Pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela

[vanjohn]

Hi
Starting on Saturday and I would like to know do I need to bring waterproof trousers as I will walk in shorts and poncho. The only problem is I wear an elastic stocking and with the rain we have here I have to wear gaiters as the water would just run down my legs and fill the boots. Not comfortable
I acknowledge the need to keep weight down as I do not need ballast.

I need to pack the bag soon

John

[AJ]

I walked in shorts this year and took a poncho but no waterproof trousers.

Next time I will take waterproof trousers as well.

[lckgj]

Hi John

I think it depends on the style of your poncho. I recently purchase an Altus poncho and it worked perfectly throughout 13 days of continuous rain in Galicia in May/June this year. I wore both shorts and trousers and neither got wet as the small size came almost down to my ankles. (I am 5ft 7") I did see all kinds of poncho wearers who were soaked because the poncho was very short or just not 100% waterproof under extreme conditions. If the poncho is big enough the water should be draining onto the ground around you and not running down your body. The ponchos with arms rather than cape-like arm holes seem to stay in place better in windy conditions.

You could always put it on, get in the shower and test it out!

Fingers crossed you have fine weather all the way.

Buen camino
Laura

[sillydoll]

Hi John
The ALTUS rain poncho Laura mentioned is actually a longish raincoat with a hump for the backpack.
Unlike a poncho it isn't open down the sides, doesn't billow up in the wind, and doesn't stick up at the back over the pack.
Worn with gaiters you should keep really dry.

[vanjohn]

It is the Altus that I have. Sil I listened to your advice a long time back about ponchos.
Laura I have worn it on the mountains on a day you would not put the dog out and I wore gaiters that day for all of 13 hours and got back to base with dry feet but I feel it was the gaiters that kept the water from entering the boots. The conditions on the camino will not be as extreme I hope.
Thanks
John

[sillydoll]

Hi John
Take the gaiters. It can really throw it down in Spain and it would be awful if you need them and don't have them.
I walked the Coast to Coast walk in all kinds of weather in a pair of Regatta light weight waterproof over trousers and jacket. Legs stayed dry but I really perspired inside the jacket.
Have a great walk!
Sil

[crhutch]

Where can these panchos be bought? I am planning for my walk the year after next and am slowly putting together my equipment. I live in the US and have not been able to find them here.

[omar504]

Last year I bought a $2 poncho thinking I wouldnt need it in France/Spain june-august. But in the massif central it rained heavily and the poncho was useless.Ponchos dont cover the forearms and stop at the thighs. Last year from granada I took a $6 poncho with press stud sides-once again useless! Too short,tore after a while and the press studs would come undone at the lightest pressure. I now have a 3/4 length rain jacket at $174 (reduced from $399!) with hood. This will keep me dry and I subscribe to the theory of walking in shorts because legs dry easier and quicker than any other material.Waterproof pants seem unnecessary-and eaxtra weight. My backpack has a rainproof cover attached so next year I'll be ready-probably be a heat wave.

[sillydoll]

The ALTUS atmospheric poncho (it is not a poncho its a raincoat with full sleeves, zip up front with additional velcro, air flaps below each shoulder) can be ordered online from Barrabes.com
At the moment it is on sale for 24.14 €

[jl]

Just another thought to toss into the ring. I bought an Altus "poncho" at the wonderful camping store in Sarria last year, but have since bought a "Packa" - http://www.thepacka.com/ - which weighs half of the weight of the Altus, and like the Altus it is a "raincoat" style but doubles as a pack cover. It is not quite as long, but as I always walk in shorts I don't see it as being a problem. It is the same principle as the Altus but much lighter. I walk in August and September and on each Camino I have only had about 3 days of drizzle and a couple of days where I have got caught in heavy showers. Coming from the wettest place in the state where I live I keep expecting to have weather that is wet and cold once I get to Galicia but so far I have been fortunate. Check out the website and decide for yourself. Janet

[John Hussey]

Altus sleeved poncho is somewhat heavy at .5 kg (17.6 ounces) but just 28 euros.

A lighter, but more expensive, alternative is a packa: http://www.thepacka.com/

I have never used either. I prefer a good, lightweight rain parka when it is cold when i might depend on it for warmth. But, I still prefer a good, lightweight poncho in summer conditions, especially the one from Integral Designs, a Canadian company and the most innovative developer of lightweight backpacking products I have ever seen: http://www.integraldesigns.com/product_ ... cttypeid=1

this costs less and weighs less at 10 ounces (280 g) and you can use it as a tarp and sleep under it. I have used one of these now for almost 10 years.

