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I'm doing a little talk on packing for the camino and was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for any quirky items to talk about that are useful but borderline justifiable in terms of pack weight. For example this is one item I have carried (up until I left it behind in an albergue). It's a suction cup hook/hanger that uses a camming action to hold like iron to any flat smooth surface and means that you are never without a place to hang your stuff in the shower for example. The suction cup is about 3 inches in diameter and it's plastic so pretty light - at least that's what I tell myself:
View attachment 31775
Me too! This is why I have trouble getting my pack weight down below 25 lbs!A decent sized towel instead of the tiny, flat, non-absorbent travel towel.
Little luxury!
Oh, yes; there is also a thread going on now called Umbrella or not?
Useful item but hard to justify in your pack (in Spain, that is.)bottle of wine
Me too! This is why I have trouble getting my pack weight down below 25 lbs!
I'm doing a little talk on packing for the camino and was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for any quirky items to talk about that are useful but borderline justifiable in terms of pack weight. For example this is one item I have carried (up until I left it behind in an albergue). It's a suction cup hook/hanger that uses a camming action to hold like iron to any flat smooth surface and means that you are never without a place to hang your stuff in the shower for example. The suction cup is about 3 inches in diameter and it's plastic so pretty light - at least that's what I tell myself:
View attachment 31775
I bought a Osprey 12 liter ultralight dry sack which weighs 1.2 ounces that I plan to use in the same way as a Scrubba. I've tested it at home, and it works well.I love my Scrubba. I do. It makes laundry time much more efficient & effective, and less stressful to me and my ADD brain. Worth the 5.2 oz in my book. But I think I'm in the minority on that.
Both of which you can download to a smart phone for no extra weight!Edit: How about a Spanish/English dictionary? Or James Mitchner's 818 page book, Iberia?
I have a travel type microfiber towel, but mine is extra large so that I can actually wrap it around my body. I've bought a cotton turkish towel to try out. It is even larger and weighs a bit more, so I'll see if it works better for drying off. I can always cut off a bit of it, and hem the edges to reduce weight. I'll definitely remove the fringe if I use it.A decent sized towel instead of the tiny, flat, non-absorbent travel towel.
Little luxury!
You know if I got my tech weight down I think I'd be happy. Have travelled in the past with an iPad, Canon point and shoot, phone, chargers, cables, adapters, etc. If I can make do with just the phone I should be good.You might want to put your packing list into a separate thread to get help with that ;-) 25 lbs are a bit OTT
Well, that certainly is a quirky little item for sure! I've never seen anything quite like it. I bring a simple little S hook to hold my showering bag as it's flat and weighs next to nothing. The only truly quirky thing I bring on the Camino is...myself!I'm doing a little talk on packing for the camino and was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for any quirky items to talk about that are useful but borderline justifiable in terms of pack weight. For example this is one item I have carried (up until I left it behind in an albergue). It's a suction cup hook/hanger that uses a camming action to hold like iron to any flat smooth surface and means that you are never without a place to hang your stuff in the shower for example. The suction cup is about 3 inches in diameter and it's plastic so pretty light - at least that's what I tell myself:
View attachment 31775
Oh, someone mentioned towels. I really dislike the travel towels, too. Instead I use a simple, rather quirky, old fashioned, infant baby towel. It weighs very little, takes up almost no room in my pack, absorbs very well, and dries by morning. I give credit to Annie, a member of this forum, who recommended this towel a long time ago. I picked mine up for a buck at a local resale shop. Love it!Well, that certainly is a quirky little item for sure! I've never seen anything quite like it. I bring a simple little S hook to hold my showering bag as it's flat and weighs next to nothing. The only truly quirky thing I bring on the Camino is...myself!
Essential, not borderline justifiable. Essential.A decent sized towel instead of the tiny, flat, non-absorbent travel towel.
Little luxury!
