Camino packing list – 13 essential items

Planning your first pilgrimage walk and wandering what to pack for the Camino de Santiago? Choosing the right gear and not packing too heavy is important for the successful walk. We’ve walked 10 Camino de Santiago routes and learnt from our experience what to bring with and what to leave out. I’ve created this Camino packing list to make packing easier for fellow pilgrims. Hope it helps you to choose the right items.

Camino de Santiago packing checklist

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3 most important Camino items to pack

1. Backpack

It’s important to choose the right backpack for the Camino de Santiago. I usually walk with a 30-40L (depending on the season) backpack. It is more than enough especially if you’re not planning on carrying a laptop/mirror camera, etc. as I did. Remember, the bigger backpack the more unnecessary stuff you’ll fit in. If you walk in summer you can get away with a 30-35L backpack.

For hiking in winter or late fall/early spring when you need warmer clothes a 40-45L backpack for men and women will be big enough. Make sure your backpack has a rain cover or buy a separate one.

If you use a luggage transfer service you can bring a big backpack/suitcase and walk with a day pack carrying only valuables, water, and snacks. Make sure your daypack is comfortable for walking. Osprey Talon 22 Hiking Backpack or smaller Osprey Daylite 15L Daypack are great options.

Read more on the best backpacks for the Camino.

2. Shoes

It’s importance to bring a good pair of shoes for the Camino. You’ll spend 5-8 hours a day walking in them. We recommend walking the Camino, especially longer routes, in hiking shoes, not in sneakers. We walked a part of the Portuguese Camino from Lisbon in our running shoes. At first, they were very comfortable but after a couple of days of walking on cobblestones, our feet were destroyed.

If you buy a new pair of shoes wear them for a while before you start the pilgrimage. Even very good shoes might cause blisters when new. If you’re planning to do some Camino training the best is to train in the same shoes you’re going to walk the Camino.

Read our recommendation for the best shoes for the Camino de Santiago.

Suggested shoes for women

In the last 2 years I’ve walked five Camino routes in my current Merrell Moab hiking shoes. They’re comfortable and light. I got light rain a couple of time and my feet didn’t get wet but in heavy rain they wouldn’t work. I never had any blisters but I always wear them with Merino wool socks. 

For walking the Camino in the winter when it rains a lot and on some routes, you can even get snow I can recommend Salomon GTX boots. These shoes are amazing for more challenging hiking routes and walking in bad weather conditions e.g. heavy rain or snow.

I compare different shoes on the Camino in this YouTube video.

Suggested shoes for men

Campbell currently has Merrell Moas shoes (men’s version). He’s done a couple of Camino routes and several coastal hikes in them. These shoes are a great; light, durable, relatively waterproof, comfortable, and have a good grip.

For off-season when you can get a lot of rain and occasional snow Campbell wears waterproof hiking boots Salomon Ultra 3 Mid GTX. They are very comfortable and light, stay dry for hours, and keep your feet warm especially if you wear merino wool socks.

3. Socks

We’re big fans of Merino wool socks. We wear them always when we walk the Camino. I did a test run last year on the Spiritual Variant. I walked one day in Merino wool socks and one in synthetic hiking socks. I didn’t get any blisters wearing the Merino socks and my feet didn’t sweat though it was a hot and long walking day. I changed my synthetic hiking socks after 2 hours because my feet started chafing. I have 3 pairs of Danish Endurance socks that I’ve been using for the last 4 years.

Just like me Campbell always hikes and walks the Camino in Merino woold socks.

We like the Merino wool socks so much that we even wrote a separate article on them.

10 essential items for your Camino packing list

These are the standard items that we usually pack for the Camino de Santiago. Some of them might be not necessary depending on the Camino route and your accommodation type. E.g. if you walk the Coastal Route or Litoral Way of the Portuguese Camino you won’t need hiking poles when for the Camino Frances and Camino Primitivo they will be very helpful. If you stay in hotels you won’t need a sleeping bag but if you stay in public albergues you’ll need one.

1. Trekking pants

I usually walk in stretchy leggings the same I use for running and exercising. They are comfortable and light, stretch a lot, dry quickly, and take up little space. I always pack two pairs of pants. Some people prefer walking in hiking pants. I wear long pants/leggings even in summer for extra sum protection.

Campbell always walks in quick-dry hiking pants. For summer you can bring a pair of long trekking pants and a pair of hiking shorts or as an option buy a pair of convertible pants with zip-off legs.

2. Hiking shirt

Depending on what you prefer to wear for hiking it can be a long-sleeve top or a running T-shirt. I usually pack two running tops; one long sleeves and one short-sleeve. Even for walking in summer wearing a thin long-sleeve top is good for extra sun protection.

