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Packing, and what to do with luggage during Camino starting in Leon?

cbeckham

New Member
Donating Member
Time of past OR future Camino
July 2024
Hello Pilgrims! First of all I want to thank you all for all the posts. I have learned so much and such great information!

This will be our first Camino. My husband and I will be starting in Leon on March 31st. To say that I am excited and nervous is an understatement! I am a planner which has me going in circles! What to take and what not to take, YouTube videos, books, forums, name it, I have watched/read it. So maybe y'all can help me. My questions are:

1. My husband and I will be touring Madrid in late March with family. On March 30th him and I will be traveling to Leon to start our Camino. What do I do with my luggage? Do I leave it in Madrid? If so, where? Our flight home is from Madrid.

2. As we will be walking the Camino in April, I am assuming we will need sleeping bags. I searched for the lightest and smallest I could find but it still takes up space in my back pack. I thought I was taking only what I "need" but my filled back pack weighs 20 lbs! What do I really need to take? I've watched a lot of YouTube videos on what to take but the list is still long. So what supplies are really needed for an April Camino?

Thank you all in advance!
 
Let us pick up your suitcase once you arrive in Europe....
...and ship it to Santiago for storage. You pick it up once in Santiago. Service offered by Casa Ivar (we use DHL for transportation).
Speak to your hotel in Madrid. Most will hold luggage, some without charge. Especially if you’ve rebooked for a night before your return flight.

Sleeping bag? Where are you planning sleeping. In Albergues, definitely a requirement IMO. Hostales, surplus weight. Ubend is about as useful as the average TV shopping channel. Take what you need, not what you think you might need. So, a change of clothes, a warm layer, a waterproof layer, essential hygiene products (that’s a small bar of soap and a toothbrush ) and if you “need” anything else you can buy it but, you probably won’t need it

Happy planning and Buen Camino
 
cbeckham said:
my filled back pack weighs 20 lbs! What do I really need to take? I've watched a lot of YouTube videos on what to take but the list is still long. So what supplies are really needed for an April Camino?
Click to expand...
There are hundreds of threads here, not to mention YouTube videos that can tell you, but some are better than others. You can't take everything that everybody recommends. I hope this doesn't sound too harsh, but if your pack still weighs 20 lb, then you are not really facing up to the challenge of being minimalist!

I have added a couple of tags at the top of this thread, under the title. Click on them, to get a lot of good advice.

I agree with the suggestions from @Tincatinker .
 
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Here is winter packing list my students used two weeks ago on the Camino. I carry a travel CPAP and my pack was only 12.5 pounds so it can be done. Don't include clothes you will wear in the weight.
 

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Cut your items to o minimum. A small carry on suitcase or a medium sized checked suitcase, and a backpack is plenty for the Leon to Santiago walk. Leave the suitcase at the hotel in Madrid. Or send it via Correos to Ivar in Santiago. Or take the suitcase along and use a luggage transport service (Correos or Jacotrans) for it. You would have access to it every night along the way. Most places to sleep have laundry options. So you can get by with fewer clothes. There are several options.
 
Hi,

I walked from SJPP to Burgos last April (2023) and only took a cotton sleeping bag liner and for me this was a great option as having the lightest rucksack you can possibly have means, less injuries and more enjoyment. I weighed everything. I only had 2 over night stops which were chilly in the Albergues and on those occasions I slept with my ultra light puffer jacket on. Most Albergues have the odd blanket to hand too. If you think a cotton liner won’t be sufficient a good compromise would be a thicker sleeping bag liner like the “Sea to Summit Thermolite Fabric Reactor liner” it increases warmth by 8c/14f and is about 8.7 ozs in weight. It’s an option. Hope you find your solution. Remember less weight in your pack means less pressure on your knees and ankles. Buen Camino!
 
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C clearly said:
You could post your list, and then we'll help you reduce it!
Click to expand...
My list is long! Here it goes:
*phone/phone charger/plug adapter
*comfortable sandals
*3 socks/2 bras/3underwear
*1 pair of zip off hiking pants
*1 pair of leggings
*1 long sleeve shirt
*puffy jacket
*rain coat
*T-shirt
*2 long sleeve under shirts
*1 pair of shorts for sleeping
*rain poncho
*dry sack
*head lamp
**gaiter
*fanny pack*
*1/2 bar of soap & soap bag
*4 plastic clothes pins
*lightweight reusable shopping bag
*beanie
*gloves
*reading glasses
*Goodr sunglasses
*ear plugs
*camping towel
*toothbrush/small toothpaste/mouthwash
*shampoo/conditioner
*flip flop sandals for showering
*baseball cap
*silk bag liner (someone recommended for bed bugs)
*sea to summit bag liner
*lotion/sun screen/chapstick
*vaseline for feet
*allergy meds
*small first aid kit/blister kit
*portable phone charger
*hand sanitizer
*face wash
*2 -S hooks
*hand soap sheets
*Replaceable walking pole tips (2)
*ultra light sleeping bag
* trekking pole
*Muscle rub lotion
*hair brush
*eye mask
 
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I get cold very easily so I am taking a lightweight sleeping bag. It just seems to take up a lot of space.
 
