“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” Benjamin Franklin
Within the hiking community there is a term called a shakedown where a backpacker, in preparation for a long hike, takes their full selection of equipment on shorter trips with the intention of testing its trail-worthiness.
Rex and I officially started this process this week in preparation for our Camino de Santiago trek in September/October. We selected the Camino Frances route which is 562 miles across northern Spain. It should take us about 58 days to complete it from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port in France to the coastal town of Fisterra, Spain. This includes several days of rest throughout the trek since we will no longer need to worry about our limited vacation time. We won’t be carrying a tent since we will be staying in alburgues (hostels) along the trail to the Cathedral in Santiago. If this post has you curious about the trail, there is a movie titled The Way starring Martin Sheen which will give you a great rough overview of the journey.
We will provide our full gear list and photos of what we are packing in a later post. Our recent shakedowns focused on packs and sleeping gear mainly. But our shoes/socks, umbrella, hats, and fanny packs were being tested too.
Rex learned his new Hoka Speedgoat 4 shoes needed to be returned. While super comfy to walk around in, they don’t provide enough support with the added weight of the pack. He is glad he caught this now versus out on the trail where he’d be stuck with them until we got to a town with a sporting goods store. His new 48-liter pack seems to be working well, but now comes the challenge of deciding how much to put in it. It is time to reduce or eliminate as much as possible, because every ounce/gram counts when you have to carry it over 500 miles/800 kms.
I am excited to say my pack (Gregory Jade 38L) fits great. It’s the right size for me and the straps don’t pinch or rub where they shouldn’t. Hopefully, all my stuff will fit into this relatively small pack. I purchased my shoes (Obōz Sawtooth II) over a year ago and they continue to be supportive, comfortable, and leave me blister-free. I get plantar fasciitis and since wearing these I haven’t suffered with it once. The rigid sole support is key to preventing this painful issue.
As a ball cap girl, I was struggling to find a full-coverage hat which wouldn’t hit the top of my pack or collapse into a floppy mess after packing it. After much research, I found a highly recommended hands-free, lightweight, cooling umbrella and bought it. I am so glad I did. It will go down as one of my best purchases for this trip. It is easy to put up and take down in stride. No stopping needed. Now to find the most convenient and comfortable place to secure it when I’m not using it.
Oh, and I almost forget to give a huge shout out to WoolX soft merino wool tee shirts. I’d heard they were fantastic, cooling and odor free, so I had to buy one and try it. So far, no smell after seven days! I thought I might try to see how long it would take before the smell set in, but after seven days, I felt it was time to introduce the shirt to the washing machine.
Shakedown #1
Mileage: 4.15 miles / 6.69 km
Road type: Paved
Pack weights: Rex 10.6 lbs. / 4.8km – Kara 9 lbs. / 4.08km
Shakedown #2
Mileage: 5 miles / 8.02km
Road type: Paved / Dirt
Pack weights: Rex 17.4 lbs. / 7.9kg – Kara 15 lbs. / 6.8kg
Shakedown #3 (rain)
Mileage: 3.5 miles / 5.63km
Road type: Paved
Pack weights: Rex 22 lbs. / 10kg – Kara 20.8lbs. / 9.4kg
Shakedown #4
Mileage: 5.15 miles / 8.29km
Road type: Paved
Pack weights: Rex 22 lbs. / 10kg – Kara 22.4 lbs. / 10.16kg
Our packs are now filled with everything we think we need for the trip and we’re working on increasing mileage with the weight. We know our bodies we won’t be 100% ready for the tough Pyrenees Mountains climb we’ll be facing on day one, but these shakedowns will take some of the “in our control” potential issues out of the equation.
Only 62 days until we hit the trail for real…
Good stuff, you two!
I love it! Can’t wait to see your photos on your trip!!
Oh this will be an amazing journey thanks for taking us with you. Also great job on all the details for future travelers;))
You will have a blast! My father and I would do a lot of hikes together and preparing is by far the most important part! I love that you don’t have to carry a tent and I will have to look into buying the hand free umbrella!
Good luck!