What to Pack for Camino de Santiago -

What I wore and learned during 750+ miles of Camino

Packing for your first Camino can be super fun but also very intimidating. I dived DEEP into blogs and hiking websites, and weighed each of my items dutifully. I knew I wanted to carry my pack if I could and didn’t intend to send my pack ahead, so thoughtful packing was very important to me. I did stay in Europe after the Camino so I had a suitcase sent from SJPP to Santiago using Express Bouricot, which was very convenient.

Do I really need to weigh everything I bring?

Not really, but also, yes, sort of. 🙂 Having done the Camino twice now, I realize that a few grams here and there between articles of clothing shouldn’t be the decision factor. It’s bringing the EXTRA stuff that’s going to weigh you down.

To Merino or Not Merino

You can’t write about clothes on the Camino without talking about Merino. I fell in line for my first Camino and bought all merino shirts and underwear and a pair of Smartwool Shorts. I tried a few pants as well but they were more like long underwear and not really comfortable and very see-through.. By the end of the Camino, 2 of my 3 Merino shirts had small holes in them. Luckily, I had bought them from Patagonia, and they are AWESOME. They explained that this is pretty common with the Merino shirts and they are just very fragile, and I switched them for the Capilene Cool. The underwear held up better, but I think the realization I had is that I’m too sweaty of a person to not wash my clothes after one Camino wear, so Merino is not a priority for me anymore, but sweat wicking and quick dry is.

Clothing

I brought, and I’d recommend bringing, 3 complete outfits. This is fine for 5 days or for infinite days. You don’t need more than 3 outfits. I promise. 3 lets you do laundry every OTHER day if you

3 bottoms – 2 pants and 1 short, or if you’re going in the summer, 2 shorts and 1 pants. Pants were the hardest thing for me to decide on my first Camino, and I regret the choice I made. I should have gone with what I feel most comfortable in and instead focused too much on the weight of my pants, ending up with some VERY lightweight but very weird looking Patagonia Fly Fishing Pants. They weighed nothing but they showed sweat and were sort of too short? That was AFTER trying on and weighing about 30 pairs of hiking pants at REI. I just don’t like hiking pants. For activity, I feel pest in a pair of fitness tights. That being said, I changed my strategy entirely for my second camino and alternated between the Wunder Train and the Maipu Stash Shorts for walking, and then I’d put on my Patagonia Terrebone Joggers for the rest of the day. They are cute and comfortable and feel so light and airy. I’m obsessed with these pants.
3 tops – regardless of time of year, I recommend at least one long-sleeve hooded sun-shirt. During the Camino Frances, I chose 2x short sleeve and 1 longsleeve sunshirt. I actually walked that Camino in Patagonia Capilene Merino Blend shirt in short and long sleeve + a Smartwool Merino Sun Hoody. As I mentioned above, both my Patagonia Merinos had several small holes, so I have now switched to the Capilene Cool line and walked my second Camino in those and did my Colorado hikes in them as well. They look brand new and dry overnight after a sink or shower handwash.
3 pairs of underclothes – 3 merino wool underwear and 3 bras. On my first Camino I only brought 2 bras while having 3 of everything else. It was a mistake. Being able to do laundry every other day and still have a clean outfit to wear was huge. For my second Camino, the Patagonia bras were my walking bras and then I’d switch to my Lululemon Like a Cloud after I’d showered. For the underwear, the first Camino I bought Smartwool. I liked them, and they held up longer than my Merino shirts did, but for the price, I decided to shop around and have found the Metarino from Amazon to be comparable and maybe a bit sturdier.
Shoes – one pair of trail runners and one pair of flip flops. A lot of people bring a 3rd pair of shoes, using their flip flops exclusively for the shower, and then a pair for the evening. I rarely felt it was necessary to wear shoes in the shower. Judge if you’d like, and maybe I got lucky, but I had a lot of private baths on the Camino Frances, and otherwise felt it was low risk.
- Your hiking shoes are arguably the most important decision of the Camino and therefore subject to lots of debates. Two of the most common:
  - Trail runners or hiking boots: Based on what I saw, trail runners have officially won this one. They’re lighter weight, they dry faster, and most of the Camino Frances (and most of the other Caminos) aren’t on terrain that needs crazy ankle support and grip.
  - Waterproof or Not: This battle is still under way. I went not, and I’m glad I did. When it REALLY rains (and it did. A lot.) waterproof shoes aren’t going to keep you dry. They’re just not. You’d need rain pants, gators, and then a lot of luck. The goretex shoes were always lined up to dry overnight with the rest of them (Pro-tip: Take your insoles out and stuff with newspaper to help very soggy shoes dry overnight. Most hostels will have newspapers for this).
- I’ve been a runner through all of my adult life, and after all the iterations of runner problems – plantar fasciitis, shin splints, etc – I found a shoe that worked for me, the Asics Gel Kayanos. I’ve been wearing them now for 15+ years, so I picked the Trabucos, the Kayanos Trail Running Counterpart. I LOVE them, they are light weight, but offer good stability and support for my long-abused feet.
- For my non-hiking shoe, I wanted to let my feet breathe, but again, due to feet issues, I still needed some support, so I went with the Archie’s. They provide more arch support than regular flip flops, but come in all sorts of colors.
Socks: 3 Pairs to complete my 3 outfits. I went with a variety of brands here, trying Darn Tough, Smartwool and Stance, and honestly feel fine about all 3. They all dried quickly overnight and seem very sturdy still. 2 long pairs and 1 short pair for the Frances, and 2 short pairs and 1 long pair for the Portuguese route.
Hat – A must. I have never been a hat person except for fitness caps, so I went
Outerwear – Jacket – A lightweight packable down jacket is the general consensus for a warm layer on the Camino, and it served me well. I went with the very popular Patagonia Nanopuff. I really thought I wouldn’t use it much because I run pretty hot, and I was very very, wrong. I don’t think there were more than a few days, if that, that I didn’t wear it. The most surprising thing about this jacket was how quickly it dried. Hiking in cold temps for a sweaty person involves a vicious cycle of I’m cold –> put on jacket, –> get hot and sweaty because of jacket –> take jacket off and freeze due to being sweaty. My jacket was invariably very wet (but still warm!) and it would dry easily within a few hours. No regrets on the Nanopuff, though I am very interested in their R1 + Nano Hybrid.
Outerwear – Rain Layer: Another very contested thing – rain jacket vs. poncho. I went Poncho, and the very good Atlus Camino Poncho at that. It covers your pack and you, is hooded and you can either zip or velcro it to regulate your heat. It’s expensive for a poncho but I thought it was worth it.
Outwear – Gloves: I wore basic REI Merino liners. They took up nearly no space/weight, and again, I wore them every day. Because I used poles everyday, my hands were always exposed and it was COLD in the mornings.
Outerwear – Buffs: Buffs kind of changed my life. I know I keep talking about how I’m a sweaty person – but it’s really actually factual and affects a lot of my clothing decisions in general, but especially on the Camino or other active trips. During a random cold day on my Camino training, I put a buff around my wrist to use on my ears if needed, but the sun came up and I ended up using it to dry my brow during the walk. I pretty much always have a buff around my wrist when hiking/running/biking. I have used both merino wool buffs and other materials and honestly they are all light and wash/dry quickly. If anything, the merino doesn’t hold it’s elasticity well so as it’s aged I have to wrap it like 4 times. Buffs weigh nearly nothing, you can use them to cover your ears or neck for cold, or your eyes to sleep.
Dress: Yes, I brought a dress on the Camino. I’m a dress gal, and I wanted the option to eat at nice restaurants, or feel like the suddenly single woman I was and flirt with boy-pilgrims or Spanish locals. It wait 7 oz, quick dry, wrinkle free, and I did in fact wear it while my clothes laundered, to some nice dinners, and even out on a random Camino date to flirt with a pelegrino. No regrets.

