Preparing

Planning, thinking about, and preparing for the adventure is 50% of the fun.  At least for me.  Pulling out my sewing machine and figuring out how I could convert my Goodwill finds into Camino-wear is a highlight of the prep.  It’s the inventor in me.  I remember the kids buying Dad a beer-making kit for his birthday.  He spent weeks welding and hammering together an “easy to use” beer bottle washing contraption.  Not a single bottle of beer was ever produced.  If there had been crowd-funding and craft-brewing in those days who knows what could have happened.

Training

The training weighs in at about 20% of the fun.  Fresh air and exercise is great.  And I don’t mind walking on cold, rainy Oregon days.  In fact, I just might prefer it.  However, walking along the same trails is enjoyable for a couple of hours and then it gets boring real fast.  Don’t let people tell you otherwise.  Training with your Camino partner is a big plus.  And anyone else you can rope in along the way.  We did some lackadaisical training in March while debating whether or not to push the trip out until November.  When we finally pulled the trigger we were 6 weeks out.  Not disastrous, but not something to copy if you can avoid it.

If you are prone to blisters, I highly recommend Rebecca’s YouTube video’s on blister prevention and care.

Packing

Starting the Camino Frances in May means you have to be prepared for everything: from hail to heat.  This makes packing somewhat problematic.  The goal for me was to pack what I “need” into 15 lbs / 7 kg or less.  This includes my spiffy new Osprey pack. At 3.2 lbs that leaves me just about 12 pounds for the stuff.  Robby purchased the Osprey Atmos 50 AG “Anti-Gravity” unit.  His goal is higher, which dovetails in nicely with my devious plan to have Robby carry more water.  And he has generously offered to carry shared items.  Of course this means that I intend to share as much as possible.  A toothbrush and toothpaste is for sharing, right?

Danielle’s Kit: 13.8 pounds (no snacks, no water)

Danielle’s kit, not including water or snacks, weighed in at 13.8 pounds

Clothes:

• tops: 2 short-sleeved, 1 sleeveless (never worn), 1 long-sleeve, 1 summer hoodie (robby’s comment: “white?”)
• bottoms: 1 lightweight pant (rarely worn), 1 short, 1 skort (never worn), 3/4 yoga pant (worn every day), 1 light windproof/fleece pant (worn almost daily)
• outerwear: 1 fleece vest, 1 light fleece hoodie, 1 rain jacket, 1 rain pant
• underwear: 2 sports bras, 1 regular bra, 3 panties
• footwear: socks (2 wool outer, 2 silk/cotton under, 1 shortie wool), hiking shoes (now wearing Oboz hiker mid boot), Bob’s Skechers memory foam espadrille (changed to sturdier Salomon RX slides on Camino #2)
• lightweight camping towel
• 1 lightweight dress/nightie (rarely worn), 1 ball cap, 1 rain-proof ball cap cover (HM)

Other:

• Credencial, passports, travel cross-body holder
• Kindle, phone, charger, earbuds
• 2 shoelaces, 2 bulldog clips, 2 small carabiner, small castille soap, unscented mini laundry soap
• mini sewing kit, mini folding scissors, mini duct tape
• footcare (fixomull, footglide, vaseline, misc bandaids/compeed, nail clippers)
• glasses, sunglasses, mini contact lens solution
• mini zinc sunscreen, mini sun spray
• blow-up pillow, mini pillowcase, stuff sleeve, earplugs, eyecover
• extra light sleeping bag, sleep sheet (cut in half)
• medication, inhaler, mini antibiotic cream
• Poles

Robby’s Kit (20 pounds)

Clothes:

• tops: 2 t-shirts, one long-sleeved light-weight top, one fleece top
• bottoms: 1 lightweight pant, 1 short, 1 zip off shorts/pants
• outerwear: 1 fleece vest, 1 light fleece hoodie, 1 Columbia rain jacket, 1 rain pant
• underwear: ExOfficio quick dry 2 briefs, 1 boxer
• footwear: socks (2 wool), 1 thin, 1 ankle, hiking shoes (Keen hikers), Keen sandals
• misc: 1 ball cap, 1 head scarf

Other:

• credencial, passports
• phone, charger, earbuds
• 2 small carabiner, 3 small castille soap
• footcare: nothing!
• glasses, phone-charger, earbuds
• sunscreen: nothing!
• pillow: mini stuff sleeve, earplugs, sleep mask
• sleeping bag, sleep sheet (cut in half)
• 2 travel guidebooks
• shock blocks and snacks, toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant,
  mini kleenex
• Poles

Notes:

A big part of the trek is learning what you can do without.  My strategy involves a combination of cutting my hair off (no brush or comb), wearing the same stuff, and taking unfair advantage of my trek-mate’s bigger size and strength to carry snacks.

One of the biggest variables is the weather. We were lucky on our first Caminos and did not particularly need rain pants. A friend, only a few kilometers away, experienced many downpours and was regularly soaked to the skin.

I also vacillated on post-walk shoes (which ones to bring) until the day we left.  I did not bring sturdy enough “evening” shoes on the first Camino. Each step in my lightweight Bob’s was painful. On the second Camino, I packed my Salomon RX slides, a huge improvement. I would advise rain pants in the bag for “just in case” and light sturdy shoes with plenty of foot room for evening wear.  A lot of my items are second-hand and will happily be left behind along the way.  And you are in Europe- what is needed along the way can be found somewhere!