Camino del Norte Packing List

This was my second long-distance walk on Spain’s Camino de Santiago. I hiked both the Camino Frances and Camino Finisterre in September 2018 (you can find that year’s packing list HERE), and I probably could have used the same exact items for the Camino del Norte in fall 2022.

However, the Camino del Norte is predominantly on the coast where the weather can be a bit more unpredictable compared to the interior of Spain (read: much rainier and windier). Also, my 2022 Camino occurred slightly later in the shoulder season, which meant the possibility for cooler temperatures.

Scroll to the bottom of this post to see my discussion about what gear really worked for me (and what didn’t), and what I’d do differently if I were hiking this Camino del Norte again.

(Note: I publish my packing list after each hike because I think there’s value in seeing what gear other hikers actually used, liked, or disliked on a particular thru-hike. Any item with an asterisk beside it indicates a deviation from my standard long distance hiking gear set-up. Also, NONE of the hyperlinks in this post are affiliate links. They are merely provided as a quick reference for the reader. )

HIKING ITEMS

Backpack – Gossamer Gear G4-20 (42L/frameless pack)
Pack Accessories – WEBO Shoulder Pouch
Rain protection*– Sea to Summit ultra-sil backpack cover (size: small)
Sleep system – Enlightened Equipment Revelation down quilt (30°F)
Trekking Poles – Leki Cressida anti-shock trekking poles
Hydration*– MiiR 850 ml metal water bottle + Mini Nalgene wide mouth (16 oz)
First Aid Kit – KT tape, compeed, bandaids, ibuprofen, allergy medicine
Knife – Swiss Army knife (w/ mini scissors)
Trail Hygiene – Kula Cloth, TP, doggie poop bags

CLOTHING

Hiking Shirts* – Club Ride Bandara shirt & Patagonia capeline t-shirt
Hiking Shorts* – Nike Tempo Luxe running shorts
Hiking Pants – Nike One Luxe leggings
Underwear – Patagonia Active hipster underwear (x4)
Bras – Patagonia Barely sports bras (x2)
Town Clothes* – Icebreaker 150 base layer top & OR Zendo hiking pants
Sleep Clothes* – Tank top & pajama shorts
Headband – Buff CoolNet UV+ multifunctional headband
Scarf – Inexpensive scarf purchased on my last Camino

Footwear

Hiking Socks – Injinji hiking socks + Smartwool run socks
Shoes – Altra Lone Peak 5
Gaiters – Dirty Girl gaiters
Town shoes – Crocs Kadee II sandals

OUTERWEAR

Puffy* – Patagonia Nano Puff Jacket (without hood)
Rain Gear – OR Helium rain jacket & REI Junction cycling rain pants
Umbrella – Lightrek Hiking (Chrome) umbrella
Hats – Headsweats Race hat & Smartwool beanie
Gloves* – Smartwool liner gloves
Sunglasses – Tifosi Swank XL running sunglass

ELECTRONICS

Phone/camera – iPhone XR (128GB)
Earbuds – Apple Airpods
Watch – Timex Ironman watch
E-reader/Entertainment* – iPad Mini
External battery* – Slim 5000 mAh external battery
Power* – Anker dual port USB wall charger with USB cables (x2)
Power adapter* – 220V plug
Headlamp – Nitecore NU25 headlamp (360 lumens)
Electronics Storage – Sea to summit Ultra-Sil Dry Sack (size: XXS)

HYGIENE ITEMS

Toiletry Storage* – Eagle Creek Pack-It toiletry kit
Towel* – PackTowel (size: 16.5″ x 36″)
Shower items* – Travel shampoo, soap, razor
Dental Care – Travel toothbrush/toothpaste + floss
Vision – Disposable contacts (x35 day supply) & glasses
Haircare* – Comb & hair paste
Make-up*– Eyeliner, mascara, chapstick
Other toiletries* – Nail clippers, tweezers

