I walked the Camino Portugués over 8 days, beginning on April 30th and ending on May 7th, 2024. This trek to Santiago was completely different than my previous late summer/early autumn walks across Spain in many ways.
In addition to the springtime weather and shorter duration, my packing list was heavily influenced by the book Take Less, Do More by Glen Van Peski (ultralight backpacker and founder of Gossamer Gear). He believes we often find greater success and happiness by subtracting items rather than adding them. And so, I hoped to test out his minimalism theories on this 170-mile hike.
I pared my typical Camino gear down by several pounds, and left home with just one medium-sized 33L backpack and a small fanny pack. At the end of this packing list, I cover which gear I deliberately left at home this time around, my biggest “luxury items” that I couldn’t part ways with, what gear I lost, and a few changes I might make if I were hiking the Camino Portugués all over 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. NONE of the hyperlinks in this post are affiliate links. They are merely provided as a quick reference for the reader. )
HIKING ITEMS
- Backpack – Dakine 33L Campus L backpack
- Fanny pack – Cotopaxi 1.5 L Del Dia hipack
- Rain protection– Sea to Summit Pack Cover
- Hydration– 1L plastic bottle w/ sport cap
- First Aid Kit – Lamb’s world, some Compeed patches/bandaids, ibuprofen, allergy medicine
- Trail Hygiene – Kula Cloth, plus doggie poop bags and a small bit of TP
CLOTHING
- Hiking Shirt – REI Sahara sun hoody
- Hiking Pants – Nike Dri-fit mid-rise leggings
- Hiking/town skirt – Purple Rain hiking skirt
- Underwear – Jockey seamless bikini underwear (x4)
- Bras – One inexpensive sports bra (hiking), one Branwyn merino wool bralette (town)
- Town Clothes – Icebreaker merino wool t-shirts (x2) & OR Zendo pants
FOOTWEAR
- Hiking Socks – Injinji hiking socks (x1) + Smartwool running socks (x2)
- Shoes – Altra Lone Peak 6
- Town shoes – Crocs Swiftwater sandals
OUTERWEAR
- Fleece jacket – Patagonia R1 Air full-zip fleece hoody
- Rain jacket – Patagonia Torrentshell 3L rain jacket
- Rain pains – REI Junction cycling rain pants
- Hat – Headsweats Race hat
- Earband – Buff CoolNet UV+ multifunctional headband
- Gloves – Some generic knit gloves from Target
- Sunglasses – Tifosi Swank running sunglass
ELECTRONICS
- Phone/camera – iPhone
- Earbuds – Apple Airpods
- Watch – Timex Ironman watch
- E-reader/Entertainment – iPad Mini
- External battery – Slim 5000 mAh external battery
- Power charger – Anker dual port USB wall charger with USB cables (x2)
- Adapter – mini 220V plug
- Headlamp – Nitecore NU25 headlamp (360 lumens)
- Electronics Storage – Ziplock baggie
HYGIENE
- Toiletry Storage – Kavu toiletry bag
- Towel – Nomadix ultralight quick-dry towel (size: 54″ x30″)
- Shower items – Travel shampoo, soap, disposable razor
- Dental Care – Travel toothbrush/toothpaste + floss
- Vision – Disposable contact lenses & glasses
- Haircare – Comb, barette, hair tie
- Skin care/makeup– chapstick, sunscreen, mascara, deodorant
Albergue Stuff
- Sleep sack – Sea to Summit reactor sleeping bag liner
- Bed items – ultralight eye mask & ear plugs
- Laundry – safety pins (x2), clothespins (x2), Laundry soap (Tide trial size)
- Massage ball – Rawology ball
- Eating – Plastic spork
Personal ITEMS
- Wallet – WEBO wallet
- Personal items – Passport/ID, ATM/Credit card, Euros
- Credential – Pilgrim credential for daily stamps along the Camino
- Journal – Moleskine pocket-size (2.5″x4.5″) notebook + pen
- Shopping Bag – nylon eco-bag
Gear I DiDn’t Pack
In an effort to go lighter on this Camino, I refused to take a number of items on this Camino. Glen Van Peski probably could have cut out even more of the gear on my list. But I really felt like I made a number of key weight-saving choices, including the following items:
- Trekking poles. Leaving my trekking poles behind in the US was a big deal. I love hiking with poles. However, they couldn’t come in the plane cabin, and I was really trying to stick to one single carry-on backpack and no checked baggage whatsoever. I justified the omission by assuring myself that the Camino Portugués was a much shorter and flatter trek than my prior Camino routes. My knees would be fine without them. And I would always have the chance to purchase an inexpensive pair of poles in Portugal or Spain if it turned out that I couldn’t live without them. Yet walking sans trekking poles wasn’t ever an issue. I even felt some relief not having poles with me. I never had to worry about leaving them behind in an albergue or cafe. Verdict: 👍
