Besides shelter and clothing, eating is pretty high on my list of daily Camino priorities. The good news, from what I hear, is that pilgrims are never too far from food and lodging. On the other hand, you at least need to plan on carrying some food and water in between breakfast and dinner. Personal utensils are not a bad idea either.

Utensils

I have a decent backpacking “spork” but it doesn’t come with a built-in knife, so that’s helpful. The Ka-Bar Tactical Spork (yes, that’s really what it’s called) is made from a sturdy polymer plastic material that is both food and detergent safe. As a bonus, you can also use it to take back the Holy Land if the call is issued.

Perfect!

Water

Water carry is a big debate among hikers in general. Basically it comes down to some sort of bladder / reservoir system or good old bottles.

Bladders offer the convenience of easy water access but they are much harder to refill, a pain to keep clean (even when you’re not on the trail), and you can’t really use them for any other kind of beverage (like with a meal). My pack is set up well for either:  Osprey’s suspension system keeps the pack off your body so the bladder doesn’t absorb body heat, and it also has side pockets that open on the back side so you can retrieve bottles without removing the pack.

So my plan is to go with  one more more bottles. I could always pack the bladder system in its sleeve as a backup.

Bottle vs. Bladder?