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I don’t think I mentioned before that my backpack was 50L, super lightweight material, but I filled it up to 11 kg – some would say 11 kg of garbage. This was my first hiking experience ever, and oh God, how much I wish I had known how to properly pack a hiking bag before. It was a mess, half with stuff I’ve never even touched and got rid of along the way. Although few things were necessary and they didn’t even cross my mind during preparation, so I had to buy them where I could.

I was mostly worried about how I would wash and dry my clothes. So I had like 15 underwear. Cuz – obviously – I’ve been told by my Mom that just in case, always – ALWAYS – pack extra panties for a trip. As if I’m gonna shit myself every day… – twice.

Clothing:
I packed obviously my boots (which were a piece of shit and ruined my feet and my life pretty much on day 1 – more about this later). 4 t-shirts, 4 pairs of shorts, 2 long-sleeved shirts, 2 long trousers, and 1 wind-waterproof lighter jacket (which someone else packed up – I hope accidentally) in La Laguna.
Funny enough, I needed the long sleeves. Northern Spain can be a bit temperamental – even at summertime.
Also, I had a pair of jeans and one pair of jeans shorts, a sweater, and a very light extra pair of sneakers – just in case, after the daily walk, I would like to dress up less sporty and go to a bar or something.
I had a flip-flop on me (a breath of fresh air for my feet so many times), a baseball hat – which I’ve never put on, but it looked cool. – and a waist bag (…fanny pack 😂) that was very useful for keeping the essentials close (money, phone, passport, etc.).
Clothes-wise, I think this is it… Looking back on it, it wasn’t great. You don’t really need 4 of this 4 of that, I promise. I had the same fears – what if I can’t wash my clothes? – You can. Most of the places offer washing machines and even dryers. You can always wash with your hands in case of an emergency. On the other hand, I do not regret the jeans, the sweater, and the sneakers. After a while, it was nice not to always wear the sporty fit – for me personally 😇

Other stuff:
I got a lightweight sleeping bag – well, it was more like just a liner, but for me, it worked. Oh, the micro-fiber towels… Look, they dry very fast, I get it, but the material is just… yuck. Sadly, it’s very useful on the Camino, so I got one big one for the showers and a small one just for the hands. I left the big one drying outside somewhere and forgot to pack it the next day, so after that, for the rest of the Camino, I was drying myself with the small hand towel, hey-ho.
I got one of these 3-in-1 knifespoonforkthingy, but honestly, I’ve never used it. There was cutlery everywhere, and if I packed some food for the day, that usually was a sandwich or some fruit. I guess it can be useful in other circumstances, though.
Earphones. It’s quite a long trip, after a while you’re not gonna want to listen to your own thoughts anymore. Music helps to relax and also to keep up with the walking pace. Oh, and don’t forget you will need a european plug adapter for your chargeable things.
And last but not least the Book of the Camino. I used it mostly to track the upcoming ups and downs on the way. It also has a list of albergues, restaurants, and stuff at each stop, but the app was much faster for that. But to each their own, I guess.

It’s in the picture, but I renounced my camera in the end. I have a Canon G7x Mark II – not too big, but still extra weight which I decided not to carry. Also, it’s in the expensive range so somewhere deep inside I was a bit worried I would lose it or it’s gonna get damaged or something. My phone camera was perfect for the trip.
Same with a notebook. I was thinking, how cool… I’m gonna collect my thoughts every day in the old-fashioned way – writing a diary. Nah… not gonna happen. I made some notes on my phone and it was more than enough…

Wellness and spa things:
At first, I used soap, which was okay to use on the skin and hair. It was small and light, but it just wasn’t for me. I survived the first few days with it, but I bought those little 100 ml shower gels and shampoos afterward. The same goes for deodorant, sunscreen, and body lotion – they are very important.
For my girly girls out there, I need to admit that I had a mini makeup bag – only eyeliner, and mascara. I packed a little bottle of nail polish and a razor too… and no, I do not regret carrying them. 💅 👸 Also, wet wipes – useful in all sorts of emergencies, additionally when you buy some local peaches in the middle of nowhere, and the juice is dripping on your elbow… – happened.
I had a box of ibuprofen – you can get the good stuff in Spain, the 600 mg. 🤫 Had some normal plasters with me – you can read about my Compeed blister-plaster experience in most of my Camino Posts. It wasn’t a thing for me to heal blisters. It was just making a bigger mess, actually. I wouldn’t recommend it.

Now let’s talk about the things I bought on the way because during preparation I didn’t even think about them, but they are actually very useful…
Advice: keep some extra spendable money with you.
🎵 … And it goes like:
1. a good shoe. – facepalm.
Do your research about the shoe before you buy it – even better if you have already tested it out on a hike before the Camino.
It was probably my mistake – not just my old shoe being shit – because I had no idea about things. I never went on a proper hike before bla bla, and basically, I thought the stronger the hold in the shoe, the better – to avoid twisted ankles and stuff… I didn’t know that it is, in fact, better to have a size up cuz your feet will get swollen. And it’s crucial to have proper socks as well. I started my Camino with those day-to-day socks anyone can find in their drawer… Yepp, those…. – another facepalm. Well, let me tell you, they are not good if you are walking for 8-10 hours a day. The wise says merino wool socks are the best for hiking.
So anyway, I guess you can imagine how my feet felt and looked with all the blisters pretty much at the end of day 1. I made it all the way to Logroño tho’ – looking back on it, I don’t know how… – where I bought a new pair of socks and proper shoes, my Salomon Speedcross 4 – when I put them on… holy shit, it felt like I’m walking on a cotton-candy cloud on a rainbow while unicorns are licking my feet. For real. I was so naive… I honestly thought everyone was in pain like me, after all these kilometers, and what I was experiencing was normal, so I didn’t really ask around about this in the first few days. Later on, Cindy told me that her feet were tired like yeasure, but she was not in pain – and she had only 1 blister later on – but no spoilers yet.
2. Sportsbra – for my girls out there.
See? Stupid. I don’t know how it didn’t cross my mind. On the first day, I already realized it was a big mistake, and I miss it dearly. I couldn’t wait to arrive at a bigger city or town with a sports shop – I think it was Pamplona, the first city with civilization after crossing the Pyrenees.
3. That tube scarf thingy
You know, this:

I also got it in Pamlopna, and I think it’s very useful. Howeverrrrrr….. with my zero hiking experience, I didn’t even know that a thing like this existed. I was mostly using it as a headband, but it was also handy for my neck and mouth on a windy day.
4. Mosquito and bug-repellent spray
I don’t know about you, but me? Me… I’m usually eaten alive by mosquitos. Out of nowhere, one night a spider, too. – no, not bed bugs.
5. Betadine
It was like holy water for me. Betadine was the only thing helping me to heal my blisters and carry on walking my Camino. You can read about it here – I gotta warn you, it’s not pretty, but maybe it will be a piece of useful information if you find yourself injured during one of your future walks.
6. Earplugs
If you are a good sleeper, you are lucky. If you are not, then I totally recommend them for the peace and quiet. Dorm rooms especially can get a bit noisy with all the snoring, talking and other sounds leaving the human body. Not to mention some people start walking at very early hours, and they gonna start moving around and packing their bags with a forehead lamp at 4am. – happened.
+1. Water bottles
You can find endless possibilities online when it comes to water bottles and hydration packs. I didn’t put much thought into this either… I bought 500 ml of water and kept the bottle. 🤷 Refilled it if I could or bought a new one – the water in Spain is drinkable on the street too, just look for the sign that says: aqua potable.

Pack wisely,

Buen Camino,

Noémi

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