Experienced pilgrims share one piece of advice… pack light.
The guideline is that your backpack should weigh no more than 10% of your body weight. Every additional pound increases the chance of sore feet, sore joints, and injury.
For the last few months, I’ve been busy acquiring and measuring gear. I have nearly everything I need, and here’s the breakdown…
- General gear (Backpack, hiking pole, headlamp, spork, towel, etc.) … 5.6 pounds
- Clothing … (Comfy shoes, rain gear, pants, socks, etc.) … 4.2 pounds
- Bedding … (Hiking quilt, fitted sheet, mini-pillow, earplugs, etc.) … 3.4 pounds
- Toiletries and first aid … (Toothbrush, medicine, sunscreen, etc.) … 1.5 pounds
- Electronics … (Phone, charger, cables) … 11.2 ounces
- Personal … (Journal, foam roller, passport, money belt, etc.) … 1 pound
That’s a grand total of… 266 ounces which equals 16.6 pounds. Looks like I’ll make it. (For those of you obsessed with details, an itemized list of the expected contents of my backpack can be found below.)
In a couple of weeks, I’ll start carrying my fully loaded backpack on some of my training walks. If it goes well, I’ll be set. If it goes poorly, I may need to cancel this crazy adventure or hire a sherpa.
BTW… Plane ticket is purchased. I leave on August 14 and return on November 5.
Bill on the Camino 
Very cool. I’m jealous. Love that you are flying the colors. Go Blue!
Getting away for a month or so is a challenge, but you could always do a shorter version. A week or two week trip is usually doable. Buen Camino!
BTW… My wife was kind enough to sew those patches onto the backpack. I’m hoping they will allow me to meet some fellow Wolverines, Rainbow Warriors and Nittany Lions along the way.
Yeah go Bows! Hope you meet some along the way and hopefully they will share their aloha spirit with you!
That would be great. Shirley sewed those on for me. I figure this is a retirement celebration so representing my three schools makes sense. I hope to meet pilgrims from all three places.
Exciting! Although heavy, have you considered a power pack for extra phone charging?
I think I should be pretty good charge-wise. If the phone starts running down, I’ll use airplane mode when it’s not needed. Worst case, I can buy one there. Thanks!
Great list! You should get some leukotape for blisters and wrap it around your hiking pole. That way it doesn’t take up valuable space and is available to peel and use as needed,
I bought some leukotape, but it doesn’t rip well, and I didn’t want to bring scissors so decided on first aid tape instead. I’ve been using that a bit, and it works well. I like the idea of storing on the hiking pole. FYI… I don’t want to check my bag (can’t afford to lose it) and you can’t carry-on hiking poles, so I’ll be buying those in France.
Thinking of you as you embark on this journey! Safe travels and buen Camino 🚶👣