I overpacked. I found out when I unpacked in the garage, taking precautions against bed bugs. The clothes were easy: everything went straight into the washer, sorted into cold-water-only and the few things that could handle a hot wash and hot dry. Everything else was a lot of stuff, and a lot of trips in and out of the house to bring it in and figure out where it all went.

That said, during the trip I was happy with most of what I had. Here’s what I’d leave home, what I’d keep, and what I’d change. (I have no affiliation with any brand mentioned here, and no one compensated me.)

What I’d Leave Home

The biggest culprit was the first aid supplies, which I packed for every possible scenario and barely touched. A few other things were extras too.

• Extra first aid supplies. Bandaids, anti-chafe sticks and extra blister kits, far more than I used. Spain has a farmacia in almost every town, so I could have replaced anything I ran out of.
• Salt tablets. I brought Precision 1500 and 1000 electrolyte tablets, plus salt tablets and emergency salt chews. I used up most of the Precision tablets. I took one salt tablet, once, and tried a salt chew just to see what it tasted like. I didn’t need either.
• KT tape. Two rolls, and I used it twice, to hold blister tape in place (2nd Skin with a small strip of medical tape over it), and to wrap my poles when the cork was bothering my hands. It did earn its keep another way. One day the transport company tore my luggage tag off, the one listing my dates and hotels so they knew where to deliver my suitcase each day, and I used the KT tape to fasten it back onto the handle.
• The swimsuit. I packed it planning to soak at the Roman baths in Lugo, but once I got there I didn’t feel like going. The hotel in O Burgo had a covered pool, but it was pouring rain and chilly, so I skipped it. The hotel in Arzúa had an outdoor pool. The water was too cold to swim, but it was nice to soak my legs. I wore the swimsuit, but the yoga pants I also packed would have done just as well since I never went in all the way.
• The wrap. I packed one in case it was chilly; I never needed it.
• Extra dresses. Changing for dinner each night was nice, but I didn’t need that many. Next time, I’d just bring two and swap each night.
• Extra socks. I had more pairs than necessary (see “What I’d Change” for which ones I’d swap).

What Worked

Clothes. I packed four lightweight dresses for dinners, so I could change every night and not wash any of them until I got home. Five hiking tops meant I was washing fewer items in the sink each night. I alternated two pairs of hiking capris and wore one hiking skort a few times.

Two pairs of shoes for the trail. My Merrell hiking boots were good for the first section, when most of the time was on the trail and there was limited pavement. They also got soaked one day and took two days to dry. Between that and the pavement at the end of the route, the trail runners were well worth bringing. I also had a pair of Rothy’s and Teva sandals for time in town, and I was happy to have options for getting out of the shoes I’d been walking in all day. I saw a lot of people who seemed to have only one pair for the whole trip.

Hiking poles. Absolutely necessary. One nice thing about checking luggage since I had luggage transfers is that I could bring the poles I’m used to and comfortable with.

Something for recovery. I loved having an exercise strap and a lacrosse ball for stretching. I skipped the Roman baths in Lugo, but soaking my legs in the cold pool in Arzúa was a nice substitute.

A separate water bottle for electrolytes. In addition to the 3L water bladder that came with my day pack, I carried a bottle just for my electrolyte tablets. That way I wasn’t overdiluting them by putting them in the bladder or creating a residue that could cause problems over the trip.

A ‘She Wee’: a plastic device that lets women urinate standing up without removing clothing. I bought mine for winter hiking, when squatting in the snow is no fun. On the Camino it was my absolute must-have: a discreet way to do what was necessary even with other people around.

A day pack with a 3-liter water bladder. While the pack didn’t have any front pockets for things like snacks, I bought an extra clip-on pouch so I could reach snacks without having to take the pack off and get into the main pocket. I carried a change of socks, basic first aid supplies and had room to put my hiking jacket or poncho in the pack.

A couple buffs. These were good to catch sweat and as a head covering when it was sunny. While I had a hat, one of the days, I clipped it to my pack and somehow, it fell off without me noticing (yes, I know, I lost a bunch of stuff on this trip). After that happened, I wore the buffs as head coverings to protect my scalp from getting sunburned and to keep the sweat off my face.

What I’d Change

Long hiking socks. I brought one pair and several short ones. When my legs got scratched up and I wanted them covered, I was washing out my two pairs of sock liners and wearing the hiking socks two days at a time, because they took so long to dry. I’d trade some of the extra short pairs for another long pair.

Long-sleeved tops. Only two of my five tops had long sleeves, and when my arms got scratched up and I wanted to protect them from the Spanish sun, that was all I had.

Pockets that zip. The pouch I clipped to the front of my pack was great for quick access to snacks, but it had an elastic pocket on the front where I kept my iPhone. After I lost the phone (more on that in another post), I zipped my work phone into the pouch with the snacks. Outer pockets with no closure are risky when you’re hiking.

You Can Buy Almost Anything

I lost my rain gear on the trail (more on that in a later post). Rain was in the forecast coming out of Lugo, so on my rest day I bought a replacement poncho. It was 53 euros, which felt expensive to me, so I was glad it actually rained one day. The rest of the time was absolutely gorgeous, apart from one overnight thunderstorm.

That stop in Lugo also showed me something. The shops there were well stocked, so if I had lost or forgotten something I needed, I could have replaced it. I bought different topical first-aid creams at a farmacia, too. Spain is a first-world country, and even in remote areas most cities and towns have a farmacia, and some have two or three. You don’t need to plan for every possible contingency.

My Top Three

If I could only bring three things in addition to basic hiking clothes, they’d be my hiking poles, two pairs of shoes for walking, and my She Wee. Those were the items I appreciated most.

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