Two items I took and will take again - 2 small put-together plastic wine glasses which packed into each other and a light weight cork screw wine opener. They got lots of use late afternoon in several shady alburgues while awaiting dinner timeI'm doing a little talk on packing for the camino and was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for any quirky items to talk about that are useful but borderline justifiable in terms of pack weight. For example this is one item I have carried (up until I left it behind in an albergue). It's a suction cup hook/hanger that uses a camming action to hold like iron to any flat smooth surface and means that you are never without a place to hang your stuff in the shower for example. The suction cup is about 3 inches in diameter and it's plastic so pretty light - at least that's what I tell myself:
View attachment 31775
I have three of these triple zipper bags. They are really lightweight. I use them for toiletries, charges and cables, and first aid/foot stuff.I have started carrying a little nylon bag for my toiletries. It has a hook at one end and is basically three zippered mesh pockets that fold up into a zippered nylon pouch. I know a plastic bag would be lighter, but it's so nice to be able to pull out just a hair elastic, not having to empty the whole bag to find one thing every time, and I can hang it up instead of putting it on the edge of the wet sink....
Yup, Jet boil coffee press for me! Makes a full quart of freshly brewed coffee. Use it to boil eggs in the morning for a quick breakfast and snack that isn't just bread and can also be used to heat up soup or just about anything else. Sure it is a bit heavier than some people like to carry, but that isn't the point for me.By a long way.................... My Camping Gaz StoveHot tea , coffee , soup .................... wherever I am , whenever I want?!
minority + 1Hey! There is nothing borderline about my umbrella!
I love my Scrubba. I do. It makes laundry time much more efficient & effective, and less stressful to me and my ADD brain. Worth the 5.2 oz in my book. But I think I'm in the minority on that.
I bring two small, sturdy, unbreakable clear plastic cylinder shape glasses. They stack together nicely and take very little room. I think they hold 6 oz. And found them at a thrift shop. That's where i found a great plastic plate for my outdoor tienfa lunches. Makes a great surface for cutting that crusty Spanish bread. I enjoy looking for many of those simple type Camino items at thrift stores. I love saving $ when I can!Two items I took and will take again - 2 small put-together plastic wine glasses which packed into each other and a light weight cork screw wine opener. They got lots of use late afternoon in several shady alburgues while awaiting dinner time
I bought a Osprey 12 liter ultralight dry sack which weighs 1.2 ounces that I plan to use in the same way as a Scrubba. I've tested it at home, and it works well.
I have started carrying a little nylon bag for my toiletries. It has a hook at one end and is basically three zippered mesh pockets that fold up into a zippered nylon pouch. I know a plastic bag would be lighter, but it's so nice to be able to pull out just a hair elastic, not having to empty the whole bag to find one thing every time, and I can hang it up instead of putting it on the edge of the wet sink......
The Towel
Extracted and edited from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Towel_Day
A towel, [The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy] says, is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have. Partly it has great practical value. You can wrap it around you for warmth ... you can lie on it ... you can sleep under it ... use it to sail a miniraft ... wet it for use in hand-to-hand-combat; wrap it round your head to ward off noxious fumes ... you can wave your towel in emergencies as a distress signal, and of course dry yourself off with it if it still seems to be clean enough.
More importantly, a towel has immense psychological value. For some reason, if a strag (strag: non-hitch hiker) discovers that a hitchhiker has his towel with him, he will automatically assume that he is also in possession of a toothbrush, face flannel, soap, tin of biscuits, flask, compass, map, ball of string, gnat spray, wet weather gear, space suit etc., etc. Furthermore, the strag will then happily lend the hitch hiker any of these or a dozen other items that the hitch hiker might accidentally have "lost." What the strag will think is that any man who can hitch the length and breadth of the galaxy, rough it, slum it, struggle against terrible odds, win through, and still knows where his towel is, is clearly a man to be reckoned with.
Seems like we will go the extra mile to indulge our tea/coffee/beer/wine habits!I saw a middle age couple carrying a complete tea kit -with a generously sized teapot and nice mugs, too. I liked it. It was soooo British....
Seems like we will go the extra mile to indulge our tea/coffee/beer/wine habits!
I love these things. I have them packed for my next future adventures. I ordered 3 after you spoke of them a short time ago. Unbelievable how light they are.I have three of these triple zipper bags. They are really lightweight. I use them for toiletries, charges and cables, and first aid/foot stuff.
