Gearhead

One of the reasons I decided to start this blog so early is to have a place to share my planning and thought process with others — in particular, my friend who wants to walk the Camino Frances with me next year (hi, Mary-A!). Lately, I’ve had gear on my mind, perhaps because gathering gear feels more concrete than focusing on the never-ending, impossible stream of questions about the unknown (will I get the vaccine in time? will the pandemic be over in time? will there be much of a support industry in Northern Spain right after the pandemic?).

Thinking about gear the last few days, it dawned on me that there was very little I brought that was not used. I would still bring those items again — except for my swimsuit, they were all important safety/health tools.

What I left SJPdP with on April 5, 2018:

• A 40L backpack bought in SJPdP (more on the backpack saga later)
• a small Swiss Army knife bought in SJPdP
• a pair of collapsible walking poles bought in SJPdP (which I will do again since they are such a pain to fly with)
• my first credential
• floppy sun hat
• sunglasses
• thin glove liners
• a heavy-duty quick-dry jacket
• a thin zip sweatshirt
• two Buffs
• two quick-dry sports bras
• two pairs of quick-dry athletic pants
• one pair of Capri yoga pants (for sleeping)
• two quick-dry athletic shirts
• one regular t-shirt (for sleeping)
• one athletic “skort”
• one pair of Merrell mid-high boots (with wool arch support inserts)
• one pair of super light Sketcher foam shoes
• 3-4 pairs of heavy SmartWool socks
• 3-4 pairs of light sock liners (to prevent blisters — ha!)
• four pairs of quick-dry athletic underwear
• 18 oz Servimate filter water bottle
• a roll of duct tape (wound to the water bottle)
• iPhone and an iPad mini
• wired earbuds
• a heavy duty universal travel adapter such as this one
• Brierley’s guidebook
• a microfiber towel
• bug repellent bracelets
• a “sleep sack” for the albergues
• a rudimentary first aid kit (bandaids, Neosporin, tweezers)
• toiletries
• allergy pills
• toothbrush
• lip balm, glittery only by accident
• heavy duty skin balm
• contacts and eyeglasses
• nail clippers
• hair ties/clips
• a pen and journal, plus some scratch pads
• a little hand sanitizer bottle — I’m sure I will need to bring a much larger bottle in the future post-COVID world
• a headlamp
• a waterproof poncho
• two bandanas (came in handy a lot)
• the items to leave at Ferro Cruz
• cold medicine, just in case (never used)
• antibiotics, also just in case (I get these strange infections on my hands, most likely because of the autoimmune thingy — luckily never used)
• one of those cool gadgets that allows women to relieve themselves standing up (never used, thank goodness)
• an emergency blanket, the kind that folds into the tiniest of squares (never used)
• swimsuit (never used)
• two compression bags to save space in the backpack
• And two things that came in handy in surprising ways: a ziploc bag with about 20 other bags in it, and another ziploc that just had odds and ends (various sizes of paper binders, paper clips, safety pins, small S-clips, small bungee cords of various type, tiny scissors, rubber bands, string, etc — my husband was mocking me as I packed this little baggie, but boy am I glad I had every one of those little MacGyver-y bits)

What I lost along the journey:

• the heavy jacket (replaced by Bunny the Badass Bull in Pamplona)
• the boots (bad Bunny!)
• various pairs of socks
• the journal
• sunglasses (lost in Estella)
• that first stupid poncho was ditched in Zubiri for a new one — I was soaked the first time I pulled it out

Additional gear I had to purchase along the Camino:

• Bunny replaced the lost heavy coat
• a knee brace
• an ankle brace
• various pairs of socks
• trail runner shoes times two (purchased in Burgos, then ditched for a better fitting pair in Leon)
• heavy knit hat and gloves
• long sleeve lightweight sport shirt (for better sun protection)
• replacement sunglasses
• two replacement raingear covers/ponchos
• a small sewing kit
• wireless earbuds times two (purchased in Pamplona, lost on the highway near Triacastella, then replaced in Sarria)
• more toiletries
• more bandaids and every “blister aid” on the market in Spain
• a cheap fake ring to wear on my left hand — I’m just wearing my real ring next time

Things that never left SJPdP with me:

• the original 65L backpack
• small travel pillow and blanket
• the passport travel wallet (why did I think those things were so great in the mid-90s?)

What I need to bring more of:

• One more full change of clothes! I will be packing a third quick-dry shirt, pants, and bra. It was draining having to wash laundry every. Single. Night. Two days of clothes was not enough.

I hope this list is helpful to anyone out there. I will probably discuss some of these items at length more in the future. I can’t believe that all fit in a small 40L pack. Whew!