Walking the Camino de Santiago last year, I was given the trail name 'Snow Light'. The 'Light' part of my name is because I knew the weight of everything in my pack - I was travelling as light as I knew how. But I still carried one luxury item.
So did my friend, Lloyd. Here's a quote from 'Walking the Camino: A Journey for the Heart and Soul':
The heat is suffocating, so we dive into the first bar we see for some cool drinks and ham sandwiches. Lloyd whips a heavy glass jar of Colman’s mustard out of his pack. ‘This’ll spice it up a bit!’
I laugh. All that unnecessary weight! ‘Any meal can be improved with some mustard. I always carry a jar with me.’
I wasn't jealous of the mustard, but I have to admit to being just a little bit jealous of another Camino friend who carried a showy (and heavy!) dress in her rucksack to wear in the evening. Fancy managing to look elegant on a hiking trip!
My luxury item? Well, of course, it is something lightweight and practical - a silk scarf.
I have used it as a shawl and scarf to keep warm and as a sunshade. I have knotted the ends together to create a bag. If I needed to, I could use it as a bandage. To me, that's the perfect luxury item for hiking - something with many potential uses.
What would your luxury item be? Something silk? A dress? Make-up? Mustard?
If you're planning to walk the Camino or any other long-distance hike and are not sure what to pack, I have included a list in my book 'Walking the Camino: A Journey for the Heart and Soul', and you can also see each item I took on my summer Camino on YouTube.