Miscellaneous ITEMS

Wallet – WEBO wallet (with ziplock for change)
Personal items* – Passport/ID, ATM/Credit card, Euros
Credential* – Pilgrim credential to get stamped along the Camino
Journal* – Moleskine Cahier notebook + pen
Laundry items* – plastic clothespins (x6), detergent pods, Dr. Bronner’s liquid soap
Pillow* – Therma-a-Rest Trekker stuffable backpacking pillow
Shopping Bag/Purse – nylon sling bag
Duffel Bag* – Eddie Bauer Stowaway packable duffel (45L) for airplane travel

Post-Hike ThoughtS

When assessing how this packing list fared overall on the Camino del Norte, I found it easiest to break my thoughts down into four categories:

GOOD = gear that really made a huge difference in my overall comfort
BAD = items on my packing list that I would ditch if I were doing this hike all over again
LOST/DESTROYED = self-explanatory
GEAR TO CONSIDER = additional thoughts I had what to bring on a future Camino

The GooD

Nike Shorts. I decided to mix it up on the Camino and wore a pair of black Nike Tempo Luxe running shorts for the duration of this hike. I absolutely loved hiking in these shorts!! They were super lightweight, had a comfortably wide waistband, and were more modest in length than many other running shorts I’ve worn. And while I still think my Patagonia 5″ Baggies shorts are a much more durable option for long-distance hike the backcountry, these running shorts were perfect for a front country trek like this. They dried quickly, they were incredibly comfortable, and even had a small zippered side pocket to store some euro or a credit card in. Overall, this item was my MVP piece of gear on the Camino del Norte.

Rain gear. I hemmed and hawed over what rain gear to bring on this hike. After all, I’d only had two days of rain when I walked the Camino Frances in 2018. But, I also knew from last summer’s thru-hike on the Oregon Coast Trail that coastal hikes can have an utterly ridiculous amount of rain – no matter which month you’re planning to hike in. Thus, my inclement weather gear set up included my Outdoor Research Helium II jacket, a pair of REI Junction cycling rain pants, my Lighttrek (Chrome) ultralight hiking umbrella, and the Sea to Summit ultra-sil rain cover for my pack. Overall, this was a good lightweight combination for the shoulder season, but it’s was also the bare minimum I’d recommend to other hikers considering the Camino Del Norte. Most of my fellow pilgrims used much more robust rain rain jackets and ponchos to keep themselves dry and comfortable.

Rain pants, pack cover, rain jacket, and umbrella

Underwear. Undergarments are a fairly personal topic, but one I feel more pilgrims should talk openly about. I had a total of two lightweight sports bras and four pairs of underwear on this hike. I used one bra for hiking each day, while the other bra was reserved for town/sleeping. I also brought four pairs of lightweight wicking underwear so I didn’t have to hand wash (and attempt to line dry) my underwear overnight in the moist coastal air each day. This strategy worked out great for me – especially during the week of constant rain when nothing was drying out. I was always able to put on clean, dry underwear after my shower each afternoon and then find a laundromat or hostel to machine wash my clothes every four days or so. Was this an ultralight packing solution? Definitely not. Did it work for me? Absolutely!

Electronic charging strategy. Like many hikers, I used my phone for a lot of tasks – navigation, photos, making reservations at albergues, listening to the occasional audiobook or podcast to entertain myself, surfing wifi and checked my email while I was abroad. And even though my phone stayed in airplane mode for the entire month I was in Spain, I still used a lot of battery with all these different tasks. Moreover, my phone wasn’t my only electronic device to keep charged. I also had my AirPods and my USB-rechargable headlamp to support. What I found worked best under these circumstances was to use a dual-USB 220V plug with a slim 5,000 mAH battery. I rarely needed the external battery, since I had access to an outlet every evening, but it was a nice redundancy. And the dual-USB charger let me recharge two items at a time, even when I only had access to a single outlet.

Shopping Bag. When heading out to pick up food at the grocery stores in Spain, you really need to bring a lightweight shopping bag with you. Most stores either don’t provide grocery bags or they charge you for them. A reusable lightweight nylon bag is the perfect solution for this problem. And it will undoubtedly do double duty for some of your other needs too. I used mine to carry clothes to/from the laundromat. It was my purse in the evenings when I went out to dinner and it corralled my valuables inside my sleeping bag while I was sleeping. I I used it as my carry-on/purse during my flights between the U.S. and Spain and on the train ride to Madrid at the end of my Camino.

