Camino de Santiago Packing List by Month: Camino Francés
Published November 6, 2026
The Camino Francés packing list changes with the month: the sleeping bag, the insulating layer, the sunscreen, the sunglasses, the water to carry, the footwear and the gaiters. For a May start from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, the products Bardy has found so far cost $2,144 for a man and $2,107 for a woman and put at least 15.2 lb on your back; 2 lines still have no US product (named in the table below), so the full pack costs and weighs more. Every line is tied to the weather on the route or to a published rule.
What you leave at home
You do not carry a tent or a stove on the Camino Francés: you sleep in albergues, the pilgrim hostels, and in Galicia camping is banned outside authorized campgrounds. Bedding is the line that varies. The Galician public network says: “The bunk beds have disposable bed linen.” American Pilgrims on the Camino, an association of pilgrims, says: “Not all albergues provide bedding.” So Bardy’s pack carries a sleeping bag every month, rated for that month’s coldest nights (see the table below).
The list, month by month
American Pilgrims on the Camino writes that its own list “works best for the May-October high season.” For cooler walking, it says to “consider adding a warmer base layer, gloves, rain pants and Gore-tex shoes/boots.” Bardy computes which of those lines your month needs, on 10 years of weather along the route, for 33 days in albergues. These are the lines that change from one month to the next, for a man; every other line stays the same.
| Month | Sleeping bag | Insulating layer | Sunscreen | Sunglasses | Hydration | Footwear | Gaiters |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April | Sleeping bag comfort 30°F | Insulated jacket | Sunscreen SPF 50 | Sunglasses cat. 3 | Water 1.5 L | Waterproof shoes | — |
| May | Sleeping bag comfort 34°F | Fleece or insulated jacket | Sunscreen SPF 50 | Sunglasses cat. 3 | Water 2 L | Waterproof shoes | — |
| June | Sleeping bag comfort 39°F | Fleece or insulated jacket | Sunscreen SPF 50 | Sunglasses cat. 3 | Water 2 L | Waterproof shoes | — |
| July | Sleeping bag comfort 46°F | Fleece or insulated jacket | Sunscreen SPF 50 | Sunglasses cat. 3 | Water 2 L | Hiking shoes | — |
| August | Sleeping bag comfort 41°F | Fleece or insulated jacket | Sunscreen SPF 50 | Sunglasses cat. 3 | Water 2 L | Waterproof shoes | — |
| September | Sleeping bag comfort 36°F | Fleece or insulated jacket | Sunscreen SPF 30 | Sunglasses cat. 3 | Water 1.5 L | Waterproof shoes | — |
| October | Sleeping bag comfort 30°F | Insulated jacket | Sunscreen SPF 30 | Sunglasses cat. 4 | Water 1.5 L | Waterproof shoes | Gaiters (advised) |
The weather and the whole pack, month by month:
| Month | Cold night at O Cebreiro | Rain days | Snow at Cruz de Ferro | Pack, man | Pack, woman | On your back (man) | No product yet |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April | 30°F | 45% | rare | $2,144 | $2,107 | at least 14.1 lb | Pack cover, First-aid kit |
| May | 34°F | 38% | rare | $2,144 | $2,107 | at least 15.2 lb | Pack cover, First-aid kit |
| June | 39°F | 37% | rare | $2,144 | $1,976 | at least 15.2 lb | Pack cover, First-aid kit |
| July | 46°F | 24% | rare | $2,144 | $1,976 | at least 15.2 lb | Pack cover, First-aid kit |
| August | 46°F | 22% | rare | $2,144 | $1,976 | at least 15.2 lb | Pack cover, First-aid kit |
| September | 41°F | 33% | rare | $2,144 | $1,976 | at least 14.1 lb | Pack cover, First-aid kit |
| October | 36°F | 44% | rare | $2,239 | $2,107 | at least 14.4 lb | Pack cover, First-aid kit, Gaiters |
Prices are for everything bought new, the cheapest product that meets each line, read from US stores; where a store could not be read, the price is to check. “On your back” is the published weight of the gear you carry plus the water, without food, shoes and poles (“at least” when some items publish no weight). “Rain days” counts days with at least 1.5 mm (0.06 in) of rain at the wettest of three points of the route; a “cold night” is the temperature one night in ten falls below, at O Cebreiro. For your own dates, days and sleeping arrangement, and to remove what you already own: the Camino de Santiago (Camino Francés) pack for your dates.
