Camino Frances

Several months ago on the Apple news, I read an article by someone who walked the Camino for his 50th birthday. Several days later, I was inspired to do the same. Over the next few months, the idea became more and more entrenched in my mind, and I decided to attempt it.

There are many routes of the Camino and I finally planned to do the Camino Frances from St. Jean Pier de Port to Santiago de Compostela, a distance of 780km, approximately 500 miles.

To prepare for the trip, I was going to do nothing special but just continued to hike eight to fifteen miles over the weekends and 4-6 miles daily. The only thing I did to make the regular walks challenging was to carry the 40-pound ruck sack from GoRuck.com.

The almost 5 pounds Lenovo P15V i9 laptop and its wall charging brick was too heavy to carry the 500 miles, so I replaced it with HP DragonFly i7 laptop, which was merely 2.2 lb. and fast enough.

The different things I packed for the trip are listed below.

Technology

	Hiluckey Solar Charger 25000mAh, Outdoor USB C Portable Power Bank with 4 Solar Panels, 3A Fast Charge External Battery Pack with 3 USB Outputs Compatible with Smartphones, Tablets, etc. Pretty lightweight and has three USB ports. It also charges the laptop very very slowly.
Alapmk Protective Case and the 13.5" HP Dragonfly G4. The case is made of leather, pretty lightweight and can act as a mousepad
	Zendure Universal Travel Adapter 65W PD Fast Charger 4 USB-C,1 USB-A, International Wall Charger AC Plug Adaptor All in One Worldwide Power Charger Compatible with Laptops, iPhone, AirPods. It can be used in all countries and is very lightweight.
iPhone 15 Pro Max : For work calls, zoom and teams meetings, photos, emails and such.
	Apple Watch Ultra 9 : For measuring calories, distance covered, heart rate, sleep, taking selfies and alarms.
USB C charging Cables, Watch charging cables, Apple USB-C charging brick.	Logitech cordless mouse

Clothing

	Cotopaxi, Capa Insulated Hooded Jacket, MEZCAL/SUNSET, very light (1lb, 8oz) and warm.
Icebreaker Merino 125 Cool-Lite Sphere III T-Shirt, 5oz, expensive but breathable and warm.
	Sahara Shade hoodie that wicks moisture and provides shade and UPF 50+ UV protection.
	New Balance Lightweight Touchscreen Warm Running Gloves, Anti Slip Men's Cool Weather Gloves. Warm and allows using the phone with the thumb and forefinger.
Real Essentials 4 Pack: Men's Dry-Fit UV Moisture Wicking UPF 50+ SPF Sun Protective Fishing Hiking Swim Long Sleeve Shirt : I only decided to carry 2. Well priced pack of 4 shirts from Amazon. I used only 2 and gave the other two to friends.
	ExOfficio Men's Give-n-go Boxer Briefs : 3 count. My friend who went to Cuba with these rated them highly.
	Outdoor Research Men's Helium Rain Jacket – Breathable Weatherproof Jacket. Very light and expensive.
Outdoor Research Men's Helium Rain Pants – Breathable & Weatherproof Pants. Very light and also expensive.
	Smartwool, Merino Beanie. Cute looking and light.
Levi's 505 Jeans	Hiking full sleeve shirt
Gerry padded insulated winter pants	Neck warmer

Sleeping

NEMO Kayu 30 Sleeping Bag - Men's Fortress. It is 1 lb 11oz with compressible 800-fill-power down and aggressive, thermally efficient patterning. I had to buy a compression sack to put it in and also buy a backpack bigger than 30L to accommodate it.
	NEMO Tensor Ultralight Sleeping Pad. 13oz, pretty lightweight
TREKOLOGY Ultralight Inflatable Camping Travel Pillow - ALUFT 2.0 Compressible, Compact, Comfortable, Ergonomic Inflating Pillows for Neck & Lumbar Support Weighing a mere 3.9oz
	Vumos backpacking sleeping bag liner with a small stuff sack which makes it easy to pack up after use, measuring only 7.5 inches long when packed and weighing a mere 11.5 ounces.

Walking

	Tilley Hat: Airflo Broad Brim, Rated UPF 50+ sun protection. Water repellant finish with Moisture-wicking hydrofil.
KEEN Targhee II Waterproof Mid Hiking Boots. I have used these for 1,000+ miles and they are fantastic. A new pair for this new adventure.
	KEEN Newport H2 Closed Toe Water Sandal. Stong and sturdy, I have used them for over 500 miles before and they are fantastic.
DRYMILE Active Waterproof Socks, Breathable Cushioned Running, Hiking, Winter Waterproof Socks for Men: 3 pairs. Pretty lightweight
	PackTowl Personal Ultralight Microfiber Camping and Travel Towel for face (10 x 14 in)
Hope not to use this moleskin for blisters.
	REI ankle high shoe gaiters

Carrying

40-liter REI Trail 40 L-XL size backpack, very well priced, water resistant, with many internal pockets, including two zippered hip pockets. I also like the convenient 4 main zip openers, instead of 2.

Other Miscellaneous

Toothpaste/Brush	Passport & Credit Cards
Anti-inflammatory medication	Statin and Metformin
Shaving Kit	Free Style Libre CGM
2.5-liter hydration pack	Black Diamond Spot 400 Headlamp
Nail clippers	Lip balm

The overall weight of the backpack with everything in it is 24 pounds, about 11 kg and the pack can easily fit in the aircraft overhead compartment. After filling the water, say 2 liters, it will become 28 pounds, It is not too hard to carry given the shoulder and hip straps are padded and quite comfortable.