View attachment 31780
What do you need the adapter for?with my 220 volt adapter
The hair dryer that has not yet been admitted to?What do you need the adapter for?
I'm doing a little talk on packing for the camino and was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for any quirky items to talk about that are useful but borderline justifiable in terms of pack weight. For example this is one item I have carried (up until I left it behind in an albergue). It's a suction cup hook/hanger that uses a camming action to hold like iron to any flat smooth surface and means that you are never without a place to hang your stuff in the shower for example. The suction cup is about 3 inches in diameter and it's plastic so pretty light - at least that's what I tell myself:
View attachment 31775
I bought and took an 'S' shaped hook that painters use. One end goes on the rung of a ladder and the other end is used to hang a paint pot from.
I would hang it from the top of a shower door and hang my washbag etc on it.
50p from a diy store.
I bought and took an 'S' shaped hook that painters use. One end goes on the rung of a ladder and the other end is used to hang a paint pot from.
I would hang it from the top of a shower door and hang my washbag etc on it.
50p from a diy store.
Oh, yes; there is also a thread going on now called Umbrella or not?
Edit: How about a Spanish/English dictionary? Or James Mitchner's 818 page book, Iberia?
If I can add a small bag that can be put on the shoulders. I use it to put the food. I used it once since i had a problem one day and i made carry my big bag. I use this small one for the day.
Also a small battery for recharging the phone. ( 250gr) I can leave it charging safely in the albergue and use it later on to charge my phone. Just to make life easy but not necessary.
All my electronics have CAN/USA plugs. I have one of the smaller 2 prong EU 220 volt adapters which I normally use but the one you see in the photo will take 3 prong plugs as well. Probably overkill. That's how I get in trouble.What do you need the adapter for?
"Or James Mitchner's 818 page book, Iberia?"
You mean this:
View attachment 31806
Mine seems to be 960 pages with the index!
Almost all modern devices are good for 110-220V. The tiny adaptor relates to the plug shape and not the voltage. Are you taking a laptop that has 3 prongs?All my electronics have CAN/USA plugs. I have one of the smaller 2 prong EU 220 volt adapters which I normally use but the one you see in the photo will take 3 prong plugs as well. Probably overkill. That's how I get in trouble.
My basic principle has always been -- take at least one item just for yourself and against the weight "rules".
On my second Camino from Paris, I took a multi-volume paperback edition of Proust's A la recherche du temps perdu, and I also discovered & picked up my hardback Camino classic Barret/Gurgand Priez pour nous à Compostelle at a rural flea market in the Bordelais. Some kilos of books.
In the Camino family of my first Camino, someone had his guitar, and so on and so forth.
Not unlike the stone from home for the Cruz de Ferro, I think it's good to bring something a little weighty just for oneself, a piece of home to bring along the Way, and for solace and memory in the strange places that the Way of Saint James will lead us to, far from our ordinary selves ...
Did you also pack some madeleine cakes?
Good guess, and close -- my Camino actually took me, quite by surprise, to Illiers-Combray, the village that served as the inspiration for the fictional setting of Un amour de Swann, where of course I took tea and madeleines (just in the local workers' bar, not the snobby Proust museum tea room), the madeleines themselves of course having being deliberately modelled after the Santiago scallop shell by a local hospitalera of that village, given that Illiers-Combray is on the Camino route on the Chartres variant.
The discovery of all these links was a delightful surprise on that particular Camino.
Hi David, I hope you have some success finding the baby towels. They seem to be made from kind of flannel and are not the newer microfiber baby towels. That's why thrift stores work well for finding the older ones. Beware though, some of them may have infant patterns on them, but at least no one in the albergues will want to grab your towel.I am absolutely LOVING this thread - quirky items indeed ... no one has mentioned a universal sink plug ... so many sinks without plugs and one can use it in the shower to build up the water so that one soaks one's feet.
my quirkies? a universal sink plug, a flannel (face flannel? washcloth?), and a linen napkin (dyed brown of course)
The baby towel is a great tip! - didn't know about that. I have tried the microfibre travel towels and they seem to stick to my skin and not dry me properly so I usually carry a worn 'normal' towel - but am off to Mothercare to look at these baby towels today!!
