To Walk Far, Carry Less : Camino de Santiago (17 page)

Synthetic Fabrics in Outdoor Clothing

One of the biggest advantages of synthetic fabrics is that they dry quickly: it’s easy to wash them in the evening and find them perfectly dry by morning (synthetics blended with natural fabrics can also dry fairly quickly, but it ultimately depends on the weight of the fabric).

Polypropylene (polypro), polyester, MTS 2, and Capilene
are some of the most common fabrics that provide wicking and are quick drying. They’re often used for inner-layer or mild-weather garments such as underwear, T-shirts, and turtlenecks.

Nylon
is frequently used in hiking pants and shirts. My experience is that nylon should be blended with another fabric that can eliminate static cling. I once had to return a pair of 100 percent nylon hiking pants because they stuck uncomfortably to my legs and wouldn’t let go!

Polar fleece or microfleece
(commonly referred to simply as fleece) is a lightweight insulator. Among Camino pilgrims it’s often the fabric of choice for jackets, hats, and gloves. It comes in a variety of thicknesses, so be careful of the weight—and bulk. As mentioned earlier, a 100-weight fleece is usually sufficient for most people while hiking. But if you tend to get cold easily, consider the mid-weight category of thickness: 200-weight. A heavyweight fleece (300-weight) would likely be too warm. Avoid the windproof fleece—it likely has a laminate in the fabric that will diminish the breathability of the fleece.

Microfiber
is known for its softness, durability, absorption, and wicking abilities, and tends to have some water repellency. A popular alternative to cotton for many athletic types, it’s often used in undergarments too.

Sleeping Bag Fills

Synthetic fills for sleeping bags have steadily improved, to the point that they now rival the warmth-to-weight ratio of down feathers. Bags made with synthetic fill are often less expensive than those with down fill, and unlike down, synthetic fill retains some warmth if it gets wet. Specially treated polyester microfiber, such as the PrimaLoft brand (also used in insulation layers of clothing), has had good reviews.

Women hike just like men do. So why are there women’s trekking poles? Women have a back, hips, and shoulders, as do men; why are there women’s backpacks? Why are there men’s and women’s sleeping bags?

The explanation is simple: marketing. One quick glance at a crowd of people anywhere in the world shows that body types vary among men just as much as they do among women. Find what’s right for you and your body, not what marketing ploys tell you to buy. Avoid marketing techniques that overlook practicality, comfort, and function. Avoid cute and stylish. Think practical, and think unisex. As they should, most pilgrims care about the performance of their clothing or gear, not how fashionable they look.

Fit matters too. Notice how more material is sometimes invested in men’s clothing than women’s, even for what is essentially the same garment. Men rarely wear short or tight-fitting outdoor clothing. Loose and baggy is best for all human bodies on the Camino. It’s perfect for comfort, and for layering.

Women might even save money by shopping in the men’s section. Fashion-conscious women’s outdoor clothing (skimpier cuts and “feminine” colors) often costs more than similar-functioning clothing made for men. I’ve sometimes noticed that men’s clothing is even made from better-quality fabrics and has better features, like multiple pockets large enough to carry more than a tube of lipstick.

I chose a men’s waterproof watch because it allows me to see the time without using my reading glasses (women’s sport watches are usually smaller). I discovered that the difference between a “male” first aid kit and one for women was simply a few pills for PMS. After an extensive and frustrating search, a female friend finally found that a pair of men’s hiking pants fit better than any of the women’s pants she’d been trying on. They even looked like women’s hiking pants—because a woman was wearing them.

Clothing needs are essentially the same for men and women on the Camino—we’re all walking upon the same earth and under the same ever-changing skies—so buy whatever works for you.

Finally, be careful when you see the word
lightweight
while shopping. Lightweight backpacking is the latest trend, and marketing experts know it.

Many backpacks, for example, are now advertised as lightweight due to this recent trend. But I saw one “lightweight” pack that weighed about 2 kilograms (more than 4 pounds)—empty. That’s not even close to a lightweight backpack (mine weighs just over a half kilo).

