We did a lot of research and planning for the Camino De Santiago, including what to pack. We mostly consulted several really accomplished pilgrims and professional backpackers that shared their packing lists.
Best Resources for Camino Packing List
Dixie from Homemade Wanderlust. Dixie is an accomplished long-distance hiker, and her packing list is oriented towards minimizing weight. Her equipment tends to be expensive.
Rob‘s Camino. Rob is a Camino enthusiast, he has walked multiple Caminos and seems to live his life thinking about his next Camino, as well as sharing his knowledge. He is older than Dixie and his packing list includes several items for sore knees, ankles, and feet.
Choosing Shoes for the Camino
The right shoes can make or break the Camino for you. We had some trouble with blisters, which added a challenge to our Camino. Laura started with (broken-in) trekking shoes and then developed pretty bad blisters on the third day. So she switched to sandals and was able to complete the Camino with the occasional stop to clear out stones. Follow The Camino has a great guide for choosing shoes.
Choosing a Backpack for the Camino
After shoes, the backpack seems to be the next in importance. We were a little overwhelmed with the choices and especially the idea of getting the right fit. We were also a little underwhelmed with the selection of backpacks at our local sporting goods store. So, we took a trip to the nearest REI and that was a great decision.
Joe, our REI salesman, was an accomplished backpacker and was former Army infantry, he knew a lot about backpacking. We talked a little about our plans for the Camino and discussed size (we targeted 30-35 liters, based on research). He measured us using a device that looked like a frame of a backpack, but it had a ruler instead of the pack. With our torso lengths in hand, he guided us to the packs that fit.
With preliminary packs chosen, Joe loaded us up with 15 lbs of sandbags and we continued shopping for about 45 minutes, with the loaded backpacks. Laura’s pack felt fine initially but she found the straps to be digging in after a few minutes. She swapped that pack for another in her size and that pack was much more comfortable. That was worth the trip by itself.
We chose packs that were light, about 2 pounds, and had a 32-liter capacity. That capacity was plenty of room for our gear and prevented us from bringing (or buying) more stuff than we needed. We did see many hikers on the Camino with large 70-liter packs and felt sorry for them. We have seen pilgrims that do the Camino in the wintertime, and they need more space for the extra outerwear required.
Another benefit of our packs, they just barely fit the size of a carry-on for the airlines, so we were confident that our stuff would not get lost by the airlines on the flight over.
Joe gave us some additional advice and stories from his hikes. He spent a good amount of time with us, not rushing or pushing us into a sale. If you can, I’d definitely recommend going to an REI or other expert retailer that specializes in outdoor gear to get fitted.
Items We Found Indispensable
These things sounded somewhat optional, but we really got good use of them. We are glad we brought them.
Backpacking clothesline. We brought the Sea to Summit branded clothesline, which seemed like overkill at first, but was very handy. I had originally thought to bring a length of rope and tie the clothesline each night, but the Sea to Summit package was tiny, lightweight, and had a crimping system built in that make it easy to hang up wet clothes. We used this extensively since we brought only 2 sets of clothes. We did laundry in the hotel every evening.
Bandaids and Compeed. We didn’t think we’d have trouble with feet but ended up we had lots of trouble. The bandaids and Compeed (gel-type blister cushions) came in handy, we even had to restock on bandaids at a pharmacy along the way.
Ibuprofen, or “vitamin I”. We brought a full bottle and used all of them. We did replenish at a pharmacy in Spain, but the locally-procured Ibuprofen tablets were more expensive and more difficult to store due to the packaging.
Pocket knife. This came in handy to split the large Spanish Ibuprofen tablets as well as to cut food, open bottles and cut a rope when we had to do a quick repair on Laura’s backpack. Since we checked one shipping tube, containing the hiking poles, I threw in a pocket knife. Otherwise, if we only carried on bags, I would have purchased a pocket knife when we got to Portugal.
Safety pins, large size. I carried a dry pair of socks on my backpack and changed about halfway. My feet thanked me for that. We also had several times when clothing wasn’t dry from the previous day’s washing, so we pinned it to our packs while walking in the springtime sun.
Items We Brought But Didn’t Use
Sleeping sack for keeping out bedbugs. This was recommended by several folks, but we never seemed to have “sketchy” sleeping quarters. We tended to choose hotels and pensions, instead of the dormitory-style albergues, so that may have influenced our need.
Sleeping bag or backpacking quilt. We brought a backpacking quilt as well for warmth, but because of the warmer weather, and that the hotels had blankets, we didn’t need them. If anything, a couple of the rooms were hot at night. The 2 albergues where we did stay had plenty of blankets.
Hidden belt wallet. Initially, I was planning to not bring my wallet and just bring my passport, cash, and a couple of credit cards, and use one of those hidden belt-style wallets. The hidden belt thing wasn’t very convenient for me, and just seemed a nuisance, so I left it behind. I had brought my normal wallet anyway. I did see a number of people with passport wallets hanging from their necks, so that is an option too.