What did you take that was "too much"?

[Camino2010]

Hello! As I finish packing before I leave for Spain and the Camino Frances on Monday, I'm wondering, those of you who have walked the Camino with too much stuff in your backpack, what exactly did you throw away?? I keep reading posts by people who say that they sent things on to themselves in Santiago, or left them behind at albergues (or even tossed them in the trash) -- but not many people seem to say just what it was they subtracted from their load.

I'm curious and also hoping to save myself some ounces if possible, though I've taken all the "pack lightly as you can" posts to heart from the beginning. I do have one item to leave behind when I get there, I went to a discount store and bought a pair of jeans to wear over for the flight, until I get to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port and get into my Camino clothes (not what I'd want to wear for the plane flight and during the time I'll be travelling to SJPP, and I don't want to wear my favourite jeans and then have to mail them to myself for afterwards)!

Thanks in advance if you can share some specifics of what you took but got rid of later!

Rachel

 

[sillydoll]

Rachel, I always wear 'throw-away' clothes to travel in. You can leave these in a lost property box or hotel room and they will be given to the needy.
On my first camino I posted almost 3kg to Santiago. A sarong, thermal vest, thin black jacket, zip-off trousers, a pair of flip-flops, scarf, beanie and gloves, pajamas, collapsible bowl, face cream, hair conditioner, a multi-tool, travel umbrella and a few other odds and ends. I gave away a small 1.5kg tent (yeah - we camped one night and nearly froze to death) a bed-roll and a battery camp light to two yoiung guys who were sleeping outdoors.
I also read all the advice on packing light -nodded, followed the light pack list and then added those 'just in case' items!
Good luck!

 

[jl]

Hi Rachel. For what it is worth, I don't even take cheap / extra clothes for the plane trip to the Camino. Instead I wear one of the 2 shirts I have for the Camino (usually the short sleeved shirt, as I get hot on the plane - and I can always use their blankets if I were cold) and I wear the trousers that I have for the Camino. On my feet I wear the sandals that I have as an alternative footwear, although one time I actually wore my boots. This way I don't have anything extra in my luggage at all to organise before I begin. From Australia it is a very long plane journey and that is just the way I deal with it. I then stop at one of the big cities along the way, usually after I have been walking for some weeks, and purchase a new set of clothes (in the sales) which I post to myself which means I have something nice to wear at the end of the journey.

Everyone is different, but that is what I do. Cheers, Janet

 

[Camino2010]

Well. Ahem.

First of all, thanks very much for your replies so far! Sil, your post was helpful and definitely resonated with me ("I also read all the advice on packing light -nodded, followed the light pack list and then added those 'just in case' items!")

I went for my last training walk yesterday evening and happily decided I would weigh my full backpack before setting off. My goal was 13 pounds (10% of my body weight), though I figured the pack might be 15 pounds. Imagine my shock when I discovered it weighed 21 pounds!! Hahaha!! After all my thinking I was travelling so lightly. Ahem. :lol:

In order to go for my walk, I removed my guidebooks and electronics from the pack - that took care of 3 pounds right there, and I walked carrying 18 pounds. My backpack (a Gregory Jade 50) felt good on my back - and my legs, knees, ankles, and feet felt solid and strong throughout. However, the 18 pounds did not include my books and electronics, or food (I did have water with me).

Please keep the replies coming! I have about 24 hours in which to lose 8 pounds! LOL

Many thanks,

Rachel

P.S. Glad to know there are others who have bought/worn travel clothes that they leave behind. I could wear Camino clothes on top, I just don't want to wear my leggings for the flight.

 

[sulu]

I tried desperately to reduce the weight of my bag but everything seemd to be 'necessary' In the end I got rid of cutlery, my penknife and a fleece. The cutlery would have been useful in Galicia as I found kitchens to be very poorly equiped.
The one thing I really shouldn't have taken was my guidebook. I heard of others cutting out unnecassary pages but I couldn't bring myself to do that, it was too heavy and even with the guide book I missed seeing things. I'm not sure what the alternative is but I would say don't carry heavy books.
Sue

 

[Deleted member 3000]

One change of clothes is sufficient, though three pair of socks is handy in wet weather. I have shipped back my sleeping bag twice. Two footwear -- one for walking, one for the shower and the evening. No bottles; put everything in plastic bags.

No back-up anything; you can buy soap, toothpaste, etc. if you run out -- travel size for everything. One layer for cold weather without redundancy. That is, undershirt, shirt, fleece, and jacket.

