Everybody says to travel light. Is that right for us?

There are about a million Camino related blogs talking about what to bring, how much to carry, etc. Most are written by people who are making a quick run along the most heavily travelled route (northern Spain) at the most heavily travelled time (summer). Most of these blogs advise "travel light", because everything you need can be had in the many albergues or refugios along the way.

In general, this sounds like good advice, but I think in our case we will travel with a heavier pack, and plan to walk slower, and travel shorter distances, in order to make more of a home on the road.

Are we different, or just foolish?

There are a number of reasons why I think a heavier load might work better for us, in particular because our Camino is different from the typical, in these important ways:

We are both in our mid 50's, so we may be less tolerant of "inconveniences" from not carrying enough.
We are both in our mid 50's, so we might find it harder to carry a lot of weight (or we might find our physical endurance is actually be better at this age).
We have never done anything like this before, so we don't have much to go on in predicting how we will handle it all.
We are willing and able to take more time as needed, because we have no specific return date in mind.
We are not wealthy, but neither are we cash-strapped students on summer break. We can afford to bring extra, and discard what we don’t wind up wanting. We can also afford to buy small amounts of necessaries, even if it means tossing the extra. This might make room to carry things others don’t. In short, we can better afford a planning mistake or two.
We are starting in Paris, so our total distance will be close over 1,000 miles. As a result, we will be on the Camino for a long time, and so will encounter more variation in weather, as the seasons progress.
We want this to be a leisurely stroll, not a forced march. We might walk every day, or every other day, or once a week. We might cover 20 miles a day, or 5. We want to start out with lots of options, and trim our sails to fit the wind as we find it.

We are older than most pilgrims, and don't want to rough it like when we were kids. But we are old, and may should not carry so much?

In consideration of these factors, we have adopted a general attitude that "more is better" since we can always leave behind what we don't need, but may find it difficult to get by without our pet conveniences. We'll let you know here, how it is working out. These are the packing decisions we made:

Clothes (4 lbs)

Trying to keep light, while balancing the need for comfort. I read one guy who said ‘nobody on the Camino cares if you smell, so you don’t need a change of clothes’, or words to that effect. Well, I care, and really? Who wants to share a room with Mr. Stinky-shirt? Anyway, I’m bringing clothes for two days, so that I can wear one while one is drying.

Using ultra-light and quick-drying fabrics (synthetics are way better here than my standard home favorites of cotton and wool), I will start out with:

Two short-sleeve and two long-sleeve shirts
one pair of pants and one pair of shorts
three pair of socks
two pair of undies
long underwear (in case of cold in the mountains)
one cashmere sweater (doubles as a pillow)

All the clothes I'm taking are fit into a small compression sack, to take up less space in the backpack.

Tent (7 lb)

We want to have the flexibility of camping, should we desire. First off, some parts of France, in particular, are not heavy pilgrimage routes, so there may not be much in the way of accommodations. We don’t want to make hotel reservations in advance, and last-minute arrangements can be both unpredictable and possibly very expensive. We also are somewhat independent-minded, and like the freedom to walk as much or as little as we want, rather than having to always make the next town (which may be farther than we want to walk).

Weather might make a difference here, as well. If it’s raining cats and dogs, we’ll likely seek an inexpensive hotel room, but if the stars are shining bright, sleeping out under the night sky will definitely appeal.

So, we decided to try a tent, and went shopping for the smallest lightest tent we could find. Just to be sure, we tried it out at home, and found that we couldn’t even sit up in it, let alone stand. In fact, we were so tight in it that we bumped into each other all night long, and in the morning we had to get out (a difficult process) even to put on clothes. Try that in the rain, will you? In addition, we would have to leave our packs outside all night, and that is a worry.

So, it seemed that we needed a bigger tent, and thus even more weight. After looking around, we found a suitable sized tent, but it weighs a whopping 7 lbs. That is almost twice what the little one weighed.

So, for now, our strategy is to bring the heavier tent, try it out, and if it’s just too heavy, we’ll forgo the camping idea. Unfortunately, that may mean a shorter trip, as months in hotel rooms could prove beyond our planned budget, and so we might find ourselves travelling the more northern parts of the trip on the train. We’ll have to see how it goes.

