The Ultimate Camino Packing List does not exist. Bummer! The fact is, your packing list will keep evolving through time. We’ll literally search until we drop to find the smallest, lightest and prettiest products for pilgrims. You are able to purchase them in our Pilgrim Shop we are so proud of. If there’s anything you miss on the list, give us a heads-up; we are always happy to built upon other pilgrim’s experience!

There are many different needs, maybe as many as there are pilgrims. You won’t be the perfect match with the categories we crafted. Take our case: Joyce is a hybrid between ‘Standard’ and ‘Comfy’ when it comes to eating, sleeping, and personal accessories. Luisa concurs with the eating and sleeping part but will deal with only having 1 extra set of hiking pants to carry less weight (which will mean doing more often the laundry).

The weights mentioned reference Luisa’s packing list. But I’m small so don’t get to depressed summing up my items. If you can make it to be around 8 kg including water (excluding the cloths you wear) you’re already doing a great job!

Check out the differences between ‘Basic’, ‘Standard’ and ‘Comfy’ needs and discover your own hybrid comfy level. It’s all up to you really; it’s your Camino!

You’ll need a bed in non-private albergues or seek shelter in donativos or churches.
Alternatively, you might want to camp out.

For your food you will depend on supermarkets and cook your own dinner.

All these needs dictate the gear you will need to carry with you. Check out your Ultimate Camino Packing List below: Basic.

The famous 10% rule…

Every kilo weighs double or triple once you are walking.  When you go ‘basic’ you won’t be carrying any luxury with you. On the other hand, you’ll be taking stuff with you to make you completely self-sufficient. Just remember this ground rule: at the end of your walking day, your 12 kg pack will feel like 24 kg. Even the most experienced walkers advice to take not more than 10% of your weight. Luisa, the small Spanish one of the team is not totally agreeing with this. “I mean think of it: if you are rather small and you’re BMI is higher than generally advised you would be allowed to take quite a lot of stuff according to this rule. Not a good idea; don’t take the 10% rule, use 10% of your ideal weight and you’re good to go”. On the other hand, if you’re small like I am you might not want to take the rule too literal: I am 1.59 m. I weigh 58 kg (working on it) – my ‘ideal’ weight is 55 kg. I would only be allowed 5.5 kg including water. I’m at 6.4 including water. That’s already very light-weight. Don’t think about it too much.

Pack only the things you will need, leave luxury at home and take about 10 kg if you are a guy and about 8 kg max if you are a woman. Take into account that food and water you bring along weighs a total of 2 kg (take or leave). That means that you’re looking at 8 kg and 6 kg gear for men and woman respectively. Your feet, knees and hips will thank you for it. If you think I’m forgetting about the ‘shoulders’, don’t forget to check the ‘Pilgrim’s backpack’ page, where we explain why a good backpack is well fitted when the weight is actually almost completely on your hips and your shoulders are free of any friction or weight.

The big difference with going basic is that you will sleep in your own private room, you will not always depend on cooking your own meals since you like to go out eating at least once a day, preferably dinner.

You do want a decent and clean standard level of living while walking, so you won’t hesitate to take a few extra accessories to make your walking adventure more comfortable.

All these needs dictate the gear you will need to carry with you. Check out your Ultimate Camino Packing List below: Standard

Every kilo weighs double or triple once you are walking.  When you go ‘standard’ you won’t be carrying a lot of luxury with you. A bit more than the basic die-hard pilgrim, but hey, you want to be able to shave, you want to enjoy the food, and you don’t want to be doing the laundry every day, so an extra set of clothes is your standard. On the other hand, you’ll be taking stuff with you that need to be very low in weight because you do insist on carrying your own backpack. Check out the Basic Level tab to see more details and advice.

The big difference with going basic or standard is that you won’t be carrying your own backpack.

Your standard is to go as comfortable as possible, period. You plan and book ahead because you want to have your luggage transferred every day. You need a restaurant nearby your hostel, since you are never going to cook your own meals.

All these needs dictate the gear you will need to carry with you. Check out your Ultimate Camino Packing List below: Comfy

No ‘weight’ talking for you. Your day pack is all you will be carrying and it will contain a rain coat, some food, a camera and maybe even your tablet to be able to blog comfortably about all your adventures. Still, we urge you to prepare well. Even a day backpack with a weight of say 2 or 3 kg can become a real pain after walking for a few hours. It doesn’t hurt to get a good one and avoid this annoyance!

When you go ‘comfy’, in our vocabulary, you will have your luggage transferred to your next destination each day. This means you can pack as much luxury as you want. Hey, you don’t even need a backpack; your regular suit case will work just fine.

We at Camino Comfort are light-weight freaks, but we also like luxury. One of our goals is to combine the two. We like to leave home with luggage that has some ‘room’ for improvement; think ‘Shoppping’…

You carry your own pack, you don’t or you like both options. The truth is, in case of emergency you might need it. So let’s go through how to use the transport services:

Once you arrive at the albergue you tell the receptionist or owner that you wish to send your pack ahead to a certain location (for which you made reservations).
They will contact the luggage transfer service of your choice (they usually have a list from which you can pick from). Make sure you write down the telephone number of the provider you pick.
The receptionist will give you an enveloped form or a ticket form and you’ll need to fill in your name and your destination of choice. Pay the fee (~5 Euros usually) by putting it in the envelope and attach it to your pack. You can leave the pack in a designated area when you leave in the morning. It will be picked up during the day and dropped off at your destination of choice (probably sooner than your estimated arrival time). Once you arrive, you pick it up and check in at your new accommodation for that night.

Hi! Wally here. I’m not particularly happy today. Look at my backpack, looks heavy right?

I’m here to warn you: most pilgrims throw a lot of stuff away (or sent it back home) when they are a few days into their travel adventures. They simply come to realize that they are carrying a lot of items that they are not going to be using.

We provide information based on your needs and daily budget level. The truth is that a lot of pilgrims pack items with the background idea of ‘just in case’. And all the items ‘just in case’ might just be the unneccesary weight you don’t want to carry…