(Post-Camino update) – Please review italics for post Camino comments and lessons learned. We thought we knew everything before we left – wow were we wrong.
So a while ago I gave a short talk on the topic describing the difference of “what we want and what we need”. That said, on this trip we did a lot of reading about “what we need”. As I write this post we still do not have an answer for the question “what we can carry”. We are trying to determine total weight now by starting training hikes with loaded backpacks. I expect what “we can carry” might eliminate a few items of “what we need”. (Post-Camino update) – We took too much stuff and we ended up giving a lot of items away.
Packing List
Just a quick disclaimer. I am listing these items along with a URL if I have it. This is not an endorsement for that item but rather my documentation of what we took on this trip. Please do your own research.
We know we cannot carry trekking poles on the plane (in the US) so we are taking a junky suitcase as a check-in. It will hold our Rumpl bags and trekking poles and few other items. We intend on leaving that suitcase somewhere in Paris after we land and we will buy a new suitcase in Santiago de Compostela for the trip home. So far we are at 19 pounds! Too heavy.(Post-Camino update) – So… the throw away suitcase was a good idea but you can’t just abandoned a suitcase in an airport or they will think it is a suspicious item and it might cause havoc. It took about 30 minutes to find the lost-and-found in the Paris airport where they would take a suitcase. Also, we ended up buying two large suitcases, a carry-on bag and a small backpack in Santiago de Compostela for the trip home just to carry all the souvenirs we bought on the last day of the Camino in Santiago. ** Since we ended up using jacotrans the best plan here would be to take a duffel type bag as the “checked” bag for the trekking poles and use that duffel bag for the transport service. Just beware – make sure everything will fit in your backpacks “as a test” in case the transport service isn’t available for a day.
We know cotton is evil (but we are each taking one cotton tee shirt).
– ¡Buen Camino! – doubles as a sleeping shirt
Test your stuff before leaving. All of the items listed below we have tested in our training. For example – the Timberland Mt. Maddsen boots are the winner after testing several shoe choices. Our Oboz shoes are great but we switched to Timberland after many test hikes. The Gregory backpacks feel better when loaded than our other backpacks (try loading backpacks in the store if they will let you). The Rumpl blanket is very lightweight and has been tested at home as being very warm. The Marino wool socks (Costco 4 pack) beat out $25 wool socks. We like the REI wide brim hats because of sun protection (both of us had skin cancer scares). For rain protection we know, based on Oregon hikes with our family, rain protection weight offsets being miserable.
Backpacking
– (Wayne) Gregory Zulu 40 M/L REI (Get REI or another expert to fit your backpack for you!)
– (Janice) Gregory Octal 45 S Amazon (Post-Camino update) – OK strange story here! – About near week 4 Janice and I switched back backs (I don’t remember why we tried switching) but I wore hers and she wore mine. For whatever reason mine felt better on her back and hers felt better on my back. We were both much happier when we discovered this and switched backpacks. You MUST test your stuff before leaving.
– Dry sacks for our items (4 to 5 each) – 8L Sea to Summit Ultra-SIL Dry Sacks, a couple of 4L dry sacks. We really like these dry sacks and we will use them on other trips to keep stuff organized and dry. They weigh close to nothing. (Post-Camino update) – We took too many of these dry sacks. Turned out that we needed about three each – One for dirty clothes, another for pants and shirts and another for everything else. I carried one additional for miscellaneous items such as clothes pins, detergent, charging cables etc. We carried all the extra dry sacks across the whole Camino (they are expensive) since they compressed to a small size and weighed nothing. We definitely likes the dry sacks but we just didn’t need so many.
– Black Diamond trekking poles. – I have yet to use these in training and I have my doubts on the need to take them. It seems everyone eventually uses at least one pole during their Camino so better safe than sorry. (Post-Camino update) – For most of the first few weeks I dreaded having these since we didn’t use them and all I ever did was attach and reattach them to our backpacks. Then came the day when we needed them and I am really glad we had them. Janice needed them on downhills as her knee was very sore on downhills and they helped me on uphill. I would highly recommend trekking poles although you will have to investigate how to get them on the airplane if you don’t check your bags.