One more quantifiable benefit that I had from bringing that particular extra weight on that Camino is that I ended up top in the Proust final at the Sorbonne a year later after my first University year, out of about 1,500 first year undergraduates.
The Camino provides.
Discussing Proust on a Camino website: the man hardly left his house and with his poor health long walks would have been out of the question. But I digress and will stop hijacking this thread.
A very interesting and informative post. However as I was reading it, I was envisioning a gargantuan towel that would take up all the space in my backpack to be able to do all those awesome things.The towel
Extracted and edited from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Towel_Day
A towel, [The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy] says, is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have. Partly it has great practical value. You can wrap it around you for warmth ... you can lie on it ... you can sleep under it ... use it to sail a miniraft ... wet it for use in hand-to-hand-combat; wrap it round your head to ward off noxious fumes ... you can wave your towel in emergencies as a distress signal, and of course dry yourself off with it if it still seems to be clean enough.
More importantly, a towel has immense psychological value. For some reason, if a strag (strag: non-hitch hiker) discovers that a hitchhiker has his towel with him, he will automatically assume that he is also in possession of a toothbrush, face flannel, soap, tin of biscuits, flask, compass, map, ball of string, gnat spray, wet weather gear, space suit etc., etc. Furthermore, the strag will then happily lend the hitch hiker any of these or a dozen other items that the hitch hiker might accidentally have "lost." What the strag will think is that any man who can hitch the length and breadth of the galaxy, rough it, slum it, struggle against terrible odds, win through, and still knows where his towel is, is clearly a man to be reckoned with.
Is this book worth taking the time to read? Did it make you appreciate being in Spain or relate to your Camino experience? I've considered purchasing it a few times, but always hold back."Or James Mitchner's 818 page book, Iberia?"
You mean this:
View attachment 31806
Mine seems to be 960 pages with the index!
A very interesting and informative post. However as I was reading it, I was envisioning a gargantuan towel that would take up all the space in my backpack to be able to do all those awesome things.
On the Camino I think less is more! Just my opinion.
..... I may consider bringing a very light-weight blow dryer on my next Camino, which, I've heard, is also a great way to dry damp socks in the morning.
That's not at all borderline in my opinion. I've got one too. Things jammed in one bag you have to dig for (and wasted bags that get all torn up) drive me nuts. I have the Sea to Summit small hanging toiletry bag. It's only 2.8 oz, and it fits/organizes my toiletries, first aid, and "repair" supplies (like needle & thread and duct tape).
I had the exact same thoughts as Fenix!Hmmmm..... I guess it depends on which is your greater priority. Perfectly dry socks, or actual camino friends. You know, fellow pilgrims who don't chuck things at your head in the morning for running a %#! $&€ hair dryer.
This could be a plus for the early morning bag rustlers though. They'll no longer be the most unpopular peregrinos in the albergue!
Buen camino!
I'm glad the sundress works for you (I picture myself peeing on it.A flowered sundress. I live in them in mild weather and love to hike in them here in Colorado. My warmer clothes just stay in my pack whenever possible. I never go anywhere in mild weather without a lightweight, easily washed sleeveless or short sleeved, knee-length sundress with deep pockets. Makes me feel beautiful and so alive. It's a thousand times more comfortable and far more protective from the sun than shorts and it's SO EASY TO PEE when you're in a dress. No crotch rot on sweaty days due to great ventilation. A few ounces of weight and it's a whole outfit on mild days.
I wear mostly tank style dresses in warm weather, so made a couple out of merino wool t shirt weight fabric to wear on the Camino. I extended the shoulder to create a cap sleeve, and added zippered pockets. They were the perfect thing for me to walk the Camino in. Merino leggings underneath kept me warm on cooler days.A flowered sundress. I live in them in mild weather and love to hike in them here in Colorado. My warmer clothes just stay in my pack whenever possible. I never go anywhere in mild weather without a lightweight, easily washed sleeveless or short sleeved, knee-length sundress with deep pockets. Makes me feel beautiful and so alive. It's a thousand times more comfortable and far more protective from the sun than shorts and it's SO EASY TO PEE when you're in a dress. No crotch rot on sweaty days due to great ventilation. A few ounces of weight and it's a whole outfit on mild days.
