Hi Nikki,
I have walked the Camino in 2006 and 2009.
Please don't be afraid to walk alone. Many MANY women (and men) walk alone. At the time of year you are going, you will be LUCKY if you even walk for 10 minutes without seeing another pilgrim, as I think the trails will be quite full!
Generally, within the first day you will meet people that you will walk with a few miles. Then one of you decides to walk faster or slower, and you walk alone for a while. Then maybe a day or two up the trail, you meet them again and have a beer, or a short walk with them, or run into them at the albergue. You'll see... it's a lot of fun to run into people you've walked with... like meeting up with old friends. There is a sort of brotherhood/sisterhood thing that happens along the way.
Regarding a phone, please consider NOT taking one? In an emergency there will always be someone close by with a phone you can borrow. And in all the larger cities, there are places where you can go and pay a small fee to call home. I did not carry a phone on any of my walks. There are also computers all along the way that you can use to keep in email contact with folks at home.
My packing list was quite different, and for July, you will need much less clothing. Here is what I took:
2 pair of lightweight quick-drying zip-off leg trekking pants
(wear one, carry one)
2 quick-dri short sleeve shirts
(wear one, carry one)
2 pair of wool socks and 2 pair of quick-drying liners
(wear one, carry one)
I wore New Balance trail shoes, not boots
1 pair lightweight Teva Sandals for evenings
Tilly Hat
Towel - My first Camino I bought a microfiber towel. The second time I carried an old threadbare bath towel, cut in half. The bath towel worked better and was no heavier.
1 pair of Cuddle Duds - long sleeve lightweight long underwear
I long sleeved fleece shirt
3 pair of panties (wear one)
2 sports bras (wear one)
*guide book
John Brierley
*a tiny note book for my journals
1 Ligget's Shampoo Bar (for bathing and hair washing)
1 deodorant stone, broken in half
tooth brush and tiny paste
rain trousers which I LOVED on cold windy days
Altus rain poncho
Lightweight wind breaker/jacket (I only wore it twice)
Marmot Pounder Plus sleeping bag
small camera
3 sets of diaper pins or large safety pins for hanging your laundry (or one of those elastic rope clotheslines for traveling are awesome! You can get them in the Rick Steves travel store online)
A ziplock plastic bag for your money belt so you can take it with you into the shower!
MONEY BELT - put your passport, your credit card, and your cash in this and WEAR IT AT ALL TIMES. NEVER LEAVE IT IN A LOCKER OR IN YOUR BACKPACK.
My Acteryx backpack weighed 15 pounds loaded.
I originally took a sleeping pad, but dumped it early on.
I carried no first aid supplies. You can buy them in nearly every village and the albergues also stock them. I did buy and carry COMPEED, which I've only seen in Spain. It is a thick gel bandage you put on hot spots to prevent blisters. You put it on as soon as you feel you may be getting a blister and for me, it worked great. You do NOT peel it off ever, but let it fall off on its own. You leave it on in the shower.
It will be so hot that you will rarely need a jacket in July! Instead, you can layer in the morning, then peel off your outer layers as you warm up. In the evenings, I promise you will be too tired to go anywhere except for dinner and back to your bed.
Anything you decide you need, you can purchase in Spain. It will give you an excuse to go shopping! It's best to take LESS than more. Especially do not take expensive gear in case you decide it's too heavy to carry and need to ship it home or discard it. There are boxes in almost every albergue called FREE BOXES where you can pick up extra gear that other pilgrims have discarded. If you don't see one, ask.
If you are short funded, go to Goodwill in Arkansas. They have a section called ACTIVE WEAR and you can find all kinds of great clothing there for the Camino. Instead of paying $50 for a quick drying shirt, you can get one for $4.99 !!! Instead of paying $36 for zip off pants, you can get them for $7.
Oh yes, I forgot to mention. You will be hand washing your clothing most of the time. When you get to SJPP, go to the hardware store at the end of town and buy a bar of Fels Naptha laundry soap. Cut it into about 3 or 4 pieces and carry one. Give the others away or leave them at the albergue in SJPP for other pilgrims to use. It is made for cold water hand washing and works GREAT. Take an extra ziplock bag to carry it in. I hung mine in a mesh bag from my pack to keep it dry. Do not worry about taking laundry soap otherwise. When you find a place with a washing machine, which is not often, the soap is generally included in the cost, which can run from 2 euros to 5 euros, depending on where you are. When you are hand washing your clothes, look for a little canister nearby that looks like a garbage can. It's a clothes spinner. You put your clothes in, close the lid, and it spins them almost dry. Neat little contraption! Never saw one until I walked the Camino! If your clothes are NOT dry in the morning (which probably will not happen in July) you can safety pin them to the outside of your pack and they'll dry while you walk.
Read these forums closely and you'll find a lot of great tips and photos! And please don't be afraid to ask questions. We're here because we love the Camino and love helping others have a wonderful walk! There are many varying opinions. In the end, you just have to go with your gut feeling and not worry. It'll be fine, no matter what you choose... really! lol
Good luck and have a wonderful Camino!
