AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |
Back to Blog
Camino del santiago1/3/2023 ![]() ![]() Mine has weighed about 7kg (15lbs) without water each time, and I wouldn’t want to carry more than that. The theory for the Camino is that your backpack and everything in it should be no more than ten percent of your bodyweight, and less is better. A bit more preparation would have resulted in less pain to both wallet and body. The people I met who were posting gear home from Pamplona or nursing shoulder injuries hadn’t done this, and were suffering for it. The key is to get plenty of practice with whatever you intend to use well ahead of time, and with as much weight as you intend to carry. For most people, though, the best Camino backpack will likely be a comfortable, lightweight, sturdy 35-50 litre hiking pack with good shoulder and waist straps. I saw people with backpacks of all sizes along the trail, from tiny schoolbags to enormous 100-litre hiking packs, and everything in between. It was far superior to anything I’d used in the past, and I’d definitely recommend it. There’s also enough airflow between my body and the pack to prevent most back sweat, even in hot weather.Īfter trialing it on a few week-long walks in the UK beforehand, this is the backpack I took on the Camino Primitivo. The harness and waist straps are comfortable even after walking all day, and the extra capacity makes packing up each morning quick and easy. Snacks live in the top lid, so I can easily grab them without having to open up the main bag. The larger pocket on the back is a good place to stow my long-sleeved top when the day warms up, or my wet poncho when the rain stops. There’s a separate section for a hydration sack, or the side pockets are both big enough to fit a good-sized water bottle. The Osprey Talon 44 is a mid-sized, top-loading pack with a 44-litre capacity. What I Ended Up WithĮventually I bit the bullet and bought a quality hiking pack specifically for long walks. It was terrible, with uncomfortable straps, no padding, and a distinctly sweaty odour after three weeks of walking in hot conditions. ![]() It never became a major problem, but by the end of the walk I started stuffing a shirt between the bag and my back as a cushion.įor the Camino Portuguese, I bought a cheap pack from Decathlon, the Forclaz 40 Air. It could also have done with being a little longer, as the base of the bag sometimes rubbed against the bottom of my back. ![]() Fitting everything into 30 litres was a tight squeeze, which meant packing in the morning took longer than it should. It was slightly too small, though, in a couple of ways. ![]() Somewhat water resistant, with adjustable waist and shoulder straps, it held up to the task well enough. Since I didn’t want to buy another backpack just for one hike, I used the 30-litre daypack I already had. When I set out to walk the Camino Frances, I was traveling full-time, with nowhere to easily store excess gear long-term. It’s easy to spend endless hours researching the best Camino backpack, only to come away more confused than you started. These paths are part of a vast network of medieval pilgrim routes across Europe collectively known as the Camino de Santiago. This packing list details what I took with me, what changed from one route to the next, and how well it all worked during over a thousand miles of walking towards that great cathedral in northwest Spain. Three years after that, I spent two weeks hiking up and down the mountains of Asturias and Galicia enroute to Santiago once more. In a little over a month I’d walked right across the top of Spain, starting in a small French border town at the base of the Pyrenees and finishing in the shallows of the Atlantic ocean.Ī year later, I strapped on my backpack again, spending nearly three weeks walking from Porto in northern Portugal to Santiago, and then a loop to Finisterre, Muxia, and back. One fine October day on a beach in Galicia, I completed the most challenging and satisfying experience of my life. Camino del santiago full#The full privacy & disclosure policy is here. Articles on this site contain affiliate links, meaning I may be compensated if you buy a product or service after clicking them. ![]()
0 Comments
Read More
Leave a Reply. |