Campbell usually wears a hiking shirt or running T-shirt on the Camino. They’re great; light, comfortable, breathing, dry very quickly, and easy to wash. Pack two shirts.

Walking in summer always apply sunscreen on open areas of your body.

3. Rain jacket or poncho

I suggest packing either one. In Northern Spain, it rains quite a lot throughout the year. If you walk in July or August the chances of rain are smaller. We walked some shorter routes without having any rain. For spring/early fall you can get away with a rain poncho. For the rest of the year, a good waterproof jacket is a must-have.

Campbell usually packs his rain jacket for the Camino. In the peak summer months, you can get away without it but I still recommend bringing a rain poncho and a rain cover for your backpack.

4. Flip-flops

Flip-flops or any other comfortable footwear are a great item to pack for the Camino. It’s an amazing feeling when after a long walking day you take off your hiking shoes and put on flip-flops. They’re great to have for wearing in albergues, on the beach, and outside.

5. Headwear

For the summer months, it’s a must-have item. Most of the Camino routes go through open areas without any shade, so you will have to protect your head. I don’t like hats and prefer walking in a cap.

A hat works better for sun protection as it covers your neck as well. Sunglasses are another useful item to add to your Camino packing list.

6. Quick-dry towel

A quick-dry towel is a useful item to add to your Camino packing list. It is very light, packs small, dries quickly (as you can guess from the name), durable, and come in many different colors. If you stay in hotels you get towels but most albergues don’t provide them or you have to pay extra.

7. Sleeping bag

In our experience, most albergues provide blankets but usually, without covers, I prefer to use my sleeping bag, and if it’s cold I use it with a blanket. A light sleeping bag with a comfort temperature limit of +12°C/55°F will be good for sleeping indoors even in winter.

If you walk the Camino in summer, you can pack a silk liner instead. We walked a couple of Camino routes in July and often it was too hot at night to use a sleeping bag.

If you plan to stay in hotels you don’t need to carry a sleeping bag or liner, all hotels and guesthouses provide blankets and bedding.

8. Water bottle

We prefer carrying a reusable water bottle over buying plastic bottles every day. Tap water in Spain and Portugal is usually fine to drink. I didn’t drink tap water in the Meseta part of the Camino Frances as I heard from other pilgrims that they had stomach issues after drinking tap water there.

9. Headlamp

Having a headlamp on the Camino is very useful if you’re planning to stay in albergues. The lights are usually turned off quite early so if you want to read or find something in your backpack you can use a headlamp. You’ll need it in the mornings if you start walking very early in the dark.

10. Trekking poles

We use trekking poles a lot for hiking in the mountains. For walking the Camino we don’t usually take them but I know many pilgrims do. Trekking poles are great if you have knee or hip problems, shin splint, etc. They help a lot to reduce stress on joints. We used them on some routes with many ascents and descents e.g. the Camino Primitivo, Camino de San Salvador, or Camino de Gran Canaria.

Other useful items to pack for the Camino

2-3 of pairs of underwear.

A change of clothes (for sleeping/wearing in albergues).

A fleece. It’s always nice to have a soft and warm fleece. Even in summer if you start walking early it might be a bit chilly.

A neck bag. You can carry your documents and valuables in a neck bag.

A travel lock. Some albergues have lockers but don’t have locks if you want to lock your valuables pack a travel lock.

Toiletries. Your normal stuff that you usually take traveling but in smaller containers.

First aid kit. You can buy a ready-made kit, take out some unnecessary stuff, and add whatever extra you need.

A Credential (Camino passport) is a small paper book with your name where you collect stamps from albergues, hotels, churches, restaurants, etc. along the way. You need it to stay at public albergues and to get your Compostela certificate in Santiago.

A book or Kindle. You usually have time for reading in the evening.

Do you want to read something fun or interesting about the Camino? Campbell just finished reading a whole bunch of novels that playoff on the Camino. See our reviews of some of the Top Novels on the Camino de Santiago. Some of them are fun, some of them are interesting and some of them are strange.

If you need practical information for planning the pilgrimage check out our post that contains useful tips for planning and walking the Camino.

Camino de Santiago planning resources

• Learn more about the Camino | A detailed guide to the Camino de Santiago |
• Calculate your estimated Camino budget | The cost of walking the Camino de Santiago |
• More packing tips for the Camino de Santiago | Camino de Santiago: To Walk Far, Carry Less |
• What are the origins of the Way of St.James? | History of the Camino |

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