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Weirdest/Strangest item someone has taken on the Camino

Mapanggulo

New Member
Time of past OR future Camino
I haven't done the Camino yet, the plan is to do it 2020 or 2021. So here for information/research.
A friend of mine that is just started getting into camping (she says its more Glamping though) & backpacking sent me this article.

What's the Weirdest Luxury Item You’ve Ever Taken Backpacking?

Just curious with all you experienced pilgrims out there what was the weirdest or strangest item you've seen someone taken with them on the Camino?


(apologize in advanced if this has been asked before...if so feel free to merge or delete this thread).
 
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As hospitaleros in Estella we had pilgrims bring and leave in the donation box:

a full boy scout cook set for 4 people along with gas bottles
a free standing sunshade

Also had pilgrims with a full make-up case, hairdryers, many bottles of creams/lotions, a compass. One pilgrim had 2 tents--One for winter and one for summer because he was unsure which he would need.
 
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It’s so embarrassing – I’ve been that pilgrim. I brought a small wheeling suitcase full of books!!!

Mostly poetry, also essays by Jean Grenier, the mentor of my favorite author, Albert Camus. What was I thinking? Heaven help me, it seemed completely logical at the time. I couldn't imagine being without those books. But it was anything but logical. My thought, in the pre-Ivar world of very helpful forward posting to Santiago, was that I could mail my books ahead, but when I arrived in SJPP the post office was closing for the day. Then they explained there was no box to fit my case, which in any case was missing a necessary lock.

The wonderful hospitaleros at “L’Esprit du Chemin” in SJPP took one look at me rolling in with my pack and my shocking little suitcase and explained there was no way to cross the Pyrenees if I were to wheel it along. Yvonne, a Dutch volunteer and a veteran of many Caminos, kindly took my books home with her to Amsterdam, where she was returning the following day. I took a train to Amsterdam a month later, after completing the pilgrimage, to pick up the treasured books she so mercifully kept for me. While I brought her a Tarta de Santiago as thanks, it was completely inadequate for the extraordinary help and kindness she provided to a hapless beginner peregrina like me
 
Canuck said:
Here comes Robo's rice-cooker.
Click to expand...

Awwh, but God love him, he never actually took one with him and only asked about it because rice was his missus' preferred food and he wasn't sure it would be readily available en route. You've gotta admire someone who puts his beloved front and centre like that.

But the memory of his query lives on and I doubt it will ever fade from our collective memory.
 
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I was watching a hiking video and the guy was making a very convincing argument for bringing a super light folding chair. I gave it a lot of thought because sitting on the ground sucks and getting up is becoming embarrassing.

Has anyone seen pilgrims with chairs?
 
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No and those camping chairs are not always very comfortable. I did have one when I camped that made my sleeping pad into a backrest, but not an actual chair. I don't take a sleeping pad on the Camino...
 
I once had a set of straps which purported to convert a thermarest camping mattress into a form of chair, albeit still on the floor. It was utterly useless.
 
I haven't seen one on the trail myself, but Litesmith.com has a backsupporting, but flush to the ground, option called a QuikBack UL Chair at 75 grams, which could be coupled with a folding sitmat for a further 25 grams. However, it wouldn't solve the problem of getting up. (And on that point - I hear you!)
 
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Bubble wrap....on the seating theme... (in the reduce reuse recycle mode)- but it gets some strange looks when I pull it out of my rucksack- but certainly not the weirdest item I have seen people with

I have seen folks carrying a rice cooker on the camino ( and enjoyed eating some rice cooked in it) (poor Robo) and also a wok strapped on the outside of someone's pack
 
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Canuck said:
Here comes Robo's rice-cooker.
Click to expand...
Peg asked me why I was laughing so hard.
Pretty close to what I told her before reading this.

May Robo be a living legend for a long time and then beyond.
 

OK, so what's wrong with a Hairdryer?

I carry a small one for Pat......
 
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Camino Preparation Guide
The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
Altus BALI Sleeping bag liner
Ideal sleeping bag liner whether we want to add a thermal plus to our bag, or if we want to use it alone to sleep in shelters or hostels. Thanks to its mummy shape, it adapts perfectly to our body.

€46,-
Altus Poncho (ATMOSPHERIC H30)
Very light, comfortable and compressible poncho. Specially designed for protection against water for any activity.

