Congratulations on your decision to walk the Camino! You will have a great experience. I certainly did. To help you prepare for your adventure, I’m offering this Camino de Santiago packing list for women. It will tell you what you need….and what you don’t…in order to have a successful pilgrimage.
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Top 5 Tips for Your Camino de Santiago Packing List
- Go light. Saint Francis managed to do it over 800 years ago and you can be sure that he wasn’t loaded down with a heavy pack. The advice on the packing list below will help you determine your bare essentials.
- Try to pack at least one cute thing. Even if it’s just some fab earrings. All of that tragically practical hiking gear can make a girl feel a bit dumpy.
- Spain has stores, so don’t stress. If you forgot something, just buy it in one of the larger towns along the way.
- Bring (or buy) something to share. The kindness of strangers is alive and well on the Camino. You can help others by sharing snacks, first aid supplies or giving out a fun little item.
- Bring a token from home. My family sent me with a bundle of letters and notes of encouragement. They were very comforting on the more difficult days.
I did the Camino solo and so can you! Get inspiration from me and four other women who tackled the Camino solo.
The Ultimate Camino de Santiago Packing List for Women
Camino Packing List: Clothing
- 4 shirts: 1 long sleeve shirt and three others in a mix of tanks and/or short sleeves. Get all of them in a moisture wicking, easy dry fabric, like these from Under Armour or Columbia.
- 3 pants/shorts: 1 pair travel pants, 2 pair hiking shorts, yoga or capri pants.
- 3 sets of underwear: 3 bras, 3 pairs underwear, 3 pairs walking/hiking socks. I like the Fox River padded crew socks or the Thorlo padded walking socks.
- Light scarf or wrap to use as a seating pad, pillow case and scarf.
- 1 hat.
- 1 light fleece pullover.
- 1 Gore-tex wind breaker.
- 2 pair shoes: 1 pair Gore-tex hiking boots. 1 pair sport sandals, like Tevas or flop flops. Flip flops are better for showering. Tevas are better for walking around in the evening if you need a break from your hiking boots. You don’t need both.
Clothing tips: This list works best for hiking May-September. Substitute more long pants and long sleeves for cooler weather Even though I walked in August, I wore the fleece pullover for at least an hour every morning until the weather warmed up. There can be rain, particularly in Galicia any time of the year, so a rain resistant jacket is a must.
Camino Packing List: Toiletries
- Hair: Small bottles of shampoo and conditioner. I like using Go Toobs for my liquids– they pack well and don’t leak. The Innate “travel envelope” toiletry bag is also leak-proof. Small comb.
- Body: 1x small body lotion, 1x small SPF face lotion, deodorant, 15 (or higher) SPF sunscreen, small bar of soap (in a small ziploc bag).
- Teeth: travel size toothpaste, toothbrush.
- Clothes: small container of Trek & Travel liquid laundry soap.
If you are flying into or out of Madrid, check out this guide to disobeying Rick Steves while you are there.
Camino Packing List: First Aid and Medical Supplies
- Personal medications. It would be wise to have a scanned copy of your prescriptions in case you need a refill.
- Compeed brand blister bandages. 1-pkg small, 1 pkg medium. Buy them now from Amazon or at any local farmacia when you arrive. They are the best blister bandages…hands DOWN. They work differently than band-aids and they stay on your feet for days as the blisters heal.
- 4-6 regular band-aids.
- First aid tape. I use this to prevent blisters by taping my trouble spots and protecting them before blisters take hold. Nextcare has a new kind out that is flexible and waterproof.
- Small bottle of Motril/Advil. I took 2 every day after walking to keep the soreness down.
- Anti-bacterial such as Neosporin. The small individual use packages are handy and don’t take up much room.
- Hemorrhoid cream, Vaseline or glide. Chafing happens.
- Lip goop/Chapstick.
- Travel size package of tissues.
Have you considered travel insurance? It’s useful not only for trip cancellation but also has options for medical emergencies and injuries. Check out travel insurance plans with Allianz.
Camino Packing List: Electronics
- Unlocked smart phone. Wireless is easy to find on the Camino. But I found it handy to get a local SIM card for those times when I wanted more security or privacy.