J Willhaus said:
I am guessing you are aware that March 31 is Easter? Buy travel tickets to Leon as soon as you are able as that will be a heavy travel weekend.
Click to expand...
thank you.. I am traveling to Leon on March 30th. At the moment all train tickets available for traveling are in the late afternoon on the Renfe site and only one direct in the evening. Do you have any recommendations on where I can purchase direct train tickets for late morning? I read somewhere that they do not post all train tickets until 30-60 days before departure.
 
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thank you for the recommendation!
 
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Your Camino backpack has everything you need to tour Madrid. You do not need a suitcase!


-Paul
 
Ok 3 weeks from now on Saturday I see a morning train at 6:30, one at 9:40, and one at 10:24. All are direct. On April 30th, I see 2 morning trains. 9:40 and 10:24 that say they are not available. This could mean they will go on sale in the next day or so or that they are sold out. I would keep monitoring and I would buy as soon as they are available if they are not full.
 
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pjacobi said:
Your Camino backpack has everything you need to tour Madrid. You do not need a suitcase!


-Paul
Click to expand...
Paul, you don't, I don't, but that doesn't mean that others don't!
Many, many people like to dress a little better when not on Camino. Just because you and I don't appear to have any fashion sense doesn't mean that others don't...
 
This is what I would reconsider from your bag.
*Take shower shoes you can wear as sandals. I have croc brand sandals that I can wear in the shower or with a dress in the evening. I would not take both.
*Take your leggings and sleep in those and not take sleep shorts. I assume you are wearing the hiking pants and these are not an extra pair. If they are extra, you just need 1 pair.
*sub in some big safety pins for your clothes pins. Smaller and lighter.
*You have a lot of soaps and washes. Just get one shampoo bar and leave the rest. (Face wash, shampoo, conditioner, etc.) I do have one small extra piece of laundry bar. (a quarter bar has lasted me 3 trips to Spain.) Many washers automatically include soap if you use a machine.
*a silk bag won't deter bedbugs so you just need your sleeping bag.
*leave the muscle rub out
*electronics, I have never needed a separate portable charger. Put your phone away and the battery will last .
* Ditch one long sleeved shirt.
 
pjacobi said:
Your Camino backpack has everything you need to tour Madrid. You do not need a suitcase!
Click to expand...
There's nothing wrong with wanting different clothes for pre or post Camino tourism. I always do a little traveling before and/or after my Camino and bring a suitcase with extra clothes, shoes, etc. for those days which I send to Santiago before I start walking.
 
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Thank you for info! I will check daily and cross my fingers..
 
All excellent advice. I would add the following;
- forget about dry sacs etc, just use a waste bin liner. They weigh nothing, cost pennies.
- you said it all weighs 20lb so far, but you’re going to be wearing a fair bit of that lot. I’d hazard a guess that, once this is factored in you’re closer to 15lbs. That’s not too bad.
- I work on three sets of underwear and tops. Wearing one, one clean and dry, one ‘in the wash’. Anything above that is superfluous. I wear the same trousers (pants) throughout but carry one spare in case they get wet / for clean evening wear
- I haven’t done the Camino but have done a lot of walking in much less populated areas and, in my experience, you can almost always buy more of anything, including clothing, en route. So I would go lighter than heavier and see what the weather forecast looks like when I arrive. Or plan on leaving warmer kit in the suitcase.
- you have a lot of liquids. my wife uses a multi-purpose shower/shampoo. I just use hotel freebies.
- do a 5 mile walk with the loaded backpack somewhere hilly before you go. By the end you’ll know if your mind will be on the load on your back or the lovely scenery, and you can adjust to suit.
- despite all of the above, don’t cut it back so far that it’s just hardship. I will always carry a book to read and a snack in case I need it.
- the most important thing for keeping the trip enjoyable is your feet. Blisters suck, really bad blisters will ruin your trip. Something I’ve learned over many years is to change my socks the moment I start to think “should I change my socks”. That has seen me changing my socks several times in the day. If you only have dirty but dry socks, bash them against something hard for a minute or two. It knocks all the dust and rubbish out of them, fluffs them up a little and they’ll feel like they are fresh. Likewise, carry compeed or similar and use it the moment you feel that little hotspot.
- take the suitcase. There is something incredibly nice about putting on really clean, fresh clothes including ‘town’ footwear at the end of a trip.

Good luck, I hope you have a wonderful trip.
 