Our Atmospheric H30 poncho offers lightness and waterproofness. Easily compressible and made with our Waterproof fabric, its heat-sealed interior seams guarantee its waterproofness. Includes carrying bag.

€60,-
On my first camino for sentimental reasons I carried a beloved stuffed moose!!

Not full size but as bulky as a sleeping bag! The moose, known as Mo, shortened from Mousse au chocolat, was a large toy which long ago I gave to my father for his 90th birthday. After my father’s death Mo came back to me. In 2004 he traveled in a stuff sack deep within the pack. Although disguised as a ‘pillow’ he was in truth my silent confidante during that first challenging camino.

We both made it to Santiago but once with a moose is enough! Ever since Mo stayed on his shelf at home and we mentally 'tweeted' as I walked.
 
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mspath said:
On my first camino for sentimental reasons I carried a beloved stuffed moose!!

We both made it to Santiago but once with a moose is enough! Ever since Mo stayed on his shelf at home and we mentally 'tweeted' as I walked.
Click to expand...

You only allowed Moose one Camino? That's cruel.

Mr Bean comes with me every time!
(though like me he's on a diet, as he weights 85 gms)

Mr Bean goes on Camino

  • Robo
  • 2
Being spoilt on the upper deck on Thai Airways.......
 
Robo said:
What were the washtubs actually used for? Bathing feet?
Click to expand...
That and washing their clothes. When they started out they didn't realise they find bowls in many of the refugios so they bought their own. They'd both been in the IDF and said that "there's nothing like like soaking your feet after a day's route march"
They became known as the "ninja mutant pilgrims - hikers in half a shell"
We lost contact with them after a few days but I like to imagine they carried them all the way to SdC and that there's a red and a blue washtub still doing sterling service in Haifa or Jaffa to this day.
 
Actually there are mini rice cookers enough for 2 that weigh 1.3kg… which is lighter than the DSLR at 1.5kg (mine, with 35mm lens, also weigh exactly the same!). There is also microwave rice cooker at 570g, I have seen this used at a friend’s house, it works!

In Asian hiking community, rice is pretty good camping food as you only need to bring a small amount and the volume doubles once you cook it Or just bring the rice and cook in a pot in places with communal kitchen.

Also I heard Albergue Orion in Castrojeriz frequently serves up bibimbap

I confess I carry about 2.5kg dog related items. She also drinks way more than me and would finish her 500ml water, dips into my 500ml water, and sometimes have to share the water from my camelback!
 
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St James' Way - Self-guided 4-7 day Walking Packages, Reading to Southampton, 110 kms
Can confirm the bibimbap at Orion, I stayed there 10 days ago. Highly recommended! In some ways bibimbap seems like the perfect pilgrim meal: rice for carbs, meat and egg for protein and fat plus lots of veggies.

I’ve seen a pilgrim carrying a full-size guitar this summer.
 
 
Rice cookers are not uncommon these days on the camino. I have met at least 10 people with them.
 
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Have also seen guitars, banjos, a flute and Keyboards!
 
Marbe2 said:
Rice cookers are not uncommon these days on the camino. I have met at least 10 people with them.
Click to expand...
Yes, and FYI... @Robo actually DID bring a rice cooker on his first Camino with Pat along.

And BTW, I am loving this thread.
 
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Altus ANDES 400 H30 sleeping bag
Down bag (90/10 duvet) of 700 fills with 180 g (6.34 ounces) of filling. Mummy-shaped structure, ideal when you are looking for lightness with great heating performance.

€149,-
How about a cello? Years before my first Camino, Dane Johansen carried his cello on the Camino and, with Tristan Cook, made a film.

Cleveland Orchestra cellist stars in doc headed to CIFF

Cleveland Orchestra cellist Dane Johansen went to Spain to hike the Camino de Santiago and make a CD. Instead, he home with a film now headed to the Cleveland International Film Festival. That, and a whole new take on life.
www.cleveland.com

 
Altus ANDES 400 H30 sleeping bag
Down bag (90/10 duvet) of 700 fills with 180 g (6.34 ounces) of filling. Mummy-shaped structure, ideal when you are looking for lightness with great heating performance.

€149,-
trecile said:
He did?
I thought that he considered it, but ultimately decided against it.
@Robo can you confirm?
Click to expand...
Trecile, I remembered he had brought it. To confirm my memory I did a search @Robo, then put in "rice cook". Eventually you come to his threads and the replies he received and made. He never brought it again.
 
