Becky and I recently spent 21 days backpacking the eastern half of the Camino Del Norte on the northern coast of Spain recently. It was a wonderful experience, combining backpacking with staying in hostels, snacking at bars, and meeting new friends from around the world.
As I was unpacking after the trip, I had the idea to share some of the items of gear that we felt worked exceptionally well for us on this trip. We hope this will give you some new ideas on your gear set for you next Camino or other backpacking trip!
All of this gear is available at Pack & Paddle. The outdoor shop we are so lucky to have right here in Lafayette!
Passport and Phone Security
One thing I don’t like worrying constantly about is where my passport and my phone are when I’m traveling internationally. I got a Sea to Summit Neck Wallet to carry my passport, global entry card, credit cards, and cash. This stayed with me constantly – either hidden in my pack while backpacking or around my neck the rest of the time. I also brought a Rogue Shield Phone Tab and Tether. With this, I could have my phone connected to my pants. No leaving a phone on a table after Cafe con Leche!
Packing in lightweight stuff sacks
We’ve always organized our gear within several stuff sacks inside the backpack. This makes finding things easy, packing up easy and staying organized easy. We recommend using very lightweight stuff sacks because they don’t add much weight, but also the flex and slide and fit into your pack easier. We had separate sacks for: Sleeping quilts, Clothing, Bathroom stuff, First Aid/Medication
Trekking Poles with tip protectors
Trekking Poles were a must on this trip because of some of the steep terrain and the muddy sections. Poles also help to power you uphill taking strain from your quads and also cushioning the downhills. During travel, we carried the poles inside our packs (carry on) with tip protectors on and never faced any problems with security. Also Becky tells me that clicking your way through town sidewalks without tip protectors is bad form on the Camino.
Topo Ultraventure 4 Hiking Shoes
The Camino Del Norte has a combination of road/hard surface walking and also trail walking. We found the Ultraventure to be great on all these surfaces. Also the wide toe box allowed for great comfort on the sometimes brutal downhills. The cushion was appreciated on – especially on the roads and hard surfaces that are so common on this trip. Two hikers, 230 miles covered, Zero blisters.
Darn Tough Hiking Socks
You’ll need some darn tough socks to take on the Camino, and we recommend Darn Tough. I brought two pairs. One pair was well worn, probably 3 years old. The other pair was fairly new. The worn ones were thinner allowing more room on warm days where our feet can expand. The thicker newer ones were worn on other days when additional cushioning is nice. What I love about Darn Tough is the unbelievable durability. I am quite sure I could have worn my old socks every single day with zero problems – Although I don’t think Becky would have appreciated that!
Sea to Summit Ultra-Sil Lightweight Daypack
We used the ultra-sil daypack to store my sleeping quilt while hiking. When in town, we used it as a lightweight daypack. We also used it to carry some AMAZING Asturian cheeses home after the hike was over.
Tread Labs Sandals
Becky brought Tread Labs sandals as her alternate shoes. The beauty of this move is that you could use these with socks as your primary walking shoes if you had blisters or other problems with your main shoes. This didn’t happen, but it was nice to have these as a backup plan. She also loves the fit and comfort and they look nice enough to go out to restaurants in the evening.
Lightweight Shirt Setup
I enjoyed what I did for my shirts. I kept it simple with two short sleeve shirts. One was the Patagonia Capilene Cool Lightweight Shirt. I used this one for those long sweaty days and it was my main hiking shirt. The other was the Patagonia Capilene Cool Daily Shirt that I used in the hostels and going out to dinner. The beautiful thing about both shirts is that they pack half the size of a normal tee shirt and dry out super fast at night after rinsing in a sink.
Cool weather top
I brought a Patagonia Cool Daily Long Sleeve shirt that served as a light sweater on cool mornings or going out at night. This kept the weight down and the bulk down and was plenty for June weather in Northern Spain.
Overall, packing for a Camino is very much like backpacking trips. Think about using things that have multiple uses. Don’t bring extra clothing that just weighs you down. Make sure everything dries quickly. And go light, light, light. Even though you are not bringing tents and cooking gear, it’s best to keep your pack as absolutely light as possible. Have fun and Buen Camino!!!