A confession...

[Helen1]

Following all the discussion in this thread about jeans I feel that I should make a confession….

I walked in my jeans on the Camino Frances…

and I also took a Benetton wool cardigan with me…

I took stretchy cropped jeans that didn’t weigh too much, I took them because I had them (so didn’t need to buy anything else), I hike in them all the time at home, I can wear them for a while without needing to wash them and they are super comfortable. I also tool my cardigan because it was something I already had, it also doesn’t weigh much, after being outside all day I tend to get chilled even on summer evenings and it made an extremely versatile extra layer.

I know the dangers of walking in wet jeans and wouldn’t have gone up a mountain in them in bad weather but I was perfectly happy walking in my jeans. I think it’s nice to have special hiking gear but it’s not the end of the world to walk in what you have.

 

[DurhamParish]

I may take my comfy jeans with me in April on my upcoming short Slack Packing Camino from Sarria to Santiago. Shhhhhh . . . . . don't tell anybody.

 

[Icacos]

There's nothing wrong, in my mind, with wearing jeans on the Camino - as far as I'm concerned folks can wear whatever they like. It's just that jeans are heavy, take a long time to dry, and therefore seem impractical - if folks want to deal with those aspects of jeans on the Camino, they are free to do so. I wear jeans all the time too; I just choose not to do so on the Camino. My son, the contrarian - the one who says that when he walks the Camino he will wear jeans - will say about all you jeans-clad Caminoists, "You rock."

 

[naplesdon]

I remember while I was living in West Africa all the locals making fun of the tourists wearing cargo pants and making funny hand gestures about the surplus of pockets. To each his own. I wore jeans every day even if it was over 40c.

 

[Mjb99]

I have worn jeans on two caminos, as has been said, each to their own

 

[Mark Lee]

I saw a few pilgrims wearing jeans, and non-lightweight, non-high tech jackets....oh no! The heathens! ha ha
How were they ever able to walk the Camino without shopping around for six months, spending a thousand dollars, analyzing and re-analyzing the weight of the gear, the advantages and disadvantages of woolen fibers versus synthetics, doing research papers on the habits and life cycles of bedbugs and their tolerances to poisons....

 

[Anniesantiago]

I think people should wear whatever they can afford (and want) to wear!

 

[MKalcolm M]

I walked carrying an ancient pack back given by a friend, my Mum's equally old down sleeping bag, a ragbag of clothes donated by an instructor at a sports center, but saved a fortune in the process and it reaffirmed my shaken belief that if you are meant to do something, the universe will provide...

 

[Anemone del Camino]

Hey, what about this new trend of "natural jeans" or what have you that never have to be washed, and SHOULD never be washed. Perfect Camino gear.

 

[Arn]

I like jeans and really like shorts. I wear shorts in winter because as long as I keep my core protected...I am comfortable and can survive inclement weather. Jeans are a hazard when wet and the temps are cold. As your body begins to withdraw blood upward, it causes you extremities to lose muscle integrity.
Lucky, with some exceptions, there are fixes all along the Way.

 

[Anemone del Camino]

I like jeans and really like shorts. I wear shorts in winter because as long as I keep my core protected...I am comfortable and can survive inclement weather. Jeans are a hazard when wet and the temps are cold. As your body begins to withdraw blood upward, it causes you extremities to lose muscle integrity.
Lucky, with some exceptions, there are fixes all along the Way.

Yeah, VA does not count when it comes to "'cold" weather and wearing shorts. In your temps, Montrealers would be running around in the buff! As for jeans being a hazard in the cold ... we do wear them all year long, even in 30 below temps. When crossing a lake then yes, deadly

 

[txpeah]

Following all the discussion in this thread about jeans I feel that I should make a confession….

