In my previous post I mentioned I’m voluntarily walking 800kms across Spain and as the two month before departure date looms, I’m feeling more and more pressure to secure my Camino packing list for both piece of mind and practice trek purposes.
After reading an abundance of books, blog and forum posts I’ve come to the conclusion that pack weight is the most important thing to first time and repeat pilgrims alike. Making sure the pack size and weight are within 10% of one’s body weight is much harder than it sounds and as such I’ve created my version of ‘camino essentials’. I guess reading it in print will make for a more practical procedure of culling anything without purpose. So here goes, and by all means feel free to make comments as I head into the unknown.
My Camino Packing List
Clothing:
2 x Shorts
1 x Long Pants
2 x T-Shirt1 x Long Sleeve Shirt
1 x Fleece
3 x Underwear
3 x Socks
2 x Bras
1 x Bathing Suit
1 x Dress
1 x Hat
1 x Poncho
1 x Rain Jacket & Pants
1 x Teva Sandles
1 x Merrell Boots
1 x Sarong
1 x Towel
Sleeping:
1 x Sleeping Bag Liner
1 x Sleeping Sheet
1 x Ear Plugs
Toiletries:
1 x Toothbrush & Paste
1 x Multi-Use Soap (for clothes, body & hair)
1 x Hair Brush
1 x Deodorant
1 x Nail clippers
1 x Moisturiser2 x Essential Oils (Peppermint & Rosemary)
1 x Lip Balm
1 x Packet of Tissues
1 x Hand Sanitizer
First Aid Kit:
1 x Compeed Plasters
1 x Panadol
1 x Anti-Inflammatory
1 x Anti-Histamine1 x Sewing Kit (for Blisters)
4 x Safety Pins
Electronics:
1 x iPhone & Charger
1 x Headphones
Misc:
1 x Cotton Bag (for walking around town)
2 x Water Bottles
2 x Spork/Knife
2 x Walking Pole
1 x Zip Lock Bag
1 x Sunglasses
Passport
Credit Card/s
Pilgrim Credential
Travel Insurance
I’m yet to actually weigh the above, both because I’m frightened to realise it’s actual weight and also because I don’t own scales. I’m sure there could be some opportunities to drop off a few things from the list but I’m nervous as to what it might mean to do so.
{Segue alert} As a side note, if you’re curious to learn where the feature image is from this week, it’s a photo I took at the MONA museum in Hobart, Tasmania. The artist Wilfredo Prieto created an entire room filled with 6,000 empty, white covered books. I kind of love it, there’s so much information fed to us daily, but it’s all completely empty. Except for this blog of course…
Oh! and speaking of books {another brilliant segue} if by any means this post has inspired you to learn more about the camino:
Below is a list of all the books I’ve read on the Camino de Santiago thus far:
The Pilgrimage by Paulo Coelho ~ Some thing for everyone
Walking Home by Sonia Choquette ~ A daily recount rather than an actual story
The Camino: A Journey of the Spirit by Shirley Maclaine ~ My least favourite on the list
I’m Off Then by Hape Kerkeling ~ I’d like to watch the feature film, it could be better than this book
What the Psychic Told The Pilgrim by Jane Christmas ~ The most humorous on the list
My Husband Made Me Do It by Margaret Wilson ~ A close runner up to the most humorous
Sinning Across Spain by Ailsa Piper ~ My favourite on the list
A Million Steps by Kurt Zoontz ~ Just okay
On the Primitive Way by Landon Roussel ~ A reprieve from only reading about the Camino Frances
The Journey In Between by Keith Foskett ~ Just okay
Travels With My Donkey: One Man and His Ass On A Pilgrimage To Santiago by Tim Moore ~ Not my style and didn’t finish it
The Year We Seized The Day by Elizabeth Best and Colin Bowles ~ Plenty of chuckles
By all means, please comment of how you think I’m doing so far with the packing list and wish me luck in my final weeks in preparation for five weeks of the unknown…
Here are my posts on my Camino. What did you pack in your Camino packing list that I might have missed?