Thoughts on equipping further hikes

I thought about what I might have needed on the hike. Of course, every hike depends on the weather, route, etc., but I plan to take these things with me next time or to think about whether I will take them with me:

• Own sheets ( Half of the accommodations had real sheets and the others had these disposable sheets that are as thin as paper and tear and which I always had trouble sleeping on. That's why I had already spoken to someone on my last Camino that it would make sense , to take a few sheets with me. The idea of sustainability also plays a role. The weight obviously speaks against that. Maybe I'll take a look at the accommodations that I'll be visiting in advance and see what kind of bed linen they have and would really do Bring your own old sheet.
• A vest/shoulder bag: I want to have my hands free while hiking and I also don't want to take off my backpack every half hour. That's why I'm thinking about buying a small shoulder bag or vest. I have a small side pocket on my backpack, but it's too small. Sometimes I put a plastic bag on the chest strap of my backpack, but this wasn't optimal. I also have to consider attaching my drinks bottle differently. Up to now I always had it on the side pocket of my backpack and I could access it even though I had the backpack on, but of course only if I didn't have a rain cover on it. Sometimes I passed water sources and thought I might get a drink but didn't feel like putting my backpack down. I saw that some people had their water bottle attached to their pants or backpack with a carabiner. That would be a consideration.
• Insoles or 2nd pair of insoles: Unfortunately, I didn't take a close look at my insoles before my trip. These were already very worn out and old and were already falling apart. That's why in the future I will make sure to only take insoles that are in good condition. It can also make sense to take a second pair with you if the shoes are wet, for example. Then, in addition to the socks, you can also change the insoles if necessary.
• More horse ointment: On my last Camino I swore to myself that I would always take horse ointment with me, but this time I didn't have enough with me. For me, horse ointment is a miracle weapon and you can't skimp on it!
• Small backpack: When you arrive at the respective location after the hike, you still want to go shopping or explore the area and you want to take a few things with you and of course you don't want to take your entire backpack with you. That's why you always take a small backpack with you. This time I had a jute bag with me, which would have been sufficient, but unfortunately it wasn't of good quality and after a few days the strings came off on one side and the bag was completely open on one side. That's why in the future I'll make sure to take one with better quality or a real small backpack.
• Sponge/brush: At some accommodations there was a water point with a brush and I don't like it when my shoes are full of mud, so I usually cleaned my shoes roughly once when I arrived. Only sometimes there was nothing and then I used paper, but that didn't work so well.
• Small hair dryer: I heard in a camino podcast about a pilgrim who always takes her travel hair dryer with her and this has several advantages: In addition to the actual purpose (drying hair), you can also blow dry your clothes or if they are still a little damp Morning, a quick hairdryer and the feeling of putting on warm clothes is something nice. On the camino francés, half of the hostels had a hairdryer, so it may be unnecessary. For the last hike I would also depend on the weather and the length of my hair
• How to record: So think beforehand whether I should take a notepad with me. I like writing something down with a real pen, but the advantages of doing it digitally on my cell phone are huge.
• Regarding clothing: This time I had a jacket, a t-shirt and a shirt with long sleeves and a pair of socks that I never wore, but I was lucky with the warm weather and little rain. Basically, I always have two sets of clothes with me: one for hiking and then a second set after I arrive and shower. Of course, you never know whether in the heat you'll sweat through a T-shirt after 10 minutes or whether you'll slip and everything will be covered in mud. I'll definitely think about it next time I go on the camino.
• Shoes: I had a second pair of shoes with me on my last hike and that was very comfortable because I usually had to take off my shoes after hiking because of the pain and was happy not to have to put them on again in the evening, but this time My feet got used to the hike and after about a week it was no problem to put the shoes on in the evening. You can also walk around in slippers in the summer or otherwise, which is what I did once. The problem is the space and weight for the second pair of shoes. I've always worn high hiking boots to protect me from twisting my ankle. And that was good, but afterwards they are heavy and you notice that a bit when hiking.
• Food: Basically, I always bought too much and then had to carry the leftovers with me the next day or days. Of course, it was often good to have emergency provisions with you, especially when you're hiking all day through small villages where everything is closed, but depending on the weather you also have to be careful about refrigerated food. I'll try to pick up less groceries in the future. I also always found it difficult to decide whether to cook for myself or simply make bread or go out to eat. This again depends on many factors (in some hostels they offer a communal meal in the evening, which was usually very nice), sometimes there is a kitchen, sometimes there was no supermarket in the town and you had to decide beforehand whether you would like to eat (go shopping in the place beforehand).

=> In summary, I will take these ideas into account on the next hike. You can always prepare well and study the path well, but every path is also a risk where you never know beforehand what will happen and how the path will develop. And that's just as well. That's often how it is in life. That's why my conclusion: prepare well and then get involved. And it's generally better to take too little with you than too much. Every 2-3 days you went to larger towns where there was a Decathlon and other shops where you could still buy something if you needed it.