Ha! Occasionally, but it's a quick skill to learn to tuck and pee. Enlarge my profile pic. That's up in the tundra at over 11,000' in the mountains. That dress is nylon; bright and uplifting as sunshine itself, has huge pockets, NO confining features like waistbands on pants, is loose enough to allow me to abandon a miserable bra, is already a crinkly material that shows no wrinkles and it dries in no time!I'm glad the sundress works for you (I picture myself peeing on it.I always thought they were made of cotton, but not so? I picture them being pulled out of the pack with many wrinkles. Being a little older I'm sure I'd end up looking like a bag lady! Lol.
BRAVA!!! Yes, I like and will steal your ideas to improve my own! Thank you.I wear mostly tank style dresses in warm weather, so made a couple out of merino wool t shirt weight fabric to wear on the Camino. I extended the shoulder to create a cap sleeve, and added zippered pockets. They were the perfect thing for me to walk the Camino in. Merino leggings underneath kept me warm on cooler days.
Like I said....it would be used in the washroom! Jeez....I had the exact same thoughts as Fenix!
Waking up to a blowing hairdryer trying to get socks dry at the plugins in the sleeping room or hogging the mirror and counter space with it in the bathroom, not to mention the added noise...just sounds awful!
Well it would be used in the bathroom! Jeez....Hmmmm..... I guess it depends on which is your greater priority. Perfectly dry socks, or actual camino friends. You know, fellow pilgrims who don't chuck things at your head in the morning for running a %#! $&€ hair dryer.
This could be a plus for the early morning bag rustlers though. They'll no longer be the most unpopular peregrinos in the albergue!
Buen camino!
I wear mostly tank style dresses in warm weather, so made a couple out of merino wool t shirt weight fabric to wear on the Camino. I extended the shoulder to create a cap sleeve, and added zippered pockets. They were the perfect thing for me to walk the Camino in. Merino leggings underneath kept me warm on cooler days.
That's up in the tundra at over 11,000' in the mountains. That dress is nylon; bright and uplifting as sunshine itself, has huge pockets, NO confining features like waistbands on pants, is loose enough to allow me to abandon a miserable bra, is already a crinkly material that shows no wrinkles and it dries in no time!
Sorry if i offended, just meant to have a little fun.Like I said....it would be used in the washroom! Jeez....
Do you take orders? I need a size medium.I wear mostly tank style dresses in warm weather, so made a couple out of merino wool t shirt weight fabric to wear on the Camino. I extended the shoulder to create a cap sleeve, and added zippered pockets. They were the perfect thing for me to walk the Camino in. Merino leggings underneath kept me warm on cooler days.
Sounds really great. I just like to tease!Ha! Occasionally, but it's a quick skill to learn to tuck and pee. Enlarge my profile pic. That's up in the tundra at over 11,000' in the mountains. That dress is nylon; bright and uplifting as sunshine itself, has huge pockets, NO confining features like waistbands on pants, is loose enough to allow me to abandon a miserable bra, is already a crinkly material that shows no wrinkles and it dries in no time!
I have been thinking about doing that.Do you take orders? I need a size medium.
Made mine from a broken wire coathanger...free.I bought and took an 'S' shaped hook that painters use. One end goes on the rung of a ladder and the other end is used to hang a paint pot from.
I would hang it from the top of a shower door and hang my washbag etc on it.
50p from a diy store.
I did also. But it was to support my neck and right shoulder better after a car accident years ago. I do Pilates a few times a week and it's MUCH better than it was, but due to the added weight of backpack and weeks without my weekly treatments, it was taken as a preventive to bigger issues. But it's light and takes up lots of space therefore limits how many other 'things' that I think I need. Minimises items.I carried a travel neck pillow that folded into a small regular pillow. Several people laughed at my luxury but I was happy to have it along every night!