Clothes
– Shoes (we both have) Timberland Mt Maddsen mid hikers. We were going to wear Oboz Sawtooth II Low Waterproof Hiking Shoes but we hope the Timberland will hold up better to the mud conditions we might encounter. Also the Timberland were just 1/2 ounce heavier (we actually weighed them to make sure). (Post-Camino update) – One of our best decisions of the Camino was buying/wearing these Timberland boots. They are amazing! We needed the waterproofing many times and the support is amazing. Just make sure and get a pair with wide space for your toes – So if you were size 8 for example get size 8W. If you feel your toes touching the boots are probably too small. Your feet will swell on the Camino so space in the toes is better.
Foot-care (Post-Camino update – This is not medical advice!)
We saw many people with feet/blister problems and they looked miserable. We never had issues with foot aliments. It is important to know just how important this product was – Foot Glide. We used it every day and we are sure it was why we never had foot issues.
– Evening/Shower shoes – REI Oofos. Many of the albergues and hostels require guests to remove their muddy hiking boots. Plus we need something for shower shoes. Have you tried these? OMG they are great!
(Post-Camino update) – What a waste to take. We used these one time and these were a waste of space in the backpack. Every time I repacked the backpacks I considered leaving these behind because space in the backpack was precious. I would recommend you consider other much smaller options if you want to take shower shoes (like really cheap options). Even after hiking all day we preferred to stay in our hiking boots as they were very comfortable.
– Pants (Wayne) zip off Kuhl (2 – Renegade Cargo Convertible)
– Pants (Janice) zip off pants and these
– Shirts wear 1 and pack 2 synthetic (two long-sleeve, one short sleeve)
– Socks wear 1 pack 4 (Marino wool, Costco) very lightweight.
– Underwear wear 1 pack 4 (Puma synthetic, Costco) very lightweight.
(Post-Camino update) – Pants, shirts, socks – We probably could have gotten away with less here. I really liked my long sleeve shirt with a pocket since my phone was always in my shirt pocket. For pants, two pairs was a luxury and one would have worked as long as I had something (like shorts) for when we went to a laundromat. We tried to wash clothes every 4-5 days but we often washed one or two underwear/tee-shirt in a sink to get us through (take clothes pins). Socks can be worn for two days in a row if they are high quality socks (so 3 pairs would work).
– 3 in one Jacket – North Face Triclimate Dryvent (only because super good deal at the Outlet store)
(Post-Camino update) – OK the good news – These are very good jackets for windy and cold weather and we were very happy with them. We used all three options on how to configure them for the weather condition for the day. BEWARE – These are NOT raincoats. North Face says these are 100% waterproof and they are but they do not say how long they will be waterproof for! Our outer layer stayed dry in a light drizzle for about 20 minutes and then started soaking through. In rain – forget it they get soaked. If you think you are buying a raincoat you will be disappointed. Every time it started to rain/drizzle we needed our rain poncho’s over these jackets. Getting all layered up was a real pain since layers came on and off all day. Also when we wore the rain ponchos moisture would gather between the jackets and the ponchos so the jackets would get wet. Get good rain poncho’s (see rain ponchos).
– Hat REI Co-op Path Hat Sahara (Post-Camino update) – Really good choice, although I would have liked a hat that could have stood up to rain.
– Running jackets (for layering) very lightweight. (Post-Camino update) – These are expensive but they turned out to be the one item we each wore every day! They were perfect for layering, casual settings and covering up wrinkly Camino clothes so we looked a bit nicer in restaurants. Highly recommended.
– Sunglasses, reading glasses
Weather Protection
– Lightweight umbrella – we might throw away one and just share. They weigh 14oz! (Post-Camino update) – We took two umbrellas and then gave one away and almost gave the second one away ( I wish I would have given it away!). They are heavy and take too much space. Avoid taking if you can or buy a really cheap one if needed so you don’t feel bad when you give it away.
– Rain Pants REI (Post-Camino update) – These were really important and we used them on heavy rain days (but they are heavy and took space). A long poncho might work instead might I would opt to take these again. Additionally – when it was raining we got muddy (really muddy) and the rain pants took all the punishment and our clothes stayed clean.
– Shoe Gators REI – they weigh nothing. (Post-Camino update) – A waste, never needed them.
