Santiago packing! How we packed for the walk to Santiago!

Santiago packing! Before hitting the road, along with the preparations is… packing!

So, what did we pack in our backpacks to do the walk to Santiago de Compostela?

You must consider your weight as you are not advised to carry more than 10% of your weight. And remember: be comfortable!

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Santiago Packing – our list!

This is our list and what we packed for the trip:

Poncho for the rain. We advise you to take a poncho that can protect you and go over your bag as well, even if you are taking a cover for your backpack. We walked on a very rainy day and just the backpack cover was not enough to avoid things from getting wet;
rain cover for the bag;
2 pairs of long pants;
Sleeping pants;
Light shorts to walk or use under walking pants;
fleece hoody;
Slip slops/ beach sandals;
1 long sleeve shirt;
3 T-shirts;
Underwear and socks x 3;
Microfiber towel;
Water flask;
Vaseline (to put in your feet before starting the walks. It helped us to avoid getting blisters!);
Bandanas (keeps sweat out of face!);
Hat… for sun protection;
Sunglasses;
Sunblock;
Personal hygiene (nail cutter, toothpaste, toothbrush, small comb, a small container with shampoo that can serve as a body wash as well, menstrual cup and other items for your hygiene);
Tissues;
Toilet paper (white gold!);
Soap (to wash your clothes at the end of the day);
Safety/ baby pins. We used them to put our clothing to dry wherever we needed. And, if your clothing is not dry early morning, when you need to start walking again, you can pin your clothing in your backpack and let it dry during the day;
Plastic bag for multiple purposes;
Zip lock bags for multiple purposes (for food leftovers, protect your documents and pilgrims credential from the rain, …);
Cellphone with charger (Cellphone can have multi-purpose: camera, torch, maps of the Camino, …);
Moon bag (with documents, ATM card, money, and whatever you always want to have handy);
Sleeping bag (depending on the time of the year, you can consider a sleeping bag liner);
Shoes. Find your comfortable shoes! They are the most important item of the journey! We opted for running trekking shoes that cater to a practice of 40 km in a day. Also, if you are buying new shoes do a lot of practice walks in those shoes and walk them in for dozens and dozens of kilometres before doing the Camino to Santiago;
Guide book (with information about Albergues and other relevant information);
Pilgrim shell (to identify yourself/ symbol of the pilgrim);
Walking sticks;
Pilgrim credential (very important to give you entrance at the Albergues and can give you discounts in some places) – you need minimum of 2 stamps per day;
Book for personal notes and pen;
Basic first aid kit (with scissors, tweezers, Voltaren, betadine, surgical alcohol, cotton, band aids, band aids for blisters, a roll of band aid, Ipobrufen, Imodium, buscopan). What you take in the first aid kit depends of your personal previous experiences. Take only the essential. You will also find pharmacies along the way.
Backpack.

Other extras we carried because we love photography and shooting:

Monopod (the one Clover took, also works as a walking stick. Is a monopod specifically designed for trekking);
Camera bag;
Cameras.

Note! This is just the way we packed… for your packing, you must consider your comfort and the time of the year you are doing the walk. This list caters for September/ Spring or early Autumn season.