• 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)
  • ⚠️ Emergency contact in Spain - Dial 112 and AlertCops app. More on this here.
  • Get your Camino Frances Guidebook here.

Search 69,459 Camino Questions

What to carry around town once you reach an albergue?

audge

Member
Time of past OR future Camino
june 2013
Hi,
I am wondering what people do with their backpack once they reach their destination for the day?
Do most people leave their backpacks in the albergues,or carry them around with them in the towns and villages?
If not, do you carry another small pack or belt pack with your valuables?
I'm sure there are several ways to do this. Just wondering what is most common and works best.
And how safe is your backpack if you leave it in the albergue?

Thanks for all the great info here on the forum.
 
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,-
Should someone steal my pack ... more power to the new owner of my smelly towel.

Wallet goes in pants pocket. Passport (in ziploc) goes in buttoned shirt pocket.
 
Technical backpack for day trips with backpack cover and internal compartment for the hydration bladder. Ideal daypack for excursions where we need a medium capacity backpack. The back with Air Flow System creates large air channels that will keep our back as cool as possible.

€83,-
I carry my valuables (money, cards, passport ect.) in a money / safety belt and take it everywhere, even to the bathroom. Other things I don't want to lose, mainly the camera, pilgrims passport, phone and "daily money", are in a bigger waist pouch "kangaroo style" so that they are more easily accessible and also go with me everywhere. Smelly socks and similar stay in my backpack ;-) SY
 
I'd carry my clothes, my boots, my stick, my hat, my scallop shell, whatever cash, and whatever other small things of value can fit in my pockets, plus whichever book. :)
 
The first edition came out in 2003 and has become the go-to-guide for many pilgrims over the years. It is shipping with a Pilgrim Passport (Credential) from the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela.
I bought one of the tourist shop drawstring bags with the scallop shell on it and packed my clean change of clothes and my toiletried in it every day, ready to pull out of the pack and take to the shower room. After the shower I'd use it to carry my dirty clothes to the laundry, and when they were on the line, I then put my bumbag - which was always with me! - scarf, book etc in it and took it with me when I went out. That drawstring bag/backpack was a brilliant piece of kit. I still use it when I travel, as a packing bag.
 
Join our full-service guided tour and let us convert you into a Pampered Pilgrim!
Thanks for all the great ideas. I just got a sea to summit lightweight day pack from REI ,
It squishes down to the size of my palm in it's own little stuff sack. Total weight 2.4 oz. When opened it is the size of a day pack. Maybe I don't need something so big, but it sure is light. I will also have a money belt for my front. And, being from REI, I can always return it if it is not needed.
Anyone else have one of these?

http://www.rei.com/product/799600/sea-t ... le-daypack
 
audge said:
Thanks for all the great ideas. I just got a sea to summit lightweight day pack from REI ,
It squishes down to the size of my palm in it's own little stuff sack. Total weight 2.4 oz. When opened it is the size of a day pack. Maybe I don't need something so big, but it sure is light. I will also have a money belt for my front. And, being from REI, I can always return it if it is not needed.
Anyone else have one of these?

http://www.rei.com/product/799600/sea-t ... le-daypack

Hey Audge,
I took the Flash 18 with me: http://www.rei.com/product/827110/rei-flash-18-pack and it worked out great! During the Camino and also during pre and post travel in Ireland and Italy. I think the Sea to Summit is a good way to go and should be big enough for valuables (and guidebooks, food, sunglasses, hat, etc for those rest days around the bigger cities :wink: )
Buen Camino
 
I got a similar lightweight backpack at Decathlon (a chain outdoor gear store in Spain) but for only €4. It is 14 liters, 55 grams, comes in many color options, and was sturdy and reliable for me (says it can carry up to 5 kilos). I got a bright purple one, which was always easy to find in my backpack. :D

If you have a chance to go to a Decathlon before you walk, I highly recommend it!

http://www.decathlon.es/mochila-plegable-pocket-bag-id_8205177.html
 
Join our full-service guided tour and let us convert you into a Pampered Pilgrim!
I took a day bag which, at 240g, was heavy but I love it and it has lots of pockets and compartments for all my bits and bobs that I'd want when I left my backpack behind. I'd keep all my valuables in it with the exception of one passport (I have dual nationality so I'd leave one in my backpack and carry one), and some "backup" cash which I'd leave in my walking trousers' pocket. So my daypack (over the shoulder satchel type) could just be taken out of my larger bag and taken into the showers, tuck into my bed when I slept, and went everywhere with me.
 
audge said:
Thanks for all the great ideas. I just got a sea to summit lightweight day pack from REI ,
It squishes down to the size of my palm in it's own little stuff sack. Total weight 2.4 oz.
Anyone else have one of these?

http://www.rei.com/product/799600/sea-t ... le-daypack

Yes, mine is making my fourth Camino with me right now, as a matter of fact. Works as a purse, a grocery bag, for carrying washed laundry over to the clothesline, not to mention a pillowcase, and an onboard-flight carryall. Indispensable!
 
We have the sea to summit silsacs too. They are great for walking around town and have the advantage too of being reasonably waterproof. Usually we carry a fleece and our ponchos, our credenciales and a bottle of water around town. Room for a camera too, when it is not in use :lol: . Our valuables (money, passports etc are in their usual security pouch). We then used our silsacs to carry home a few small souvenirs and our food for the homeward journey. Ours have just been on their 3rd Camino and we would not be without them.
 
The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
Last time I had no extra bag and found it a little bit tricky when I wanted a stroll around town. This time I think I will bring a small shopping back made of cotton or such - it has next to nothing weight and take no space. Can be used as shopping basked, carrying clothes, purse etc.
 

Most read last week in this forum

A message has just been posted on the Facebook account of the albergue in Roncesvalles. It seems the combination of pilgrim numbers beyond their capacity and poor weather has made this a difficult...
Hello everyone, This is a cry for help. I post this on behalf of my wife, who is walking the camino at the moment. Her backpack was taken away from the reception of the albergue Benedictina's...
I’m on the Camino Frances since April 4. I just finished the Meseta and it feels unpleasantly busy and has since the beginning. No time time to smell the roses or draw much. There is a sense from...
The group running the albergue in the ruins of the San Anton monastery near Castrojeriz have announced that the albergue and the ruins will be closed from 1 May until the ruins have been made...
Hello, I'll be starting the Camino soon and there's one bit of it that worries me. The descent from Collado de Lepoeder to Roncesvalles seems quite steep (according to the Wise Pilgrim app) which...
We are in SJPP today While we were standing in line today, one of my pilgrims met 3 people from Taiwan, who could not find a bed. He said he also saw several people on their phones, frantically...

❓How to ask a question

How to post a new question on the Camino Forum.

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