For nearly three weeks, with 10 days of it walking the Camino, I will live out of my precious backpack named Kea. She took amazing care of me on my first Camino, as I knew she would. Refer to my original Camino packing list post to find out why Kea is so special to me.

Ideally your Camino pack should only be about 10% of your body weight. The more your pack weighs, the harder your Camino will be. Just ask my friend Maurice about that if you ever meet him. As I was going through my Camino gear this morning, I re-watched the movie Wild and couldn’t help but laugh yet again at the scene where Cheryl Strayed tries to put her pack on before setting out on the PCT. (Side note – I recently had the very fortunate chance to get to tell the Cheryl Strayed how much I appreciate her sharing her story of walking the PCT alone. It’s ever so inspiring to hear about women who take the chance at such big adventures.)

Though my Camino pack was no where near the weight of Cheryl’s backpack on my first walk, I still had a moment of anxiety when I first picked it up completely full with all the things I’d be taking. I quickly unpacked and tried to remove things I didn’t think I absolutely needed. Even with that, day one was still hard. But climbing nearly 4000 feet in elevation without carrying anything would still be hard enough. After crossing the Pyrenees and a few more days of walking, my pack felt like an extension of my body. It somehow felt lighter and lighter as my journey continued even though I was carrying the same amount of weight.

This morning as I loaded my pack, it was lighter and had a lot more free space in it. On my first Camino I learned what I really needed and what I could do without. But more importantly, I learned that while the clothes I brought last time worked well, they were just too heavy to carry. So over the past few weeks I’ve been purchasing all new clothes. Lightweight sports shirts, pants and shorts that take up less space and weigh less than what I brought last time. The nice thing is I’ve been able to find some sports clothes that are sporty but can pass as normal outfits for when I’m not walking on The Way.

The other trick to packing this time is that I’m heading to Scotland and England after I walk to Santiago, so I needed clothes that were versatile for a variety of environments.

So for my updated list:

• Arcteryx 37 liter backpack
• REI backpack rain cover
• Brooks Cascadia trail runner shoes – goretex
• Havaiana Flip flops
• Black Diamond trekking poles
• Columbia water bottle (lighter than my last Camino bottle)
• Platypus foldable water bottle
• Cocoon sleeping bag liner
• Expander sleeping bag liner
• Lightweight blow up pillow (splurge item)
• REI rain jacket
• Arcteryx hoody
• Fleece vest
• 1 pair of yoga pants
• 1 pair North Face hiking pants
• 1 pair of North Face hiking shorts
• 1 skirt
• 2 pairs of Darn Tough wool socks
• 1 pair of Smartwool socks
• 3 quick dry shirts (may lose one of these)
• 1 quick dry long sleeve shirt
• 1 tank top
• Ball cap
• Lightweight poncho
• 3-4 pairs of undies
• Backpacking quick dry towel
• Toiletries including mini shampoo, toothpaste, deodorant, etc.
• Fingernail clippers
• Fingernail polish (splurge item)
• Minimal first aid kit including band-aids, moleskin and compeed
• Advil, Advil PM, Vitamins
• Mini toilet paper roll
• Two needles with thread
• One safety pin
• Extra chapstick
• Mini sunscreen
• IPhone
• Fitbit
• Battery charger for iPhone
• Charging cables for iPhone, Fitbit and battery charger
• 2 International plug-ins
• USB charger plug with two USB ports (charge two things at once)
• Camino Portuguese guidebook
• Small carabiners to hang things from backpack
• Lightweight purse with passport, cards and euros
• Mini roll of duct tape
• Clothes pins for drying clothes
• 2 Reusable shopping bags (for storing clothes)
• 2 organization compartments
• Kavu fanny pack
• Buff scarf
• Sounders FC Scarf (splurge item)
• Scallop shell

So on a typical camino day, I’ll take off looking like this:

I’m so happy to have the experience of one Camino under my belt so I know how to better prepare for this next one. I learned to appreciate how little one actually needs to get by on the Camino Frances. As you’re passing through villages, you can find anything you might need along the way. It’s important to pack light for the walk as the more important thing to carry with you is the memories of an incredible journey.