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Other Useful Things for the Camino

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Camino Packing List Guidebook

Camino Packing List Guidebook - Click Here to Learn More

Earplugs

Essential — for snoring noise protection.

Group accommodations for pilgrims provides a fantastic setting for making new friends.
Get earplugs so you don’t hate your new friends the next morning.
(you can plan on hearing snoring in pilgrim accommodations!)

These are excellent; pricey—but read the reviews to know why they’re excellent.
If you’re a light sleeper, these are for you.

These are less costly. By a lot! If you’re not a light sleeper, these are probably just fine!

A Scale to Weigh Items Before
You Put Them Into
Your Camino Backpack

All experienced backpackers weigh each item in their backpack.
It’s the best way to manage your backpack’s weight.
When you weigh everything, you can then pick and choose items to take—or to toss out.
Even the smallest things should be weighed, because everything adds to the overall weight.
(this scale weighs in 1 gram / 0.1 oz increments).

This is an excellent scale
It will weigh individual items up to 5 kilograms / 11 pounds.

Pro Tip
Bunch up an individual clothing item with a rubber band so it fits on the scale platform.

The single heaviest item in your backpack should be a liter of water (1 kilogram / 2.2 pounds).
Sometimes a sleeping bag can weigh a bit more than that...but not if you shop carefully:

this one is .75 kilogram / 1.65 pounds.

And these high-quality sleeping bags are even lighter, and come in large sizes for tall folks.

To weigh your entire backpack, go to a bank or post office for an accurate weighing.
Both have accurate scales to weigh large items.

Or, get one of these relatively inexpensive
hand-held luggage scales
to weigh your backpack after it’s fully packed.

Money Belt

This is a good one.
Even after 35 years of backpacking-style travel
—including walking over 2,000 miles on Camino trails—
my passport, credit cards, money, or other important items have never been stolen.
Knock on wood.
Others have not been so lucky.
Although it’s not always luck.
I’ve noticed that theft typically happens after a careless handling of personal things.

A money belt is an excellent way to protect your valuables.

Important: make it a habit to always keep your money belt with you.
Even in a communal shower: stick it into a zip-lock baggie.

This is a nicely-priced, quality money belt.

An Old-Fashioned Travel Tip
Write important information — like bank phone numbers and account numbers, your password number, etc. — on a piece of paper — and carry it in a money belt.

If your credit cards or a mobile phone gets lost or stolen,
you’ll quickly be able to make contact with banks, family, or friends.

Reusable Water Bottle for the Camino

Consider how heavy water is:
One liter of water (a little more than a quart) weighs about a kilogram (2.2 pounds).

Most pilgrims start out each day with at least
one liter of water for a typical hiking-day on the Camino.

This is one of the most popular water bottles.
The 40 oz. size is just over a Liter.
—
Here’s another option:
I usually buy 2 large plastic bottles of water before I start the Camino (either in France or Spain).
Then I refill those throughout my journey, and recycle them at the end.

Coin Purse & Slim Wallet

Safety Tip for the Camino — and other travel abroad
Keep only a small amount of cash in a slim wallet and coin purse in a pocket.

On the Camino, you only need enough for meals and nightly accommodation.
After ATM withdrawals, keep most of the cash into your money belt.

This wallet is large enough to hold Euros, for example.
It looks like a standard men’s wallet, but it certainly would work for women too.

Or, women can look at this option — it holds coins and Euro bills, if they’re folded in half.
Men might find it works well for them too!

And here is a real UniSex wallet and coin purse!

Bandana

This is my favorite of all “useful things.”
Multiple uses, such as: table cloth, headwear, neck-cloth, washrag, and face protection when it’s windy and cold (bandit-style!)

—
Pro Tip
On extremely hot days, dowse your bandana with drinking water.
Carry it as you walk, to frequently wipe your face.
If there’s a breeze of any kind, you’ll get a bonus with the “wind-chill” effect!
—

A Caution…
I bought a pack of a dozen inexpensive, multiple-colored bandanas.
I soaked them and washed them, several times, before wearing...

Then, my favorite white shirt was ruined by a lovely green-colored bandana.
One that I had washed and wrung out many times before.
I had used it as a wet neck-cloth in hot weather.
So:
Lesson learned: pay extra to get a quality bandana.

Here’s a quality bandana.

“Oldster Knees”
Compression Knee Sleeve - Knee Brace

Well it happened.
I was humbled.
At a certain age, s**t happens, right?

While walking the Camino, one of my knees inconveniently and alarmingly
developed a sharp pain — enough to cause limping — and doubts as to whether I should go on.

After phone consultations back home with a friend who has a friend who is an experienced hiker and a nurse,
it was suggested that I get a knee brace.

So I limped into a village farmacia (pharmacy), and bought one.
It looked like a version from the 1950’s…but it worked well enough, and I found immediate relief.
I was able to complete my journey.
Now, as an experienced oldster, a knee brace is on my packing list for the Camino.

This version is from this century, a tried-and-true best seller.

Stuff Sacks

Compression Sack for a Sleeping bag here: high-quality Sea-to-Summit Compression Dry Sacks
Sizes vary.
For sleeping bags and other items.

Set of 3 nylon-mesh drawstring storage bags.
At a glance see where your stuff is! Yea!

More drawstring bags here, different sizes.
Useful for compressing a fleece jacket or group of clothes or a puff jacket.

Mini-Backpack

In the late-afternoons and evening,
after arriving at your destination for the day,
you’ll be happy to have a small bag for carrying stuff
while sightseeing or shopping for food.

Here is a lightweight mini-backpack.
Get the 16L size: only 3.2oz / 90 grams.

Portable Charger

For mobile phones or other USB charged devices.
I use this one — it’s small and works perfectly.

Anker Candy-Bar Sized portable charger

Lightweight Memo Pad

Yes, yes: nearly everyone has a mobile phone now to write things in.
But what if the battery has drained?
(and you don’t have a portable charger with you?)

What if you need to quickly write down a name & address?
What if someone in a village wants to sketch out a little map for you,
or write down something?

Sometimes the old technologies
(paper; pencil or pen)
are still the best.

This is a really nice little notebook and pen

Or less expensive, classic Moleskin mini notebooks here