Do I need to bring a down jacket for mid-may?

[gringaperegrina]

Hi everyone!

For warm tops I'm bringing a light weight thermal base layer, a light fabric long sleeve button down shirt, and a very light long sleeved wicking shirt (that I'll be wearing everyday to avoid sunburn). I"m also bringing a small rain jacket that can also be used for warmth.

Additional tops include two tank tops that squish down and weigh next to nothing.

None of these items are very heavy, so they are not meant for freezing weather even if I'm wearing them all :? . But mid-May is so close to June and doesn't the weather start getting hot in June?

I'm debating on whether or not to bring my Marmott down jacket. It's relatively light and squishes down in it's own bag, but do I really need it?

I know it's personal preference, the weather is unpredictable and all that, but if anyone was faced with the same question, let me know how you handled it, thanks

Also I'll be arriving in Pamplona on May 14, 2013 if anyone wants to share a taxi to SJPP :wink:

 

[susanawee]

Hello, I will also be arriving in Pamploma around that date.....leaving Australia on 12th May.....if you would like to contact me, perhaps we could get together in Pamploma before we begin our respective walks.
Cheers Susanawee

 

[na2than]

I love my down jacket...nothing gram for gram is as warm....
there are a number of high walks on the camino where it gets chilly....plus the first hour or so each morning.The evening can feel a tad cold still in may... particularly after a long days walk.(one night in Bourgos after a 40 kms walk that day i wore every item in my pack to dinner i was so cold...and that was august.
So if you feel the cold...or just want the security of never having to feel cold take it.

 

[gringaperegrina]

Okay I'll bring it, thanks. I'm a person who gets chilled easily.

Okay Susanawee great! If it works out I would love to meet you! I've read that one taxi ride from Pamplona to SJPP is $100 USD. It would be fabulous to split that. And it's always nice arriving at a new place knowing you won't be totally alone once the plane lands.
My email is massagebymelanie@ymail.com
I'm a massage therapist

 

[peregrina2000]

Hi gringaperegrina,

I also get cold easily, but I have walked more than a dozen times now, almost always starting in very early May, and I have never carried anything heavier than a lightweight fleece. I have a light rain jacket and a long sleeve shirt, and those three things together have always been enough to keep me warm while walking. I also carry short lambswool gloves that have been worth their weight in gold to me. (On the Vdlp, starting in Sevilla in early May, I had them on my hands till 10 am for at least the first week, maybe more, but I wouldn't have wanted a warmer jacket). But your down jacket may be almost the same weight as my fleece, in which case it's not adding much or anything to your total load.

The times I have been cold have always been at night in the albergue. Not often, but a few times. For me, the better option would be to bring a heavier sleeping bag rather than a heavier jacket, but I have resisted the urge so far and continue to bring my very lightweight REI sleeping bag. In the really cold damp places (think Monastery of Oseira on the Vdlp for instance), I've always been lucky to find blankets available to pile on top.

In the final analysis, it just depends on how big a deal being cold is for you, and how much additional weight you're willing to carry to make sure you'll never be cold.

Buen camino, Laurie

 

[kingscrown2014]

Hi....I would bring the down coat, for the weight it is totaly worth it. Walking you stay warm but at night it can be cold and damp, plus it will make a good pillow.

 

[capun]

We are going to walk from Sarria to Santiago the last week of April, first week of May.
We bought some lightweigh Down Jackets/Sweaters for the trip and we have been using it for our Training Hikes. What we are finding out is that they are nice an cozy when you start walking (and when you stop to rest) but as you walk they are just too warm. Even my wife who normally has a smaller temperature confort range is looking at other alternatives.

This winter in Northern California has been a fairly dry and colder than normal. During our training hikes we are seeing temperatures of around 50F (10C) with a bright sun. According to a site the avg temperature in Galicia is around 11C with a low of 6C and Max of 15C.

What I am looking at is a Short Sleeve base layer, a Long Sleeve Shirt and a lightweight windproof and breathable (with a liner) jacket. If there is no wind I end up taking the jacket off, I am also carrying a lightweight fleece pullover one size larger if I need another layer.

 

[kathrynwb]

I have a very lightweight down vest that I bought at Costco. With a long sleeve shirt and light rain jacket it is warm and comfortable in this wet northwest winter. Without the jacket it provides core warmth without overheating me.

 

[gringaperegrina]

Awesome, thanks for all the advice

I love the idea of using it as a pillow. That tipped the scale for me. Also being cold when trying to sleep is a huge downer for me. If I had a down vest, I would totally go with that instead.

OMG I can't wait for this trip!