– Rain Poncho REI (Post-Camino update) – A really important item! I wish we would have done more research on these because the REI ones we had were just so-so (heavy and not really Camino ready). Checkout (The Pilgrims Shop) La Boutique du Pèlerin in St Jean Pied de Port (online). They offer long rain ponchos (and all sorts of other stuff) that would have been much better for us. A rain poncho really needs to be long, cover your backpack, cover your arms all the way to your hands, must have a good hood and must have vents. This store in St Jean had really reasonable prices (inventory though can vary depending on season and number of pilgrims). They will hold/reserve items for you if you pay in advance.
– Winter gloves for our hands – (Post-Camino update) – Wow were these important! It was cold out for many days and having warm winter gloves turned out to be one of the best items we brought.
Sleeping
– Rumpl Original Blanket – REI – We opted for this because we read it washes better than the others. (Post-Camino update) – We gave these (expensive blankets) away on Day 3 in Espinal! Too heavy, too much space and everywhere we stayed had blankets. (We hardly ever saw anyone carrying blankets or sleeping bags). Do your own research but if you stay in private rooms you won’t need these. Even in the dorm in Roncesvalles we didn’t use them as we slept with our jackets over us as blankets.
– Costco sleep pants (very lightweight and warm) – (Post-Camino update) –I only slept with these one or two times but we did use them under our pants when hiking on very cold days so I would rank these as important.
– Silk mummy liners. REI (Post-Camino update) – Never used them, not needed and too much space – I wish we would have left them at home but we ended up carrying them for the whole Camino.
– ear plugs (Post-Camino update) – Never used them.
Toiletries
– Soap and plastic soap case, toothbrush and case, dental floss, quick dry towel, sunscreen, etc.(Post-Camino update) – Almost every private room we stayed in had soap but it was important to have our own just in case. We only needed a few small travel size bars. The quick dry towels were very helpful when washing clothes in sinks as they wicked up excess moisture before we hung the clothes for drying. All private rooms had towels although some were pretty scratchy.
– Clothes washing soap (this one) (Post-Camino update) – Important – take 10-15 sheets in a plastic bag.
– A roll of toilet paper – in a 4L dry sack bag. (Post-Camino update) – Important. We actually started carrying two. Some private rooms had very little toilet paper and on the trail (well… let’s just say really important).
Misc.
– Android pixel 5 phone, Charger for phone, led headlamp,
– Costco thermos water bottle (Post-Camino update) – BAD ITEM to TAKE – We didn’t train with these thermos bottles and is turns out carrying these by the handle turned out to be just enough to throw out Janice’s back. We didn’t know that because we didn’t train with these and by chance when I carried both bottles Janice’s back didn’t hurt that day! We gave these away in Astorga! Train like you will walk in Spain and don’t alter your plans without training.
– t-Mobile international magenta 55 plus plan (Post-Camino update) We are really happy we had a good international plan and didn’t have to worry about out of control charges.
– International Health Insurance ( This is not medical advice!) – GeoBlue Trekker Essential insurance
– Neck Pouch (this one) we prefer this vs. a fanny pack (which I tend to leave behind).
(Post-Camino update) – For us this was a really important item. We always had a ritual whenever we left a location and asked each other if we had our phone and pouch. (I’ll discuss this ritual below but checking up on each other was very important and saved us from disaster more than once. ). Our pouch contained our Camino credential-the most important item in the world – yes really!, travel passport, extra cash, and credit cards. We organized the location of each item so that my items matched in pocket location to Janice’s pouch.
Rituals. (Post Camino update)
The night before our first Camino day we went for dinner in St Jean Pied de Port. The next morning, before we started walking, I noticed my credit card was missing! Turns out I left it at the restaurant the previous evening. I ran over to the restaurant at 7AM and by luck the cleaning woman understood what I was asking, looked in the cash register and found my credit card! From that day on Janice and I had a ritual after leaving every place we stopped by asking each other if we had our phone credit card and in my case my junk wallet. This ritual saved us a few times like when one of us left our phone on the restaurant table, like when I dropped my phone in a wheat field after a break etc. etc.
– Headphones (lightweight) (Post-Camino update) – Worthwhile to take.
– Combo lock (this one) (Post-Camino update) –Never used
– Small swiss army knife (Post-Camino update) – Used it several times.
– Small plastic spork (Post-Camino update) – Gave it away
– Two covid test kits . (Post-Camino update) – We never used it.
