1st timer- worried about the weather!

[daniellavareda]

Hello folks!

I've been reading the forum for a while now and all I have to say is thank you for being so helpful!

I'm going on my first camino with a friend on march 7 (CF), but we are a little worried about the weather. We are brazillians and not quite used to low temperatures.

Any recommendations or tips?
Anything is appreciated. We are mostly concerned about the clothes we should take.

Thanks in advance!

 

[JP]

Living in Southern Canada and going through days of -25 Celsius Weather at the moment, all I can say is dress by layers. Marino wool is light and quick drying, Goretex shell and water proof boots. Ponchos for you and waterproof cover for your backpack to protect from rain and snow, also gaiters or water proof rain pants. When the photo was taken in late November at a ski hill near our home the day we walked around the Mountain, it was about 0 Celsius and we were quite warm. My friend is wearing a marino wool long sleeved shirt, a fleece jacket and a Goretex jacket (in April 2014 in Spain we might just wear a light shell jacket) and also a pair of gaiters over our waterproof goretex boots. We are also bringing a warm sleeping bag, we spoke with people who did the Le Puy route in France in September and they only had a light fleece sleeping bag and the days they had to stay in un-heated Albergues they froze all night.

 

[whariwharangi]

Wool hat
Ragknit wool gloves
Scarf
Sunglasses (to protect eyes from glare from snow)
2 x fleece jackets 200 weight
rain jacket
rain pants
gaiters
regular shirts and pants as per usual goes on underneath the outer wear.

Avoid buying anything you won't use ever again.

COLD rule: Clean Overlapping Layers of Dry clothes.

Dirt fills airgaps in clothes and so won't hold heat as well as clean clothes. Wear layers that overlap ... no gaps between shirt and pants or pants and socks ... take off layers if you get warm ... avoid sweating because the moisture will interfere with insulation and wicks heat ... the sweet spot is the point where you are just about uncomfortable. You will generate a lot of heat while walking, particularly with a pack.

If your feet are cold put on a hat. You lose more heat through your head than anywhere else because there is no place else where so much blood gets near the surface.

The only place I got cold was on the Meseta due to wind chill. Rain jacket and pants is useful for cutting the wind.
As for boots ... try to avoid walking in wet snow ... that may mean walking on the roads as they are plowed. Wear plastic bags over your socks if your boots are wet. Gaiters are useful for keeping foreign objects (such as snow) out of your boots (and are pretty much ineffective with shoes).

Carry chocolate bars (Mars or Snickers for example) or other sweets for snacks to keep energy levels high enough to generate heat. Really watch this near the end of long days because that is when any hypothermia problems will occur.

Read up on hypothermia so you can recognize the signs.

And don't worry ... North of Spain might be chilly at times but it never gets COLD like it does further north.

 

[David]

I did my first Camino March 9th 2005, from Moissac - I was only cold once, going over the Napoleon Pass - as it snowed up there - and was only rained on three times. Apart from the pass - where I put on everything I had and used socks as mitts - rest of the time it was shorts and t shirt ..... so, pack for the rain and cold but pack light - it might be a wonderful spring!

And don't forget - you will have to carry all that 'just in case' gear!

I prefer an Altus poncho to a coat as it allows fresh air in and you don't sweat and I never wear waterproof trousers, they just sweat up the legs - and it is only rain you know. If working hard I slip my arms out of the sleeves as arms tend to sweat.

Just coming down towards Roncesvalles - although it was still cold and snow was there even at that low height I had already unzipped my trouser legs - it isn't an arctic expedition

 

[daniellavareda]

thanks for all the help, everyone!

 

[BobM]

[quote I'm going on my first camino with a friend on march 7 (CF), but we are a little worried about the weather. Any recommendations or tips?
Anything is appreciated. We are mostly concerned about the clothes we should take. [/quote]

Here are a few extra comments:

1. When buying packs, ponchos etc, try to choose those with minimum exposed seams/stitching. Seams and zips are potential leak points in steady rain. The better packs will always have flaps covering the main zippers, so look for them.
2. I wear a very light plastic jacket under my poncho in heavy rain, just in case! The poncho should be big enough to easily cover your backpack and still allow free movement.
3. I also carry a big plastic garbage bag to stuff all my gear in in case the weather is very wet or my poncho or pack cover fails.
4. Reading a guidebook or map is a pain in wet weather. Take a clear plastic bag so you can still refer to the map/book often in rain - without it disintegrating into a soggy pulp. Not reading map/guidebook = going astray
5. Assume it will rain!!
6. Learn to love rain. It is better than walking on a hot tarmac road in 35 deg heat.

