The list

I have been researching and gathering the lightest and most appropriate gear for this Camino for months. Well before I trialled much of it in Peru and Bolivia in June I had bought a smallish back pack, travel towel, a Scrubba for washing my clothes in basin-poor rooms, walking socks, and a Kindle (of course!).
The walking boots I wore to Tasmania and South America are comfortable in cool conditions but tighten ominously across the toes on warmer days. Reluctantly I went out and found some fabulously wide and softer Keen shoes. My toes spread to their hearts' content without sliding into the edges.
I thought that I would have to spend a small fortune on a Gortex raincoat to keep me dry in notoriously wet Galicia but many on the Camino Forum recommended a poncho that fitted over the pack as well as the person. This reduced the chance of water seeping down between the pack and the back - not a pleasant sensation I imagine! It also keeps pack contents more reliably dry than a pack cover. I couldn't find one in Australia at that time so I ordered one online.Since then they have appeared in Australian stores.
The forums are a great place to learn about the basics of Camino walking. People discuss equipment, accommodation, weather, safety, transport to and from the way, treating blisters, and many other absorbing topics.
Other less-provided for Caminos such as the Via de La Plata, Camino Portugues, and the Camino Ingles are also discussed. Really, a pilgrimage starts at your front door and ends in a place of your yearning. Many Europeans simply step out of their front door in Lyons or Gottengen and head for Santiago de Compostela. In many ways I feel I have already started my pilgrimage as I walk the hills of Canberra training for the mountains and plains of Spain.

View of Canberra from One Tree Hill between Hall and Casey