The smaller tent wasn't big enough to turn around in, but a slightly larger tent was perfect….. except that it weighs twice as much!

Cold weather gear (3 lb)

We’re arriving in Paris around the 1^st of May. Usually, that means the trip will be warm, and assuming it takes us a month to get to the Pyrenees, it won’t be too cold going over the pass. But some people have reported cold weather in the mountains, even in summer.

Also, depending on outcome of the tent/pack weight/train controversy, we might arrive by train at St. Jean Pied-a-Port earlier than expected. On the other side, we might also linger through the summer, and find ourselves crossing high country in the fall.

There’s no way to predict, but carrying a cold-weather jacket, even with modern fabrics, can mean about 3 lbs. more weight.

A cold-weather jacket and a wool sweater are things most pilgrims say to leave behind. We'll have to see, but for now, we are bringing both.

Rain gear (1 lb)

We expect rain, at times heavy rain. That is not controversial. But some pilgrims get by with a light poncho that covers you up completely, including your pack. Others prefer a rain suit and a separate pack cover. Even in warm weather, there can be heavy rain and strong winds, especially in Galicia, we are told. So it’s hard to know which way we will prefer.

Since the poncho weighs like next-to-nothing, we have decided to bring both. First big rain storm, and we’ll know which we prefer.

Worst case scenario: it is dry the whole way, and we carry rain gear for nothing. Just to be difficult, I plan also to carry an umbrella, which I am fully willing to toss if appropriate.

I just expect that if it’s raining, and we want to go into town for dinner, it might be nice to have a small portable umbrella handy.

Rain jacket (not very warm -- just to keep dry) and a backpack cover, both fit into a small stuff sack.

Shoes (2 lb)

Several Camino blogs suggest lightweight flip-flops for use in communal showers, and also a pair of ‘civilian’ shoes for walking around town after setting down your heavy pack after a morning of trekking. Again, because it’s easy to dump them as appropriate, I’m bringing both.

Grooming (1 lb)

I’m trying to take small amounts of grooming supplies, but at the same time, not to deprive myself of modern conveniences.

Because these kinds of items are readily available in every town and village along the way, there is no need to carry more than a few days supply of anything.

Similarly, since this kind of thing is pretty inexpensive to buy, it is very acceptable to buy the smallest size, or even to buy a larger size if that is all they have – and then throw most of it away.

Toothbrush
Toothpaste (small sample size)
Floss (I’m a dentist – duh)
Shampoo (hotel size)
Soap (Actually, I’m trying ‘european shower gel’ and a light plastic sponge-scrubber thingy, trying to avoid the mess of wet soap mixing with other things.)
Disposable razor and plastic mirror
Ibuprofen (just a few in a small container)
Bug repellent (poured out half of it)
Sun-block (also poured out half)
Nail scissors, tweezers
Ear plugs (for noisy snoring in community sleeping quarters)
Hand Lotion (half empty)
Small synthetic "chamois" like towel. I suspect this will be hard to get used to, but a full-sized cotton bath towel is heavy and won't dry quickly.

This small bath towel comes in it's own ventilated carrying bag. Supposedly, you can hang it outside your pack and it will dry as you walk.

First-aid and survival gear (1 lb)

Band-Aids, gauze and tape, blister pads, sleeping pad repair kit, Ace bandage, emergency LED headlight, pocket knife, spare batteries, antibiotic ointment, etc.

Sleeping (3 lbs)

Some people camino with just a thin sheet or sleeping bag, but most will bring a sleeping pad also. The lightest sleeping bags are around 1 lb, and a good sleeping pad is another 2lb, not a trivial matter. But keeping in mind our desire to camp, and also mindful that sometimes the summer can be so busy that one winds up sleeping on the floor, we decided to start out at least with both sleeping bag and pad.

One small addition suggested by others, that I found at a local sporting goods store, is a silk sleeping bag liner. They say it keeps bugs away if you sleep in a communal dorm, and adds a bit of insulation if you camp out. I didn't like the feeling of it when I tried sleeping with it, but will carry it anyway, at least for a while.

Technology (7 lbs)

This is where normal people and I will part ways, conceptually. A lot of blogs talk about the debate between carrying a cell-phone or not. Some say they don’t need it. I cannot even conceive of that.