I walked in my jeans on the Camino Frances…

and I also took a Benetton wool cardigan with me…

I took stretchy cropped jeans that didn’t weigh too much, I took them because I had them (so didn’t need to buy anything else), I hike in them all the time at home, I can wear them for a while without needing to wash them and they are super comfortable. I also tool my cardigan because it was something I already had, it also doesn’t weigh much, after being outside all day I tend to get chilled even on summer evenings and it made an extremely versatile extra layer.

I know the dangers of walking in wet jeans and wouldn’t have gone up a mountain in them in bad weather but I was perfectly happy walking in my jeans. I think it’s nice to have special hiking gear but it’s not the end of the world to walk in what you have.

I noticed the jeans in the film, but I didn't think it would be such a "deal breaker" to folks. Whoa.
You keep rocking those jeans Helen!

 

[Ahhhs]

I wear jeans all the time at home but tried them backpacking and was hit by a pretty good rainstorm. They never did quite dry out.

 

[DurhamParish]

I saw a few pilgrims wearing jeans, and non-lightweight, non-high tech jackets....oh no! The heathens! ha ha
How were they ever able to walk the Camino without shopping around for six months, spending a thousand dollars, analyzing and re-analyzing the weight of the gear, the advantages and disadvantages of woolen fibers versus synthetics, doing research papers on the habits and life cycles of bedbugs and their tolerances to poisons....

But the questions is: did they live to tell about it?

 

[Al the optimist]

Like many I wear jeans most days. On Camino I wear zip-off cargos. I need the pockets for "stuff". I only wear the bottoms on cold evenings (I'm a chicken who doesn't walk October through April). If the shorts get wet, they get wet, end of. I don't do the waterproof pants/gaiters thing. They get me wetter from perspiration than the rain. But that's just my personal choice, each to there own on this like most choices. If I look like I am - a tourist, what do I care? The moment I open my mouth would give me away anyway!

 

[kmrice]

Yeah, VA does not count when it comes to "'cold" weather and wearing shorts.

Well, it was 0 degrees Fahrenheit this morning in Northern Virginia where I currently live, wind chill of -9. That's cold anywhere. Or at least we considered it cold when I lived in Syracuse.

Karl
Longing for it to warm up

 

[Rebekah Scott]

I wear jeans when hiking in winter, esp. in the mountains (with silk long underwear beneath.) You can't see thorn bushes, undergrowth, or barbed wire under the snow, and I have learned to my cost that "technical" fabrics do not stand up to that kind of hard use. Jeans are warm, when well-worn-in and dirty they seem to repel a lot of dirt and mud, and if you wear gaiters the wetness is cut way down. Most mountain shelters or albergues have some kind of heater, or at least a hot-water heater. I hang the damp jeans over/near that, and have never suffered hypothermia or other such damp-fabric horrors.

When people diss others for their jeans, I just raise an eyebrow. They've been listening too long to the gear salesmen, I suspect...

 

[Dutch]

I like that when i openend this thread, the very first advertisement i saw was about......jeans

 

[jefferyonthecamino]

Following all the discussion in this thread about jeans I feel that I should make a confession….

I walked in my jeans on the Camino Frances…

and I also took a Benetton wool cardigan with me…

I took stretchy cropped jeans that didn’t weigh too much, I took them because I had them (so didn’t need to buy anything else), I hike in them all the time at home, I can wear them for a while without needing to wash them and they are super comfortable. I also tool my cardigan because it was something I already had, it also doesn’t weigh much, after being outside all day I tend to get chilled even on summer evenings and it made an extremely versatile extra layer.

I know the dangers of walking in wet jeans and wouldn’t have gone up a mountain in them in bad weather but I was perfectly happy walking in my jeans. I think it’s nice to have special hiking gear but it’s not the end of the world to walk in what you have.

I've always been a happy bumblebee in my corduroy cargo trousers (and cotton socks)

 

[Icacos]

I don't think anyone was dissing anyone else here. I thought it was all a friendly discussion. Not so?