- Swiss Army Knife. Much like my beloved trekking poles, I knew the TSA agents weren’t going to allow this piece of gear through security inside my carry-on bag. It didn’t matter that the knife was only a meager one-inch long. I already had them confiscate one mini Swiss Army knife from my first aid kit last year on a flight last year, and I wasn’t going to lose second one! Did I miss it? Not really. This wasn’t a backcountry hike where I’d need it. Verdict: 👍
- Sleeping bag. During my first Camino, I didn’t take a sleeping bag or quilt. I brought my Army poncho liner, which weighed in at 22 oz. On my second Camino, I brought my lightweight down quilt. But it was still overkill since almost every hostel had blankets for warmth. This time, I took the advice of some of my fellow pilgrims and just brought a sleeping bag liner from my gear closet, which only weighed 9 oz. I only needed to use it twice on this 8-day trek, and it was ample warmth for my needs. Verdict: 👍
- Hiking Shorts. I love hiking in shorts, and they are a key gear item on my summer and autumn treks. But the weather forecast for this springtime Camino showed daytime temperatures in the 50s and 60s with ample rain. As such, I opted to hike in running tights (just as I had on my spring/early summer hikes of the Arizona Trail and Oregon Coast Trail). And I substituted a hiking skirt for my shorts because I could wear a skirt to dinner or sightseeing in town without feeling underdressed. In hindsight though, I would have preferred the shorts, as they would have been more comfortable while sitting around the albergue or as a sleep layer. Verdict: 👎
- Gaiters. I haven’t thru-hiked any long trail in the last 5 years without my Dirty Girl Gaiters. They are insanely light, but keep dirt, rocks, and sand out of my shoes. Nonetheless, I decided to try a hike without them just to see the difference. The coastal route of the Camino Portugués is mostly walking on wooden boardwalks, concrete walking paths, or cobblestones. There were still some stretches of hiking trails and sand, but I didn’t miss them overall. In the future, my gaiters will remain a mainstay item for the backcountry, but not necessarily on the Camino. Verdict: 👍
- Puffy Jacket. Like my gaiters, my down puffy coat comes on every thru-hike I’ve ever done. It’s light. It packs down super small when not in use. And it makes the perfect pillow for an airplane or train ride. But, to stay minimal and light, I had to choose between my puffy and a fleece. I didn’t need both layers. I opted for my Patagonia fleece even though it was slightly heavier because it seemed like a more versatile mid-weight layer and better for Portugal’s moist coastal conditions. As an added benefit, I could also wash it during my Camino. Verdict: 👍
- Beanie Hat. I left home with only two pieces of headwear: (1) my ultralight running hat, and (2) an earband made by Buff (which is about 1/3 the size of a Buff). I didn’t expect any super cold mornings in May, and I wasn’t sleeping outside, so my warm beanie hat seemed unnecessary. This bet worked out in my favor. The temperatures on the coast of Portugal and Spain were mild enough that the hood on my sun hoody was all the extra warmth I needed. Verdict: 👍
- Umbrella. My umbrella was one of the items I really hemmed and hawed over as I packed. Coastal hikes are notoriously wet, especially in the springtime. But the coast can also be quite windy- making it all but impossible to use that umbrella when you need it most. I opted to leave my ultralight umbrella at home and pack a more robust rain jacket like the one I used on the West Highland Way last autumn. Overall, I was glad I had the heavier rain jacket when I got 6 consecutive days of rain, including two days that had between 1-2″ of rain each! Verdict: 👍
- Duffel Bag. When walking a Camino in the past, I’ve always needed to check a bag with the airline to accommodate my trekking poles, knife, and other gear. I’d pack everything into a lightweight, packable duffel bag for the flight to Spain, then store it at the bottom of my pack for the duration of my Camino until I needed it again for my return flight home. However, since everything on this packing list could come in the airplane cabin with me, I was able to completely ditch my packable duffel bag this time around. Verdict: 👍
New items For this Camino
