NomadBoomer
Active Member
- Time of past OR future Camino
- Frances ( 2017, 2018,Aug 2023) Vdlp (2018)
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Yes. I suggest shirts and pants with many pockets. I don't take "valuables," but I keep wallet and passport safe in zippered (or button/velco) pockets in plastic bags (sweat and rain). Even my camera fit in a pocket when I took one separate from my phone. I use a water resistant string backpack to hold everything in the shower. To me, a separate fanny pack or backpack is just one more thing to lose. I have a hard enough time putting everything immediately back where it came from, and remembering where I put something in my backpack. Keeping track of anything but pack and poles overtaxes my aging brain.Do people carry their valuables with them all the time including to the shower?
I got into the habit of doing the same thing. Always easier to drop your pack outside and know that you still have all your personal valuables on you. This is also a good little bag to carry extra stuff on the plane and keep it in your seat. Kinda missed not sleeping with it when I returned! (I know; a bit weird!)Most people carry a money belt/bag, bumbag (fannypack?) or a cross body bag with their valuables and keep it on or with them at all times, even in the shower. I don't like money belts because they get too sweaty next to the skin, and bumbags tend to have a buckle on the back underneath my pack and can rub, so I use a cross body bag. It always goes on before the pack, and stays there when I take a break, go into a shop or bar etc. I put it in my waterproof bag with towel and washbag to keep it dry while I shower, and keep it in the bottom of my silk or sleeping bag or under my a pillow at night. Never let your passport, credit cards etc out of your sight. Oh and always keep a copy of your passport in cloud storage, or take a pic of it and send it to a friend at home so you can retrieve the details if needed, and tuck away an emergency €50 note somewhere (like rolled up in a spare pair of socks). Buen camino!
I do exactly the same. I feel naked without my cross body bag! Mine is from Travelon, and also has security features which makes it perfect even in large cities where pickpockets prowl.Most people carry a money belt/bag, bumbag (fannypack?) or a cross body bag with their valuables and keep it on or with them at all times, even in the shower. I don't like money belts because they get too sweaty next to the skin, and bumbags tend to have a buckle on the back underneath my pack and can rub, so I use a cross body bag. It always goes on before the pack, and stays there when I take a break, go into a shop or bar etc. I put it in my waterproof bag with towel and washbag to keep it dry while I shower, and keep it in the bottom of my silk or sleeping bag or under my a pillow at night. Never let your passport, credit cards etc out of your sight. Oh and always keep a copy of your passport in cloud storage, or take a pic of it and send it to a friend at home so you can retrieve the details if needed, and tuck away an emergency €50 note somewhere (like rolled up in a spare pair of socks). Buen camino!
I never took a special care of anything while on my caminoes. I have left my phone and mp3 device charging while I was showering or even if I went out to dinner. I've never had a problem.
Perhaps I was lucky, not sure. The truth is the I never had the vib the I should watch over my things. (A bigger truth is that I've never been robbed in my whole life).
A good idea is "don't show, don't hide".
The alternative is to let go of your fear of being robbed. Instead of putting your possessions in a showerproof bag, try putting your trust in your fellow pilgrims. I have always left everything hidden in plain sight and have never had reason to doubt the honesty of dorm mates. An albergue is not a den of thieves.I start my camino soon. I am thinking that I should buy a small foldaway bag / backpack to carry my money, phone, documents, camera etc once I get to my accommodation each night.
Is this what most people do or does anyone have an alternative? Do people carry their valuables with them all the time including to the shower?
Cheers
The alternative is to let go of your fear of being robbed. Instead of putting your possessions in a showerproof bag, try putting your trust in your fellow pilgrims. I have always left everything hidden in plain sight and have never had reason to doubt the honesty of dorm mates. An albergue is not a den of thieves.
I start my camino soon. I am thinking that I should buy a small foldaway bag / backpack to carry my money, phone, documents, camera etc once I get to my accommodation each night.
Is this what most people do or does anyone have an alternative? Do people carry their valuables with them all the time including to the shower?
Cheers
We had laminated copies as you suggest and they worked in many instances (May 2016). However, as I recall, we had to produce our original passports in every municipal albergue in Galicia. This may be a Xunta requirement, or just something that is becoming more common in today's environment....Another is to colour copy and laminate the front page of your passport , this saves you from digging out the original at every Hostal , Hotel and Albergue on the way , 36 / 40 nights , 36/ 40 times ! Only once , at the Paradore was I required to produce the original .