 

[oursonpolaire]

A Scottish naval officer (retired) with whom I walked for a day on the Primitivo was wearing a kilt. He told me that it was far more practical in wet weather than trousers as the fabric repelled moisture and, while his feet and lower legs would get wet as easily as they would if wearing trousers, all he had to do was change his socks. As well, he said that he oft received the admiring glances of Spanish women for his splendid legs.

 

[naplesdon]

I wear jeans when hiking in winter, esp. in the mountains (with silk long underwear beneath.) You can't see thorn bushes, undergrowth, or barbed wire under the snow, and I have learned to my cost that "technical" fabrics do not stand up to that kind of hard use. Jeans are warm, when well-worn-in and dirty they seem to repel a lot of dirt and mud, and if you wear gaiters the wetness is cut way down. Most mountain shelters or albergues have some kind of heater, or at least a hot-water heater. I hang the damp jeans over/near that, and have never suffered hypothermia or other such damp-fabric horrors.

When people diss others for their jeans, I just raise an eyebrow. They've been listening too long to the gear salesmen, I suspect...

Reb, besides the fact that you look great in jeans.

 

[Ahhhs]

A Scottish naval officer (retired) with whom I walked for a day on the Primitivo was wearing a kilt. He told me that it was far more practical in wet weather than trousers as the fabric repelled moisture and, while his feet and lower legs would get wet as easily as they would if wearing trousers, all he had to do was change his socks. As well, he said that he oft received the admiring glances of Spanish women for his splendid legs.

Can't go wrong with splendid legs.

 

[Mark Lee]

But the questions is: did they live to tell about it?

I didn't see too many corpses or skeletons of foolish peregrinos clad only in cotton fibers littering the edge of the Camino.

 

[Kathy F.]

Ha, ha! Thanks, Helen, for keeping us humble!

 

[mikevasey]

I took linen trousers last summer, I had great hopes for them but the weather being the weather decided to ignore my expectations and be unseasonal. I love the idea of jeans, have walked with enough people who have had them on, but for the bigger gentleman they would be a pain in the ........ to wash and dry even in hot weather., I don't do skin tight so they more than likely would be quite hefty in the backpack. But I imagine if I was a bit more petite then they might be an option. However there was young American on the Primitivo last year who was wearing a saroung, that got me thinking, it would be great to walk in, you could use it as a sun shelter (tarp) when taking a break, a bed sheet to go with my liner, a picnic sheet etc.

 

[susanawee]

I think people should wear whatever they can afford (and want) to wear!

I totally agree Annie - after all, the early Pilgrims wore whatever was available - I tend to think, that where there are too many choices, one can get so bogged down in the planning of something, then lose concentration on the more practical aspects.....just saying.

 

[Anemone del Camino]

I totally agree Annie - after all, the early Pilgrims wore whatever was available - I tend to think, that where there are too many choices, one can get so bogged down in the planning of something, then lose concentration on the more practical aspects.....just saying.

Yeah, well, many can afford whatever - didn't Annie just post about thrift stores?- but don't know any better about the realities of day after day in often rough weather, and I don't mean sunny 30 degrees?

 

[Anemone del Camino]

??? I am not sure I understand what you're saying?

It's not about the money, it's about the realities of what one can wear. I may be willing to pay a lot for an item, but it still has to fit me. And there are very few clothes made for a woman my size.

 

[Kanga]

The marketing hype has us all convinced we need special products for everything. In the early twentieth century people used soap to wash their hair, body and clothes. Now we need shampoo, hair conditioner and a styling product, and each specifically for a particular hair type, moisturising soap for our faces, bath soap for our bodies, multiple different types of laundry detergent (heavy duty, woollen wash, soaker, softener, darks and lights). Once upon a time a kitchen had a fire or oven, a few saucepans and a couple of spoons. Now think about what is in our kitchens. Wow! Was that an explosion in expenditure.

