A Pilgrim’s Pack
A Pilgrim’s Pack
by Snežana Brumec | Slovenske Konjice, Slovenia
As I packed for my Camino journey, I chose every item with care, balancing necessity against the weight I would carry for a month. My backpack, specially selected for this pilgrimage, weighed a mere 5.3 ounces. Its ultralight design seemed ideal, though the thin material made me nervous about its durability over the long trek.
At the bottom of my pack, beneath my ultra-light sleeping bag, I placed a simple T-shirt, reserved for a symbolic ritual of purification at the journey’s end. The sleeping bag, marvelously, was less than a pound yet warm enough for any chill the Camino might throw at me. Next came my Crocs, my only spare pair of shoes. Though they were bulky and lined, they were indispensable. Without the lining, they were perfect for slippery showers; with the lining, they were cozy for rest days. On my third day, when my hiking shoes painfully rubbed against my Achilles tendon, the Crocs became my unexpected savior, doubling as hiking shoes until my foot healed.
Space was precious. I tightly rolled my towel and poncho. I packed thin hiking pants, a versatile long-sleeved T-shirt, a runner’s kit with tights, a short-sleeved tee, and a hooded jacket. That jacket became my second skin—I slept in it after showering and wore it on cold mornings. At the top of the main compartment, I stashed my toiletry kit, gloves, and cap. My toiletries were simple: facial oil, day and night creams, a foot mask, high-SPF sunscreen samples, a toothbrush, toothpaste, and a comb.
In the lower outer compartment, I tucked away hiking socks, cozy terry socks for downtime, extra underwear, and an undershirt. The upper external pocket housed my first aid kit—bandages, blister prevention, medication, magnesium tablets, and a few antibiotics—plus four small stones for Cruz de Ferro, and a headlamp. A hidden pocket held my essentials: small bills, a credit card, and my health card. The total weight? A modest 9.03 pounds.
I wore winter hiking pants, a long-sleeved shirt, a windproof jacket, and an overcoat with a hood. My reading glasses and pilgrim’s passport were stowed securely yet within easy reach. This was everything I needed for the month ahead.
Yet as light as it all was, the real weight I carried wasn’t in the items themselves but in their purpose. The careful choices I made were more than practical; they were talismans for the journey, tokens of comfort and resilience. Each piece, from the Crocs to the stones, carried me forward—not just in body, but in spirit.