Camino Chrissy said:
Trecile, I remembered he had brought it. To confirm my memory I did a search @Robo, then put in "rice cook". Eventually you come to his threads and the replies he received and made. He never brought it again.
Click to expand...
Actually, he never brought it beause while testing it pre Camino it "blew up."

Robo said:
Now you may recall the big debate over Rice Cookers that went on for a couple of years, till the Rice Cooker decided to blow up during pre-Camino testing
Click to expand...

 
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Met him at Roncevalles in 2014. Usually the cello was in the Van carrying the film crew.

But in 2014 There was the guy from India pulling a rickshaw that his wife rode in because she caught him cheating on her.
2014 I was in SJPDP and in Santiago with the German guy who walked the entire way wearing a White Linen suit and Fedora hat. Carried his pack all of the way. And wore leather dress shoes.

And The Israeli guys who carry ALL of their Kosher food and their Kosher cooking pots--they said 40 kilos. Picked their packs and they were HEAVY.

Swedish woman who carried her stuff plus 20+ kilos of SPECIAL dogfood for her two giant dogs.
 
My wife has a travel, gnome (doll), called punk baby, that has been with us for many trips , from Easter Island to and of course the Camino de Santiago from SJPdP to Santiago
 
Camino Way markers in Bronze
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
trecile said:
Actually, he never brought it beause while testing it pre Camino it "blew up."
Click to expand...
Great research @trecile.

Marbe2 said:
Rice cookers are not uncommon these days on the camino. I have met at least 10 people with them.
Click to expand...

I'm not surprised to hear that. There are some very small dual voltage rice cookers on the market today. My friend recently hosted an international student who brought one with her. Tiny thing it was, but very efficient and the student used it every day. Weight was about 1 lb.
 

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I had a full size folding chair, two sheepskins, and a three person tent, as well as the electric fence, and anywhere between ten and one kilos of assorted grains. Of course, I did also have a large donkey.
 
I too can confirm the bibimbab at Orion although according to a Korean gentleman who was there same time as I was, it was "a poor imitation"
 

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I have never felt the need to take any luxury item on a backpacking trip. But someone thinks that a Digeridoo and inline skates are useful on the Camino Frances.
 
Yes, I saw a cello too, I was flabbergasted …astonished that a man was schlepping one on his back! But it wasn’t in May.
 
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Robo said:
OK, so what's wrong with a Hairdryer?

I carry a small one for Pat......
Click to expand...
At times I wished I brought a hair dryer as it would have been so handy drying clothes by the way as well as good weather we had torrential downpours and snow
 
No. Don't do it.
 
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Our Atmospheric H30 poncho offers lightness and waterproofness. Easily compressible and made with our Waterproof fabric, its heat-sealed interior seams guarantee its waterproofness. Includes carrying bag.

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CWBuff said:
according to a Korean gentleman who was there same time as I was, it was "a poor imitation"
Click to expand...
Maybe he can donate a dozen stone bowls for the albergue so they can cook REAL bibimbap (the hot stone bowl is supposed to crisp the rice at the bottom hmmmmm).

You know, one of the best things in life is eating a bowl of “just cooked” rice.
 
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I think the pilgrim from Argentina that took a cobblestone from Paris to drop at the Cruz de Ferro. I don't know why ... maybe he thought he had a lot of sins?
 
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I met this guy in 2016. He was "raising awareness" of the plight of Syrian refugees. He'd carried it from SJPdeP to Santiago, was on his way back to SJPdeP and was then heading home to Barcelona with it.
 

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My daughter carried this after falling at O-Cebreiro (she also carried her pack!)
And my husband carried this on particularly long days:
(the camera he carried every day - but never again!)
 
Consider instead a different way to get up (and sit down).

Take a look at this: The Spiral - it takes a bit of practice but you soon get the drift. When you think about it it's pretty much the way infants rise up from sitting cross-legged on the ground.

TIP: if you have a bunch of coins in one of your pockets do not roll onto that thigh!
 
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In 2018, while I was part of a volunteer team of hospitaleros at Refugio Gaucelmo at Rabanal, a young Argentinian pilgrim stayed with us. He walked with balloons attached to his pack as he wanted to make people smile and to spread happiness on the Camino. He certainly achieved it - here he is:

Cheers from Oz -
Jenny
 
That's a great way to reduce the weight of the pack too...
 