Non-Clothing Gear

Backpack:
Hiking Poles: The decision to hike with poles was amongst the best one I’ve made. My life is forever changed by hiking with poles and watching a few videos on how to hike correctly using poles (Hint: even though it’s not hard, you’re probably using them wrong). I went with very lightweight poles with cork handles, because a wise REI associate told me that they don’t get “soggy” like the foam handles do from sweat or rain.
Sleep System: You must first decide where you want to sleep on the Camino before you decide your sleep system. I knew I did not want the stress of relying on municipal albergues, and I had budgeted accordingly. Knowing that MOST albergues have blankets at least, and I didn’t want to carry the weight of a sleeping bag I might use 5% of the time, I brought a sleeping bag liner only. I 100% needed it in Borda, Roncesvalles and JOHN BAUTISTE??., and a sleeping bag would have made my life more pleasant in both Roncesvalles and JOHN, I was happy with my decision. Did I wear my coat to bed and use my towel as a blanket, and was still cold? Yes, I did, and yes I was. But I’d make the same decision again.
Headphones: If I’m being honest, I’m a little judgy of the pilgrims who are listening to audiobooks or podcasts all day. It’s probably the area of the Camino where I’m the most judgmental, and I’m sorry, I don’t even think I’m right. That being said, small, light headphones are supremely useful, weather it’s to keep in touch, put on white noise next to an aggressive snoring bunkmate, or, listen to an audiobook. I used mine to send voice notes to friends and family during my walk, and, hypocritically, to listen to one audiobook during a few blister-filled, excruciating days of the Meseta. LINK TO HEADPHOONES HERE.
Kindle Scribe: This was my heaviest “luxury” item I brought. Discretionary is probably a better word. I wanted a book. I wanted a journal. I had been using the Scribe already for a few months, and it was pretty non-negotiable for me to bring. At this stage in my-husband-just-abandoned-me-without-warning process, I was journaling daily, and it was NECESSARY, I had a few Camino books I wanted to access, and the Scribe just made sense for me. But damn, I can’t wait till they make it lighter.
Minix Power Adapter: I bought this a year or two pre-Camino to solve for a universal fast charger that could work for laptops, and it’s one of my most recommended products to international travelers. Weights very little, 100w charging, 3 USB-C and 1 USB-a port.
Ultrilght Triggerpoint “Lacrosse ball”: While I’m VERY VERY FAR from the old end of pilgrims, I’m still middleagesd (rude) and have to considr my body’s various weakpoints and likely injuries. I’ve been in PT for my achilles, my METATURSIl? MY iliopsioas. That lacorssed ball and I have seem some things. It was worth every bit of the 2 oz it weighed and my fellow pilgrims that borrowed it agree.
Kula Cloth: Historically, I have not ben particularly skilled at the art of nature pees, so much so that, after a particularly embarrassing and damp experience in Nice, France, I gave up the art for about 15 years. I thought my body was not capable of an outdoor pee that did not involve pee-pants, and I was determined /hopeful that I would not need to prove this theory. On my first Camino, I successfully avoided any outside pees. I’m sure there were a few miles where the confidence to do so would have made me more comfortable, I strategically planned my hydration in line with my bathroom stops. Between Camino 1 & Camino 2, I grew a lot as a person, meaning, I successfully attempted an outdoor pee, and have since used this success to become a better human being, capable of overnight camping and not governed my my bladder’s need for indoor plumbing. All that to say, I now own an brought a Kula cloth, an environmentally friendly, anti-bacterial pee cloth, on the Camino Frances, and even used it once along the way.
Compeed