Passport and money in zipped cargo pocket of trousers. For my credential and other miscellaneous small items such as guidebook or maps, I modified a fanny pack/bumbag by installing brass grommets in the root of the waist strap and clipped it across my waist to the shoulder straps of my backpack with small caribiners when I was walking with the backpack on. In the evenings I wore it around my waist with the regular strap and buckle.I start my camino soon. I am thinking that I should buy a small foldaway bag / backpack to carry my money, phone, documents, camera etc once I get to my accommodation each night.
Is this what most people do or does anyone have an alternative? Do people carry their valuables with them all the time including to the shower?
Cheers
Although I have had two pick-pocket incidents in Europe, both times were foiled by my simple precautions. Furthermore, my precautions much reduce the likelihood that I will lose my valuables with no one else to blame! Call that "fear" if you want, but I call it comfort and security that actually allow me to let go of any fear of being robbed.The alternative is to let go of your fear of being robbed.
I've come across several pilgrims who inadvertently left possessions behind in an albergue, but I've never encountered one who was dispossessed by a fellow pilgrim.Your trust is touching but I fear it is misplaced. I agree that albergues are not dens of thieves. Sadly that does not mean that everyone who passes through them is honest and theft can and does occur in albergues. I think it is a romantic but misguided notion that being on a pilgrimage route means that we are spared the normal annoyances and frustrations of life.
There ARE people who sleep in albergues without being pilgrims.
Yes, pretty much. There are some albergues that have lockers, but they are the exception, rather than the rule.In the albergues, this does not exist? One's pack is in the open at all times?
Yes, pretty much. There are some albergues that have lockers, but they are the exception, rather than the rule.
Agree with pretty much all of this except to warn that sleeping with your valuables inside the bottom of your sleeping bag is not safe. The visible lump alerts intrepid thieves, who have been known to slash the sleeping bag with a sharp knife/razor and abscond with the contents while the occupant sleeps on obliviously.Most people carry a money belt/bag, bumbag (fannypack?) or a cross body bag with their valuables and keep it on or with them at all times, even in the shower. I don't like money belts because they get too sweaty next to the skin, and bumbags tend to have a buckle on the back underneath my pack and can rub, so I use a cross body bag. It always goes on before the pack, and stays there when I take a break, go into a shop or bar etc. I put it in my waterproof bag with towel and washbag to keep it dry while I shower, and keep it in the bottom of my silk or sleeping bag or under my a pillow at night. Never let your passport, credit cards etc out of your sight. Oh and always keep a copy of your passport in cloud storage, or take a pic of it and send it to a friend at home so you can retrieve the details if needed, and tuck away an emergency €50 note somewhere (like rolled up in a spare pair of socks). Buen camino!
A number of us have, unfortunately. What remains clear in my memory is a lady frantically dashing about the boot storage area in the municipal albergue in Melide one morning after almost everyone else had departed, looking for hers. They had been stolen. An absolutely despicable act.I've come across several pilgrims who inadvertently left possessions behind in an albergue, but I've never encountered one who was dispossessed by a fellow pilgrim.
I start my camino soon. I am thinking that I should buy a small foldaway bag / backpack to carry my money, phone, documents, camera etc once I get to my accommodation each night.
Is this what most people do or does anyone have an alternative? Do people carry their valuables with them all the time including to the shower?
Cheers
I have read all the replies and on reflection I am very lucky I did not have more than one item stolen this is one of the most informative and important threads I have read and thank the learned and writers for sharing, there was one lady who mentioned information about charging a phone and I remember when I was in Melide I was in such a hurry I disconnected my phone to get out and try the famous octopus in Melide and returned to find it gone. A post with all the relevant points would be a great post on Camino Security I know I will be more careful next time. Buen CaminoI start my camino soon. I am thinking that I should buy a small foldaway bag / backpack to carry my money, phone, documents, camera etc once I get to my accommodation each night.
Is this what most people do or does anyone have an alternative? Do people carry their valuables with them all the time including to the shower?
Cheers
I carry everything of value. I just use a The camera on my phone. Since I am never far from my backpack I keep my money belt with all my valuables in my backpack. If I am alone I will put my money belt on. In the evenings I just take my money belt with me. Most days I will have my Money belt on at most just an hour or two. But you've got some good ideas and whatever works for you do itI start my camino soon. I am thinking that I should buy a small foldaway bag / backpack to carry my money, phone, documents, camera etc once I get to my accommodation each night.