First aid kit. This is a must-have items on any long-distance hike. But what should you actually put in your first aid kit? How much is too much? And how much is not enough? My first Aird kits have evolved with every long-distance hike, but the best advice I’d give anyone considering the Camino is to ditch the pre-made first aid kit. This is something you need to customize to your own needs and do your best to keep it small. Five items I always include in own my kit include: bandages, a sewing needle (for popping blisters and making gear repairs), ibuprofen, a partial tube of Neosporin ointment, and athletic tape/KT tape. I also strongly endorse packing Compeed blister bandages for any potential blisters on your feet. They are amazing.

The Bad

Shoe Insoles. One of the items I really, really wished I’d brought on this hike was a pair of supportive insoles for my trail runners. My footwear for this 842-kilometer (or 522-mile) adventure was a pair of Altra Lone Peaks. I was grateful for the extra grip on the soles, especially when coming down some of the steeper descents in the Basque Country. However, my plantar fasciitis in my arches was really flaring up by the end of the walk because there just wasn’t enough support left in the shoes. I probably would have been far more comfortable during my hike if I’d swapped out the standard insoles with a pair of more supportive Superfeet or Sole inserts before I started walking.

My shoes were toast by the end (and so were my arches!)

Hiking shirt. My shirt for the Camino Del Norte was the same Club Ride snap-front cycling shirt I wore on my recent bikepacking trip of the Great Allegheny Passage. I thought this shirt would be ideal for going in and out of small towns because it had a collar and looked less casual than most athletic shirts. In hindsight though, I really would have preferred a long-sleeved in its place. Mostly because much of the walking along the coast was super exposed and I got too much sun on my arms. If I had it to do again, I would have hiked in a sun hoodie or long sleeved wool shirt (for odor control) instead.

Travel Lock. During my last Camino, I stayed in several albergues with lockers for pilgrims to secure their belongings in, and I ‘d been glad I’d brought a small travel lock along. However, I must have either forgotten my lock’s combination over the past four years or had it malfunction, because my little lock no longer opened when I got to Spain this past fall. Of course, this was 100% my fault because I’d failed to bother opening it at home before I packed my bags. So for the first week of my Camino, I was carting around a chunk of dead weight before I discovered it was useless. After chucking it in the trash, I decided to forego looking for a replacement. It seemed that all the albergues with lockers now provided keys or had a coin-operated system to secure the lock. So this was definitely one (heavy-ish) item I didn’t need to pack.

iPad mini. Ok, I’ll admit, bringing this device on the Camino was a bonehead move. It was heavy and I certainly didn’t need it. I could have easily used my phone to read on my Kindle app, stream videos, or play a game of cribbage. The sole reason I packed it was because I was on a 2-week vacation in the U.K with my mother immediately before the Camino. Looking back now, I should have just asked her to take it back to the U.S. with her. But I justified carrying because I thought I might want it for my 21-hour return trip home. Yet, much like my travel lock, it was just extra weight.

Lost/Destroyed ITEMS

Socks. About a week into the Camino de Norte, I lost one of my hiking socks. This was kind of a big deal too because I prefer to hike in Injinji toe socks. These socks are NOT easy to find in the U.S., and they are even more difficult to find in Spain. I found a replacement pair of athletic socks during my zero in Llanes, but I didn’t like hiking in them, so they became my town socks and I hand washed my hiking socks every, single day! In the future, I’m going to safety pin my socks together in the wash or when they are hanging to dry so I don’t accidentally lose one!

Hat. Another casualty of this Camino was my beloved white ball cap. I loved this Headsweats running hat because it’s designed to be ultralight and wicking. It also has a rear buckle on the back of the hat that is super easy to adjust with a single hand if you need to tighten it or loosen it based on the conditions (like gusts of wind on the Camino Del Norte). A word of note though, do NOT place this hat in any laundromat dryers while you are in Spain. I accidentally forgot to separate it from my load of clothes (between the washer and the dryer), and the dryer’s heat utterly destroyed my brim.

