Hi Cormac, and welcome. I see you’ve already followed
@David Tallan‘s thread, as did I immediately before following him on the trail. My thread is also on here somewhere, as are many others.
I also started off with a healing leg injury, didn’t even know if I would get to finish the first day ( I booked Grado as a goal) . It was a very long, very slow day, but I did it. And the next- and so on. Actually improved so much I finished two days ahead of my original schedule!
Enough pep talk.
1/ DONT carry a tent out of fear. Of course, if you love camping in the rain….
Instead, before you set out, get the number for a local taxi company. It’s a lot lighter!
And less weight = less stress on your knee = more chance of finishing. Also, there aren’t that many long stages, and most of those come later on.
2/ packing List: heaps of info on here, both David and myself recently commented on another member’s thread about gear for the Primitivo in September.
3/ water and food requirements too, but to reiterate - I normally carried 1,5 litres, took that and a 500ml Aquarius for the Hospitales. Worked well. Unless it’s going to be really hot, or you drink that much normally, 500ml as a backup should be sufficient. (And the Aquarius made a pleasant , refreshing change ). For the first day, I found nothing open for the first 20km, however that was probably due to the exceedingly slow pace. I always carry salted nuts and dried fruit, plus a banana or apple, so no major. Oh, and chocolate!!
For the Hospitales four of us shared a large baggutte, a 250/300gm tin of tuna, chippies and a massive tomato. Plus the usual fruit - a great lunch!
Guide- I used this:
Which I got from Ivor. It’s small and light. But not as light as Gronze , or one of the other apps ( I like books). Frankly, I would have survived just by following the arrows.
But it was reassuring to have.
Anything specific you want to ask, please do. Oh, my packing list is on YouTube if you want.
Buen Camino!