- Backpack. I’ve historically used a Gossamer Gear G4-20 pack on the Camino, but that pack was falling apart after four seasons of heavy use. And since I booked this European trek barely 2 weeks before departing the US, I didn’t have time to order a replacement. My alternate solution was to head to TJ Maxx, where I found a simple Dakine 33L backpack on sale for $30. Overall, this large backpack worked surprisingly well, proving that you don’t need anything special for the Camino. I only had two complaints about this bag. First, it was made of sturdy canvas, which was durable but unlikely to dry much after a day of walking in the rain. Thus, I had to bring a rain cover to protect it from the elements. Second, this backpack didn’t have a hip belt, which made it far less comfortable than my G4-20. But on the positive side, I was able to go into “stealth mode: and look like an ordinary tourist (rather than a pilgrim) when I was traveling to Oursense, Salamanca, and Madrid at the end of my Camino. Verdict: 👍
- Sleep Mask/Ear plugs. The one thing you can always count on in a communal sleeping situation (like an albergue) is there will be someone who snores insanely loudly. And that person usually falls asleep before me, making it difficult to drift off myself. I remembered to bring earplugs this time, and I even packed a sleep mask in case I wanted to nap before dinner. But I didn’t actually use them. I found my AirPods blocked noise better than the foam earplugs, and I didn’t like wearing an eye mask in bed. Verdict: 👎
Luxury Items
Scaling back my packing list didn’t mean I opted to forego every luxury item altogether. Here’s a list of items that I decided weren’t worth cutting weight on.
- iPad mini. Did I need to bring an iPad on my Camino? Heck no! But there were a few reasons why I did. I live on the West Coast of the US. Getting to the start of the Camino and back home usually takes 20-30 hours, depending on my flights. I like the convenience having my iPad for that travel and in the albergue so I can read library books that I downloaded, play cribbage, write notes for this blog, and use the internet on a screen large enough for me to actually zoom in and read the text with my 50-year old eyes. Yes, it’s heavy (16 oz. with the case), but a paperback book averages about 10 oz., and this method allows me to have an entire library of books and videos. So its multi-functionality makes it worth the weight for me.
- Second set of town clothes. If the only thing I was doing on this trip was walking the Camino, then I might have been willing to pack just one set of town clothes and just slept in them. However, I also had a reunion with some pals planned in Salamanca, Spain, immediately after my Camino. Thus, I felt it was worth having two sets of town clothes so I wasn’t wearing (and sleeping in) the same set of clothes for five days straight during that portion of my trip. I’m only willing to be so “hiker-trashy” while I’m in Europe.
- Nomadix Towel. In the past, I carried a quick-dry towel, but it was always a smaller hand towel size just to save weight. Sadly, these travel towels never seem very absorbent, and I always felt like that size was too small to do much more than pat myself (mostly) dry. This time around, I decided to upgrade to a full-size towel by Nomadix and was 100% happy with the increased real estate.
Gear I lost on the Camino
- 220V power adapter I brought my standard charging block with two USB ports on this Camino and added a mini 220V power adapter so I could plug my items into the outlets in Portugal and Spain. Unfortunately, the small adapter was so lightweight that when I pulled my 110V plug out of the outlet on my second morning, I failed to notice the 110V charging block and 220V adapter had come apart Thus, I accidentally left the adapter stuck in the outlet and didn’t become aware of its loss until 8+ hours later when I got to my next albergue. What’s more, my phone battery was down to 28%, and the town I was staying in was so tiny there was nowhere to buy a new one. Luckily, I also brought a small 5000 mAh external battery to cover me for a single charge. But this minor bungle on my part meant I needed to buy a new 220V power block in the next big town.
- Spork. I didn’t so much lose my spork, as accidentally break it in two when I was eating a pasta salad. In the future, I think I will either avoid packing utensils altogether or bring a titanium spork to balance durability and weight.
Gear I didn’t use, but would still pack
There were three items of gear I didn’t use on this Camino, but I’d never consider leaving them behind. All three were 100% worth their weight if/when I actually needed them.