How heavy the pack can be
Two texts give two limits. American Pilgrims on the Camino says: “Accepted guidance is to have your pack weigh no more than ~10% of your body weight.” The Galician tourism site says: “A backpack which is correctly packed for this type of activity must not exceed 10 kg in weight.” That is 10 kg (22 lb), whoever you are. On size, the association says: “The most common pack size is 33-40 liters.”
The Galician site lists the basics: “A sleeping bag, footwear for rest periods, a canteen, high protection factor sunscreen, a small first aid kit, mobile phone with charger and documentation are some of the basic components.” And about boots: “Footwear must be comfortable and adapted to our feet, that is to say, broken in.”
The rules that change your pack
- Headlamp. The association calls it “Optional unless you know you’ll want to walk pre-dawn.” Public albergues in Galicia say: “The hostels must be vacated before 8 a.m. the following morning.”
- Something reflective. Spanish traffic law requires a light or reflective item, visible from 150 m (490 ft), when you walk on a road or its shoulder outside towns between sunset and sunrise or in poor visibility. A vest is enough.
- Trekking poles on the plane. The association lists them as optional and says: “They will need to go as checked baggage”.
- The cathedral. “Access to the temple with backpacks is not allowed for security reasons.”
- Winter on the Napoleon Route. Every winter since 2015, the Government of Navarre has closed the Napoleon Route over the Lepoeder pass between Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port and Roncesvalles; its 2022 notice ran from November 1 to March 31. Check this season’s dates if you start outside the main months.
See the pack for your own dates on the Camino de Santiago page.
FAQ
How much should my Camino pack weigh?
Two published limits: about 10% of your body weight (American Pilgrims on the Camino) and “must not exceed 10 kg in weight” (Xunta de Galicia), which is 10 kg (22 lb).
Do I need a sleeping bag on the Camino?
Galician public albergues provide disposable bed linen, and American Pilgrims on the Camino writes that not all albergues provide bedding. Bardy’s pack carries a sleeping bag every month of the season, rated for that month’s coldest nights.
Can I take my backpack into the Santiago cathedral?
No. The cathedral says: “Access to the temple with backpacks is not allowed for security reasons.”
Do I need a headlamp on the Camino?
American Pilgrims on the Camino calls it “Optional unless you know you’ll want to walk pre-dawn”.
Read next
- Best Time to Walk the Camino de Santiago: The Camino Francés Month by Month
- How Much Does the Camino de Santiago Cost? Daily Budget, Beds and Gear
- How Long Is the Camino de Santiago? Distance and Days on the Camino Francés
- Inca Trail Packing List by Month: What to Pack for Machu Picchu
- Kilimanjaro Packing List by Month: What to Pack for the Machame Route
- Tour du Mont Blanc Packing List by Month: What to Pack for the TMB
- W Trek Packing List by Month: Torres del Paine, Patagonia
Sources
- American Pilgrims on the Camino (association), Packing for the Camino de Santiago
- Xunta de Galicia, Get ready
- Xunta de Galicia, The network of public hostels
- Xunta de Galicia, Decree 159/2019 on camping (DOG, Spanish)
- Spain, General Traffic Regulation, art. 123 (BOE, Spanish)
- Cathedral of Santiago, Visits
- Government of Navarre, winter closure of the Lepoeder pass (2022 notice, Spanish)