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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 learn from our experience what to bring with and what to leave out. I’ve created this Camino packing list based on our experience. Hope it helps you to choose the right items.

Campbell & Alya wearing Camino T-shirts at a distance pole marking the Camino de Santiago in Galicia
Stingy Nomads on the Camino de Santiago. Best Camino packing tips!

Camino de Santiago packing checklist

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Our YouTube video on what to pack for the Camino de Santiago

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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 36-40L 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 it’s essential if you walk in winter.

If you use a backpack delivery service you can bring a big backpack and walk with a day pack carrying only valuables, water, and snacks. Make sure your daypack is comfortable for long walking and has padded straps, and pockets to fit a water bottle. Osprey Talon 22 Hiking Backpack or smaller Osprey Daylite 13L Daypack are great options.

Alya on a boardwalk by the beach looking at the sea at sunset
Alya on the Litoral Way of the Portuguese Camino wearing an Osprey day pack

2. Shoes

It’s importance to pack 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 good new shoes might cause blisters. 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.

Alya's hiking Camino shoes on the beach
Merrell are currently my favorite shoes for walking the Camino

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 X Ultra 3 GTX boots. These shoes are amazing for more challenging hiking routes and walking in bad weather conditions e.g. heavy rain or snow.

I did a comparison on the Central Route of the Portuguese Camino last year. I wore three different pairs of shoes: waterproof hiking boots, hiking shoes, and running shoes to see which pair was the most comfortable. My Merrell hiking shoes worked the best.

You can see my comparison and conclusion in our 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. He hasn’t done any Camino in them yet but for hiking in heavy rain, snow and mud, these boots are amazing. They are very comfortable and light, stay dry for hours, and keep your feet warm especially if you wear merino wool socks.

Campbell's Merrell hiking shoes and grey Merino socks on the beach
Campbell’s Merrell hiking shoes and Merino socks that he always packs for the Camino

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 2 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.

4 different pairs of hiking socks for the Camino
Our collection of hiking socks. In the last 2 years we’ve always been packing Danish Endurance socks for the Camino (we have 3 pairs each)

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 for you 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 having them is recommended. If you stay in private rooms you won’t need a sleeping bag or liner but if you stay in public albergues you’ll need it.

1. Trekking pants

I prefer hiking 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. For summer you can pack a pair of long pants and a pair of hiking shorts or knee pants. I prefer walking in long pants even in summer for extra sun protection.

Campbell usually 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.

Campbell in a hat, hiking shirt and pants on a boardwalk on the Camino route
Campbell is his walking outfit on the Litoral Way of the Portuguese Camino

2. Hiking top/shirt/T-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 Columbia 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/poncho

I suggest packing one of them. In Galicia, it rains quite a lot throughout the year. If you walk in July or August the chances of rain are smaller. I 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.

Campbell in a green rain jacket and a cap with a Osprey hiking backpack on the boardwalk on the Camino route
Campbell always packs his rain jacket for walking the Camino in fall

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 season, 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. Unlike in hotels you don’t get towels in albergues.

A collection of our quick-dry towels (purple, blue, black, and turquoise)
Quick-dry towels come in different colors and sizes. We always pack them for the Camino

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 June and sometimes it was too hot at night to use a sleeping bag.

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

8. Water bottle

We prefer carrying a water bottle over a hydration bladder. A bottle fits in a side pocket, so it’s easy to take it out and refill it, even if it leaks it won’t make everything inside your backpack wet. 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 problems there from drinking tap water there.

Alya in her hiking outfit with a big backpack walking on a boardwalk towards the beach at sunset
Alya in her Camino outfit on a coastal route of the Camino de Santiago

9. Headlamp

Having a headlamp on the Camino is very useful. In albergues lights are usually turned off quite early so if you want to read or find something in your backpack you can use a lamp. You’ll need it in the morning 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.

Stingy Nomads at Cape Muxia looking at the church and the sea
Stingy Nomads at Cape Muxia, the end of the Camino Finisterre-Muxia in early November. We got a lot of rain on this route and were very happy we packed our rain jackets.

What else 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 for the Camino
A Pilgrim’s Passport or Credential is a must-have item for the Camino

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 just plain weird.

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

Questions or Comments?

Got any questions or comments? We would love to help! All questions and comments will be answered by us personally in Buy Me a Coffee. Click below and ask away.

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Azaria

Wednesday 11th of September 2024

I have used your posts to plan my Camino Primitivo trip. Thank you so much for all the effort you have put into these. You have helped me so much ❤️ 🙏

Vanny

Tuesday 2nd of July 2024

Thanks for the detailed information. I appreciate you!

Stingy Nomads

Thursday 4th of July 2024

Hello Vanny. Thank you for the comment. Buen Camino

Aster

Tuesday 28th of May 2024

Hello! I'm looking to do el camino del norte in late august/early september. Do you think I'll be okay with a sleeping bag liner and a camping blanket? I'm trying to save by using things I already have from backpacking, but I think my regular sleeping bag would be a bit too warm!

Stingy Nomads

Friday 31st of May 2024

Hello Aster. Most places (definitely private albergues and hostels) have blankets even if they don't have it's warm that time of the year you should be find with a liner or a camping blanket (no need to bring both) if you're planning to stay indoors. If you want to camp (which is difficult as in most places on the Camino wild camping is illegal) then you might need both to stay warm at night. Buen Camino

Logan

Wednesday 17th of April 2024

Thank you so very much for your very detailed and informative website. Do you have any posts on the Camino in October/November? We are trying to condense the last “100km” down to 4 days either by the French or Old English way. Thank you!

Stingy Nomads

Friday 19th of April 2024

Hello Logan. Thank you for the comment. We don't have a specific post on walking the Camino in October/November. We did a couple of Camino routes in these months and I can say that the weather is usually good till mid-October and then in one day it gets cold and rainy. If you walk any route in the first half of October you'll likely to have good sunny weather. Later it'll be rainy and cold. The Camino route Sarria has better infrastructure and more places to stay but it's a lot busier than the English Way. I'd say it you walk in the first part of October then the English Way is better. If you walk in the second half of October/November then rather do the French route from Sarria. Buen Camino

Jo

Thursday 11th of April 2024

Thank you for this info. Great site! Thinking about doing the Camino del Norte in September of this year. Do you have any experience with bed bugs? Wondering how to avoid getting them and passing them along.

Stingy Nomads

Thursday 18th of April 2024

Hello Jo. Thank you for the comment. Yes, we had bedbugs on the Camino a couple of times. Once in a donation albergue and once in a private one. Never had them in hotels. We never put our backpacks on the bed, keep them always closed with a raincover on. Bedbugs are not that fast. You can check your bed by lifting a sheet and looking at the mattress. They prefer wooden surfaces, metal beds are better. We didn't have any begbugs on the Camino del Norte and we stayed only in albergues. If you use your sleeping bag always check it before packing away. You can carry a bed bug spray with you. We had bedbugs many times backpacking but never carried them with us to the next place. Just remember to keep your backpack closed. Buen Camino

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