Weigh and compare everything. Judge for yourself if something is lightweight or not.

* * *

Reading these tips and lists might have some of you worried about how much all of this gear is going to cost. Never fear: the Camino is for everyone, and there are plenty of ways to save money as you prepare your lightweight backpack.

During the 1955 hiking season, a woman walked 3,489 kilometers (2,168 miles) alone on the Appalachian Trail on the East Coast of the United States. Her name was Emma Rowena Gatewood, but everyone called her Grandma Gatewood. At the time she was sixty-seven years old; married to a farmer, she was the mother of eleven children and had twenty-three grandchildren. According to hikers’ lore, she hiked in tennis shoes and used a handmade bag slung over her shoulder to carry cans of tuna fish, an army blanket, a raincoat, and a plastic shower curtain.

Grandma Gatewood (1887–1973) last hiked the Appalachian Trail at age seventy-six. Her story tells us this: it’s your spirit, not what you carry or what you wear, that will see you through. If your spirit harbors Camino dreams, go. Don’t worry if you don’t have the resources to gather all the “right” gear. Just take whatever you need that you have at home. The tips in this chapter will help you make the most of a limited budget.

The only items I bought before my first Camino journey were boots and socks. I had no awareness of lightweight backpacking principles. I even wore jeans. (Don’t tell anyone about that: jeans are the worst choice for the Camino, and my face turns pink just thinking about it.)

But, since the weight of your backpack (and the comfort of your footwear) will largely determine your health and happiness on the Camino, it’s important to follow the lightweight backpacking principles discussed in this book—even when you’re on a budget. Again, the key is to weigh everything and to choose the lightest options. Get as close as you can to that goal of a backpack that weighs about 10 percent of your body weight.

With creativity and imagination you can organize a Camino backpack that’s both inexpensive and lightweight—remember Grandma Gatewood’s shower curtain when you need inspiration. That was likely a multi-purpose item, and I can imagine her using it as a poncho, as a ground cloth to sleep on (the Appalachian Trail requires taking camping equipment) and to sit on while she ate her tuna fish for lunch—and maybe dinner too.

Grandma Gatewood almost certainly had tough feet, hiking so many miles in sneakers. I wonder how she handled having wet feet for hours, perhaps days. Did she get blisters? After all, walking with wet socks and shoes is practically guaranteed to cause blisters for most people.

When choosing your footwear, plan on rain and even deep mud on the trail. Some Camino routes also require walking for long distances on paved roads—for many people, this surface causes their feet the most problems. Having shoes with adequate soles will help protect your feet.

My strongest recommendation for someone with a limited budget is this: invest in good footwear. Your spirit will see you through to Santiago, but your feet will carry you there.

It’s not just your stuff that can get wet on the Camino; spirits can be dampened too. Here’s another strong recommendation: invest in effective rain gear.

A poncho could be the least expensive option. It might also be more effective than an inexpensive non-breathable jacket that will likely cause overheating and excessive perspiration when walking in the rain.

If you prefer a jacket, but you can only afford one made from a non-breathable fabric, get a size much larger than normal. The bigger and baggier the better, for more ventilation. Especially if the jacket is made with a soft plastic material, you could find condensation forming on the inside of the jacket as you warm up from walking. Then you’ll get wet from the inside.

To prevent their legs from getting wet, some backpackers take an extra-large trash bag, cut it open at the sealed end, and wear it over their shorts as a type of waterproof kilt, held up by their backpack’s hip belt.

Legs can get cold under the plastic kilt, though, so other budget backpackers have taken large trash bags, cut them to the shape of rain chaps, and then sealed them with duct tape. Those can then be worn over hiking pants.

Using Old or Abused Rain Gear

I first realized that rain gear has a shelf life when a pair of rain pants failed after having provided perfect protection throughout the previous year’s Camino journey. The waterproofing properties had simply worn off the fabric. I stopped my walk that day in a small French town, and was lucky to find a shop that actually sold rain pants.