Is this what most people do or does anyone have an alternative? Do people carry their valuables with them all the time including to the shower?
Cheers
... which makes your backpack ideal for "hiding valuables in plain sight." And that's exactly what I did.Nobody steals backpacks. They are infested with smelly socks and dirty underpants. Only valuables need guarding.
Seems rather bulky to wear under a backpack. For most of us, the real valuables are quite small - passport, a couple of plastic cards, and some backup cash. Those are easily stashed close to the body, out of site in some sort of flat pouch. The phone and daily cash need to be accessible, so a pocket or external pouch is needed.
Seems rather bulky to wear under a backpack
The only valuables I carry are my passport, credencials, money and phone. The first three fit in a travel wallet that is a perfect fit for the cargo pocket of my trousers. The phone goes on a lanyard around my neck. When I change my trousers, everything goes in a white cloth bag I picked up from the Dublin airport stand at a holiday exhibition. This goes into the top of my pack and when I stop, the bag comes out and goes over my shoulder. For the shower, I have a little waterproof back bag that my daughter used when they went swimming from school. It doubles as a wash bag as well. Still has her name and form class written on itI start my camino soon. I am thinking that I should buy a small foldaway bag / backpack to carry my money, phone, documents, camera etc once I get to my accommodation each night.
Is this what most people do or does anyone have an alternative? Do people carry their valuables with them all the time including to the shower?
Cheers
I carried zip lock bags that fit in my pockets...always took them in the shower, and put them in the bottom of my sleeping liner when I slept...money, credit card, Identification, credential and passport...I sometimes got lax with my phone charging....but it made me a little nervous...already had stored pictures of my prescriptions and passport in gmail so if they disappeared I could least get things moving to replace them...I start my camino soon. I am thinking that I should buy a small foldaway bag / backpack to carry my money, phone, documents, camera etc once I get to my accommodation each night.
Is this what most people do or does anyone have an alternative? Do people carry their valuables with them all the time including to the shower?
Cheers
I believe that there a few posts in this forum that tell a different story, like persons walking off with backpacks left outside stores or albergues.Nobody steals backpacks
I believe I've seen at least one post, where somebody had walked away with a backpack from inside an albergue.Generally speaking nobody steals backpacks from albergues. Otherwise all albergues would have lockers. In big cities, generally a bad idea to leave luggage in the street.
I am also a sea to summit fan and used the same daypack in the evenings or even as a day pack when I had a problem with my knee. I also had a tiny sea to summit dry sack in which I put my money, credit cards and passport. This stayed with me and I could even take it in the shower. It's all very well trusting, but a man I met had his phone taken whilst in the loo during the night. When he offered a reward for it in the morning, another person staying in the albergue suddenly 'found' it.The best tip I ever got from the Camino Forum was the Sea to Summit backpack which is so small when pouched it can hang on a key chain. I carry my really important stuff in a money belt--extra cash, debit card, second credit card and passport. Things I don't want to leave with my pack in an albergue, like iPad and camera, etc., I carry in my Sea to Summit backpack at the end of the day.
The Sea-to-Summit bag was my savior in 2013. My back went bad on me in Astoria. I needed to send my regular pack ahead with a pack transport company. The Sea-to-Summit bag was my daypack as I walked on to Santiago, it was so strong it carried absolutely everything I needed for the day, and is still like new after the Via de la Plata last fall.
While sleeping, I put all my valuables, including my money belt in the Sea-to-Summit and keep it in the bottom of my sleeping liner by my feet. I can easily take it to the bathroom at night.
I start my camino soon. I am thinking that I should buy a small foldaway bag / backpack to carry my money, phone, documents, camera etc once I get to my accommodation each night.
Is this what most people do or does anyone have an alternative? Do people carry their valuables with them all the time including to the shower?
Cheers
I start my camino soon. I am thinking that I should buy a small foldaway bag / backpack to carry my money, phone, documents, camera etc once I get to my accommodation each night.
Is this what most people do or does anyone have an alternative? Do people carry their valuables with them all the time including to the shower?
Cheers
I start my camino soon. I am thinking that I should buy a small foldaway bag / backpack to carry my money, phone, documents, camera etc once I get to my accommodation each night.
Is this what most people do or does anyone have an alternative? Do people carry their valuables with them all the time including to the shower?
Cheers
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