Help with planning/packing

[Mamarich]

Good Morning…I’ll be starting the Frances route from Pamplona beginning Sept 11. I’m planning on 45 days to arrive in Santiago. I’ll be using a luggage transfer service but will be carrying a day pack. I’m trying to figure out what i need to carry each day. Thinking I won’t need my fleece or puffy jacket early on but as the weather turns to fall will need those items. I’m looking for suggestions for what must be included in the pack and what size backpack makes the most sense. I have a 22 liter backpack but when it has the warmer items in it is is quite full and I’m concerned I won’t have room for lunch/snacks. Thanks for your thoughts

 

[dougfitz]

My observation of those who do this is that the decision on what to put in one's daypack gets made on the night before, or on the morning, when it becomes clearer what the weather will be like for the day. There seems little point trying to guess this any earlier than that. You might expect to have to pack what you would for any similar day hike elsewhere in the world. If it's cold enough in the morning, you will wear your fleece. If it isn't, the day will tend to warm up, not cool down unless a cold front is going to move over, so I suspect packing a fleece wouldn't necessarily make sense. That said, on day hikes I always make sure that I have something that can keep me warm when I take a break in cooler conditions, but on the camino, you might find you are doing this in a bar, not always in the open.

 

[trecile]

It's generally not necessary to carry lunch unless that's what you prefer. I rarely carry much more than an orange, some nuts, and a chocolate bar.

I have a down jacket that packs down very small and doesn't take up much room in my backpack at all.

 

[linkster]

Think in term of layers ... I have walked starting late September twice. I never wore my puff jacket during the day. I layered up or down for comfort. Thin base layer and a shirt. I start hiking cold becuase I heat up in 5 or 10 minutes and would have to stop to remove a layer. A thin beanie and buff around your neck adds a lot of warmth.

Day pack
Rain gear
Beanie, gloves, buff
Extra socks
Small drybag for your clothes etc.
Small first aid kit
Apple
Chocolate bar
Water bottles (2 - 1 liter SmartWater bottles)
Toilet paper, hand sanitizer
Passport, credential, wallet, phone (valubles allways stay with me)
~Phone charger and cable (turn off location services to save the battery)
~Medication

 

[Mamarich]

Thanks so much all good advice.

 

[BarbC]

Think in term of layers ... I have walked starting late September twice. I never wore my puff jacket during the day. I layered up or down for comfort. Thin base layer and a shirt. I start hiking cold becuase I heat up in 5 or 10 minutes and would have to stop to remove a layer. A thin beanie and buff around your neck adds a lot of warmth.

Day pack
Rain gear
Beanie, gloves, buff
Extra socks
Small drybag for your clothes etc.
Small first aid kit
Apple
Chocolate bar
Water bottles (2 - 1 liter SmartWater bottles)
Toilet paper, hand sanitizer
Passport, credential, wallet, phone (valubles allways stay with me)
~Phone charger and cable (turn off location services to save the battery)
~Medication

That is kinda what I was thinking for my daypack. First timer here and doing Vigo route in mid September. Will I need more than a warm up jacket - you mentioned a puff but I wasn't thinking it would be that cold. Wasn't thinking gloves either -

 

[Mamarich]

I’m starting in Sept but ending in late October am planning on 45 days. Puffy coat and gloves are for end of trip if weather turns cold. JIC. I am very unhappy when I’m cold so I want to be prepared.

 

[linkster]

That is kinda what I was thinking for my daypack. First timer here and doing Vigo route in mid September. Will I need more than a warm up jacket - you mentioned a puff but I wasn't thinking it would be that cold. Wasn't thinking gloves either -

I am a Floridian. I have been in Galacia in late fall when it is rainy and cold. I was glad to have my gloves (thin fleece) and beanie. I wore my puff jacket with frequency but only at the end of the day or at night. I even bought a pair of dishwahing gloves to wear over my thin gloves after it was raining for days on end. They were bright blue and became a fashion statement.

 

[Robo]

Clothing is an interesting challenge.
(Of course this depends on time of year)

Walking with all your gear in your pack, is a relative easy thing of course.
If using a day pack..........what to take, what to leave, becomes harder.

I tried a few clothing options on my recent Camino.

Normally I walk in a very light (120gsm) long sleeve Merino shirt.
It's comfortable from 10C - 40C.

But..........pre-dawn starts to avoid the later heat (28-30C), could be as cool as 6-7C.
So I tried my very light but warm sleeveless down jacket.
I found this was making me too hot though. and very sweaty.
So it would come off soon after sunrise.

Plan B. was to start out wearing my very lightweight rain jacket.
This worked much better.
It acted as a windbreaker, and the extra layer was just enough to ward off the cold.
Again, it would come off soon after dawn, but at least I was not sweaty.
A damp/sweaty shirt in a breeze becomes very cold!

But.............if I was only carrying a day pack, which would I carry?

Both.

I would still need the lightweight down jacket for extended stops, as the rain jacket does not really provide 'warmth'.