occasion. Sadly they jumped on the fashion bandwagon and stopped making their original styles.That thought that I would be wearing the same two outfits in over a month's worth of photos crossed my mind for about two minutes.
After walking the CF twice and never having a single blister; my secret....wear Merino wool socks and change them once every 3 or so hours when walking. You will likely carry at least 4 or 5 pairs of socks....but this formula has served me well.
To be fair, I haven’t tried to walk without changing my socks.....maybe I have unique feet?
"I would just die if any of my girlfriends saw me wearing the same outfit twice in any of my Camino pictures."
Lol I did U.S. and U.K. cross country charity bike rides where they gave us "team jerseys" to wear. Most people had spares (and I would have too in the U.K. had I not had Romain Bardet's whole Tour de France team autograph my spare). But I washed / wore the same one every day on both rides. A couple close calls with drying it solved by those automatic hand dryers in bathrooms.
Smartwool socksI love this thread! Going for the first time this coming Fall and looks like I have figured it out: toothbrush, comb, sunscreen and lip balm (And No pictures, please! lol).
Now if I could REALLY know what socks will greatly help with blister prevention ...
Thank you all for sharing.
Because of significant skin cancer in the family—adding to the “look” for me is also ghostly white face from sunscreen or heavy tinted sunscreen that looks like stage makeup. Ooohhh and the uniboob look from the sports bra!Getting up and stuffing your few possessions in a backpack and walking many hours a day and then doing it again day after day is nothing like your regular routine at home.
The first thing to go is any make up. You’ll find that lip balm/chapstick is all you care about.
The next thing you lose is any semblance of “normal” hair styling. You just don’t have time and you find it really doesn’t matter. That’s what hats are for anyway. Hairdryer? Heck no. Just extra weight.
Clothing? Whatever works. You accept that it is now okay to not dress like you might at home. You can wear ridiculous hats, socks with sandals, Crocs, strange combinations of things that you never thought you’d wear. And it’s all just fine.
Your clothes may be stained by now or not perfectly clean from hand washing. You may do the “sniff check” on dirty laundry and then wear the clothes anyway. It’s all good.
It’s hard to describe to someone who hasn’t been there. But really the bottom line is there are so many more important things to think about than how you look.
It’s actually a refreshing change and quite freeing!
Buen Camino!
I love that my sports bras dry so much quicker than any other bra, but agree with you @Mobilemejen you end up with a uniboob!uniboob look from the sports bra!
Lol I spent about an hour yesterday figuring out a way that my little Montbell down blanket with all its snaps could be worn as a down vest - just in case.
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?