- Leatherman
- Kindle
- Compass
- Small stuffsack (empty)
- Sunglasses
- Emergency 50 euro bill
- Tape (for feet and blisters)
- Headlamp
- Small Ziploc with passport and credencial
- iPad
- Moleskin medium notebook (unruled)
- Tent (Big Agnes UL3 with it's ground tarp)
- Rain shell jacket
- Rain pants
- First aid kit
- roll of toilet paper,
- moleskin,
- tweezers
- bandaids of all shapes and sizes
- athletic wrap
- gauze
- alcohol wipes
- tampons
- bottle of Advil
- a few pills for anti-diarrhea and anti-fever
- neosporin
- Aquamira water drops
- Ziploc with lighter and water-resistant camping matches
- mini roll of duct tape
- Hat (the Grand Canyon hat!)
- Plastic grocery bag holding my share of group food for lunch or breakfast to carry
- Medium stuffsack:
- Sleeping shirt (my green MITOC shirt)
- Athletic shorts (double as pajamas)
- Camp towel, just barely large enough to.cover the important bits
- 2 spare pairs synthetic underwear
- 1 spare pair liner socks
- 2 spare pairs wool socks
- Beanie
- Liner gloves
- Swimming shorts
- Light fleece
- Drawstring plastic bag:
- 1 pair clean cotton underwear
- 1 clean cotton shirt
- 1 clean cotton bra
- Toiletries pouch:
- Toothbrush
- Toothpaste
- Deodorant
- Extra hair ties
- Hair brush
- Travel pack of floss
- Nail file
- Travel size shampoo bottle
- Electric-taped uber-converter (European wall outlet to US 3-appliance plug)
- Micro USB wall charger (with detachable USB to micro USB cable)
- USB to iPad cable
- Single Europe to US outlet converter
- US wall outlet to double USB charger
- Spanish phone charger (European outlet to mini USB)
- 2 spare plastic grocery bags
- Sleeping pad (held on by 2 compression straps)
- 2 1-liter nalgenes
- Ziploc with a 3-day supply of day and night sanitary pads
- Ziploc with 3-day emergency supply of Clif bars and Larabars
- Small Camino book with maps and towns
- Small Camino pamphlet with list of albergues
- Metal fork
- Sleep eye cover
- Three giant spare Ziplocs
- Pen
- Whistle
- Bandana
- Teva sandals
- Climbing-rated non-locking carabiner
- Pack cover
- And on my person:
- Trail runners
- Liner socks
- Wool socks
- Hiking pants
- Synthetic underwear
- Sports bra
- Red MITOC shirt
- Watch
- MIT brass rat
- Hair tie
- Spanish cell phone
- About 3 granola bars
- Ziploc with American cell phone
- Card case with American driver's license, money, cards, passport photocopy
- Hiking poles
In retrospect, I packed well. The entire pack with water weighs about 30 pounds. Any more weight would be really hard on the knees. A few seasoned travelers will note some obvious pieces of gear missing, but I can explain each one of my choices. Here goes:
- Sunblock - Kayla and Leah both have large tubes of sunblock, 55 SPF (and the kind that's good for your skin, mom!)
- Bathing suit - my bathing shorts and sports bra (or topless, it is Europe after all) works just fine
- Bug spray - this one I am lacking. But sleeping indoors or in the tent solves 95% of that bug problem
- Soap - why also carry soap when extra shampoo suds work just fine?
- Clothesline and drain plug - again, these are lacking, but the plan was to be in albergues enough to render these unnecessary.
- Headphones - hiking through the Spanish countryside is a privilege and listening to music or podcasts would just ruin it. And for entertainment, the Kindle is perfect.
- Nail clippers 0 that's what the scissors on the Leatherman are for!
What is the most useless item in my pack that weighs the most?
The iPad, by far. I can do everything I need to do from my wifi-capable phone, so not only is the iPad redundant with an inferior interface, it also weighs a lot together with it's associated cables.
What has been the most useful item?
The scissors on the Leatherman. They are a nail cutter, a bang cutter, useful for cutting my medical tape, and for opening any food container that requires precision. I use them every day.
Anything else?
When packing for the Camino, remember that it might rain. My system includes three separate pieces for rain - my rain pants, a shell, and a pack cover. I stay perfectly dry, as does all my stuff, but the main problem is that I get too sweaty sometimes, since there is no ventilation. Other peregrinos solve this problem by using a rain poncho, since the temperature in northern Spain is rarely cold enough when coupled with rain to warrant a full rain suit. Pro tip for next time, use a rain poncho. It also weighs less and it covers the pack too.
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