my Camino electronics

Plug Adapter

91g (3.2oz)

Universal Plug Adapter (with USB ports)

If you are travelling from afar and your electronics won’t play nice with the receptacles in Spain, then you’ll need one of these. This one has a spot for a 2 or 3 prong plug and 2 USB ports, which I recommend so that you can just bring this to charge everything.

…​is universal, which means it can plug in anywhere and also receive a plug from anywhere, which was REALLY useful because I was able to use it in North American airports, then in European locations as well. All of the ‘prongs’ are stowable so it travels really nicely as well. Finally, a real ‘win’ with this guy was that I could ALWAYS find a plug no matter how crowded it was because I could just unplug something from the receptacle and then plug it into the prong-receivers of this adaptor (therefore not affecting that person’s charging), and then plug my stuff into the USB ports. I recommend getting this!

Backup Battery

198g (7oz)

External battery bank (and USB extension cable)

I would say this isn’t strictly needed on the Camino, as you will be near electricity most of the time. The reason I liked having it was because I liked to sleep with my phone under my pillow (instead of leaving it plugged into the wall overnight to charge).

up immediately without disturbing others. My ‘charging’ routine, therefore, was to charge my phone from the battery bank during the day, and then plug the battery bank in to recharge overnight. (I had to bring a USB extension cable in order to charge this thing in the wall, because it is heavy enough that it pulls itself out of the plug.) It was pretty rare for me to plug my phone directly into the wall to charge it, as it was my guidebook, communication device, and book for reading during downtime, so I always wanted it with me when I was ‘off trail’. I have linked the one I already owned, but this is definitely something you should comparison shop as it is pretty specific for your needs. You want the smallest one you think you can get away with (more battery capacity = heavier, there is no getting around that). This one boasts ‘3 recharges to a phone’ which was more than I needed – it would have been fine to have 1 recharge as a solo traveler. If you are travelling as a group, you may be inclined to ‘share a big one’ but keep in mind that this doesn’t really save weight, and you will find that having individual ones is more functional. Also, if you can find one that charges via a cord instead of a direct flip-out USB, you don’t need the extension cord.

Charge Cord

11g (0.4oz)

Charge cord for phone

This is obviously specific to your phone, but I’m commenting here for full disclosure of everything I brought. I will say that you should take a second to think about the length of charge cord you bring. I brought the shortest one (1.5ft) but the weight difference for a longer cord is pretty minimal, and it would have been nicer in some situations to have the longer cord. However, for charging while walking the shorter cord was easier to manage. You’ll have to think about your specific situation.

Headphones + phone

187g (6.6oz)

Corded headphones and cell phone

I told myself I wouldn’t walk with headphones…but I did. I couldn’t take the long days in my own head. These are a personal choice, obviously. I list them here for full disclosure of everything I brought. Also, consider corded (not Bluetooth) headphones to avoid having another thing to recharge. Also…phone…obviously. I guess some people may go without but it was my guidebook, camera, alarm clock, book, and connection to home.
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