What goes in Professor Conny’s backpack?

Today we asked Professor Conny what she is going to take with her on her Camino to Santiago de Compostela. We thought this was an easy question, but she sighed and looked a bit troubled before answering.

“Well,” she began, “the rule of thumb is that you carry max 10% of your bodyweight on your back. For me this means less than 7 kilo. There is a saying in Dutch: ‘alles wat je thuislaat is meegenomen’. It is difficult to translate but it means that everything you leave at home is to your advantage.

Thus, with everything you pack, you have to ask yourself: Do I really need this? And you have to make a lot of difficult choices. You can keep it very lean. For instance by using a solid bar of soap for washing yourself, your hair and your clothes. Or by using your cell phone to store all documentation, take photographs and make notes. You can also keep your clothes to a minimum of only two sets, washing one every day and putting on your clothes for the next day after your afternoon shower.

I am afraid that that doesn't work for me. I like my own shampoo and I like books. So I am taking a guide book that describes the route and the most interesting places along it. I chose the English book ‘The Northern Caminos’ published by Cicero because it has nice maps, up-to-date information on pilgrims’ albergues and also summarizes the most interesting places to see. However, to reduce weight, I have cut out all the pages of the book that I will not need.”

And what about clothes? We specifically asked Professor Conny because at work she usually wears nice dresses and pretty skirts.

Conny likes wearing pretty dresses

“Well, in the evening I like to wear something different from my zip-off trousers. So I will take my lightest, un-wrinkleable dress with me.”

“A real problem will be the weather. In April it can still be very cold, and there can even be frost during the night. This may cause problems in unheated albergues or during early morning walks. Thus, I need to bring extra layers of light, but warm, clothing. For instance a Merino wool shirt. And don’t forget the rain. The Northern coast of Spain has a wet climate with relatively large amounts of rainfall per year. Heavy rain is not uncommon, so I need to bring a rain poncho as well.”

Professor Conny in zip-off trousers

“For the rest, I have a special ultra-light fibre sleeping bag and a pair of very light Teva sandals. A charger for my phone and for the batteries of my GPS. A light swimsuit to enjoy the beaches that I will pass. Some first-aid stuff and dried emergency food in case I cannot find anything to eat. I also allow myself the luxury of carrying a small thermos bottle for hot water so I can make my own coffee or soup while en route.

Then, of course, there are necessary things like money and passport. And, very important, my pilgrims’ passport that gives me access to pilgrims’ hostels, gites and albergues and reductions on pilgrims’ meals and allows me to collect stamps for my Compostela, the official proof that I completed the Camino.”

All this stuff needs to go in the backpack

“So what is the weight? I have been as strict as possible and allowed myself a maximum of 10 kilo, so that is what it is going to be.”

Backpack on the scale: 10 kilo exactly!

Do you want to support Professor Conny during her 1200 km walk for Chromosome 6?

Please go to www.chromosome6.org/walkforchromosome6