If you have doubts about your old rain gear (you can test it at home in the shower), buy waterproof spray at an outdoor store to extend the waterproof life of the garment. Or, take it to a dry cleaner that provides waterproofing treatment.

Use What You Already Have

• Consider every item and ask, “How can I make this lighter?” Cut things to their practical essence.
  
• Take the internal frame out of an old backpack, or remove a metal external frame. Cut off unnecessary straps, buckles, and pockets. Remove padding from the hip belt and shoulder straps. If your pack’s contents are truly lightweight, you won’t need that padding.
  
• Take an old sleeping bag and cut it to the shape of a mummy bag, then re-sew the seams. Shorten the length, if that length is more than your body needs.
  
• Trim a threadbare old towel to the minimal size needed to dry yourself after a shower. Or use a dishcloth as a towel.
  
• Choose your most lightweight clothing. Synthetics dry fast and weigh the least. Cotton clothing is heavy and takes forever to dry in damp conditions. Wool can be bulky and heavy. Adding additional thin clothing layers could be more lightweight and less bulky in your backpack than one thicker item.
  
• Cut pants off at the calf or the knee for a pair of capris. Roll up the cuffs, and you won’t need to bother sewing a hem.
  
• Women: cross the aisle and look in the men’s department. Sometimes things are less expensive there.
  
• Make your own first aid kit, and store the items in a ziplock bag. Look at the contents of backpacker’s first aid kits to know what to take. (Google “backpacker’s first aid kit” to find a list of items for a small first aid kit.)
  
• Use a large plastic trash sack to cover your backpack in the rain instead of buying a rain cover.
  

Buy Used Gear

• Avid backpackers are constantly updating their gear. Look for classified ads in backpacking magazines or in your local newspaper and on bulletin boards at outdoor stores. Go to the Backpacking Light website (
  www.backpackinglight.com
  ) to see what you can find under “Used Gear.”
  
• Search websites like eBay, Craigslist, and Amazon to find used backpacks, boots, hiking clothes, and other gear for sale.
  
• Check outdoor stores to see if they have sales on returned items or discontinued brands and models of backpacking gear.
  
• Ask friends or family if they have any backpacking gear you can buy or borrow from them.
  

Consider the Least Expensive Items

Inexpensive sometimes means less material, thus less weight—and cheaper items could be just as good, or better, than expensive options. An example: I once needed new socks while walking the Camino in Spain. At the time, my only choice was a pair of cheap, thin men’s socks from a small village shop. I thought they’d work well enough until I could get to a shop in a larger town or city.

But those socks turned out to be fantastic, and they made me question why I was buying expensive “backpacking” socks. Although there are good reasons to invest in a pair of high-quality socks (especially for walking on paved roads), thin socks can work well enough on certain terrain (particularly off-road).

Make Your Own Gear

Aspiring pilgrims with limited budgets can also sew their own backpack, rain gear, stuff sacks, sleeping bag, and other items.

I already mentioned that I once made rain chaps, but neglected to use the correct material (I should have used a waterproof, rather than water-repellent, fabric). If you want to make your own rain gear, keep my error in mind when choosing materials.

Resources

You can also purchase backpacking gear kits that come with all the materials and instructions you’ll need to make your own. Ray Jardine, an American who has experimented for years with techniques for lightweight backpacking, sells kits through his website,
www.rayjardine.com
. He’s also the author of
Trail Life: Lightweight Backpacking.
Both the book and the website provide resources for making your own lightweight gear. Jardine’s focus is wilderness backpacking, but his philosophy and techniques can be applied to Camino journeys too.

Another resource for buying outdoor-gear fabrics, patterns, fasteners, zippers, and more is Quest Outfitters (
www.questoutfitters.com
).

Pilgrim Stories

Too Cheap: Don’t Do This

One night at a pilgrims’ refuge, in a room with about twenty pilgrims all eager for a good night’s sleep, two women unfurled space blankets on top of their bunk beds.