I'm not suggesting we return to the Stone Age but to walk the Camino it's wise to do a rough cost benefit analysis before spending a fortune. What have you already got that will suffice?

 

[susanawee]

??? I am not sure I understand what you're saying?

It's not about the money, it's about the realities of what one can wear. I may be willing to pay a lot for an item, but it still has to fit me. And there are very few clothes made for a woman my size.

Sorry, but like Anniesantiago, I am not sure what your point actually is??

 

[RobertS26]

Your confession has given me the courage to admit a grievous sin that I committed everyday on the Camino as well. I have been building up the courage to admit it for some time, and this thread seems like the perfect opportunity. So here it goes. I carried not one, but two guidebooks. There, I said it. I carried two guidebooks. Oh, boy does that make me feel better to get that off my chest.

 

[susanawee]

Your confession has given me the courage to admit a grievous sin that I committed everyday on the Camino as well. I have been building up the courage to admit for some time, and this thread seems like the perfect opportunity. So here it goes. I carried not one, but two guidebooks. There, I said. I carried two guidebooks. Oh, boy does that make me feel better to get that off my chest.

LOL...LOL... I carried my complete Brierly Guide, plus a separate volume of his more slender one containing maps and abreviated info.....either/or would have been just as good.!!

 

[Stephen Nicholls]

LOL...LOL... I carried my complete Brierly Guide, plus a separate volume of his more slender one containing maps and abreviated info.....either/or would have been just as good.!!

Oh! No! This has turned into a confessional
Then I must admit my many sins ... I always carry Brierly [adds so much to my camino] AND a map, AND a camera. Now my son is leading me further astray, and had given me an iPhone. Oh, deary me - it has a map function, AND have you seen the brilliant Forum app that not only tells you where the nearest lodgings and food are to be found, but tells you which other peregrinos are within 60 kms or is it 600 kms???!!!
Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa

[And I enjoy every one of these things!]

 

[susanawee]

Oh! No! This has turned into a confessional
Then I must admit my many sins ... I always carry Brierly [adds so much to my camino] AND a map, AND a camera. Now my son is leading me further astray, and had given me an iPhone. Oh, deary me - it has a map function, AND have you seen the brilliant Forum app that not only tells you where the nearest lodgings and food are to be found, but tells you which other peregrinos are within 60 kms or is it 600 kms???!!!
Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa

[And I enjoy every one of these things!]

As do I Stephen, as do I...!

 

[Al the optimist]

The Thread title - "A Confession". OK so here goes. I am a Caminoholic! Who needs a more effective program than an annual 1,000,000 step program.

 

[Anniesantiago]

I like jeans and really like shorts. I wear shorts in winter because as long as I keep my core protected...I am comfortable and can survive inclement weather. Jeans are a hazard when wet and the temps are cold. As your body begins to withdraw blood upward, it causes you extremities to lose muscle integrity.
Lucky, with some exceptions, there are fixes all along the Way.

Joe, my walking partner, wears shorts pretty much all the time unless it is snowing. He feels the same way you so. My legs and hips get cold, even though I'm not thin, and then my hips ache. His genes (not his jeans) are Swiss, though and mine are Portuguese. I hate being cold.

It's funny about jeans. I wore them 24/7 when I was young but now I find them to be binding and uncomfortable. And I agree they could be hazardous on the Camino except perhaps in summer.

 

[Anniesantiago]

But now that I've gone back and retread this thread, I somehow missed that Reb wears jeans in winter. Well, dang! Maybe they aren't dangerous. But on second thought, maybe it depends on if the person wearing them has the common sense to wear long johns under them and to find a radiator to hang them on.

I will say that not all albergues have heat. When we walked from Lourdes, I got really sick because not only was the Albergue owner near Canfranc super sick and infecting people, it was snowing and they refused to turn on the heat. If I had only cold wet jeans to put on next morning, I may have ended up with pneumonia.

That said, I admit to being a wimp like Al when it comes to being cold. Lol!

