Pilgrimage: What to take with you — and what to leave behind
“Walking manages to free us from our illusions about the essential.”
—Frédéric Gros, A Philosophy of Walking
The amount you carry will directly affect your experience of pilgrimage. The less you carry, the lighter your pack, the less weight on your feet, the easier the walk, the less pain you will have.
I’ve listed my kit from the Camino in Appendix 5, but my lessons learned are below.
Consider luggage transfer
If you want to make things easier, or if you have constraints that prevent you from carrying your own pack, you can get luggage transfer on many of the pilgrimage routes. This may be an option with the company you book with, or you can arrange it privately with local companies.
If you carry a bigger pack, you will fill it
I made the mistake of carrying too much on the Pilgrims’ Way and also the St Cuthbert’s Way. It was cold and wet weather so I needed heavier waterproofs and warm clothing, but I carried way too much stuff, and could only do so because I had a bigger pack (50 litres).
My need for more ‘stuff’ was partly because of my fear of not being prepared for every eventuality. I had way too many pairs of socks and T-shirts because I didn’t think I’d be able to wash anything en route. I had a huge first aid kit, too much back-up food, and I even took my iPad on the Pilgrims’ Way in case I had to work, which I swiftly regretted.
For the Camino, I learned my lesson and carried an Osprey Sirrus 36-litre pack with an in-built rain-cover, which was perfect.
Use walking poles
Walking poles are not just for those with bad knees, and in fact, if you use them while fit, you might prevent injury.
I love my walking poles! They help me balance on rocky and uneven ground and provide extra help on steep slopes. I can use them to probe puddles and cross streams. They help me get into a rhythm on longer walks, and keep my fingers from swelling up, plus they keep this tired and wobbly pilgrim from stumbling towards the end of the day.
If you’re flying, you will need to check in your walking poles. I used LEKI Women’s Micro Vario Carbon Trekking Poles for the Camino. They are really light and fold into three pieces so I could fit them in my pack for the flight.
If you’re going to use poles, learn how to walk with them beforehand. Your hands should rest in the slings so you don’t have to grip too hard, and this encourages a more natural swing. You also need to adjust the length for your height and gait. Ask someone to show you or watch one of the many videos on YouTube. I walked incorrectly with poles for years before someone showed me the proper way and it made all the difference.
Waterproofs and dry bags
You will get wet on a multi-day walk. It is almost inevitable. How wet you get will be based on your gear, and how miserable you are will be based on your attitude.
You can go hardcore on your waterproofs, with heavy trousers, gaiters, boots and socks, jackets, ponchos, and more. But all this will affect the weight you carry, and I definitely took too much on my St Cuthbert’s pilgrimage.
Ponchos are great in principle as they cover you and your pack, leaving no gap behind your neck. But in practice, rain often comes with wind and unless you bind the poncho around you, it billows and is more annoying than anything else. I wore a bright yellow poncho over my usual waterproofs in the driving rain on the St Cuthbert’s along a particular stretch of road for visibility, but it was too heavy, and I should have left it behind.
You can buy dry bags of different sizes. I kept my clothes in one inside my pack under the waterproof pack cover. I also had a small one for my phone, which I kept inside my jacket pocket, or in a small hip bag.
Walking shoes or boots + another pair
I usually prefer walking shoes to boots for the lighter weight and less rubbing around my ankles. I wore walking shoes (KEEN or Merrell) on all three routes, but if you are doing the St Cuthbert’s Way in bad weather or winter conditions, then boots would be better, especially across the Cheviot (pronounced ‘chee-vee-ot’) Hills, which can be boggy.
I saw some pilgrims walking in heavy boots on the Camino, but they were unnecessary for the terrain, especially if you have walking poles for any rocky, wet, or uneven ground.
I crossed the sands to Holy Island wearing my walking shoes and waterproof socks. Some walk barefoot, but I had blisters and didn’t want to risk hurting my feet further. Once I was on land again, I put my muddy, wet shoes in a bag and washed and dried them at the B & B later.
For every pilgrimage, you need something to wear in the evening once you take your shoes or boots off. I took a lightweight pair of trainers on the Pilgrims’ Way and St Cuthbert’s Way, and sandals on the Camino.
You can buy (most of) what you need on the route
Pilgrimage walks pass through villages, towns, and even cities along the way. You will generally be able to get to a supermarket, pharmacy, restaurant or cafe, and bar every day, and in some places, there will be bigger shops catering to travellers with even more to purchase.
You don’t need to bring an enormous bottle of shampoo or loads of toiletries for every possibility. You can buy more on the route. Only the St Cuthbert’s Way had sparse options in some places, but even then, I found food stops every day.
Technology as an aid — or a crutch?
Pilgrimage can be the ideal opportunity for a digital fast, a time to turn off the constant stream of the internet and stop consuming online news, podcasts, articles, social media, TV and music. Time to see the world through your own senses, rather than a screen.
I’ll readily admit to having my phone within reach at all times. I am an augmented-human and I use technology in every part of my life. But I also know that doom-scrolling makes me miserable and that I am happiest walking a trail with nothing but the sound of birdsong and my footsteps on the path.
On longer multi-day pilgrimages, time slows. Life becomes simpler and all that matters is walking, eating, and sleeping.
I didn’t actively decide on digital minimalism before my Camino. It just happened that way. I checked my email in the morning and evening and posted once a day on social media, as I have an online business and I needed to keep things ticking over while I traveled. But I didn’t listen to podcasts, and I triaged my email, saving anything non-urgent for my return. Nothing seemed that important after a day’s walk. Everything else falls away when you’re tired.
However, my phone was absolutely necessary for safety and navigation purposes, as well as finding coffee and food off the path, as outlined in Chapter 1.3 on maps and apps. I think a phone with an internet connection is important to have on a longer pilgrimage, but set some boundaries for yourself around how much you want to use it beyond what you need for the journey.
What else are you carrying?
Baggage is not just physical. There are plenty of other kinds of emotional and spiritual baggage you might carry with you, and they too might affect your experience.
These might include expectations of what you want to happen physically or spiritually; judgment of yourself or other pilgrims; intolerance of local food, accommodation, and customs; fear and worry about the journey or what you have left behind; and many other things.
While you consider slimming down your physical luggage, make sure to spend time on what other baggage you can leave behind.
Questions:
• How will you stop yourself from taking too much stuff?
• Have you walked in your full gear as practice before leaving?
• How will you use your phone on pilgrimage?
• What emotional and spiritual baggage can you leave behind?
Resources:
• See Appendix 5 for my gear and kit list recommendations