Bob M

 

[Olivares]

I walked Logroño to Burgos (May 2013) and never had one hour of sunlight; not one. Misty rain every day, temps in the 50's degF early morning and it never went above the 60's. You would think it was horrendous, but it wasn't. Moods were a bit sullen, a bit muddy, and a poncho became the one item we wore from the moment we stepped outside to the end of the day. Within the first walking hour you will warm up and get on a pace. I still enjoyed the Camino very much. Thermals were lifesavers; very light to carry and provided a close to the skin warm layer. Gloves were a last-minute item I grabbed from my closet on my way to the airport and they became such a comfort item.

 

[Tia Valeria]

Hello folks!

I've been reading the forum for a while now and all I have to say is thank you for being so helpful!

I'm going on my first camino with a friend on march 7 (CF), but we are a little worried about the weather. We are brazillians and not quite used to low temperatures.

Any recommendations or tips?
Anything is appreciated. We are mostly concerned about the clothes we should take.

Thanks in advance!

It would be helpful in trying to answer to have some idea of the temperatures you are actually used to. What is the normal lowest temperature that you experience? and what would you expect to wear then to stay warm.
Here it is currently 6C and it could be around that on the Camino in March, or lower. It could be up around 11C. If you are used to these sort of temperatures then that is fine. However if you are used to temperatures which are nearly always 15C or more then you will feel the cold more. It took us years to re-acclimatize after being in N. Argentina.

 

[BobM]

I walked Logroño to Burgos (May 2013) and never had one hour of sunlight; not one. Misty rain every day, temps in the 50's degF early morning and it never went above the 60's. You would think it was horrendous, but it wasn't.

Sounds like my experience walking from Vigo to Santiago. Rain rain rain.

I agree with you that rain is OK once you have confidence in your waterproofing and feel confident you will have a dry pack at the end of the day.

Here's a thought: Don all your gear at home and have a friend hose you down for 10 minutes to test waterproofing! Too extreme?

Rain makes it a bit harder to take photos, but on the other hand those itsy bitsy LCD camera/phone screens are actually readable in dull weather.

One problem is finding a sheltered spot for breaks and snacks en route.

But the greatest pleasure is the hot shower and relaxation at day's end.

Bob M

 

[Chacharm]

I walked the Camino in April and May and I had quite a few cold days. I stopped and bought a down jacket in Astorga! I don't mind cold and I don't mind wet - but the wind will really get me. Take a really good wind breaker/rain coat and a Buff and layer,layer,layer.

 

[BobM]

I certainly agree about the wind-proof layer in cold, windy weather. All layers are important, but you could say the wind-proof layer is more important than the others in difficult weather. I use a very cheap nylon jacket that is light and effective. A goretex jacket might be better in very cold, windy weather.

It's probably been mentioned before, but it is worth repeating that it is air that insulates you, not the actual fabric itself. The weave of the fabric traps air. That is also why layering works - the layers trap air.

Of course, the actual fabric wicks moisture away from the body and that is another mechanism to keep you warm, but it is a second-order effect.

Bob M

 

[Rebekah Scott]

.. and then you meet the guy in a t-shirt and jeans and a zip-up sweater and sneakers, and he is perfectly warm and happy. Not a wind-proof or Goretex layer in sight. Just a pilgrim, walking straight into the rainy gale with a smile on his face -- he´s on his way to Santiago!

 

[BobM]

That's very nicely written.
Bob M

 

[Thetravelingfamily]

Great info! We are leaving from Burgos on March 14th to Santiago. We previously traveled St. Jean to Burgos in the fall with our two children and will now finish in the spring
Looks like completely different scenario with with death, however how are the are they still mostly open or difficult to get in to?