Multi-use soap, such as Camp Suds, for hair, body, and laundry. No sleeping mat. No books. Small camera and charger. No food except what you buy along the way, usually daily. Be ruthless. Take nothing unless you are SURE you will use it. Spain has everything if you need to add.

Take cheap stuff, and you will not be afraid to throw it away! You will carry a GoreTex jacket forever even if you never use it, because it is expensive. You would toss a lightweight windbreaker if it was extra weight. Ditto shirts and pants. Be ruthless. Your feet and back will thank you.

 

[Camino2010]

Oh, falcon269!

That's calling me forth to put my money where my mouth is and really trust the magic of life, that I'll be provided for no matter what.

Sue, I don't want to cut up my book either! It's interesting that even with your guide book you missed things along the way - that's been my sense of what my experience will be like if I take the books (Brierley's guides for the Camino Frances and for Finisterre).

I appreciate all your perspectives, they're helping me to revise my packing list.

Rachel

P.S. Is anyone else besides me driven nuts by the fact that Brierley's Camino Frances guide - much as I love it! - has no index in the back??

 

[ksam]

Hmm too much...Ditched the sleeping pad. Sent home a spare shirt and pants...and I believe a fourth pair of socks...and accidentally shipped the pack cover for rain!! In my enthusiasm for throwing things into the box in the post office in Pontevedre...I dropped that in too...resulting in complete panic the following morning. So I go to be the all American White Trash Pilgrim!! We found a clean white 13 gal trash bag and made a cover out of it for the rest of the trip! Definitly go travel size on anything..Supermercados abound as do Pharmacias. As others have said, you can find it in Spain, after all it's not hiking the Appalachin trail or the Pacific Crest or going to a third world country. Good luck tomorrow,

Wishing you Buen Camino Karin

 

[Portia1]

I cut out extra pages out of my guidebook--anything that wasn't absolutely relevant. I added notes in it before I left such as ATM info, specific things I wanted to see, etc. And then on Camino I wrote notes in it as an addenda to my journal--such as whether info was correct, what time I left/arrived, etc. You can always purchase another one if you want an intact one. I referred to it many times for information and there were pilgrims who sought me out because they knew I carried one. Frankly, I still refer to it because those notes are very helpful.

The only electronics I took were a kindle (10oz) and a cell phone (3 oz). You absolutely must plan for water and food weight. My pack was 18# with food and water. I did not carry a sleeping bag--instead, a silk liner and a polar fleece blanket I made myself. I also carried a reuseable shopping bag and used it for all kinds of things--at 2 oz. Packed everything in ziploc bags to keep it dry. One pair of shorts, one zip-off long pants, 2 ss tees and 1 long sleeve shirt, a fleece, an Altus poncho and three pairs of socks with liners (extremely important to carry clean, dry socks)--you can layer up when it gets cold and/or rainy. I walked from Sept 3 to Oct 3rd last year. I also carried a sarong I made from lightweight cotton(became a skirt when everything else "south" was in the washing machine) for shower to/from, additional sheet or covering.

Buen Camino!

 

[skilsaw]

Rachel,
You are probably in motion already... travelling to your starting point.

Don't worry if your pack is 18 lbs. Gregory makes excellent packs and if yours is a good fit, 18 lbs won't be too much.

Have an excellent journey,
Buen Camino,
David, Victoria, Canada

 

[Camino2010]

All right... Having returned from my first Camino (hurray!! I arrived in Santiago on October 21st), I can now reply to my own post about what was "too much"! I actually did well in terms of only taking what I needed to begin with, though there were a few items I left behind (or tossed in the garbage) in various places along the way.

First off, I ended up wearing my Camino gear over on the plane, so the jeans I talked about in my first post weren't an issue. Second, I decided at the last minute to leave my flip-flops at home. My thought was that I could wear my okay-for-water Keen trail sandals in the shower instead - great idea, I did that about three times, except that they then took forever to dry. Not very practical! So when I got to Pamplona, one of my first stops was the flip-flop department at El Corte Ingles, where I bought myself a "working souvenir", a pair of Roxy flip-flops! Great decision.

The one thing I wished I'd taken with me but didn't, was hair conditioner. I had a small amount measured out into a plastic container and went back and forth a few times right before I left for the airport - take it? leave it? take it? leave it? In the end I decided I could rough it... a decision I regretted almost immediately! I have long curly hair, and the sun, wind, heat, sweat, and dust were a challenge for it, even though my hair was mostly covered up by my Buff and my hat each day. I searched for hair conditioner along the way, but either it was in a huge bottle, or had ingredients I didn't want to put on my head, or wasn't for sale at all (so much shampoo in the shops... I wondered what Spanish women do for conditioner!) Next time I will take conditioner with me!

