Camino de Santiago packing list
A closed list with the weight of every item and the total at the end. The 10 % body-weight rule, what changes if your pack is transported, and the five things everyone carries and nobody uses.
How much it should weigh
The rule used everywhere: 10 % of your body weight, excluding water and food. For 70 kg, about 7 kg packed.
It is a target, not a law. What is certainly true is that every extra kilo tells exponentially from day three onwards and on descents, which is where knees take the punishment.
If your pack is transported the rule disappears: you can carry whatever fits the operator's limit, usually 15–20 kg, and walk with a small day pack of two or three kilos. How that service works.
The list, with weights
| Category | Item | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Clothing | 2 technical T-shirts | 300 g |
| 1 pair of zip-off trousers | 350 g | |
| 1 light fleece | 300 g | |
| 3 changes of underwear | 150 g | |
| 3 pairs of technical socks | 150 g | |
| Waterproof jacket or poncho | 300 g | |
| Footwear | Boots or trail shoes (worn) | — |
| Sandals or flip-flops | 350 g | |
| Sleeping | Sleeping bag liner or light bag | 400–900 g |
| Microfibre towel | 150 g | |
| Washbag | Minimal toiletries, travel sizes | 400 g |
| Sun cream | 100 g | |
| First aid | Blister dressings, anti-inflammatories | 200 g |
| Other | Water bottle (empty) | 150 g |
| Charger and cable | 150 g | |
| Walking poles (optional) | 400 g | |
| Documents and credential | 100 g | |
| Total without water or food | ≈ 4.5–5 kg |
Approximate weights for standard items, to guide how you distribute the load. These are not measurements of specific gear.
Add water — a litre weighs a kilo — and the day's food, and with the pack itself the total sits around 6.5 kg, inside the rule for most people.
What always turns out to be surplus
These are the things most often seen abandoned in the albergues of the early stages, which is exactly where people realise they weigh something:
- Too many clothes. Three changes is enough: you wash daily or every other day. Five T-shirts is two kilos you never use.
- Jeans or cotton. Heavy, slow to dry and they chafe when wet.
- A full first-aid kit. There are pharmacies all along the Camino.
- Paper guidebooks. Heavy, and already on your phone.
- Hairdryers and styling tools. People really do carry these.
The advice that works better than any list: pack your bag, walk 10 km with it and remove whatever you did not miss.
Which backpack
To carry it all day, 30 to 40 litres is the sensible range. Bigger invites you to fill it; smaller forces you to hang things outside, which is where problems start.
What actually matters is not the brand or the litres: it is the hip belt. A well-fitted pack transfers most of the weight to your hips, not your shoulders. If you feel it all on your shoulders, it is badly adjusted.
Footwear, the one thing not to economise on
- Break them in. At least 50 km before you fly. Never start the Camino in new boots: the commonest and costliest mistake there is.
- Half a size up. Feet swell over hours of walking, and toes hitting the toebox on descents is what destroys toenails.
- Technical socks, never cotton. The cheapest and most effective blister prevention that exists.
- Stop the moment you feel a hot spot. Do not wait for the end of the stage. A dressing applied in time saves three days limping.
Common questions
How much should a Camino backpack weigh?
Around 10 % of your body weight excluding water and food. For someone of 70 kg, about 7 kg.
What size backpack for the Camino?
30 to 40 litres if you carry it yourself. What matters most is a good hip belt to transfer weight to your hips.
Boots or trail shoes?
Depends on route and season. In Galicia in summer trail shoes are fine. In the mountains or in rain, boots protect the ankle better.
Do you need a sleeping bag?
In albergues a liner is usually enough, since blankets are provided. In winter, a light bag is better.
What do you carry if your pack is transported?
A small day pack with water, food, waterproof, documents and phone. Everything else travels in the big bag.