10 tips for preparing your backpack

Should we provide a pharmacy kit?

Yes, but it must be light: on the one hand, it may never serve you; On the other hand, there are many pharmacies on pilgrimage roads.

I slide in a small plastic bag (type conservation or freezing bag): a paracetamol plate, 1 “dry” compress, 1 pipette of physiological serum, 1 pipette of disinfectant (for example chlorexidine), 1 needle and wire in case of bulbs. I always have with me a roller of Mercurochrome anti-ampoules sparadrap (found in large surfaces), which is wide and is cut with my fingers: I apply it directly against the skin as soon as I feel a friction area in my shoe. This often helps prevent the formation of the bulb. For those who are often stung by ticks and/or during large forest crossings, we can add a ticks.

In anticipation of more difficult situations, such as the beginnings of tendonitis or small muscular tears, I take anti-inflammatory patches (Flector Patch type) and kinesiotapes (self-adhesive and elastic bands that support muscles and tendons, used by professional sportsmen).

Finally, for those who have long -term treatment, I advise to take a little more medication than necessary when you walk in a foreign country; And above all, think of your drug prescription!

Is the bag complete or do you add other elements?

I always take my identity card (abroad, it is necessary to access accommodation). Besides this document are my social security and mutual security cards. In addition, when the journey overflows the French borders, you must ask for a European social security card (if you do it a little late, a certificate can be downloaded): it will be useful in the event of a “pepin de health”.

Do not forget your pilgrimage notebook to buffer daily: it will give you access to dedicated accommodation. I advise to place it in a waterproof pocket. On certain routes, the topoguide is also essential; Very often, however, markup is sufficient. Know that there are also applications that allow you to follow your route thanks to the GPX traces. And if you want to note your impressions, your memories of monuments and meetings, why not take a pencil and a small notebook?

Some pilgrims want total disconnection and do not take a phone. This is not our case: we like to share our day on a blog and on Facebook (itinerary of a Nantes pilgrim). When you travel for two, a double charger can be useful.

Finally, hung on the bag, a shell identifies us: symbol of the pilgrimage (not only that of Saint-Jacques), it is a wonderful sesame to exchange with the inhabitants of the regions crossed.

When you do your backpack workshops, you insist on the concept of choice: explain to us what you mean by that.

Any seasoned pilgrim will have a perfect bag for him … But who will not be for his walking companion, even if the great rules are common to all. Over the kilometers traveled, surveyed paths, the walker gets to know each other better and understand his real needs.

I advise to spread all its equipment on the ground or on a table, several days before leaving, and asking the question for everything: do I really need it? During my first path, I weighed everything: t-shirts, pants, pants … including small tubes of cream! The rule I had set myself was to take only the lighter objects. My bag then weighed 6.2 kg. It is now a little heavier (around 6.5 kg) but more suited to my needs. Thus, I always take a down (except in case of hot weather, where I take a silk sheet). Indeed, all pilgrim accommodations have no coverage; And sometimes, when there are, their cleanliness leaves something to be desired. And I now know that I prefer to have a slightly heavier but warmer down because I am chilly: it is my comfort on the way.

A detail: when I walk in sandals (it’s the foot!), I have the disadvantage of having the dirty toes and that displeases me. I found a very small nail brush that I use every night in the shower. Always in sandals, we quickly got wet by dew in the early morning. Suddenly, I no longer take spare socks: indeed, even if they are still damp in the early morning, they will be wet in the same way as a very dry pair, after a few steps.

And if you can’t wear a backpack, is the pilgrimage compromised?

It is necessary to distinguish the real medical contraindications and the reluctance, even fear, of the load port which can be mixed with the fear of failing.

I remind you that it is good to train to walk regularly in the previous months (at least 3 times a week, and more and more often when approaching departure) with the empty bag, then a little more filled over the weeks; The use of two walking sticks helps to relieve the work of the body (it is estimated from 15 to 20 %).

If, despite this, the physical discomfort predominates, one can orient ourselves towards the purchase of a small backpack (20-25 L) with which we will associate a well-placed ventral pocket on the hips and which can contain up to 2-3 kg of water and additional material. And when the back load is impossible, there are Carrix type carts: the bag is positioned on it and pulled by the pilgrim using a harness.

Finally, on the very busy paths, bag porting systems can be offered. But the temptation is then often great to fill the bag more than necessary. It seems to me a shame since one of the advantages of the path is to teach us to live with little, to understand that we live with a lot of superfluous on a daily basis: the sobriety chosen is a source of great wealth!