For me, carrying technology, and lots of it, is a must. Without the ability to read e-books, listen to music, browse the web (at WiFi hotspots), write blog entries, read email, Facebook, Google+, and all the rest, I would truly not even consider the trip. Well, OK, maybe I would do a quick 100 mile dash and then run back to civilization. But not the way we are planning it – a leisurely stroll of a thousand miles.

No, to do this, and not be in a hurry, die or boredom, or fret with worry, one needs to have technology along for the ride. I need to set this up to be sustainable, of else I’ll be wanting to get back, and won’t allow myself to enjoy the slow and leisurely pace we intend to travel.

Most will call me insane, but here’s my setup:

iPhone (unlocked – thank you AT&T, we plan on getting a prepaid SIM card for each country we visit)
Solar charger. This is from Voltaic, and it attaches to the back of my pack. A day in the sun will recharge an iPhone, or half an iPad. Doesn’t weigh much, and might save my skin if I have to go a few days without an electric outlet. We’ll have to see how that goes, but the idea sounded cool.
iPod (so I can listen to music all day without draining my iPhone battery, keeping it available for emergencies)
iPad (starting to sound a bit absurd, but wait, there is more. I have around 100 of my favorite movies on my iPad, and somewhere near 1,400 iBooks. Could I live without? Sure, but I don’t want to. I’d rather chuck the tent and stay indoors when it’s cold. No sense living in the 20th century.)
MacBook Air. By now this sounds insane. Possibly it is. But I like a real keyboard. I like a real computer. It weighs in at 3 lbs, and so there it is. This is a lifestyle, not a weekend trip.
Assorted power cords, adapters, and connection cables for all of the above.

Probably overkill. But I'm spoiled, and don't want to be without modern conveniences.

I thought about leaving the iPad at home, thinking the MacBook Air could play movies and read books. But the MBA battery life is only a couple of hours, and I don’t know how easy it will be to find electric outlets. Certainly camping there won’t be many, and in communal lodging I don’t want to fight for a plug. So, I’m figuring use the iPad for amusement, and use the MBA for actual computing, perhaps only when power is available.

Pack (6 lb) and Sacks

There are people who use ulta-light packs, and there are people who use lightweight day packs. I chose a full-size ‘technical’ pack that is 65 liters. The pack has an internal frame, and all the padded hip belts and shoulder straps you might ever want. I may regret taking as much as I am taking, but since I am taking all of it, at least to start, I’ll need a full-size pack to carry it all safely, and (I hope) comfortably.

Everything is organized into compartmentalized stuff sacks, color coded if possible, and each containing items for a given purpose.

Tent, cold-weather, clothing, rain, sleeping, first-aid, technology. Each has it's own compartment, and they fit together in or on the pack.

Total weight (35 lbs)

If you have been keeping score, you can see the total weight is quite high, compared with the weight most people carry on the Camino, and way more than most experienced hikers suggest carring. We are aware that we might wind up changing our plans.

Some of the adaptations that we have thought of, as may occur during our trip, are:

Toss things we don’t need (tent, shoes, cold weather gear, extra clothing)
Mail back expensive items (technology)

Probably not the best picture, but you get the idea. It's heavy, but I simply imagine that I weigh 35 lbs more and am walking without carrying anything.

If that doesn't work, I think of all the money I'm saving by not having to buy a gym membership ;-)

What we are told

I have read in many places that keeping the total pack weight under 10% of your body weight is the idea (without food or water). I weigh 165 lbs, so that means around 16-17 lbs would be best. At my current planned pack weight, I am a little over double the recommended weight. This could spell trouble for aging knees, hips, and feet. I don’t want to be stupid.

But, overall, I would like to take several months on this voyage of discovery. I want to make this an enjoyable stroll, not a hard sprint deprive of modern conveniences.

If I wind up being too heavy, my first choice is ditch the tent. That will increase our budget, and thus probably shorten our trip.

If we find the weather is warm, and don’t need cold weather things, I might send the heavier stuff home, and maybe then ship it back later in the trip, if I wind up needing it again. An alternative here would be toss it and buy again if needed. Chances are, shipping it would be more practical, as good cold weather clothing proved rather expensive when we were preparing for the trip.

Either way, I will share the outcome here for some to laugh, and others to learn.