Poncho or not

[Professor]

I will be traveling from St. Jean beginning on March 6 and have a good waterproof jacket, waterproof pants, and a pack cover. Is a poncho still a necessity or merely a luxury. Professor

 

[Magwood]

I walked the Frances last year (April/May) without a poncho. I had a waterproof jacket and pack cover. These were fine in light rain but not so good when it was heavy. I expect my jacket would have kept the rain off if I had not been crying a backpack, but the pack straps seem to cause ingress of rain, and on days where it rained all day I became soaked to the skin.

I think rain ponchos look ridiculous, but I shall definitely be buying one for my camino Portuguese in May this year. There is no fun in being soaked through, especially if you can't dry your clothes when you stop for the day and have to put wet clothes back on the next morning. I can remember that feeling very distinctly!

 

[dougfitz]

I will be traveling from St. Jean beginning on March 6 and have a good waterproof jacket, waterproof pants, and a pack cover. Is a poncho still a necessity or merely a luxury. Professor

A poncho might be better seen as an alternative to what you have, not necessary complementary. I have used rain jacket, pants and pack cover successfully in quite heavy weather, but am contemplating using a poncho instead this year.

What is always an issue is that if you sweat a lot, which I do, even breathable fabrics have difficulty coping with that. I am told it is possible to walk sweat free by slowing down, but I have never found the sweet point where that happens.

Regards

 

[t2andreo]

I have tried to sort this out for myself as well for this year's Camino. Like Doug, I tend to sweat profusely.

Last year I bought a Ferrino trekking poncho with sleeves and zip up the front at the shop in St. Jean. It was a last minute, impulse purchase. But given how bad the weather turned out to be over the ensuing month it was a brilliant twist of fate! Yup, "Zippy" (as I named him) and I had a great adventure on the Camino. He kept me dry and warm, even when we had 10 cm of wet snow at Cruz de Ferro on 16 May.

The knee-length raincoat covered me and my rucksack. However, this year, as I am moving some gear to a 2-liter pouch attached to the the front of my rucksack harness to counterbalance the rucksack weight, the Ferrino raincoat will no longer fit. I have the XL size, but needed something with more girth for the rucksack, me, and the chest pack. Zippy covers any two bits, but not all three.

So, I sought the lightest poncho I could find, balancing cost against utility and weight. I ended up purchasing a Sea-to-Summit Ultra-Sil poncho. It weighs 358 grams in its stuff sack, as opposed to 488 for the Ferrino raincoat and stuff sack. I weighed both using a digital postal scale. They sent me a blue poncho. I suppose that will work as well as another color. The parka also comes in "bright froggie green" and grey. Anyway. it covers everything that needs covering, EXCEPT my forearms. For that, I will wear a breathable but waterproof parka / jacket underneath. It has "pit zips" for ventilation - they are superb! I mailed it ahead to Santiago last year, and regretted doing so.

I hope this helps.

 

[Diogo92]

I'm a jacket + pants + rain cover guy.

Don't get me wrong, I used ponchos for years, specially when I was younger. I still give them credit, but I think that only in really heavy weather conditions I would use one. I have the same problem has Doug and Andreo, and living in Portugal it's also a factor for buying material, because it's hard and expensive. I'm considering buying a militar poncho this year, which is very light and it's also convertible into a shelter if I need too.

The thing is that, the waterproof material that I have, it's light has a poncho, and it was not so expensive has that (they turned out to be cheaper than buying only the poncho).

So, I think that it is a matter of opinion and for you to give it a try. For me, only in a very bad sittuation, for others, they are great.

Best Regards
Diogo

 

[Diogo92]

I walked the Frances last year (April/May) without a poncho. I had a waterproof jacket and pack cover. These were fine in light rain but not so good when it was heavy. I expect my jacket would have kept the rain off if I had not been crying a backpack, but the pack straps seem to cause ingress of rain, and on days where it rained all day I became soaked to the skin.

I think rain ponchos look ridiculous, but I shall definitely be buying one for my camino Portuguese in May this year. There is no fun in being soaked through, especially if you can't dry your clothes when you stop for the day and have to put wet clothes back on the next morning. I can remember that feeling very distinctly!

.....Camino Frances with my daughter: http://magwood.wordpress.com

One thing that most people usually forget, it's that waterproof material must be re-waterproofed after some (not so) long time. This apply to boots, pants, jackets, shirts, etc etc. One good advice it's to apply some waterpoofing spray on your material before you start you Camiño

Best Regards
Diogo

 

[colinPeter]

... Is a poncho still a necessity or merely a luxury....

I don't think there is a right answer to the question, just individual experiences, which will probably change with the weather along the way.
Having walked with Jacket, pants & Ultra-Sil Poncho, switched to jacket & Altus Raincoat for Camino 2 and am still not certain about which combination for Camino 3.
Pant's can be a "pain" to get on with muddy boots (unless they fully unzip), Ultra-Sil blows around in the wind, arms get wet if you use poles & can be difficult to put on in wind and rain, Altus Raincoat can get quite hot.
Having said that the Ultra-Sil is light & cooler, the Altus keeps you dry & you can slip your arms out and let it "swing" off the back of your pack when the sun "pops" out.
Unfortunately, so much depends on the conditions along the way, but whatever you choose probably won't be perfect.
That said, it's surprising how many pilgrims you see walking without any "fancy" rain gear, just a $2 plastic poncho.
Buen Camino
Colin

 

[Kathy F.]

My waterproof jacket and backpack cover met all my needs on a very wet, muddy and cold Camino. I had to help pilgrims often to maneuver into their ponchos when they got caught in the rain. I would not take a poncho, although I know it's popular among members of this forum.

 

[Chip59]

i used a pound store poncho on both my previous caminos. no problem and nice and light. hope this helps

 

[Professor]

Thanks for the information. Professor

 

[GettingThere]

My waterproof jacket and backpack cover met all my needs on a very wet, muddy and cold Camino.

Hi Kathy - did you find any problem with your pack straps getting wet and then taking a long time to dry? That's one issue which has me considering a poncho over a backpack cover. I can envisage keeping everything dry except the padded straps, and then the next (maybe fine and sunny) day having to wear still wet straps soaking through into my dry clothes when I might not be wanting to wear waterproof clothes under them. Did you find this was a problem at all?

 

[charrita]

I just want to throw in a reminder to try the gear before you walk. I had my old raincoat that turned out to have degraded to rain-resistant. (Shame on me) Then along the way I acquired a poncho but it actually bunched up between my knees and somehow got me even more wet than my coat. So if you can, try your gear in the rain beforehand! I ended up with the cheapest rain pants/skirt possible: a hefty trash bag with one end cut off. Worked like a charm for about $0.50.

And to GettingThere's comment, yes I did have that problem when I was using my jacket. But it usually dried out in the first hour or two and didn't bother me too much.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

I used a rain suit and pack cover for my first two caminos. They were great until the sustain rain cascaded off my back into my pack. The bottom of the pack cover was a small pond. I finally gave up on the rain suit when I was in and out of it three times in an hour. I had to remove my boots to remove my rain pants, and that takes some dry ground for sitting. I bought an Altus in Burgos a couple of days later and discarded the Frogg Toggs. I switched to a Packa from the Altus to save a couple of ounces of weight. Both work well. What does not work well is the flimsy dollar ponchos and any poncho that pulls down over the pack. The first will self-destruct in the first big wind, and the second requires assistance. Your walking buddies will come to hate you in on-again, off-again rain!!!

 

[Kathy F.]

Hi Kathy - did you find any problem with your pack straps getting wet and then taking a long time to dry? That's one issue which has me considering a poncho over a backpack cover. I can envisage keeping everything dry except the padded straps, and then the next (maybe fine and sunny) day having to wear still wet straps soaking through into my dry clothes when I might not be wanting to wear waterproof clothes under them. Did you find this was a problem at all?

Hey, Getting There!! Welcome to the Forum.