As for what I left behind... a homeopathic kit given out to pilgrims on the route (I got mine in Estella and carried it for a few days; I think I let go of the last of it in Logroño); the rest of my "No Jetlag" homeopathic tablets that I realised after a couple of weeks, I wouldn't need again; finally when I reached Santo Domingo de la Calzada, I began tearing out pages from my Brierley guide in an attempt to let go of paper weight - it worked, though the decision backfired... I ended up borrowing someone else's Brierley guide at the end of my Camino because I needed a complete one to refer to!

Probably the cutest thing I tossed was the small plastic shovel my sister bought me as a going away gift (in case I needed to go to the bathroom on the trail and bury the result)... I carried it as far as Logroño and then *happily* tossed it away!! (I made a deal with my digestive/excretory systems that I would never need it, and I never did )

I ended up with a small package of things that I didn't need, but didn't want to leave behind or toss: a pair of Icebreaker tights that were too constrictive around my knees when they were in a great deal of pain; a facecloth I never used; a CD I bought when I was in León (great outdoor concert I happened to show up just in time for); a memory card reader I took with me (most of the computers in the albergues had one); and an extra pair of Smartwool socks that proved too thin to wear for hours of walking each day (though they were great to wear in the evenings). I decided it wasn't worth mailing these things to Santiago so I carried them all the way, and it was okay! Especially once I got used to walking and carrying the pack.

Great learning experience!

Rachel

 

[+@^^]

i was fanatical about the weight of kit up till the week before departure
i was weighing stuff in grams and recording it on a spreadsheet
i was on 6.8kg and happy with that
BUT somehow at the last minute i panicked and stuff crept into my bag - those "just in case" things
so the list of stuff i tossed out:
bowl /plate
thermal mug
knife fork spoon
extra fleecy top
extra shorts
extra shirt
spare tee
spare boxer shorts
dark glasses
kazoo (what possessed me?)
spare laces
iPood digger
fold up basin
water element heater
coffee packet
gaiters
towel
floss
total weight thrown out = 2.5kg
.
all this kit was carefully chosen, great technical stuff, cost a fortune, but superfluous
so i held on for 3 weeks before my first tossing
and then another week for the next round of dumping
.
i never needed to use my whistle
i wished i'd taken spare rubber stoppers for my trekking poles
most under-rated kit item = buff and sarong
.
and this additional stuff snuk in despite all the warnings of the experienced veteran pilgrims
.
now, on my next camino.....

 

[Camino2010]

Oh, I wished I'd had a kazoo! LOL! I almost went to a music store and bought one. If you'd bumped into me on the Camino, you could have passed yours along to me . Just because I thought it would be fun to have one to play around with.

That reminds me (how could I forget?), up until a few weeks before I left, I was still trying to work out how I could take a hoola hoop with me -- I make and use adult-sized, weighted hoola hoops, and I imagined it would be great fun and a way to relax at the end of the day if I could take one on the Camino. I gave up when my first backpack weigh-in came to over 20 pounds. (I do still think it would have been fun to hoop a few times while I was there, but no way would I want to carry a hoop all that way, even a collapsible travel one, and most days I was just too tired and/or busy with pilgrim tasks like laundry, journaling, taking photos, or having great conversations with new friends!)

I can see what you mean, that your list of extras was well thought out and considered, and all things that you "could" have needed. So easy for things to sneak their way in at the end!!

Technically speaking, I had more clothes than I needed: one t-shirt, two long-sleeved shirts, one long-sleeved zip-up jacket, a fleece jacket, three pairs of leggings, a skort, a pair of quick-dry pants, and I still bought a windbreaker/rain jacket (over and above my Altus rain jacket) when I got to León because it had gotten so cold in the evenings at albergues (and early mornings for walking). I also had four pairs of socks (three of which I wore for daily walking, the other as I said turned out to be too thin), three pairs of underwear (ended up as two right away because the elastic in one pair gave up completely within days), and two bras. [Most of my clothing was Icebreaker merino, so I wouldn't have tossed it away or left it behind - too much of an investment; someone early in this thread suggested cheaper versions of things to get around a feeling of "I have to keep this, it cost too much!!" and I definitely understand that now, though I was happy to have the Icebreaker gear.]

So, more than the "two changes of clothes" for me, but when I crossed the Pyrenees at the beginning, in two days -- the first night of which was spent in a tent at Orisson, in the pouring rain, with a clothes dryer on site that didn't work -- by the time I got to Roncesvalles I'd already worn just about all the clothing I brought and was very thankful for the extra tops and bottoms I had with me! And though it was lovely to hang things to dry in the garden at Trinidad de Arre (my Icebreaker clothes and Smartwool socks didn't dry outside in Zubiri), I didn't get everything fully dry again until I reached Cizur Menor and used the clothes dryer there! Also, by the end of October, though I no longer wore the t-shirt, the rest of my layering clothes were welcome!

