• 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)

Search 69,459 Camino Questions

Top five things

AlliGoLightly

New Member
Hello All Pilgrims (and trainee pilgrims)

I plan to join the esteemed rank of Pilgrim May/ June this year. I cant wait. What an adventure....

What were the best five things in your pack??

If you could of left anything behind what would it have been?

Any sticky, weird situations (to be aware of, mind) that happened along the way? ("Be prepared")

Any top tips???

Alli
 
€2,-/day will present your project to thousands of visitors each day. All interested in the Camino de Santiago.
1 Ear-plugs - if you are staying in the refugios these are the first things to pack.
2 Small torch or preferably head-torch - as the weather gets hotter people start walking or cycling earlier and earlier to avoid the mid-day heat. A small torch allows you to get dressed and sort out your pack without turning on the lights and annoying the people trying to sleep a little longer.
3 Pillowcase - It is good to rest your head on a clean pillowcase, it can cover a pillow that may be provided by the refugio or your own fleece/jersey if there is not one, in extremis you can also use it as a hat.
4 Mobile Phone - A bit more controversial this choice but if you limit it to booking the odd night in a hotel/hostal and keep it turned off the rest of the time it is a good thing to have at the bottom of your pack in case of emergencies.
5 Confraternity of St James Guidebook - updated every year, light and compact with good refugio and hotel info.

What not to take:
Any other books - there never seems to be the right time for reading and they weigh a ton.
Preconceptions - don't try to anticipate what the journey will bring to you, each time and for each person it is different.

Buen Camino
William
 
Top things in the back-pack

The most useful items we took were: (Some we didn’t have the first time and wished we had).
* A little spiral immersion heater, plug for Spain, and a camping cup. Most of the refuges have electricity but they don't all have kitchens. We were the envy of other pilgrims when we boiled water for tea/coffee in the morning or made cup-of-soup for supper at night and we often had a queue waiting to use the heater.
* 8 Plastic pegs and a 2m plastic cord to use as a wash line. Useful when it rains and you can string it across the bars of the bunk beds to dry wet socks etc., also when the lines are full.
* 8 large safety pins to pin damp clothing onto the backpack so that it can dry during the day whilst walking. Nobody cares if your underwear flaps on your backpack!
* Two large suction wall hooks to use in the showers. There are never any clothes hooks inside (very few outside) and that means no place to hang your dry, dirty or wet clothes and - some of the showers don’t have doors. Take a couple of plastic carry bags to hang your dry clothes and wet clothes.
* We cut a normal size bath towel in half - lengthwise - and hemmed it. Better than a camping towel that doesn’t dry quickly and at least you can wrap it around your middle.
* Toilet roll: remove the cardboard roll and flatten it. Most albergues run out so be prepared! (If you start walking from France take a universal bathplug as well. Many places don’t provide them.)
 
New Original Camino Gear Designed Especially with The Modern Peregrino In Mind!
Thank you

Hi Silly Doll and William

Thank you very much for your reply, the H2O heater is an excellent suggestion.

I am looking forward to my journey and trawling this site and others helps you realyy be prepared, thanks

Alli
 
Top 10

My Top Ten:
01 Ear Plugs (5 gr)
02 Bolle Polarized Sunglasses (58 gr)
03 SunCountry Sun Visor (37 gr)
04 Silk Sleep Sack (178 gr)
05 Tikka Plus LED Headlamp (77 gr)
06 Victorinox 'Waiter' Swiss Army Knife (37 gr)
07 Ball Compass on Shoulder Strap (11 gr)
08 MSR 12"x22" Pack Towel (43 gr)
09 Bootlace & 8 Safety Pins to Dry Clothes (25 gr)
10 Sense of Humor (-5 kg)
 
