(this post was originally written after my first Camino experience, Spring 2019)
I spent a lot of time reading and researching what I should take with me on the Camino de Santiago. It was important for me, personally, to carry my gear with me. Some people choose to have their baggage transported ahead of them, but I wanted to be free enough to stop anywhere for the night and to not be locked into a set schedule. Here’s a list of my particular decisions in gearing up for the Camino:
1. I bought a good sized waist/fanny pack. I walked with this locally and in Spain. In it, I had my phone, a phone charger cord, an outlet adapter, money, credit card, passport, sunscreen, Kleenex, a small flashlight, my rock companions, foot care items (bandaids, a small container of aquaphor), a tootsie roll pop (family tradition…one each day of the hike), a water bottle, my maps and notes regarding that walking segment. I also carried in it a small journal and pen that I had prepared back home with various quotes and Scripture and song lyrics. This pack was a MUST for me. It was my go-to pack for almost everything during the day’s walk. I rarely had to get into my backpack as I walked.
2. I researched backpacks and bought a medium lightweight pack. Mine is a 50L Kelty, and I love it. If planning to walk with your pack, it is essential to limit the weight of the pack itself and the contents. I trained for weeks with 13 pounds of random clothing stuffed in my backpack. About 6 weeks before the trip, I added 10 more pounds. I am so glad I did. I ended up walking with 25 pounds on my back, and it was vital that I had trained with it for so many weeks before going to Spain.
3. I bought a lightweight Eddie Bauer jacket that I wore each day in the cool of the morning but often tied around my waist by late morning. I also took 2 pair of lightweight pants that could be unzipped and transformed into shorts. I had 3 short sleeved tops, 2 long sleeve dry wick shirts, 3 pair of Darn Tough socks, medium weight, 5 pair of underwear, a small camping towel, washcloth, a rain poncho, a swimming suit, and a hat. I took a very small air mattress and a very lightweight compact sleeping bag that I never used. I was uncertain about vacancy in albergues, and I didn’t want to be unprepared. (I would not take a sleeping pad and bag with me again on the Camino…especially if I am only walking the Sarria to Santiago leg which has plenty of accommodations along the way.) One other item that took up space was a backpack cover for the flight…so that straps and buckles would not get hooked on anything, and for security purposes. This took space to keep in my pack on the way, but I would recommend it. I also had a little padlock that locked the cover. I also took a small bag of toiletries and a hair brush. And, I packed my tennis shoes and a pair of sandals to wear in the evenings when my boots and my feet needed a break. I did buy a 1 liter water bladder at REI and put this in the top of my pack feeding the drinking tube under my shoulder strap and letting it hang down the right front part of my chest. I was glad for this, though most of the time, there is ample food and drink along the stretch between Sarria and Santiago. It’s the most populated segment of the Camino, and one need not travel more than 4 or 5 miles before running into some kind of village or stand with food/beverage for sale. I also put a head lamp in my pack, and I carried a few ear plugs in anticipation of snoring pilgrims in dorm style lodging.
4. I did not use walking poles, though I observed that about a third of pilgrims did use them. I wanted free hands and had no trouble traversing the path. I did, however, only walk a flat section of the Camino. Those who walked the whole Camino Frances had to do much more vertical than I did, so I imagine that walking poles would be beneficial on various routes and sections of the Camino.
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