P.S. I never needed my whistle either but it came attached to the headstrap of my headlamp and its weight was insignificant; I ended up buying walking poles in Puente la Reina, so that was extra weight I picked up along the way! (the cobblestones in Navarette ate one of my rubber stoppers, so in disgust I tossed the other one away a day later ;-). I left the poles in Spain); and I didn't have a sarong, but my Buff saved my Camino... not a single earache for me, all the way along!

Mm, I also took extra batteries for my headlamp and was really glad I did because the morning I woke up in Boadilla, I discovered that I'd accidentally left the lamp turned on and the batteries were dead (I think I nudged it on in my sleep since up until then I didn't always sleep with it in its case). So easy to pop in the new batteries then and there.

I took a small metal spoon for yogurt and instead ended up using a plastic one all the way along (interesting timing, it finally broke on my last day in Spain, just before I left for the airport).

 

[Deleted member 3000]

thermal mug
knife fork spoon
dark glasses
gaiters
floss

whistle

I want to put in a good word for these items. My mug was "titanium" so weighed very little. It was handy for a quick drink at a fountain, mixing cocoa or powdered sports drink, and kept my toilet paper (in a plastic bag) dry, uncrushed, and handy. The fork and spoon (left the knife at home) also were titanium, and I used them daily for trail meals (you can't eat yogurt with your fingers). The dark glasses will come in handy in thirty years when your retinas begin to react to a lifetime of sun. The gaiters are just a preference, though with shorts and a poncho, they keep your socks and boots dry in the rain. The floss has several uses, and keeping your gums healthy is always a good idea.

The whistle is there not because you use it, but because when you need help, you cannot shout for hours, but you can whistle with each exhale. A whistle probably would not have helped the pilgrim who froze February 2009, but there are a lot of circumstances when it might help.

Just my opinion. I could be wrong.

 

[alipilgrim]

What is a Buff?

 

[anniethenurse]

What is a Buff?

I actually got one too. Mine is black (wool).

http://www.buffshop.co.uk/?gclid=CO_5x8 ... 3godrn7uHQ

PS: I tossed away my long underwear (thermals) and a long sleeve thermal shirt after crossing the Pyrenees in May, 2009. But I did need them while staying in Orisson. The night was cold.

And next time I will definitively bring my favorite hair conditioner with me, and won´t forget a deodorant.

 

[Camino2010]

What is a Buff?

I actually got one too. Mine is black (wool).

http://www.buffshop.co.uk/?gclid=CO_5x8 ... 3godrn7uHQ

PS: I tossed away my long underwear (thermals) and a long sleeve thermal shirt after crossing the Pyrenees in May, 2009. But I did need them while staying in Orisson. The night was cold.

And next time I will definitively bring my favorite hair conditioner with me, and won´t forget a deodorant.

I want to get a merino wool Buff before I go back to Spain (Buff = brand of headband that can be worn over a dozen different ways http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buff_(headgear))... I saw one I liked in Astorga but at that point I didn't want to carry it the rest of the way to Santiago (I bought a t-shirt there instead and carried it, LOL!)

Deodorant was one of my luxury items. I wasn't going to leave home without it, and it was lovely to have with me.

 

[renegadepilgrim]

Loved my Buff!!! It doubled as a neck warmer and a hat and many other things. It's one of those multi-use items that I am so glad I brought with me.

I shipped my thermals, winter hat and a few other things home in Pamplona, only to have to buy a thermal bottoms and a winter hat in Astorga (that dude running the outfitter shop is running a total racket. I could not believe the prices on stuff) before going over La Cruz del Ferro where it was SNOWING in the middle of MAY!!!!!

Next time, I am bringing my GPS and I am going to take it slower and geocache along the way.

My only regret was taking some of the things I had brought for my RTW trip which I was continuing after the Camino. I should have shipped it ahead before I left the US. Aside from that, once I cleared my pack in Pamplona, everything I had I used and all was well in my Camino world.

 

[ScottC]

I took too many changes of clothes. You only need one on one off. I also took a sleeping mat just in case and then sent it home. I ditched the plate and bowl I took and I sent home the the gortex jacket I had. I ended up with just under 10k in the pack. I was walking and cycling so I sent on the gear that was not required at the time to the post office in the town where I swapped.

Scott