Has anyone been on a hike/long walk?

[Seventyone72seventy3]

I am planning on walking a pilgrim's trail which takes about 5 days (4 nights). I walk a lot but have never done a trek like this! I am planning on staying at guest houses every night but there is no luggage service to take any stuff on to the next stop. I am reasonably fit but really don't want to carry a heavy rucksack as I have a bad back and just wouldn't enjoy it. What do you think the minimum amount of stuff I can take as I have no idea! Temperature should be 20 degrees more or less. Thanks!

You should manage with clean underwear and socks per + 2 extra, waterproof shell top and trousers, fleece, 2 pairs of shorts, a kilo of wash kit and the same of comms/IT. A pair of grippy sole socks for indoor wear at the accommodation might be useful too. If you don't already have a camelback drinks bag, that would be handy. Walking poles will save your knees. You'll need a hat. Should come in around 5-6 kg.

Thanks! That's really helpful.

Depends if you can wash stuff at the guest houses. Proper hiking shirts and fleeces etc would all dry very quickly.

Food, snacks?

I don't see the advantage of a water bag over a bottle. I prefer two smaller ones to even the weight.

If you're using poles, then gloves (proper Nordic walking ones, or bike ones) are very useful.

Thanks!

5 days/4 nights you won’t need much, so your backpack should be fairly light.
One change of clothes should be plenty.
Don’t forget first aid kit and foil blanket just in case.
Where are you off to?
Ive done both the coastal and inland routes of the fisherman’s trail in Portugal and loved it! I’m doing the Portugal-Spain leg of the Santiago de Compostela trail this year, and can’t wait!

It's in northern Italy, ending up in Florence. I have seen people doing it with huge rucksacks so glas to know they're not really necessary!

Take old clothes and bin them after wearing them so your bag gets lighter as you go on.

I'd rather not!

A couple of women did a YouTube series of them trekking the Camino and did a video on what gear they took - I enjoyed their series. The YouTuber is Homemade Wanderlust. You might get some inspiration there.

My boys and I do this but stay on church floors so need to bring sleeping bags and mats etc. If we didn't have them then our bags would be much smaller. The key thing is making sure you have clean walking socks for every day. Also enough room to carry food and water if there is nowhere to stop and buy it on Route.

Get a well fitted rucksack as a priority.

Food and water are usually the weight on a long walk. guess you will easily get water at the guest house and dinner, can you buy lunches every day? Ask the landladies? Can you fill up with water along the way?

Clean undies every day, two pairs socks for you boots, one outfit for walking and one for the evening since you going posh but use the same jumper , waterproof etc. Make that something you can walk in in case of disaster! Are you eating in the guest house ? If not consider crocs or very leightweight sandals

Weigh your sack fully laden. 1/3 of body weight is for nut cases, 1/4 is heavy and will noticeably slow me down anyway. 8kg or under a target? So 1 kg for the rucksack, 2 for 2 litres of water, 1 for food ( that's a bag of nuts and a large chocolate bar included in my case!)

Temperature should be 20 degrees more or less.
If this is day time temperature, don't forget that evenings and early mornings could be quite chilly.

2 pairs of shorts,
I'd certainly want more than two pairs of shorts and don't forget about the religious requirements. You won't be allowed into a lot of churches with knees/shoulders showing.

Argh, that came out wrong. I meant more than shorts as in a pair of trousers, not ten pairs of shorts!

Feetfreckles advice is good, and 8kg is a good target. Rucksack, food and water are the items that will weigh most - water weighs a kilo per litre, and you'll want to carry at least a litre a day. Just taking an outfit to walk in and one for the evening will help keep things light. For wash stuff, use the tiniest containers you have. A small bag with a chunk of bar soap in weighs very little.

I've no idea how a pp thinks your bag will weigh 5-6kg if you carry a kilo of comms/IT, a kilo of wash stuff, rucksack, food and water. That's +4 kg right there without including any clothes.

Get those ugly zip off trousers then you can just reattach the bottoms if you need to.

I do, frequently. We walk 20 miles most Saturdays and other than a lunch stop and the odd snack I don't need anything special. Given you don't need to take camping gear you'll be fine. 2 bottoms and 4 tops and underwear. 2 pairs of socks a day in case they get wet (wet socks makes you prone to blisters) or dry on radiators. Plenty of water and snacks (salty and sweet). Make sure your shoes fit and are comfortable.

Lighweight walking trousers are your friend - they also dry v quickly if you get soaked (Italian rainstorms are quite something). I'd take a thin waterproof for the same reason. I tend to take a light dress as it's so nice to have something clean to change into in the evenings.

Make sure you have full zip fleece this means you can cool down/warm up without constantly taking off rucksack and hoiking it on and off. Honestly transforms walks for me.
Agree two smaller water bottles for balance. Need to drink evenly if balance is a real thing !
Have fun.

Oh that sounds so lovely!

If you are going up mountain paths, the water from those cow wells/tiny streams is usually drinkable - ask a local first though.

Merino T shirt to walk in. They don’t get stinky with sweat so you can wear for several days without a wash.

Thanks for all the advice. Getting excited now. Reading about other people who have done it, it seems that most of the guest houses in the area will provide a packed lunch if you ask.

I have a friend who wants to join me but probably only for part of it. Do I do the rest on my own?? Having a wobble...

Also are trousers better than shorts? Worried about ticks.

Will you need to take food for the full day or will there be places available to get food on the way? Food can increase the weight of your rucksack a lot! I've walked most of the Cotswold way but only really needed to bring snacks and water as there are pubs and cafes on route. Remember all of that walking will make you hungry.
Don't worry about walking on your own, I prefer it most of the time, there's something lovely about getting lost in your own thoughts walking somewhere beautiful, I wish I could do it more often.

Re ticks. Look into the vaccination (although this is only against meningitis, not Lyme disease). Get a tick removal kit and read up on what to look out for. If it is a tick area, then long trousers and sleeves are best. Tuck trousers into socks etc. Get a decent tick spray and check how often to apply it. Stick to paths and avoid walking through the undergrowth. Get a shewee and practise using it!