- iPad (optional). I was blogging on the trail and used my iPad and a wireless keyboard like a laptop. Also handy for reading books in the evening.
- Camera (optional). You can use your phone for pics. But if you are a more serious photographer, you should make room in your bag for a good point & shoot or mirrorless camera. I have a Canon Powershot and an Olympus OM-D E-M10.
- Card reader.
- Chargers for the above.
- Ear buds.
Camino Packing List: Misc Essentials
- Compression stuff sacks or packing cubes. The 4 litre watertight bags from Sea to Summit will compress your clothes down to a very small bundle. If you prefer packing cubes, check out the ProPacking brand, they are inexpensive and the material is very light.
- Silk sleeping sack, such as this one from Sea to Summit…or a very light sleeping bag.
- Small totebag for carrying around valuables in the evening.
- Permethrin insect repellent spray for clothing. Bed bugs are a real thing. If you use this to spray the inside of your pack, you’ll prevent the little bastards move in on you. Good for up to 6 weeks.
- Small roll of duct tape. Useful for repairs and re-sealing food packages.
- Small Swiss Army knife or the TSA-friendly Gerber Dime multi-tool which has scissors, pliers and other useful tools but doesn’t have a knife blade.
- Pack towel.
- A few gallon and quart sized ziploc bags. Good for holding snacks and wet items.
- Gear ties and/or a carabiner. Both are great for hanging laundry from the drying line and dangling stuff from the back of your pack.
- Pilgrim Credential.
- Passport.
- Something shell-ish to hang on your bag. It identifies you as a pilgrim.
- A small rock or other token from home to leave at the Cruz de Ferro. I took along sea glass from the California coastline.
- Printed list of all albuergues and favorite albuergues from the Camino Forum. This list is more complete than the guidebooks and also has information on distances between stages and the services offered in each town. I had an electronic copy of this stored on my iPad but each day I would grab a few of the physical pages to cover the next few days. It helped me plan how far I wanted to walk each day. Definitely check out their community pages, I found them to be very useful.
- Camino guide book by Brierley. Per my previous bullet, you don’t need this for albuergue advice. But the guidebooks are great for providing information on the historical and cultural sites that you will see along the way.
Camino Packing List: Choosing Your Pack
A Camino de Santiago packing list wouldn’t be complete without a discussion of backpacks. I have the Gregory Sage 35 litre women’s bag. A 35 litre pack sounds small but it held everything on the above list with room for snacks. Here are some things to consider when you purchase your own pack:
- Small pockets on the hip padding (good for storing the phone, small camera and pages from the guidebook.
- Rain cover (ior pack a cheap rain poncho).
- Sized for a woman’s body.
- Secret interior pocket good for holding the iPad.
- Easy to reach water bottle holder.
Whichever bag you use be sure to try it on first and do training walks with a fully loaded bag. If you already have a larger (60L) bag go ahead and use that but don’t overfill it. You really only need what is in this Camino packing list. If you are already backpacking around Europe with a larger bag and want to do the Camino, then I suggest that you offload some of your unnecessary gear and ship it ahead to Santiago. The luggage storage information can be found here.
I hope that you find this packing list useful. Please contact me or comment below if you have any questions.
Buen Camino!
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Sara Broers says
What a fantastic packing list! Doesn’t look like you missed a thing!
Carol Guttery says
It was amazing to me how well my tidy little bundle served me for a month. But I must confess, my husband met me after the walk and he brought a supplemental bag with some cuter shoes, jeans and whatnot
LaDonna says
We used ponchos that could cover a backpack. Lots of heavy rain at times. Also used poles , pacer poles saved our knees and helped stabilize on slippery rocks Etc
Tillie says
This is awesome…thanks so much.
Angela says
Great list and tips! My mother-in-law & brother-in-law are on the Norte route right now. They walked the Camino last year. We hope to get there soon!
Carol Guttery says
I thought about doing it for years…and am so glad that I finally did it
Melissa says
Carol,
I’ve never done anything like the Camino. I’m not in very good shape (overweight and retired), but I feel this adventure calling to me. Do you have any advice?
I was thinking of trying a short piece of the Camino (a weeks worth of time), just to get a taste of it. I would be going in late August or early September on my own.
