Down vest for June 22- August 6 ?

[LakeMcD]

Hello everyone,

Will I need a light down vest during this period. I should mention that I might take in part of the Norte route at the end of my stay if I have time.

Other clothing for my top include: light wool t-shirt, synthetic t-shirt, very light synthetic long sleeve hoody for sun, 1/4 zip merino midweight l/s shirt, light rain jacket. I could layer up if I encountered a particularly cold morning.

Thoughts?

Gary

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Thoughts?

No down vest for June, July, and August. Drop one shirt and add another very light t-shirt. Heat will be a bigger problem than cold!

 

[Mark Lee]

It get's a lot hotter in parts of the US during the summer than it does in northern Spain on the Camino. Yeah, it's sunny and maybe 85-90 F at the most, but almost no humidity. Damn nice actually.
Gets a bit chilly sometimes early in the morning and in the evening after sunset, but far from cold. At most a fleece pullover type cold. And in the morning it warms up quick, especially since you are walking. Any jacket or fleece you will be wearing will quickly get too warm on your body. I'd see other pilgrims dressed up like Nanook of the North in the morning while they were walking, and I'd be in shorts and t-shirt.

 

[Anniesantiago]

Goodness, no!

 

[Robo]

I'd see other pilgrims dressed up like Nanook of the North in the morning while they were walking, and I'd be in shorts and t-shirt.

Same here. Though I always wore long pants and shirt for sun protection. Both light tech fabrics. 40 days (May 2015) and all I wore was that shirt. Nothing under. Nothing over. Except for a couple of days of light rain that required a rain jacket.

Early Mornings were sometimes chilly but I warmed up within minutes of walking.

Always amused me that within 20 minutes those wrapped up like mummies would be 'pulled over' peeling off all their extra layers....

 

[fjvjess]

It get's a lot hotter in parts of the US during the summer than it does in northern Spain on the Camino. Yeah, it's sunny and maybe 85-90 F at the most, but almost no humidity. Damn nice actually.
Gets a bit chilly sometimes early in the morning and in the evening after sunset, but far from cold. At most a fleece pullover type cold. And in the morning it warms up quick, especially since you are walking. Any jacket or fleece you will be wearing will quickly get too warm on your body. I'd see other pilgrims dressed up like Nanook of the North in the morning while they were walking, and I'd be in shorts and t-shirt.

I'm glad to hear this. I've been less than faithful to my training walks this month in the midst of DC's swampy heat wave, and thinking I'll never manage 30+ days of this in Spain!

 

[Angelo]

Not for your summertime trek.

 

[Mark Lee]

I'm glad to hear this. I've been less than faithful to my training walks this month in the midst of DC's swampy heat wave, and thinking I'll never manage 30+ days of this in Spain!

Yeah, go to the weather website www.wunderground.com. You can look at current temperature and weather for Spain and for the weather from past years there. Give you some idea what to expect. You'll see it ain't that bad. Nothing like a summer in someplace like Georgia, Virginia, Louisiana, etc.
I loved the weather in northern Spain during the summer.

 

[LakeMcD]

Much obliged everyone.

 

[whariwharangi]

A down vest would likely be lighter than a fleece jacket. You might find utility in it during evenings, particularly in the mountainous sections. You likely will not want to wear it while walking.

I would suggest that long sleeve cotton shirts or synthetic shirts are more comfortable for walking and easier to rinse out at the end of the day than are wool t-shirts. This style of shirt is cooler. The long sleeves and collar can be used to help protect from the sun. Columbia makes good ones.