Where to live your rucksack??

[Jeffrey Crawley]

Camilla,

just like the turtle you'll have to get used to hauling your home around
with you.

Generally packs are safe left under bunks in the refugios (although I hear
there was a problem in July last year in Burgos).  Most refugios won't want
to take responsibility for your luggage - it's not their job to be security
guards. Just don't leave that $500 digital camera on show! In Pamplona there
is a small area with railings at the entrance to the refugio and some German
pilgrims had left their packs there (also 'keeping their place' - it's a
small refugio and there's usually a queue) when the Hospitalero opened up he
just put the packs out on the street - no saving places, no left luggage!

You could try looking weary and pathetic (no difficult for most of us after
a day's walk!) when you grab a drink in a cafe and ask if they could keep it
behind the bar for a while.  Bus stations have 'consignias' where you can
leave them (either lockers or a manned room) but will your town have a bus
station?

Or you can buy a steel mesh overbag called a 'Packsafe' - put the bag inside
then chain and padlock it to something immovable.  Trouble is it's fairly
hefty so whether you'd want to haul all that extra weight around . . .

Probably the best advice is not to get too paranoid about theft and don't
carry anything in your pack that would devastate you if it gets stolen.

Bet you'll miss it when you finish the walk and don't have to carry it
anymore :o)

Jeffrey

-----Original Message-----
From: Road to Santiago Pilgrimage [mailto:GOCAMINOaPETE.URI.EDU]On
Behalf Of Camilla
Sent: 17 April 2003 12:36
To: GOCAMINOaPETE.URI.EDU
Subject: Where to live your rucksack??


Hello everybody,
Just wanted to ask:
What do you do with your rucksack after a long walking day..Would be nice to
be able to leave it somewhere at least for a couple of hours!!
is there anywhere safe where it can be left in refuges. Does anyone have any
tips on this one?

Camilla Lojacono