Also carried a small tin of Nivea creme which was the perfect remedy for the sunburn I got on day 1
I also carry a Scrubba in my backpack. I don´t know if it makes my laundry time more efficient or not, but it for sure saves my hands (having eczema).I love my Scrubba. I do. It makes laundry time much more efficient & effective, and less stressful to me
I don´t know if I can count as an item.. otherwise I would say you discribed me perfectwas wondering if anyone had any suggestions for any quirky items to talk about that are useful but borderline justifiable in terms of pack weight.
I hope it was krill oil as that's the one that has the best effect, and by a long shot.Peg volunteered years ago for a five year medical study on vitamins and (fish?) oil. I tease her by saying that she walked for months across Spain carrying cardboard card blister packs of placibos.
Yes! I have three other family members going with me this Spring and I had hubby make them each one out of wire coat hangers, using my purchased one as a pattern.Made mine from a broken wire coathanger...free.
I'm so jealous of your sewing skills!
I enlarged your profile pic, and now I've got the Sound of Music soundtrack stuck in my head. Love your style!
Useful but hard to justify in my pack? I take Dave. He speaks Portuguese and English and walks a bit slower than I which helps me remember to slow down and enjoy the journey. He can be quirky but there is no way I could justify putting him in my pack though.
Great idea Trecile, have bought an identical bag on the net. Happy trailsI have three of these triple zipper bags. They are really lightweight. I use them for toiletries, charges and cables, and first aid/foot stuff.
View attachment 31780
Well done you little thrift-monkey.Made mine from a broken wire coathanger...free.
By a long way.................... My Camping Gaz StoveHot tea , coffee , soup .................... wherever I am , whenever I want?!
Yes wind was the other concern. Thanks for the tipsHi kisskiss (love the name) the sarong is a great idea. As for big hats, it really depends on your temperament. They're a great idea but I've seen people spending more time trying to keep an unruly hat blowing all over the place in a stiff breeze than seems worth it. Fortunately, I have a big chunk of Spanish/Italian somewhere in my DNA and just go brown in the sun. I use what we call a 'giggle' hat or pork pies style hat made of cotton (it's what soldiers use in the field), which covers the face and neck with shade and can be easily folded and put in the pack. Plus, of course, sunscreen. I've seen people, with fair skin, us the same style hat in combination with a lightweight long sleeve shirt. They flip up the collar to provide more protection from the sun on the back of the neck and have protection all the way down to their hands. Some of these clever shirts can also be purchased with an SPF sun block rating.
Happy trails
I bought a Osprey 12 liter ultralight dry sack which weighs 1.2 ounces that I plan to use in the same way as a Scrubba. I've tested it at home, and it works well.
Both of which you can download to a smart phone for no extra weight!
I have a travel type microfiber towel, but mine is extra large so that I can actually wrap it around my body. I've bought a cotton turkish towel to try out. It is even larger and weighs a bit more, so I'll see if it works better for drying off. I can always cut off a bit of it, and hem the edges to reduce weight. I'll definitely remove the fringe if I use it.
You should be able to dry off and get dressed in the shower area. Each one is set up a little differently. It's pretty common for the shower stall to have a small space outside the "splash area" where you can dress. I have just bought an Ultralite PackTowl that is huge. I got the beach size, which only weighs 5.1 ounces. The standard body size is 25" x 54" and only 3.4 ounces, and would still be plenty big to wrap around your body. I got mine on sale, so that's why I got the really big one. I think that I'm going to cut about 6" off of it, because it's way bigger than I need, and I'll probably save an ounce.@trecile , My towel does not wrap all the way around me. Will I be able to dry off and get dressed before leaving the shower area in privacy? Or do I need to get a towel that covers? Thanks for your help!
@trecile , My towel does not wrap all the way around me. Will I be able to dry off and get dressed before leaving the shower area in privacy? Or do I need to get a towel that covers? Thanks for your help!
Usually. At the municipal albergue in O Cebreiro there are separate stalls, but no door or curtain on them. But don't worry, they aren't co-ed.But you will have private shower space.
Usually. At the municipal albergue in O Cebreiro there are separate stalls, but no door or curtain on them. But don't worry, they aren't co-ed.
Usually. At the municipal albergue in O Cebreiro there are separate stalls, but no door or curtain on them. But don't worry, they aren't co-ed.
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