The Camino de Santiago: The Backpack

There will be three things that will be with you for the length of the Camino de Santiago, none of which you will be without for long. They are, in order of annoyance, snorers in the albergues, non-stop talkers on the road, and your backpack. I’ll deal with the first two later. (Hint: earplugs) As for the backpack for the Camino de Santiago, here’s what Kris and I carried, what I should have carried.

The best backpack for the Camino de Santiago

First, this is not a Camino backpack review. The brand of backpack you use, to me, is immaterial. What matters is that you find one that works for you. We talk below about the ones that we used. Deuter is a well respected brand. But that are lots of others that you might prefer. The only thing that matters is you find one that works for you.

When you think of what is the best backpack for the Camino keep this in mind first of all: if you pack right and pack as light as possible (and take it easy on the electronics,) you should be able to get by with a 30 to 45-liter pack.

I have two suggestions for deciding what is the best backpack size for the Camino de Santiago:

• Look at our suggested Camino de Santiago packing list. Using that as a guide (not a Bible,) choose for yourself what you need for your Camino. Lay out all the clothes and gear you're decide on taking on the Camino and see what is the smallest and lightest pack that will fit all of it;
• and then visit your local outfitter to have a pro fit you with the pack that fits. This is especially true for women, who, in general, have shorter torsos than men.

The best backpack for the Camino is the smallest and lightest weight one that will carry everything you want to take. It's that simple.

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Your Camino de Santiago Backpack: size does matter

The 65-liter hiking pack I (needlessly) carried is for four days in the wilderness, and you won’t be doing anything like that. The Camino is a series of one-day hikes with a bed and a grocery store or restaurant at the end of each day. You don't need to carry food other than snacks you'll want along the road.

The bottom line is that a modern 30 or 40-liter pack is going to weigh one to one-and-a-half kilos (3 pounds) less than the 65-liter pack. That’s a lot of extra Camino backpack weight to carry over an 800-kilometer walk.

Unfortunately, I already owned the large pack and didn’t replace it with a small one. It was a Deuter ACT Lite 65+10 Backpack, which means it was actually a 65-liter pack divided into two compartments of 55 and 10 liters. The two compartments is a nice feature that allows you to pack the smaller compartment with things you’ll want to have easy access to, such as your first aid kit and washing supplies. Look for that feature in whatever size pack you buy. But the 65 liter pack, once I emptied out all my unnecessary gear, was way bigger than I needed.

Since then, I have bought a smaller pack: Deuter ACT Lite 40+10 Backpack, (which has since been discontinued.) It has been replaced by the Deuter Aircontact Ultra 50+5. If I were doing the Camino today, I'm sure I could carry all I need it this one. And it's more than one kilo (2.2 lbs) lighter than the 65 liter model.

By the way, a feature of Deuter packs that is super handy is that the torso length is adjustable. That's key to making the pack fit you the best.

If I were buying a backpack for the Camino today, I would certainly also look into the Osprey Talon 44L backpack model. I have now had a couple of Osprey packs I use as a hiking day pack and a cycling backpack. I love both of them. Osprey packs have all the features I like, and you need, to make your trek as easy as possible.

Another possibility I like a lot (although I've only begun to try it out) is the Six Moons Flight 30 Ultra Running Backpack. You can pick from three styles of shoulder harnesses and two sizes of lap belts to make it fit just as you like. Also, the attachment point of the shoulder harness is pretty much infinitely adjustable, so you can fit your torso length perfectly. And, it's the lightest backpack ever, only 31 ounces (878 grams.) If you can fit everything you need into 30 liters, this is a great choice.

All three of these packs named above have the essential features I list below.

The fit of your backpack is critical

Finally, if you are buying a backpack just for the Camino, and if you are not experienced at such things, visit a reputable, knowledgeable seller such as REI Outfitters or your local outfitter.

The fit of your pack is important. Make sure your seller has weighted bean bags that approximate the weight you'll be carrying to put in the packs as you are trying them on, and that an experienced backpacker helps you adjust the fit to your height and circumference. Believe me, you’ll be glad you did. We saw many pilgrims struggling under too large and ill-fitting or ill-adjusted packs. (Be sure you adjust the pack to bear the weight on your hips, not your shoulders.) There’s no need to make something that’s inherently hard even harder.

The backpack features and accessories you'll want

The other considerations in a pack purchase that I found important were sufficient loops and ties on the outside of the pack for you to tie on things you don’t want on the inside of the pack, e.g. the dirty sweaty socks you just took off, the dirty sweaty shoes you wore yesterday, the wet clothes you washed yesterday but didn’t dry by the time you left this morning.

You get the picture.

Buy a handful of light duty carabiners and a strap or two. And hook them all up and try to hang all the gear you can imagine carrying outside your pack to them before you leave. A test or two is worth it, believe me.

There are a few other features on my pack that I found very helpful.

The first was a small zip pocket on the waist belt for things you need to get at either in a hurry or semi-frequently. In my case, those things included my knife, insect repellent, one sanitary wipe, and one small energy bar.

The second was a large pocket inside the main compartment of the pack with a suspension system for a water bladder and a hole to feed the water tube out onto the shoulder strap. Believe me, it's a lot easier to grab the tube that's hanging from your shoulder strap and bring it to your mouth than it is to try to reach behind you to struggle with pulling a water bottle out of a pack pocket.

A couple of considerations for your water bladder. Make sure the hanging system is compatible with your backpack. And consider the capacity. Water is heavy. I found that a 2 liter bladder is enough for most days on the Camino. You'll have a chance to refill it along the way. However, there were two days when I wish I'd had 3 liters with me. Buy a 3 liter hydration bladder. You don't always have to fill it all the way in the morning. But as you plan your day, if you know it's going to be hot and a long way to the next town, fill ‘er up.

Also, you need a rainproof pack cover, just in case. Obviously, buy the one that fits your pack. Some people had a large poncho that covered them and their pack. That works, too, and is probably a bit cooler than wearing a rain jacket. Kris and I went the rain jacket/pack cover method, though, because there are just some days when you'll want the warmth of another layer.

A couple other handy, but not critical features are a top zip pocket that's part of the top closure flap and an outside open pocket. (The Osprey Talon pack mentioned above has both those features.)That's a good place to store that day's snacks so you can get to them

The best woman's backpack for the Camino de Santiago

As I said above, the ideal Camino backpack size is one that fits all your gear, and, more important, fits your body. A woman should definitely visit an outfitter and try on women's sized packs. Here are some suggestions of ones to try:

Kris carried a 28-liter Deuter Women's Spectro AC 28 SL, which Deuter doesn't make any more. The Deuter Speed Lite 28 SL Pack – Women's seems to be the most recent replacement model. Kris carried an 11-inch Macbook Air computer with her, so you can see what’s possible if your clothes are really small like hers, (and you have me to carry some of the other junk.)

A larger choice, if you need it, is the Deuter Aircontact Core 45+10 SL for women. Of course, if you already have a larger pack, you don’t need to buy a smaller one, although if you have the money, why not?

Read Kris's post on what it's actually like to walk the Camino de Santiago. If you're interested in pilgrimage-type walks, you should also look into the Way of St. Olav in Sweden and Norway.

To see all of our posts on tips for the Camino de Santiago, click here: Camino de Santiago. Or see the individual posts below.

The complete Camino packing list
Walking sticks
The low down on socks, socks, and blisters

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