Alternatively, with a small pack, as some use on the Camino, look at their 5 oz rain cape:
http://www.integraldesigns.com/product_ ... cttypeid=1

[omar504]

John-do my eyes deceive me but when I went to the website it was advertising a 'sil poncho'. Looks like Sil might be doing a bit of moonlighting!.

[sillydoll]

At 458g the ALTUS raincoat is the heaviest thing in my backpack. However, it has replaced a Regatta rain suit (trousers and jacket) that weighs 750g as well as a pack cover that weighs 120g. I love that you can unzip the front if it is only spitting rain. On the couple of days we needed them I felt quite snug and protected with it on. At $35 it is a bargain.

[Kitsambler]

Here in the States, REI carries a poncho from Sea to Summit at 12 oz. Not the featherlight, but isn't being dry worth it?
http://www.seatosummit.com/products/display/6

[sillydoll]

Almost the same as the ALTUS. It weighs 100g less - at $80 (54.5 euro) costs 2 1/4 times more - doesn't cover the arms - converts to a sleep shelter which the ALTUS doesn't. Not bad.

[alipilgrim]

This looks like a nice light poncho but I agree with Sil, its nice to have the arms covered. I also like have a zipper at the front like the Altus does (okay, so I used a different brand than the Altus and so it wasn't quite 100% waterproof but the idea is the same..) - when its only lightly sprinkling you can leave the front unzipped for some nice ventilation. I often wore it without my arms in the sleeves at all, just tied those up around my pack straps and left the poncho 'hump' on my backpack. This kept the poncho at the ready on those days when it would rain/sun/rain/sun/rain... I'd just untie the arms and slip into the raincoat without having to take off my pack and dig out my raingear!

The Altus also has snaps that does up the back cover hump so that it operates like a normal long raincoat when you're not wearing the backpack.

[jeff001]

My experience(in May) was that the raingear was something of a moot point because I got almost as wet with it as I did without and it was much too warm while walking. I ended up wearing just a microfiber tee-shirt and nylon warmup pants. I got soaking wet at times but the shirt and pants dried very quickly when the rain stopped and I didn't get overheated.

[KiwiNomad06]

My experience in late-May and June this year was different. The morning we left from Roncesvalles, it was cold, and absolutely hosing down, and many people were simply not prepared for it. Some had no raingear, and others had $2 kind of plastic ponchos that might have lasted 20 minutes.
At Estella, I posted home my warm windjacket, as I thought I was "in Spain now and it was summer". I had reason to wish that I had the warmth of that jacket back many times!!!
There were some times when it rained and it was warm.... and then I tended to not bother with a raincoat, and just let my clothes dry off as you did Jeff. But other times it rained and it was quite cold. I have a rainjacket that has velcro as well as a zip on the front.... and as others have said, I found it very useful to be able to leave that only lightly fastened if the rain was light.
Margaret

[omar504]

The last comment reminds me of the many people on this forum who ask 'what will the weather be like in...." It's not really a very sensible question as the weather generally has been unpredictable (if it ever was predictable). Last year I went from Le Puy with a $2 poncho-in the massif central it was useless and I had quite a few wet cold days-I started in late june so I was walking in July and August and parts of spain were cold too. This year my $6 poncho proved just as inadequate-the pop close things on the side burst open at the slightest pressure. I left Granada in early may and had many days of rain. Now I havea proper 3/4 length rain jacket with hood! Weighs 800grs but after 2 years of getting wet I don;t care!
By the way as for "what will the weather be like in..." it will be cold,hot,raining,windy,snowing with floods and lightning

[Rambler]

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I used the Altus atmospheric poncho on my camino and took gaiters also. But I ran across a pair of these rain chaps not long ago and think this is the best solution for a typical camino trip. they are lighter than gaiters and have better coverage. Has anyopne used these or see a reason they would not work well?
I found these online at Equinox:
http://www.equinoxltd.com/the-gear/raingear/full-moon-ultralite-chaps.cfm

I hope this helps.
Rambler

[MermaidLilli]

Then here's a good idea..... covers your pack, down to your feet..... 360 degree view and can be used for shade as well.

[omar504]

Mermaid lilli-
wouldn't it also double as a sauna?!

[sillydoll]

Or - in the high winds of the Irago Mountains - a hot air balloon?

[lckgj]

....and sellotape some long strips of bubble wrap all around it and its the jellyfish costume my daughter won a fancy dress competition with when she was six....

[KiwiNomad06]

Surely it's a Star Trek Transporter... and you don't really need to actually walk the Camino at all..... you just magically appear the next evening at the next albergue.... having flown all day through the Cosmos.
Margaret