- Headlamp. I didn’t end walking in the dark during this Camino. It was bright enough to walk by 6 am during my first three days in Portugal, and by 7 am during the remainder of my time in Spain (there’s a one-hour time zone change at the Minho River). However, I know from past experience that a headlamp is good for making your way to the bathroom in the dark albergue or when packing up early before everyone else is awake. More and more pilgrims seemed to be using the flashlight on their cell phones for these tasks, which is annoyingly bright when it accidentally sweeps across your bunk in the wee hours. So I will continue to carry my headlamp with a red light regardless of what everyone else does.
- Gloves. I hate having cold hands. So I brought an inexpensive pair of knit gloves to wear in the mornings. However, the coldest morning was only 48°F, so I didn’t end up wearing my gloves on this Camino. Nevertheless, I’m glad I had them because it only needed to be about three degrees cooler, and I definitely would have wanted a pair.
- Buff. Another item I didn’t use, but wouldn’t ever leave behind it my Buff UV Wide Headband. It’s about 1/3 the size of an ordinary Buff and slightly narrower to fit your head. I love this item because I can cover my ears while wearing my brimmed hat. It also works well as UV sun protection on my neck on warm afternoons, or as an eye mask on the plane or at an albergue, when needed.
MVP PIECES OF GEAR
- Rain Gear. Some pieces of gear are worth their weight in gold, and on this Camino, those items were my Patagonia 3L Torrentshell rainjacket and REI rain pants. My springtime trek had six consecutive days of rain – including two days with 1.5 to 2 inches of rain each!! – so I was walking in a lot of miles in my rain gear. But these two items didn’t ever disappoint!
- Roller ball. As I get older and less flexible, I have to make a concerted effort to stretch to avoid injuries. On this Camino, I made a promise to myself that I would stretch every night before going to bed. This meant several minutes of exercises to stretch the muscles in my legs and my back. And it also meant rolling out the aches in my feet to stave off my plantar fasciitis. The small cork ball I carried for this purpose was light as air, but packed a powerful punch on those 20+ mile days.
Future Camino gear changes
Of course, no gear list is perfect. Here are a few things I know would probably do differently if walking this exact same Camino route again.
- Pack. The 33L backpack I purchased at TJ Maxx was perfectly fine for my short trek on the Camino Portugués. It was cheap and small, and it did the job. However, it wasn’t my first choice, and I really missed having a hip belt to redistribute some of the weight on my shoulders. If I had more time to plan, I would have purchased a new G4-20 pack from Gossamer Gear. At 25 ounces, this frameless pack is my ideal choice for any Camino.
- Sleeping bag liner. The beds in all the albergues I visited on the Camino Portugués had clean sheets, pillows, and a blanket. Bringing a sleeping bag liner was for 100% my comfort and hygienic peace of mind in this communal space. I used a mid-weight liner that I had handy in my gear closet. This item was much lighter than a sleeping bag, but still weighed more than 1/2 pound and not the perfect item. If I were purchasing one of these liners just for use on the Camino, it could be worth investing in a silk liner, which weighs a mere 4.7 ounces.
Global Entry. The long lines for Passport Control (US customs and immigration) are the #1 thing I hate at the end of my trips abroad. No matter which airport I use, the lines are insanely long. I always find myself wishing I’d enrolled in the Global Entry Program, which provides an expedited clearance process for frequent travelers who pass a background check and interview (and pay the one-time fee of $120). Now that I live on the West Coast (where it’s a minimum of 20 hours of air travel from Europe), I’m more determined than ever to get off my butt and streamline my return to avoid this headache when I’m jet-lagged.
Final Thoughts
All told I was pretty happy with how I packed for this Camino. When you pack for an adventure like this, you can never be certain what conditions you might encounter. And there’s always a tendency to overpack.
Following Glen Van Peski’s admonition to try to pack fewer items was good advice. Even as a seasoned peregrina, I am still learning to balance going ultralight and being the risk of unprepared and uncomfortable.
If you’d like to see how this Camino packing list stacks up to my other Camino packing lists, check out:
- My Camino France packing list (from my first Camino in 2018)
- My Camino del Norte packing list (from my second Camino in 2022)
- 8 Gear Tips for the Camino de Santiago
