I'm looking around for my packing list from 2007. I'm sure I made one... It isn't on the blog and it wouldn't be on my laptop since I didn't get that until 2011 when we went to Paris. I can't find it on my big mac either so I dug out my plastic ziplock bag of moleskine journals, memorabilia, and receipts in the hopes that maybe I would have jotted it down there. You'd think that I would at least have taken a photo of the backpack with its contents like every other pilgrim on the Camino has done.
Let's see if I can recreate the list of items from memory and photos. We won't be taking the lightweight 1 pound sleeping bag and the microfiber towel this time since we'll be staying in hotels and not albergues. The following things worked pretty well in 2007 so I'll probably take the same stuff.
2 quick dry polyester T-shirts (which I still have)
1 long sleeve Ex-Officio polyester shirt (ditto)
1 pair REI terracotta hiking pants (ditto)
1 pair khaki hiking pants (which I still have but don't fit into -- yet)
1 REI fleece jacket (which I still have)
1 Sierra Designs windbreaker/rain jacket (ditto)
1 lightweight fleece pullover and 1 lightweight fleece pants - for sleeping in albergues
3 pairs nylon underpants (I use them as washcloths to wash them but, no, these won't be the ones from 2007.)
2 bras
3 pairs wool socks
2 pairs sock liners
1 pair Lowa hiking boots (the 2007 ones)
1 pair Keen shoes (I've gone through that pair and many others) - which I'll replace with Keen sandals.
1 purse (which I still have somewhere but I'll take a smaller one)
1 rabbitwool sun hat (which I still have but it has shrunk)
1 pair sunglasses
Several moleskine tiny journals for writing down the day's events.
So, does my list look like this photo? This time I better post one here.
Fernando is discouraging me from taking the laptop and I suppose he is right: the point of the Camino is to disconnect from everyday life. Ahhh...but we will still have our iPhones and most hotels we are staying in have wifi. On the other hand, we are walking short days and will have a lot of time on our hands at the casas rurales that are out in the middle of nowhere.
Last time I also took a bunch of stuff for blisters that we never used. So I will wait until they develop and pick up something at the local pharmacy. The hotels/guest houses we will be staying in might provide us with shampoo but I'm not sure they'll have hairdryers. My hair will just have to be what it is, or maybe I can get a "Buff" to cover it up, which seems to be all the rage with the Europeans. The Buff was developed by a Spaniard for riding motorcycles on the backroads of Catalonia so perhaps I can pick up one in Leon or Sarria.
For more Camino packing tips, check out the "See You Soon, Mom" video on Youtube.


You can pick up the Buff at REI. They are marked at $20, but the one I bought rang up at $10, and you are not going to do better than that. Take a few to the register for them to scan. I first met buffs in Switzerland where they cost about $30. And I am so impressed you can fit into those pants!
ReplyDeleteHow about an ipad mini???? Perhaps a birthday present? I'll contribute.
ReplyDelete