I brought a lot of stuff, but forwent camping gear. Due to back issues I've had in the past, I wanted to keep my backpack as light as possible and I would be carrying too much if I had to carry camping equipment, so my packing list reflects that. If I remember correctly, the dry weight of my backpack was initially around 8 or 9kg, but over time, I slowly got rid of stuff and probably got my backpack weight down to about 6-7kg.
CLOTHES:
Note: I started my pilgrimage in early March, which is still generally cold. However, I live in a part of Canada that has bitterly cold and long winters (I'm talking like -30°C cold, and that's considered normal!), so March in Shikoku was significantly warmer than what I was used to back home. As a result, I never really made use of my scarf, gloves, etc. Your mileage may vary, though. If you are from a warmer climate, then you'll probably need these extra items for that time of year.
OTHER:
ELECTRONICS:
CLOTHES:
- 3 T-shirts, two being quick-dry [Note: I later got rid of the 3rd cotton one]
- 2 tank tops (because women's clothes are thin AF, so I wore them under my shirts)
- 2 pairs of pants
- 5 underwear [Note: one ripped about halfway through the pilgrimage, so I tossed it]
- 2 pairs of Merino wool socks
- 2 bras
- 1 set of long underwear (used as pajamas or worn under minshuku/ryokan yukata for warmth)
- 1 pair of gloves [Note: I lost one glove, so I threw the other away]
- 1 scarf [Note: I also threw this one away, since it was warm enough to not be needed]
- 1 light sweater [Note: same as the scarf, I threw this one away because I hadn't used it; I also had the soft shell layer of my coat, as well as my long underwear if I needed to layer up for warmth]
- 1 jacket, which was split into a waterproof outer shell and a detachable soft shell interior
- 1 pair waterproof trail runners (Salomon Xa Thena GTX)
Note: I started my pilgrimage in early March, which is still generally cold. However, I live in a part of Canada that has bitterly cold and long winters (I'm talking like -30°C cold, and that's considered normal!), so March in Shikoku was significantly warmer than what I was used to back home. As a result, I never really made use of my scarf, gloves, etc. Your mileage may vary, though. If you are from a warmer climate, then you'll probably need these extra items for that time of year.
OTHER:
- Large travel towel
- Small travel towel (face cloth size)
- Protein bars
- Lots of Band-aids, sports tape, and a sheet of moleskin
- A small pair of scissors (mostly for cutting the moleskin or the tape)
- A small flashlight [Note: I left it a henro hut near Kochi, as I hadn't used it]
- A mini-tripod [Note: I also got rid of this since I never used it]
- A selfie stick [Note: I kept it because it was small and light. but only used it a couple of times]
- Lots of medications, like allergy medications, Tylenol, Gravol, birth control pills, etc. [Note: anti-inflammatories, like ibuprofen or naproxen, were far more useful to me than Tylenol]
- Feminine hygiene products
- Notebook for journaling [Note: got rid of it in favour of my iPad]
ELECTRONICS:
- iPad Mini
- iPod
- Kindle Reader
- My own cell phone plus rental iPhone from Global Advanced Communications
- Camera with extra memory cards
- Power bank for recharging gadgets on the road (seldom used it, as my iPod and personal cell phone were fairly new, and the rental iPhone had good battery life)