You Are Probably Overpacking for the Camino
I carried a laptop and wore waterproof shoes on my first Camino. Here is what I learned.
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You are lying awake at 2:00 am, mentally repacking your bag for the fifth time.
You have read 47 packing lists. Watched a dozen YouTube videos. Asked in three different Facebook groups. Everyone says something different.
Bring a sleeping bag. Do not bring a sleeping bag. Trail runners are essential. No, hiking boots. Pack rain pants. Rain pants are useless. You will regret not having that extra layer. You are carrying too much.
The what-if spiral will not stop.
What if you are the one pilgrim who packed wrong? What if your feet are destroyed by day three because you chose the wrong shoes? What if you carry too much and cannot make it up the first hill?
I know this spiral. I have lived it five times.
The Mistakes I Made So You Do Not Have To
On my first Camino, I carried a laptop.
I told myself I might need to work. That I could not completely disconnect. That my students needed me to be available all the time, even from Europe.
I carried that laptop for ten days. I used it once.
In the middle of the night, I crept outside the lodging to teach one section of an online class. I connected in the dark, timezone math making it the only possible hour. I asked if anyone had questions about an assignment they were already working on. Then I dismissed class early so they could use the time on their projects.
That was it. One brief session I could have handled with a posted announcement. One class that would have continued just fine without me.
But I could not let go. I could not trust that anything could continue without me being there. So I carried that laptop up every hill, through every village, adding weight to every step for ten days. Not because I needed it. Because I could not believe I did not.
That same trip, I wore brand-new waterproof hiking shoes.
They seemed like the smart choice. Waterproof. Sturdy. Proper hiking footwear for a proper pilgrimage. By day two, my feet were aching. Blisters on top of blisters. The waterproofing kept rain out really well, but worse, it also kept sweat in. My feet never dried.
I limped through the first week, wondering if I had made a terrible mistake coming at all.
Why We Overpack
Here is what I have learned after five Caminos: we overpack because we do not trust the path.
We imagine every possible scenario. Rain. Cold. Heat. Blisters. Social events. Medical emergencies. The what if spiral never ends because fear is louder than actual needs.
But the Camino has been walked for over a thousand years. Villages appear every 15 to 20 kilometers. Pharmacies exist. Stores exist. Other pilgrims share what they have. You can buy what you forgot.
The path provides. But you have to trust it.
This is not just practical advice. It is contemplative practice. Plan reasonably. Then trust the path.
Pack for Silence, Not Scenarios
Most packing lists focus on gear. What to bring. What brand. What weight.
I focus on something different: what state of mind do you want to carry?
If you pack for every scenario, you are managing gear instead of being present. You are making decisions hundreds of times a day: Do I need this now? Where did I put it? Did I pack it this morning?
If you pack for silence, you are free. Free to notice the world. Your breath. The land. The quiet space between thoughts.
Here is the principle I follow: if you carry over 10% of your body weight, you are managing gear instead of being present. Under that threshold, you are free to notice.
Physical lightness creates mental space. Spiritual space.
Every extra item is a decision you will make hundreds of times. The Camino does not care about your gear. It cares about your attention.
What You Actually Need
After five Caminos and every packing mistake imaginable, I have distilled what works into a simple philosophy:
One set to wear. One set to wash. One warm layer.
That is it.
Your fear is louder than your actual needs. The what-if items almost always remain unused. They become dead weight you carry because you could not trust yourself or the path.
I am not here to convince you of anything. You are an adult. You will make your own decisions based on your own body, your own route, your own comfort level.
But I can share what I have learned through painful personal experience. Every recommendation I make comes from mistakes I want to help you avoid.
The Packing Guide
I have put everything I know into a guide: Pack Light, Walk Present: The Contemplative Camino Packing Guide.
This is not another overwhelming gear list. It is a philosophy of packing designed to free you from anxiety so you can focus on what actually matters: preparing your soul for the path ahead.
What is inside:
Complete Packing List with item-by-item breakdown, weight considerations, and the 10% rule
“What to Leave Behind” section to eliminate dead weight
Packing List Assumptions for different walking styles
6-Week Physical Training Plan with distance progression and terrain practice
Contemplative Preparation Guidance for the inner work of pilgrimage
Companion Video walkthrough of my actual packed kit
Printable Checklist for final departure prep
FREE BONUS: If you purchase the guide (or already have it as an annual Substack subscriber), I am offering a complimentary Camino Packing & Planning Audit. This is a free live meeting where we review your specific situation together. Your route, your timeline, your concerns. One pilgrim to another.
Get the Guide
Pack Light, Walk Present is available on my website for $17.50.
If you are an annual paid subscriber to my Substack publication, you already have free access. Check your email or reply to this post and I will send it to you.
FREE BONUS: If you purchase the guide (or already have it as an annual subscriber to my Substack publication), I am offering a complimentary Camino Packing & Planning Audit. This is a free live meeting where we review your specific situation together. Your route, your timeline, your concerns. One pilgrim to another.
The link is in the publication's PDF.
Who This Is For
This guide is for contemplative pilgrims. People who value silence over selfies, presence over performance, and intentional preparation over endless what-ifs.
Whether you are planning a spring or summer 2026 Camino, considering joining my September 2026 contemplative walking retreat on the Le Puy route, or simply dreaming about pilgrimage someday, this packing philosophy applies.
The gear needs are remarkably similar across all routes. What changes is your relationship to the path.
That is what this guide prioritizes.
A Question for You
Are you planning a Camino this year? What is your biggest packing question or concern?
Drop it in the comments. I read every one, and I am happy to help.
The Camino does not begin when you reach the first waymarker. It begins the moment you decide to walk.
Buen Camino! Bon Chemin!
Walk With Me
If this resonates, I invite you to subscribe to Where Insight Meets Earth, my weekly reflections on contemplative walking, ecospirituality, and embodied practices for navigating what overwhelms us
In September 2026, I am leading a contemplative walking retreat on France’s ancient Le Puy path of the Camino de Santiago. Seven days of walking in presence on a 1,000 year old pilgrimage path. Only 4 participants. Private rooms for everyone. Every accommodation directly on the path where pilgrims have walked for centuries. Silence as practice, not punishment. If you are curious about what contemplative pilgrimage might offer you, more details are here.