 

[Mike Savage]

I hate very few things. In fact the only think I can think of right now is i HATE being cold!
(maybe it's because my genes are 1/2 Portuguese?)

 

[Arn]

Yeah, VA does not count when it comes to "'cold" weather and wearing shorts. In your temps, Montrealers would be running around in the buff! As for jeans being a hazard in the cold ... we do wear them all year long, even in 30 below temps. When crossing a lake then yes, deadly

I live in VA now, but I grew up in IL and Wisconsin. I also served with a Norwegian Army guard company at Sor-Voranger above the Arctic Circle. So I know cold. Did I wear shorts there, of course under my cold weather trousers

 

[Anemone del Camino]

I live in VA now, but I grew up in IL and Wisconsin. I also served with a Norwegian Army guard company at Sor-Voranger above the Arctic Circle. So I know cold. Did I wear shorts there, of course under my cold weather trousers

I sometimes wear my jeans to the dogrun in silly weather only to regret it. If you have worn jeans and shorts and been comfy in the Arctic Circle, well, good for you. Could not imagine it. But jean and short companies would love to have you as a spokes person I'm sure.

 

[Arn]

I sometimes wear my jeans to the dogrun in silly weather only to regret it. If you have worn jeans and shorts and been comfy in the Arctic Circle, well, good for you. Could not imagine it. But jean and short companies would love to have you as a spokes person I'm sure.

Back then I was young and indestructible. Today, I just like wearing shorts

 

[Anemone del Camino]

Back then I was young and indestructible. Today, I just like wearing shorts

Shorts in VA or the Arctic? Have this image of an man over 24, cold in the arctic, with his shorts and a t on, and I want to cry for him ;0)

 

[Arn]

Shorts in VA or the Arctic? Have this image of an man over 24, cold in the arctic, with his shorts and a t on, and I want to cry for him ;0)

In the Arctic, I was 42. This year I will be 70. As Paul Simon sang, "Still Crazy After All These Years".

 

[Anemone del Camino]

In the Arctic, I was 42. This year I will be 70. As Paul Simon sang, "Still Crazy After All These Years".

Arn, I do not dare ask what you will be sporting when you turn 90! ;0)

 

[Arn]

Or better yet, "Don't Cry For Me Anemone!" With apologies to Andrew Lloyd Webber's Evita

When I'm 90, probably a kilt. A man's got to know his limitations

 

[Georgina77]

Following all the discussion in this thread about jeans I feel that I should make a confession….

I walked in my jeans on the Camino Frances…

and I also took a Benetton wool cardigan with me…

I took stretchy cropped jeans that didn’t weigh too much, I took them because I had them (so didn’t need to buy anything else), I hike in them all the time at home, I can wear them for a while without needing to wash them and they are super comfortable. I also tool my cardigan because it was something I already had, it also doesn’t weigh much, after being outside all day I tend to get chilled even on summer evenings and it made an extremely versatile extra layer.

I know the dangers of walking in wet jeans and wouldn’t have gone up a mountain in them in bad weather but I was perfectly happy walking in my jeans. I think it’s nice to have special hiking gear but it’s not the end of the world to walk in what you have.

I believe God looks on our hearts as that is what he is most interested in our clothes are just what covers us from the elements of the world I believe God calls people to the Camino because he has a purpose for them and desires a time for them to draw near to him to cleanse their heart and soul and bring them into a deeper relationship with him I don't believe we need to worry too much about if we fit into the latest fashion Camino group or the Camino party group but that being said I am glad for all the hiking tips and advice as it gives a guide line as to what to expect and what works and what doesn't but the bottom line is what works for you What are your reasons for going and what you expect form it.
I will be doing my first Camino this summer so perhaps I will have a different view when i come home I wish you all the best

 

[Kanga]

.....to walk the Camino it's wise to do a rough cost benefit analysis before spending a fortune. What have you already got that will suffice?