Other Gear to consider

Poncho vs. Umbrella Debate. I used an umbrella (in addition to my rain gear) to keep my head and chest dry during the eight consecutive days of rain we got on the Camino. However, many other pilgrims used a poncho over their other rain gear. A lightweight umbrella and a poncho weigh roughly the same amount, so whichever one you use is really just a matter of preference. However, if you’re considering a poncho for the Camino del Norte, it’s essential to find one that: (1) dries out quickly when not in use; (2) is long enough to cover both you and your pack; and (3) is made of a material that packs down easily (i.e., not a typical $10 souvenir poncho). One of the best ponchos I saw on the Camino was the Sea to Summit Ultra-Sit Nano Tarp poncho. It’s pricey at $119, but this is one of those cases where you get what you pay for! And you can probably ditch the pack cover since the poncho will protect your backpack from the elements.

Go for a full-length poncho the Camino Del Norte

Contact Lenses. In the time since my last Camino, I switched from monthly contact lenses to daily-wear disposable lenses. The benefits of the daily contact lenses were numerous. First, you use a fresh pair of contact lenses every day, thereby reducing the chance of an eye infection while hiking or traveling. Second, you no longer need to carry a bottle of saline solution. And finally, the lenses are super comfortable because they tend to be thinner and more breathable than the more durable monthly lenses. However, I quickly discovered there’s a few downsides to these daily lenses on a longer adventure like the Camino. Namely, the bulk of carrying all those extra lenses is much greater than the other option. And what happens if you decide to extend your trip for a few extra days or your flight home gets delayed? You may no longer have enough contact lenses on hand. This is why I’ve decided to employ the KISS principle (Keep It Simple Stupid), and I’ll be returning to monthly contact lenses for my upcoming hiking adventures.

30 days of daily lenses (left) vs. One pair of monthly lenses(right)

Sleep system. Most private albergues on the Camino Frances provided pilgrims with a sheet, pillow, and a wool blanket. Meanwhile some of the public/municipal albergues can be a bit more sparse, and pilgrims should expect to bringing sleeping bag to stay warm. However, my experience on the Camino Del Norte was a bit different. The daily bed scramble was intense enough that pilgrims essentially needed to make a reservation every, single night! And whether you laid your head down at an albergue, pensión, casa rural, monastery, or hotel, they all had plenty of bedding. So I absolutely could have gotten by without even carrying a sleeping bag/quilt on the Camino del Norte! Would I been gutsy enough to leave this item behind? Probably not. But you definitely could!

Laundry Soap. Pilgrims need to be prepared for three possible laundry scenarios on their journey: (1) hand-washing clothes in the evenings; (2) using laundry machines at albergues and hostels – which usually require the user to provide/purchase detergent or pods; or (3) commercial laundromats – which almost always include automatic soap dispensing in the wash cycle. My advice: decide which one you want to use beforehand and plan accordingly to carry the appropriate type of soap with you. Because, despite what some pilgrims think, soap is NOT an optional item.

Duffel Bag. Getting your pack to and from the Camino isn’t such a big deal if you already live in Europe. But, if you’re heading to Spain from the North America, South America, or further abroad, then you have a logistical hurdle to deal with when transporting your pack on the airlines. I saw some pilgrims place their fully loaded packs inside thick, clear plastic bags (the kind used to protect carseats as checked baggage). Other people slipped an old t-shirt over their pack to keep all the straps contained and protect the exterior of the bag in transit. I opted to pack all my gear – including trekking poles – into a minimal travel duffel bag and checked it with the airline. Then I carried it at the bottom of my pack all the way to the end of the Camino. This solution was easier (in my opinion) than some of the other creative options other pilgrims used, and it’s one I’d utilize again on any future European hikes.

Final Thoughts

So there you have it. My general thoughts about what worked for me on this early fall adventure on the Camino del Norte, and what went awry.

My biggest takeaway from this packing list was pilgrims need to be prepared to deal with multiple days of rain. The coast tends to be fairly wet and windy, regardless of which season you plan to hike this Camino route. So trying to find a balance between gear that keeps you dry and comfortable for longer distances is a must.

And if you’re interested in seeing some of my other packing lists, check out the following links: