Clothing

[Flatcat]

My apologies because I know this question has probably been asked many times before!

We begin our walk May 1st from SJDP,
What kind of gloves do you guys/gals recommend that work well in all conditions?

Also, I have purchased a Poncho, should I being buying a goretex style jacket as well?
Switching between light drizzle and heavy rain( Poncho)

Do you recommend a high powered LED light that can fit over my ball cap?

I've bought our packs 1.6 kg each
Poles 250 grams for both ( very light )
Camel pack for water
We'll buy some goretex mid ankle light weight trail shoes that have been recommended on here ( gtx) forgot the brand!
And like everyone says Layers of clothing
Still debating if ill bring a sleeping bag as we plan on staying in Hotels or pensions
Thx again for all your advise!

 

[tyrrek]

Hi Flatcat.

You sound almost ready to go!

As you're planning to stay in hostals, perhaps just take a sleeping bag liner in case you stay the occasional night in an albergue. Most have blankets, which will add warmth. You must stay at least a night or two in an albergue just for the experience!

A little torch will be useful if you get up during the night in an albergue, but in May it will probably be light when you're actually walking so you don't need anything too sophisticated.

I've only ever had a rain jacket rather than a poncho, but my pack has a rain cover. My jacket is big enough to wear a fleece underneath in case I need both warm and dry.

Good luck! You'll have a great time. Buen Camino!

 

[Flatcat]

Thx,
When you say liner, what's more practical ? Fleece or silk? Do they offer the same warmth if I end up at Alberque?

 

[tyrrek]

Thx,
When you say liner, what's more practical ? Fleece or silk? Do they offer the same warmth if I end up at Alberque?

Hi. I'm not sure as I've always taken (and occasionally lost! :shock: ) a sleeping bag. Although you can get compact bags, it would be a pity to carry one all the way if you're rarely (if ever) going to use it. Search the forum and ask your local outdoor shop about the options. Here in the UK these shops seem to be the only ones where the staff have real knowledge about what they're selling!

Buen Camino!

 

[grayland]

Thx,
When you say liner, what's more practical ? Fleece or silk? Do they offer the same warmth if I end up at Alberque?

I would advise the silk liner over the fleese. There is a substantial weight/bulk difference. The silk is surprisingly warm and can be used in a pension/hotel as a top sheet. You will find that there will always be a bottom sheet but most often not a top sheet between you and the blankets that many others have used. You don't have to actually get in the sack...just use it flat for a top sheet.
If you do end up occasionally in albergues, the silk sleep sack plus sleeping in clothing will do you very well in May.
I think that REI has stores in Vancouver and that is a good place to have a look. The REI website can give you some idea of price and available brands.
I use a SeatoSummit sack which is not cheap but packs nicely in very small fist size sack and has worked well for me. No wear or tear.

 

[Flatcat]

Thx, silk is pricery but much more compact,
In Vancouver I use Mountain Equiptment Co op, may be a sister company of REI out of the US.
Thanks for the info

 

[Flatcat]

On another note, I hear people talking about a chemical compound that you put on your liner or bag for bed bugs, where to you get this product? A drug store?
My MEC store doesn't have it!

 

[Caminobd]

On another note, I hear people talking about a chemical compound that you put on your liner or bag for bed bugs, where to you get this product? A drug store?
My MEC store doesn't have it!

Im from Vancouver as well and although we didn't use the advice much to my regret last summer, a Permethrin treated sheet for under your bag or liner and placed on the mattress is the best advice that I've heard. This way you keep the chemicals away from your body.
You can buy the spray at rei, Sawyer Permethrin Pump Spray - 24 oz., which is located in Bellingham. Actually you drive through Bellingham and it is in the area of the university. I hope I have this advice correct as I am already daydreaming a lot about going back and will want to try this.

It's worth a check on line at Rei products as they have a few different things there that we don't here. Only if you thought you might go anyway.

I took a poncho with me last summer and it only rained once, I found it big and bulky and wished I'd
brought my light weight rain jacket and rain cover for my pack. We looked like those creatures in the dark crystal movie walking along in our oversize grey ponchos.

We stayed in a variety of accommodation and had wonderful experiences in most. A few were private albergues and they were very hospitable. I would highly recommend a mixture of accommodation. Often, we were delightfully surprised by the establishments.

One of the things that I found useful to take were the icebreaker sleeves. It made a short sleeve shirt into a long sleeve shirt, so an extra layer. Also, I could pull them off my arms without taking my pack off when I got hot and store them in a side pocket for use later when I got cold again. there is a store near Vancouver mec that sells icebreaker products.

Kelly

 

[Abbeydore]

Amazon & many others

 

[Flatcat]

Thx for the info!!
Made me laugh with the comment about those dudes from the Dark Crystal movie, I remember them well!

 

[Tia Valeria]

Flatcat wrote
What kind of gloves do you guys/gals recommend that work well in all conditions?

I used silk gloves and found them very good. They came from our local hiking shop (UK)

We use ponchos and fleeces, no jackets; also we now carry light sleeping bags, no liners, as we had a very cold time in May in 2010.
Buen Camino

 

[nreyn12]

Silk sleep sack, definitely. It weighs only 170 grams (6 ounces) and packs up to the size of an eye-glass case. Most albergues have blankets; if you don't see them out, ask.

Fleece gloves, definitely. They are lightweight, warm, and water resistant.

Rain jacket and backpack cover, definitely. Much more maneuverable and manageable than a poncho, and better if there's wind.

Small head-light or torch, not the high-powered headlamp, definitely. Unless you plan to walk in the dark. If you just need a light to find your way around in your backpack in the dark or to the bathroom at night, something smaller - and gentler on those around you - will work just fine.