I'm so laughing at myself. For all my own good advice, I spent the afternoon in my favourite hiking shop, lusting after a new pack. There is nothing wrong with my old one, but....

 

[SYates]

I know what you mean @Kanga ! I have to confess I bought a smaller and lighter bag yesterday as my big one is a bit of overkill for shorter Caminos! SY

 

[Al the optimist]

I went into a local outdoors shop on Monday to buy new insoles. The salesman asked if I wanted anything else. I said no and that I needed to get out fast as I already have two backpacks, a waist bag and a plethora of other stuff I no longer use. I felt really good about myself for walking in, selecting the insoles I went for and not browsing.

 

[Arn]

I went into a local outdoors shop on Monday to buy new insoles. The salesman asked if I wanted anything else. I said no and that I needed to get out fast as I already have two backpacks, a waist bag and a plethora of other stuff I no longer use. I felt really good about myself for walking in, selecting the insoles I went for and not browsing.

1. Al, if you had things you no longer use, is that because they weren't needed, or too heavy to carry in your dotage?
2. One day my dad and I were walking down Michigan Avenue in Chicago (top of the line shops) and we were looking at the cool stuff in the windows. About every other window I found something I'd really like to buy. Patiently my dad would explain the cost and why something else might be a better option
Then I asked him why we were spending time looking at things we can't buy. He said, "Son, there's nothing wrong with window shopping...it's free."
Just then a beautiful woman walked by and my dad gave an appreciative, lingering look. As she passed, she looked over her shoulder, a big smile on her face. Dad, with just as big a smile...shook his head; and she continued to walk on.
"Now I get it dad. That's window shopping"

 

[pilgrim b]

I went into a local outdoors shop on Monday to buy new insoles. The salesman asked if I wanted anything else. I said no and that I needed to get out fast as I already have two backpacks, a waist bag and a plethora of other stuff I no longer use. I felt really good about myself for walking in, selecting the insoles I went for and not browsing.

You don't fool me Al with these confessions of yours, have you given up the Mail order Outdoor web site browsing? You just keep leading me astray all the time!

 

[Al the optimist]

Arn - to point 1. Yes and yes! 4 years behind you pal. When I get to your age I will have to go starkers.

 

[Arn]

Arn - to point 1. Yes and yes! 4 years behind you pal. When I get to your age I will have to go starkers.

I'm close...I already wear shorts most of the year. Not much left to lose.

 

[oliviathomas]

does any go good concern about what there children's are wearing when they are coming to church .
Why are some rules for Camino?
I think man should wear whatever they want.

 

[dollytz]

I went into a local outdoors shop on Monday to buy new insoles. The salesman asked if I wanted anything else. I said no and that I needed to get out fast as I already have two backpacks, a waist bag and a plethora of other stuff I no longer use. I felt really good about myself for walking in, selecting the insoles I went for and not browsing. [/QUOTE ]
Al. can you suggest any outdoor style shops in London/Lancashire? I'll be back in Blighty for a month or so in July/August and will need to buy my Camino gear. I'm aiming for mid/late April 2016 but this will be my only shopping trip. I have some basics-jacket, sleep bag liner, trousers etc Mail order from here is not trustworthy and, if stuff actually arrives, the import tax is crazy. I don't plan on spending mega quids but ££ spent on decent socks may well save time,pain and money en route. Thanks. Here is Tanzania, my home away from home

 

[Maryindigo]

I may take my comfy jeans with me in April on my upcoming short Slack Packing Camino from Sarria to Santiago. Shhhhhh . . . . . don't tell anybody.

This made me lol as I am doing Sarria to Santiago in April I start on the 12th and any time I have mentioned taking my fav comfy jeans in my pack I get crowds of very serious outrage from friends who hike. obviously I wont be walking in the rain in them but for to chill in some evening would by a treat for me. I think ill sneak them into the pack anyway but Shhh I wont tell if you don't lol
Mary