Camino del Norte Packing List

Leaving in just over a week for the Camino del Norte. Here is my packing list with explanations. Your feedback is welcome!
http://mymeseta.com/packing-list-for-the-camino-del-norte/

Great post, Tania! FYI it's spelled Merino, nor Moreno.

all the best on your 2nd Camino from a fellow Victorian

Lovely post. Really enjoyed the photos. So much better than just a list to be able to see everything. Thank you x

@Angela H. Whoops! Thanks Angela!

This is one of the best set-ups for a packing list I have seen!

Now, the most important with reading other peoples packin-lists OPP (made me think of the Naughty by Nature lyrics.....you down wih OPP....haha) is that it makes you THINK about your needs and the demands of the Caminos........

I'm an over thinker.....I think too much and my head intermittently explodes. Your clean and good list made me say "jupp, check...check....I've done that....and I need that"!

@Sebastian Cohen Thanks Sebastian! Glad the list is helping I may still alter it a tad...add a hat and lighten up on the toiletries. Lol! Yikes! Right now the pack is 15 lbs without water and I've been advised to lighten it up a little more since it's going to be very hilly. I will update everyone on the final list/weight before I head off on Sunday!

@Tania Reano Veitch

It's driving you mad, isn't it? Aaarrrrrg!

In the beginning, when we were checking out one or two new items to get, it was oh so exciting. NEW GEAR! When you try and get all that stuff with you......in you pack, that's when you go bonkers.

As of right now, my pack weighs 18.7 lbs or 8.5 kg..without water, but absolutely all my gear packed down I have a 800g camera harness in front. Add two liters of water I will be dragging 11.5 kg/25 lbs with me in total gear weight. I weigh in at a svelte wight of 172 lbs/78kg. By the recommended 10% rule my gear should weigh no more than 17.2 lbs.

I am pushing it with lugging this amount of stuff with me for 850 kilometers. But I believe I can manage it, but this is max. I also have some (600g) of perishable items ie. Granola bars packed. This weight will reduce as I go along. Either I ear them, give them out to people struggling or throw them away if I don't need them. I just don't want to NEED them.

And that my friends are the crux of packing. FONI.....Fear of needing items.

And to those that get by with 4kg/9 lbs of total gear, I don't care. I'm packing for comfort and pleasure, not asceticism.....crappola, I did't pack my iPad. Guess the Granolas might get left behind...

S

Edit.....I would hope to get this down to 10kg in total. That's managablegarblegarble.....

@Sebastian Cohen Yes, it can drive one mad alright trying to get the pack weight down. We're so used to having comforts that it's hard to imagine not having them for 30 plus days. It's hard to imagine carrying only 10% of your body weight too. For me that would be 12 lbs...with water. I was going to say you could probably just carry one litre of water at a time. If you are walking the French way anyways. There are enough places to re-fill along the way...except when you get to Carrion. There's a 17 km stretch of nothing. I learned that the hard way. Lol! Another thing I learned...since my pack weight for the first 7 days of my journey was 27 lbs on my little frame...is that your body will tell you when you need to let go of weight ;-) ...sore hips, lower back, joints. Ugh! It's good to avoid that. I got rid of another 9 lbs when I got to Logroño...even the sleeping bag. Luxuries didn't matter anymore. So, yes, you can suffer carrying too much weight. You may find you purge some things along the way. As a matter of fact I kept purging after I got home. Lol! Very liberating It's interesting how the Camino teaches us to simplify and let go of the things we carry...and not just physical things. It's such a metaphor for life. You'll love it!

@Tania Reano Veitch ... such a great post! loved this. thank you. the last picture made me smile.