To take or not to take??

To take or not to take…that is the question.

Another huge debate on all these Camino boards, chats and Facebook groups, is what to take - and what not to take. To be honest, I becomes a bit of a competition with some people. “My pack’s the lightest”, “my, what a big pack you have!”, “that’s way too much!” and on and on. The lists of dos and don’ts can get not only confusing, but a bit overwhelming. Everyone thinks they are right - and they are, for themselves.

Two things most people seem to agree on are:
1. Don’t carry more than 10% of your body weight
2. Don’t pack your fears

The first one is obvious - carry too much and you are putting unnecessary strain in your body - in particular, your knees and ankles. They have enough to cope with, without you adding unnecessary weight. The second may not be quite so obvious. What does it mean - don’t pack your fears? Basically, don’t pack a bunch of crap you “think” you may need. Anything you truly need can be purchased in villages, towns or cities along the way. Keep your weight down by not overpacking, essentially. Don’t take a full bottle of Advil. Think you may need it in a couple of days? Either take a travel tube size or buy a bottle at a farmacia when and if the need arises. Worried your shoes will wear out? Guess what? There are sporting good stores and shoe shops in Spain. Same for all the clothes you want to bring. You are a pilgrim - you aren’t going to need to “dress for dinner”.

I am trying to keep my pack weight down and it’s harder than you may think. I still have a few items that I could and should likely leave behind, but hey - it’s my first Camino and I am not yet ready to give up all my fears. My pack weight at the moment is around 7.3kg. I have weighed Every. Single. Item. Yes…everything. Numerous times. I’ve agonized over my packing list, had experienced people review my list and revised it more times than I can count. I’d love to lose 1kg of it, but it’s not likely to happen. Best I can hope for now is that I have it just under 7kg when I start.

So what do I have that I probably won’t use OR could have left at home and bought there?
- my sleeping bag - 537g has a sheet top and light “blanket” bottom. Can be used with either on top or bottom. I am walking Sept - end of Oct and it’s cold in Galicia (and wet) at that time of year. This I could likely buy there, in Leon, closer to when I need it. But I have sprayed this one to help prevent bedbugs, so it is coming with me (model is aptly called the ‘Camino Traveller’ lol!
- Rain jacket (shell), poncho, backpack rain cover. - total 700 g. All taken for the rainy fall days. Shell is more for cool windy days to cut the biting wind. Poncho is long with full sleeves and covers both pack and I. Pack cover is good for everyday use to keep pack clean and keep items dry through the frequent rain showers at this time of year. Do I need them all? Probably not, we will see. I can always drop and donate if I am not using them (and then walk through a week of freak rainstorms, no doubt!).
- Lightweight travel keyboard and phone stand. I know, I know. Total of 230. My hands are going to be gripping trekking poles all day. It will be easier to journal on a small keyboard than with thumbs alone. I don’t seem to have much luck with voice to text stuff. Always takes me longer to proof and correct than if I had typed it all out in the first place.
- First aid supplies - total 296g. Heaviest items are sports tape and micro pore tape. I just don’t want to be caught 10km from a town with a bum knee that needs taping or hotspots on my feet that need taping. Other items include blister patches, a few acetaminophen and ibuprofen, tiger balm, Vaseline and Sudocrem.
- Clothing - this is the big one. I am following the wear one, wash one, spare one advice. Others follow wear one, wash one. I COULD cut back one set of clothes. But heck - I want to take the spare set, so sue me.

Other than these, I am pretty happy with what I am carrying. It will be very interesting to see how quickly I shed weight from my pack, and what I realize I can actually live without! Follow me to find out how it goes!!Lue lisää