Let us pick up your suitcase once you arrive in Europe....
...and ship it to Santiago for storage. You pick it up once in Santiago. Service offered by Casa Ivar (we use DHL for transportation).
It’s right that they don’t post the train ticket s until 30 days in advance . You may look into the busses , they are good and probably less expensive and more times check the buss company Alsa
 
cbeckham said:
My list is long! Here it goes:
Click to expand...
There is nothing unreasonable about the items on your list. However, if you want to carry your own backpack across Spain (which I highly recommend), it is to your advantage to reduce the weight, and it takes discipline to do so.

First off, you might be comparing apples with oranges, when you compare your 20 lb with someone else's 12 lb. Usually for purpose of comparison, we don't include water or snacks, a basic daily walking outfit, your waist pack, or your trekking poles.

A few places to consider reduction:
  • You list a long sleeved shirt, a puffy, 2 long sleeved undershirts. Is this including or in addition to your typical walking outfit? You possibly have 1 or 2 or 3 tops more than necessary. Think about the layers you will pile on for the coldest day, have one more light layer dry in your pack, and you don't need anything more
  • You have a rain coat and a poncho. Why both? Is the rain coat a light jacket?
  • I wouldn't bother with gaiters
  • If you have your walking shoes, plus comfortable sandals, I don't think you need flip flops as well.
  • You mention hiking pants, but is this a second pair or the only pair? If it is a second pair, I suggest that one pair for the days, and your leggings for the evenings, should be enough.
  • silk bag liner (someone recommended for bed bugs) - as others have said, it is a common misconception that silk has special anti-bedbug properties. You probably don't need the liner plus a sleeping bag. If it is cold at night, you can wear your puffy jacket to bed.
  • sea to summit bag liner - Assuming this a backpack liner big enough that you can put your whole backpack into it for the night, it needs to be a tightly closing one to keep bedbugs out. A large garbage bag twisted and knotted at the top would do the same, and might be lighter.
  • Liquids and lotions - Take small quantities!
 
@cbeckham , I think @C clearly has nailed it.
C clearly said:
First off, you might be comparing apples with oranges, when you compare your 20 lb with someone else's 12 lb. Usually for purpose of comparison, we don't include water or snacks, a basic daily walking outfit, your waist pack, or your trekking poles.
Click to expand...
With a couple of minor exceptions your packing list is very close to mine and mine only weighs 7.1 kilos or roughly 15 pounds. (I'm not built for bras, I've got practically no hair, and gaiters are completely unnecessary on Camino). Oh, and as suggested above - you don't need both raincoat and poncho, just a decent poncho.

I don't include worn weight or poles in my 7.1 kg

The other minor differences: just sandals for shower and Albergues, I have just two Merino t-shirts ( one worn) and one long sleeved, 10 safety pins rather than the pegs. ( But that's very minimal).

But I do carry separate shorts for sleeping - light and comfortable.


Unlike @C clearly I'm assuming your packliner is to keep everything dry. As suggested above you can use a large rubbish sack however you've already got the packliner so stick with it.
 
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This is my packing list, you can save a lot of space and weight by getting a good lightweight sleeping bag but to get a good lightweight one that does keep you warm on cool nights does cost a lot more. The other thing to keep in mind is that you don't actually need that much stuff.
 
You can go to the post office in either Madrid or Leon and mail your bag (s) to the main post office in Santiago…it’s about three blocks from the cathedral. Cost depends upon size/weight, but also upon how long you want them to hold it. I sent mine from Bilbao, with all the stuff I wanted for my flights but wouldn’t need on the Camino, and picked it up 33 days later. Pretty reasonable.

Buen Camino!
 
We recently walked the Via di Francesco in Italy with a planned vacation after the walk. Since we flew in and out of Rome we used Stasher to store our suitcase with street clothes in Rome while we walked. I noticed that they had locations all over Europe. They did great, and it was under 100€ for two weeks. Check out their website.
 
Let us pick up your suitcase once you arrive in Europe....
...and ship it to Santiago for storage. You pick it up once in Santiago. Service offered by Casa Ivar (we use DHL for transportation).
Hi there, how do you go about doing this when you aren't completely sure which day you'll arrive in Santiago de Compostela? My partner and I are going in May 2025 and will travel for about a week before starting camino and then about 3 weeks afterwards. I want to be able to take some "nicer" clothes for this and thought I'd just be ok to pack everything in my pack and walk with it all... seems like taking a small carry on suitcase for non-camino related gear is the way to go but wondering how this works!?
 
Easy! Send your suitcase to @ivar. He will hold it until you get to Santiago - whenever that may be.

Send your luggage to Santiago, we will store it for you (2024)

Send your luggage to me in Santiago de Compostela
casaivar.com

Or, if you are starting your Camino in SJPdP you can send it to Santiago with Express Bourricot.

LUGGAGE TRANSPORT - Express Bourricot

www.expressbourricot.com
 
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