Behind the Albergue Door: Inspiration Agony Adventure on the Camino de Santiago

reason not to bring one along.
    I would also categorize gloves as an essential during the shoulder seasons and would probably recommend them all year round since they don’t weigh much and are intensely appreciated when needed. A pair of lightweight waterproof gloves would be ideal but are hard to find and generally expensive. At the very least you will want a small fleece pair t hat are light, packable and come in extremely handy on particularly chilly Galician mornings when fishing around for your penis by the side of trail.
    Summer Wear
    In the summer, heat will probably be your biggest daytime concern so you will want a couple pairs of shorts and t-shirts to rotate, preferably in quick-drying materials (avoid cotton).
    Rape Whistle
    Fluorescent orange if possible. Not that we expect you to need it, and we heard one used for practice once and you never, ever want to blow one of those things for fun, let me tell you. But it will surely become a running joke among your friends, and you just can’t put a price on that kind of levity at the end of a long day.
    Walking Stick(s)
    A lot of people swear by them but on a trail like this one, to me, they seem like more trouble than they are worth. This is Spain, not Mt. Everest, or even a giant five-story used bathing suit bazaar, so there are really only a handful of steep ascents and descents. People that use them religiously will still find them useful I'm sure, as well as those who had physical ailments such as sore knees and the like. The telescopic ones that can be easily attached to your backpack when not needed (i.e. almost always) are less troublesome to carry, but in my experience at least half the people click-clacking around ineffectually actually have no clue how to use them properly and generally just settle for irritating other hikers with the noise and trying to find a good place to lean them while on a break.
    Small Canary
    Bright yellow is best, although any colour will do when trying to determine whether there is truly enough oxygen to go around in a miniscule dorm room jammed with twelve gasping pilgrims who just finished a huge meal of turkey and baked beans.
    The Water Debate
    One of the most useful and fascinating things about the Camino was the number of public water fountains along the way. You could also fill up at bars and cafés and rarely had to go more than five kilometres (ten at most) without passing some source of water. There was usually at least one fountain in every town and numerous others in helpful locations along the route. They were all clearly marked in our guidebook and proved immeasurably useful - logistically (less water to carry), environmentally (we didn’t buy a single plastic bottle of water in five weeks), and from a convenience standpoint (they served as natural stopping points for pilgrims to gather and compare open sores).
    The big question is whether to go bottle or bladder. We chose to go with a bottle and carried it in a pocket on the outside of Laynni’s pack. It was a piece of cake to refill at the occasional fountains, bars and cafés we came across every couple hours so there was no need to carry large amounts of water during the day. For two people we usually only carried a full one litre bottle, much less than we would have if we were using a bladder. The downside was that we needed to stop each time we wanted to drink because on most backpacks it is difficult to get the bottle in and out by yourself. We also had to go to the trouble of refilling it throughout the day.
    On the other hand, if you take a backpack with a suitable place to hold a water bladder then you can drink out of the hose while you hike without having to stop. The downside to them, though, is that they are such a pain in the ass to refill that you will probably end up carrying all of your water for the day right from the start and, considering that water weighs approximately two pounds per litre, carrying an extra litre or two can be pretty noticeable.
    So, in my opinion, if you are travelling with someone else a bottle is probably better as they can take it out and put it back into your bag for you, but if you are travelling alone a bladder and hose makes more sense since it is easier to access and even if you stock up for the whole day you only need half as much water as a couple would.
    Technology
    On the off chance you didn’t already suspect this, the internet has most certainly made it to the Camino Frances and you will be able to