my Camino toiletries

Toiletries Kit

weight varies

Ultimate Travel Toiletries Kit

In lieu of getting each of the individual items below, you could consider getting one of these kits. I did not do this as I didn’t want all the extra things that come with it. Mind you, I don’t need a comb for my hair (short hair) and generally am comfortable with limited toiletries.

I ended up just buying the individual travel-sized pieces I wanted. Also...

…online shopping may not be the best option for this stuff – perhaps a pharmacy or grocery store near you offers these (that’s common in North America, I don’t know about other places). Pricing can be all over the maps for this stuff, since it falls in the ‘convenience’ category.

Toothbrush

11g (0.4oz)

Travel sized toothbrush

Laugh all you want…I bought a toddler toothbrush for this trip. I have seen the ‘break the handle off’ trick and I know there are ‘travel toothbrushes’ that fold up, but this was the smallest/lightest thing I could find. It worked great! You’ll have to hunt for one that doesn’t have a big cartoon handle on it (that’s extra weight!). P.S. Pen is for scale in photo.

Toothpaste & Floss

28g (1oz)

Travel sized toothpaste and floss

I didn’t even get through the small travel sized toothpaste on this trip, so definitely get the small one! For the floss…well…it’s already pretty light. Generally, it is the thick plastic container that carries the weight, so try to get a small/lightweight feeling one (usually the cheaper brands). Alternatively, you could look at the option I linked, which is like ‘precut strands’ and put them in a small ziplock instead.

Armpit Stuff

weight varies

Travel sized deodorant + disposable razor

I brought the smallest deodorant I could find and it lasted the whole trip. I brought a single disposable razor as I was only doing armpit shaving (obviously you’ll need to determine your own shaving needs). I would recommend that you get a disposable razor, though, and if you need a new one on route to buy one at pharmacy. Mine lasted the whole trip. Disposable razors are just so much lighter. (The razor pictured is just the one I currently own).

Body Soaps

12g (0.4oz)

Travel shampoo, body wash, and face cleanser

The little containers of ‘soap leaves’ work pretty well. I used them to clean my hair and body throughout the trip. I also brought these pre-soaped face washing cloths. They were pretty big so I cut them all in half, and brought one per day of the trip. It felt a little nicer to my face to clean it with something like this rather than the body soap.

Laundry soap

12g (0.4oz)

Sea to Summit Pocket Laundry Soap

You can get the little ‘soap leaves’ for laundry soap as well. Some people love these, some hate them. I wanted to be able to really clean my clothes thoroughly with lots of soap, so I got a hand wash laundry bar from a store along the way. I cut it up into many small pieces (they last a really long time) and shared it with about 6 people.

Towel

25.5g (0.9oz)

European Waffle weave face cloth

Ok this is the one I definitely got the MOST funny looks about. This was my towel, as in, my towel for drying off after a shower. Yes, it’s tiny (pen for scale). Hear me out on this one before you blow it off. You will use your towel likely every day.

It is very, very unlikely that a full-sized towel will get fully dry before you have to...

…leave again, even if it is a fancy fabric. It’s a big thing. Water is heavy! You will end up just carrying a wet towel with you almost every day. A tiny towel has a chance of drying, and if it doesn’t fully dry overnight, it’s easy to hang on your pack and it will dry quickly while you walk the next morning. I did not mind drying off with this tiny towel at all. I had to squeeze it out a few times as I went, and usually took an extra minute of two of standing around to ‘air dry’ before getting dressed. It really wasn’t a big deal. I can’t link to the actual towel I have because my Mom made it for me out of some ‘European waffle weave’ fabric she found at a store years ago. It’s very absorbent and dries quickly. I have linked the closest thing I could find. I have also linked a set of towels that come in multiple sizes that are made of this popular micro-fibre fabric. I don’t actually like these, but some people are super into them, and they give you some size-selection options.

Sunscreen

59g (2.1oz)

Travel Sized sunscreen

You don’t need to bring enough for the whole trip, you can pick more up from stores along the way if you use it all up. I used up the stuff I brought, so this picture is just the stuff I currently have.

Foot Care

17g (0.6oz)

Adhesive bandages & Leukotape

I brought a small sampling of different sized adhesive bandages and a small roll of leukotape. The leukotape is rolled around a piece of cardboard. I never ended up using any of the bandages. I did use the tape almost daily on my two small toes to prevent blisters (it felt like I was getting a ‘hot spot’ there so I did preventative taping and it worked – I never got a single blister on my feet the whole trip). I highly recommend this tape – it is flexible and soft but very, very sticky.

Consumables, etc.

weight varies

Miscellaneous Toiletries

For the consumable items on this list, you don’t need to bring enough for the whole trip, you can pick more up from stores along the way if you use it all up. I brought some generic painkillers (ibuprofen and acetaminophen), a handful of Q-tip cotton swabs, and a ‘starter bag’ of toilet paper.

Take note that it was quite common for restrooms to have no toilet paper. I made...

…sure I always had a stash in my bag. If you relieve yourself on trail, take your toilet paper with you (bring an extra baggy to collect it). I put my retainers on this list for full disclosure, but I really hope these aren’t something you need in your life – they suck! I brought a small needle and thread kit to make repairs to anything that tore. I never ended up needing it. I also didn’t go near the whole ‘blister threading’ thing (I didn’t get blisters anyway).

Lip Salve

9g (0.3oz)

Lip salve with SPF protection

Not everyone uses this stuff but I’m a total convert and can’t get by without it. I recommend getting some with sunscreen in it (the stuff I brought originally didn’t have it). I ended up buying some along the way, so it is available if you need it on route.

That's it! (Back to the start...)

[Note that all amazon links are ‘affiliate links’ (paid links) to help me pay for the site. This is the language they asked me to use; ” As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.”]