Re: Top 10

GASpangler said:
My Top Ten:
01 Ear Plugs (5 gr)
02 Bolle Polarized Sunglasses (58 gr)
03 SunCountry Sun Visor (37 gr)
04 Silk Sleep Sack (178 gr)
05 Tikka Plus LED Headlamp (77 gr)
06 Victorinox 'Waiter' Swiss Army Knife (37 gr)
07 Ball Compass on Shoulder Strap (11 gr)
08 MSR 12"x22" Pack Towel (43 gr)
09 Bootlace & 8 Safety Pins to Dry Clothes (25 gr)
10 Sense of Humor (-5 kg)

definitely agree with the last one; as you say, the humour does not have to be weighty ;-) If you have the right frame of mind, you can survive on a minimal amount of kit.
knives (and other pointed objects) are a problem on aircraft these days - have to be in checked luggage, if allowed at all
a compass is one of those things I always take with me on walks, but very rarely use

why do you keep using large size text, Grant? It makes the webpages much bigger than they need be.
 
A selection of Camino Jewellery
Stuff

Peter,
I buy the knife anew every time I land in Madrid, and never check any luggage through on my way to the Continent.
The compass is stitched to my left shoulder strap so it can be referred to at a glance. It comes in handy now and then.
The larger text is so old folks like us can read it on 1024x768 and 1600x1200 screens with the miniscule text.
Cheers!
 
Re: Stuff

GASpangler said:

The larger text is so old folks like us can read it on 1024x768 and 1600x1200 screens with the miniscule text.
would have thought the solution to that was to change the settings on your browser. Otherwise, the only msgs you see in large text are the ones you post!
 
Readabilty

The settings are actually both global as well as browser dependent.
Global settings: Control Panel - Display - Settings - General - DPI setting. Mine are set on Large 120 DPI.
Default Browser IE6 Settings: View - Text size. Mine are on Medium.
I find these settings work well for my 1024x768 XP machine globally as well as the IE6 default browser. I keep my settings in the default 'medium' position because I need to see what the average viewer will see. Font substitutions in an individual’s machine also impact the viewability of a page. The point is dissemination and readability of information. I'll fix the font size.
 
Get a spanish phone number with Airalo. eSim, so no physical SIM card. Easy to use app to add more funds if needed.
Hi all

Hi all,

I think we should try to keep the font seize the same for all messages (meaning the smaller one). This way each user can adjust their text size using the "Text Seize" option in the "View" menu of their browser.

If you adjust the text using your browser, it makes for more comfortable reading afterwards since all messages have the same seize.

If you feel the text is too small now, adjust it up using your browser (look in the “View” menu).

...now back to your "5 top things" :)

Ivar
 

Most read last week in this forum

Could I ask what may be naive question. This will be my 1st Camino and I will be mostly staying in alberques. Could you please explain the bathroom/shower etiquette to me? I have no idea what...
Do i need both these apps? I want to spend as little time my device as possible so if one app will do fine that’s my preference.
I was planning to document my journey through my blog (or Vlog, as I would probably take lots of videos). I was thinking of using my iPhone, and I ordered a foldable keyboard to facilitate typing...
I did the Norte in 2017. This set off a wild ride of changes in life - shifting many things. I am now at a new plateau and it feels like the right time to do Camino #2, this time the...
Hi to all, I'm looking for a really, really good place (an artist) to get a Tattoo in Santiago, it could be before Santiago but I presume in Santiago I will be ready to have my first one. The...
My daughter and I will be on the Portuguese on June and July starting in Lisbon. We will arrive in Porto about the 27th of June. We want to stay for three nights. Can we stay in an albergue for...

❓How to ask a question

How to post a new question on the Camino Forum.

Similar threads

Forum Rules

Forum Rules

Camino Updates on YouTube

Camino Conversations

Most downloaded Resources

This site is run by Ivar at

in Santiago de Compostela.
This site participates in the Amazon Affiliate program, designed to provide a means for Ivar to earn fees by linking to Amazon
Official Camino Passport (Credential) | 2024 Camino Guides
Back
Top