The forum is a wealth of information and I have been reading, researching, and making notes. It seems as though everyone on the forum is either vastly experienced with the Camino or newbies that are in top physical form. I don’t want to bite off more than I can chew. I suppose I am looking for good solid advice.
Thanks, Melissa
Carol Guttery says
You would certainly want to train for the walk. But you could easily do that from home by starting small and working your way up to longer distances. If you have medical issues, you should talk to your doctor about it. You should also feel comfortable walking whatever distance per day that you feel you can handle. Some of these crazy peregrinos are pulling 18 miles every day. I averaged 14.5 miles per day. But I’m built for walking and I trained for it. My normal walking distances at home are ~4 miles.
If you choose to do shorter a distance, you can make the Camino experience your own. There are a few long town-less stretches, but most days, the towns were frequent enough to give you options. On my packing list post (link below), there is a link to a Camino Forum resource that shows all of the Albergues in the towns. That same sheet will also show you distances between towns. You could just pick a 1-week stretch with distances that suited you.
You could also consider doing it next year. And then make a fitness goal this year to increase your fitness level to be able to do a longer walk. Good luck and report back
https://www.wayfaringviews.com/camino-de-santiago-packing-list-women/
Kate Ross says
This is a great list, and I will recommend it to friends. Your clothing basics are pretty much EXACTLY what I took with me on my first camino in 2013, and I was one of the few people who didn’t have an overly-heavy pack, plus I used everything I brought. The only thing I would add to your list of must-haves would be a rain poncho that can go over your pack as well. Thank you for sharing!
Carol Guttery says
Thanks Kate. Good suggestion regarding the rain cover. My pack came with one but not all do. I’ll add it. Buen Camino
Anne-Christine Rice says
Hi Carol,
Thank you for this great list. Could you tell us how much you backpack weighed? It doesn’t look big on your back, it reassures me!
Carol Guttery says
Thanks Anne-Christine. My packed weighed 14 lbs before water and snacks. So maybe 16 lbs? It really did have everything I needed. Buen Camino
JOANNE says
very useful list. I like the tip to take something cute. I also like the picture. Im not going camping so I don’t need a military style mega backpack…. hmmn I have one arriving in the post tomorrow… will go shopping and get something smaller and more manageable. really useful thank you x x
Carol Guttery says
For my the fit was important. So I bought one built for ladies and tried on several before choosing this one. I also was committed to keeping it light. Buen Camino
GirlAstray says
Great list! Too bad I didn´t read one like this before I walked my Camino six years ago – would you believe I almost filled an 80 liters backpack? I had maybe 12 kg with food and water all the way. I mean, after throwing out or loosing a bunch of stuff. Well, at least I got into a better shape! 😉 pinning this.
Carol Guttery says
Yikes. My pack was super small. But I must admit that I threw out some of the clothes after as they got just a bit too ripe on the trail
Shauna says
I will be hiking the camino del norte in a week! this packing list is very helpful. I am anticipating a little cooler weather since it will be on the coast. I have not really planned a whole lot except that I am starting in Bilbao and hiking for 2 weeks. Do you think I should plan out where I will be staying or figure it out while I am there?
Carol Guttery says
Figure it out while you are there. The Norte isn’t as busy as the Frances. I did the Frances during high season and even then only had trouble one night. By staying loose about where you stay, you can hike longer on days when you have more energy and go shorter if you are tired or want to spend extra time sightseeing. Buen Camino
Deb UpstateAZ says
I started SJPP fall of 2014 with hubby and made it to Logroño before acquiring a stress fracture.😛 Planning hopefully to return (Spring ’18) to get my Compostela with my neighbor (another woman!) Regarding you list… I concure!!! Keeping in mind that the 3rd pants/shirt was what I slept in but could be seen in pubic if necessary. We wrapped our duct tape around our hiking poles. BTW the poles did double duty as drying racks more than a few times!!
Deb UpstateAZ says
Not that anyone wouldn’t automatically pack it anyway, but deodorant seemed to be overlooked! We also took light weight umbrellas, served also as a parsol and potential “partial privacy” when less than desirable conditions exist to cop-a-squat!
Carol Guttery says
How could I forget to mention deodorant. I certainly needed it. I’ll add it to the list. Thanks for the reminder