(By 'definitely' I mean these definitely worked for me. You should do what feels right for you!)

Nancy

 

[pwestcot]

Mosquito repellents neither repel bed bugs nor kill them.
The best thing to do is examine the mattress.

*Oregon State University
- Bed bugs are not discouraged by insect repellants (i.e. DEET)
http://entomology.oregonstate.edu/syste ... d_Bugs.pdf


*Interview with Virginia Tech's Department of Entomology
On sleep sacks
Question: Would the silk “sleep sacks” sold as a travel accessory be any help at all against bed bug bites at a hotel? --L Hart , Irvine, Calif.
Answer: Unlikely. Bed bugs can very probably feed directly through the weave of the “sleep sack.” Even if the bag were to offer some protection, the bed bugs could crawl to the opening of the sack and enter that way. The best defense is to inspect the bed (mattress and sheets) and the head board for signs of bed bugs.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12133597/ns ... -answered/


*Bed Bug Report from University of Kentucky College of Agriculture
Conventional insect repellents, like those used to deter ticks and mosquitoes, do not appear to be as effective against bed bugs.
http://www.ca.uky.edu/entomology/entfacts/ef636.asp

 

[scruffy1]

May can be wet and chilly May 1 but by the time you reach Santiago it will be warm even very warm even summer hot. Keep it light because most of the time you will be carrying everything in your backpack aand not on your back.
S

 

[wayfarer]

Flatcat, Below is a link for silk liners and other items from Vietnam on eBay, one of the other members posted this on another thread a while ago. I purchased one from them and found them to be good quality. I got the XL as I like a bit of room to move about and not feel constricted.

http://stores.ebay.ie/Spirits-of-Vietna ... 4340.l2563

 

[Deleted member 3000]

The only thing that was studied and published in a peer-reviewed journal was standard insect repellents versus bedbugs. They found evidence that DEET is repellent to bedbugs. It makes sense that other botanicals might be repellant as well, but none is foolproof because you can't possibly cover your whole body or your entire environment with an even layer of the scent.

It sounds like the science is in dispute!

 

[Deleted member 3000]

From WHO:

Repellents
Deet and other insect repellents are effective against bedbugs. They can be used by
travellers who have to sleep in houses infested with the insects. However, repellents
applied to the skin are unlikely to last the whole night. It is likely that burning
mosquito coils offer some protection (see Chapter 1).

 

[Anniesantiago]

I have walked in both Spring and Fall.

I took my ALTUS poncho and a lightweight windbreaker. I wore both.

I never wore gloves.

I do not recommend walking before dawn and I REALLY don't recommend wearing such a contraption in the albergues, where it will almost always shine in someone's eyes, no matter how careful you are. Those danged things are annoying as heck if you are a light sleeper.

Sounds like you're ready to go!
HOORAY!

Buen Camino!

 

[Loretta Jane]

I wore a pair of my wool socks for mitts when my hands got cold.

 

[C clearly]

Take lightweight gloves (or glove liners) that are easy to put on while your hands are cold or wet, and that are not too bulky to slip on through the straps of your walking sticks, if you are using them. Three Vets in Vancouver carry a line of sleeping bags called Hotcore that you might like to look at.

 

[Loretta Jane]

Taking an eye mask like you wear on airplanes comes in handy for napping in the albergues or avoiding lights.

 

[whariwharangi]

Gloves - lightweight ragknit wool was sufficient for November and early December. Wool is a must becasue it will keep hands warm even when wet.

Rain jacket is necessary. Its useful for breaking the cold dry wind on the mesata. A poncho works better in light rain because the rain jacket collects sweat. In heavy rain a poncho and rain jacket combo help to keep things as dry as possible.

I took rain pants too but they were never worn. I wore shorts that dry out quickly and knee high gaiters. I made a point of getting under shelter if I could in cloudbursts that were frequent in Galacia.

Headlamp goes around head and pokes out under the hat brim. Its recommended to have one if you stay in a dormitory and need to get up at night. Just remember to cover the light with your hand so that you have only enough light to navigate and not wake others.

A sheet liner is the bare minimum needed to stay in a dormitory. Many albergues were heated to the point the sheet liner was sufficient. Where heat was not supplied, blankets usually were supplied so a heavy sleeping bag is not needed; a light sleeping bag would suffice. Blankets were not always the cleanest so I would bring a bag even if I planned to stay at hostals. It gives flexibility to stay anywhere.

There is nothing technically difficult in the walk. While it was nice to have it as a brake on the downhill paths, the pole is something I would leave at home next time.

Test boots with the load that you will be carrying. They need to provide good support for the distance. My light weight hiking boots did not provide good support and I had foot problems throughout.

 

[Flatcat]

From WHO:

Repellents
Deet and other insect repellents are effective against bedbugs. They can be used by
travellers who have to sleep in houses infested with the insects. However, repellents
applied to the skin are unlikely to last the whole night. It is likely that burning
mosquito coils offer some protection (see Chapter 1).

Since I'm down in California for the holidays I p/u at bottle of permethrin from REI!
Now all I have to do is smuggle it back into Canada and spray the heck out of my gear!

Rain wise I have a Poncho and a light weight Goretex shell!!
Thx for all the input!!
Clint

 

[NaKwendaSafari]

Re: Clothing Socks as Gloves

lettienets wrote:

I wore a pair of my wool socks for mitts when my hands got cold.

I was presented with Merino wool hiker socks, it is socks with three layers, the middle layer is of merino wool. It has no toe seam so it is very comfortable. This incidentally is designed in Spain, the website is http://www.lorpen.com. I attach a picture. This triple merino wool socks could be used as mitts as it is warm and flexible