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Chenahusky said:
But someone thinks that a Digeridoo and inline skates are useful on the Camino Frances.
Click to expand...
More than one someone! In 2015 this young fellow was in the cohort from Roncesvalles. A few days later, he was limping badly (knee injury) when I approached from behind. The path was slippery with leaves, and of course he didn't have walking poles, because he had no hands free. So I traded a pole for his digeridoo and accompanied him to the next rest stop. He then had plans to make his way to some port and get a ship to South America where he would use the digeridoo for busking.
 

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Young late teen from Denmark called Mads ( in case he ever reads it ) brought his laptop with him.

2 days later he was going to try and post it home from Pamplona ... not sure if he had problems coz of the batteries but still...

My pack was 13+ kg that year but I think we all take too much first time up
 
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First day out of SJPDP I came across this woman. Is that a short necked giraffe? I can’t tell.
 

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My son and I chatted to a Mexican Pilgrim in the Albergue in Santander. He was carrying a surfboard and a guitar and, like us was walking the del Norte. We never seen him again
 
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A girl in an upper bunk across from me had a jar with water and a floating-bobbing plant/animal in it. She had it placed on the ledge next to her and she was gently tapping the jar and talking to it. A few of us watched her for a bit and finally someone asked her about her item and the jar of water. She said it was her pet and it traveled with her. It went to the bottom of the jar during the day and floated to the top for air at night. She said it kept her company along the Camino. I have no idea how she was able to successfully transport it while walking 35 days.
 
My favorite so far is the muffin oven. And is that a full roll of duct tape strapped to his side? I think this guy was terrified of being away from the comforts of home or of things going wrong.
I guess everybody takes their fears with them (mine was a fear of lack of coffee. So I was part of the coil club, but I don’t think that’s to weird?].
JohnLloyd said:
View attachment 131569

That’s Matt from Northern Ireland and his solar-powered muffin oven. He also had a portable speaker attached, playing ABBA at the time we met him.
Click to expand...
 
I don't know how many times I've had to tell people that any place that has an airport has shops to sell anything you think you might need. Only thing you can't buy after you arrive is the data on your computer/phone. I'm always amazed at the size of the luggage being towed by flight crew on their way to a stay of less than 24 hours.

As hospitalero, I was also amazed at the quantity of abandoned walking shoes, towels, sleeping bags, alpine poles, etc.
 
Altus ANDES 400 H30 sleeping bag
Down bag (90/10 duvet) of 700 fills with 180 g (6.34 ounces) of filling. Mummy-shaped structure, ideal when you are looking for lightness with great heating performance.

€149,-

I wonder if that was a Kombucha ‘plant/mould’ thingy?
 
Where there's a will, there's a way.....
I spotted this lady on the Frances in 2019.
10 out of 10 for effort....!
I did offer to pull the case up the hill for her. She looked at me with great disgust. I've always wondered what was in that case.....
 
Camino Way markers in Bronze
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
I've posted this picture before. This man stayed at the Parador in Leon. We tried stopping there for breakfast, but were not allowed in the restaurant. We saw him checking out at reception as we left the hotel. His clothes were quite quirky and unique.
 
I carried nearly a kilo of alpaca yarn (in various green shades) to knit a self designed sweater while walking as well as during stops and before/after meals... And I will bring the same amount again in November. I haven't decided on colour (many shades of one colour) yet - any suggestions?
 
My partner brought a travel water pik but sadly it blew up on first use as neither one of us thought about the different voltage…. after all dental hygiene is very important
 
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A nice warm colour … to counteract the grey skies and make you feel cosy

All the colours of autumn?
 
Jeff Crawley said:
I'm torn between the single cup size moka pot carried by the Italian signorina

View attachment 131555

and the two Israeli lasses each with a wash tub on their pack

View attachment 131554
Click to expand...
You remind me of a man I saw who was walking south on the Camino Portugues while I was heading up to Santiago in 2019. He looked like he was encased in some sort of barrel and had so many items hanging from him, like an old fashioned tinker. Wish I had been quicker and had taken a photo of him. It was an outstanding sight!
 
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4 caminos - never
 
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Bright red
 
tomnorth said:
The most unusual item I brought, based on the fact that I didn’t see anyone else carrying one, was my 3 lb and 3 oz (with lens) Nikon D800 DSLR. It weighed the same as my Osprey Stratos 36L pack.
Click to expand...
Off subject but I have the same pack and will be walking April/May 2023. Did you carry it on the plane or check it?
 
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