– Lightweight “man pouch” just to have for off days. (Post-Camino update) – Total waste of space and weight. I wish I would have left it home.
– I always carry my junkie wallet with “just” 20 Euros or less so I don’t have to dig into my neck pouch for something small. No credit cards are ever in my wallet and if it were to get pickpocketed I wouldn’t lose much.
(Post-Camino update) – On more than one occasion we were surprised to find out the alberque provider would not take credit card. So having euros saved us.
– Various REI purchased accessory straps, carabiners, clothes pins, sewing kit, blister kit, Gear ties, eyewear retainer straps.
(Post-Camino update) – Accessory straps were important as we were always taking off/adding layers and strapping stuff to our backpacks – Get good ones that are easy to cinch up tight and release easy. Clothes pins – I wish I would have had about 10 instead of the three or so we took since we often hung our clothes over heaters to dry. Blister kit – never used but glad we had it just in case. Sewing kit – small but never used. Carabiners – Important but make sure and get the aluminum ones from REI and not the steel ones from homedepot.
– For Europe trips we always take Euro’s with us to last about 5 days (or Euro’s from our last trip) just because we have enough distractions on the first day we don’t want to look for a bank too.
(Post-Camino update) – We always had about 300 hundred euro’s between us. Several times the rooms we rented unexpectedly did not take credit card. Also many restaurants and bars it was a 15 euro minimum for credit card.
Phone Apps
– Buen Camino – Nice features because you enter your start and end destination per day at app setup which is then our complete itinerary for the Camino. Also the map is clear to follow. (Post-Camino update) – IMPORTANT – we ended up using this app 10-20 times per day (That’s correct – 10- 20 times per day!). The GPS features were really important, the elevation profile graph as important and the city-to-city distances were important. You NEED this app. Janice programmed in every day’s start and stop itinerary. This app then made it super useful to know exactly what the day would look like, distance, elevation changes etc.
– Camino Frances – This app has a nice feature showing all intermediate towns along the path with distances to each.
(Post-Camino update) – IMPORTANT – another good app but we probably only used it 1 – 2 times per day!
– renfe – The train app for Spain. Created an account and has our barcode info for train rides. Santiago de Compostela to Barcelona. (Post-Camino update) – Very nice to have – especially when they come buy to check your ticket.
– sncf – The train app for France. Created an account and has our barcode info. Paris to Bayonne and then Bayonne to St Jean Pied de Port. (Post-Camino update) – Very nice to have –especially when they come buy to check your ticket.
– Google Translate – (Post-Camino update) – Must have! Seems like everyone uses it.
– Microsoft Translator – a good app to go both language directions. Speaks nicely and has a good camera translate mode. (Post-Camino update) – Must have! Seems like everyone uses it But the camera mode was sometimes flaky when translating menus.
– Map my ride – It is a bike app but works great for walking. (Post-Camino update) – Must, Must, Must have! We both have this on our phones and we used it every day for the entire hiking portion of our day. For us knowing how far we walked and the current walking speed helped us a lot in pacing our day. At the end of our day the app stored a complete record of our GPS route and elevation changes. We had our app set to speak out every 1/4 mile which might sound annoying but it also alerted us that we had to have a drink of water every time the app spoke (really we needed that reminder and you might also as distractions and hiking scenes might distract you and you will get dehydrated). Also you’d be surprised how how you get into to shape on the Camino. We started out at 1.8 – 2.1 mph and within 2 weeks it was typical to be pacing between 2.7 mph to 3.1 mph.
– TousAntiCovid – (This information is probably obsolete now in 2024 do your own research) The French health app. As of this writing in 2022 our USA covid barcodes are not accepted in the EU as a “vaccine pass“. So when we land in Paris we have to go to the airport pharmacy where they look at our USA/CDC covid card/barcode and then the pharmacy generates the EU covid barcode which we scan and put into this app (pharmacy gets $36 Euros each). Without the EU vaccine pass we risk being denied boarding on the train and/or being fined 135 euro’s each. This was another reason we landed in Paris a day earlier than planned so we could get all these details done.
– spTh – Spains health app. (This information is probably obsolete now in 2024 do your own research) same as the French app and we will scan our EU vaccine passport into it but does not allow us to finish our entry until 48 hours before arrival so I’m unsure right now what the final outcome looks like.