This is good question.

If the weather is wet, I think your concern will be more about your boots than about the straps on your backpack. My boots (which got soaked through and through and encased with mud more times than I care to remember, just read my blog ) always dried by the next morning.

The straps on my backpack were always dry, also, by the next morning.

I wiped mud off my boots as best I could and stuffed them with old newspapers when I arrived at the day's albergue. I changed the newspapers before I went to sleep and it always did the trick.

I didn't do anything to the straps of my backpack. I don't know if they are filled with magic dust which allowed them to act like sponges on my shoulders yet not like sponges when soaked, or what. Neverthelesss, my backpack straps were always dry in the morning. Can't say the same about my socks!!

Perhaps I wore my backpack close to my back, perhaps the design of the pack held it slightly away from my back. I never had the problem of water running down my rain jacket onto the back of my pack and soaking my pack. I've read some who are concerned about this and give it as the reason for using a poncho instead of a rain jacket and pack cover. I never had this happen and I walked many downpour days.

By the way, I chose not to bring rain pants or gaiters. I decided that the weight wouldn't be justified. I couldn't see putting on rain pants in the morning on the off chance that it might rain. If it began to rain while I was walking, I couldn't imagine going into my backpack, getting the pants, and putting them on, on the trail, in the rain (by which time my legs would probably be soaked anyway).

I wore tech material zip-off-bottoms pants. It turned out that the bottoms of those pants served very well as gaiters. I wore them over the tops of my mid-high boots and, in the mud, they kept inches of mud out of my boots. When I arrived at the albergue, after taking care of my boots as noted above, I could zip off the bottom of the pants, wash them out to remove the mud, and hang them up. They would be dry in the morning, to serve as gaiters again. And again. And again.

Sorry this has gone on a bit. Many people in this forum advocate ponchos. I watched, and helped, so many pilgrims struggle into their ponchos in the driving wind and rain, by day two I was totally convinced I had made the right choices with a rain jacket, a backpack cover, and tech pants.

All the items in my backpack stayed dry throughout my Camino. The straps were never a problem, they dried overnight.

Buen Camino!!!

 

[Deleted member 3000]

did you find any problem with your pack straps getting wet and then taking a long time to dry?

In standard rain and mist, no. But they become a sodden sponge in steady rain unless covered. If the rain continues, they do not dry overnight. Since your pack straps should not be carrying any weight, wet straps don't make much difference, but a sodden waist belt curls and causes chafing.

 

[GettingThere]

Thanks Kathy and Falcon - definitely some food for thought there, sounds as though you have had different experiences with pack straps drying/not drying! And thanks for the tip about the zip-off pants, Kathy, that's great advice.

 

[Kathy F.]

Thanks Kathy and Falcon - definitely some food for thought there, sounds as though you have had different experiences with pack straps drying/not drying! And thanks for the tip about the zip-off pants, Kathy, that's great advice.

You're very welcome.
Falcon269 is one of the most respected and knowledgeable members of this forum. I always pay attention to his words of wisdom, which I know are backed up with solid experience and devotion to Pilgrims and the Camino.
You can see from my profile photo that I wore my rain jacket around my waist so I could easily get into it if needed. I remember the day the photo was taken. I had my backpack cover on all day because of the threatening weather, and put the rain jacket on and off a few times that day. None of the straps on my pack caused me a problem. Perhaps I lucked out with my (on-sale) REI backpack!

 

[Professor]

This has all been very interesting and helpful. Assuming that I acquire an Altus rain-jacket in St. Jean, will I need a rainproof backpack cover? Or for that matter rain pants? At the present time I have a base layer of silk long johns and a pair of REI adventure pants (not wind or water resistant). I was thinking I could use the rain pants as additional wind and cold protection. Assuming I do not need the rain pants if I have the Altus jacket, what would someone suggest for the outer garment if it was cold, wet in early March? Should I take the rain pants for that purpose or is there a better alternative. Thanks, the Professor

 

[Tia Valeria]

I carry my longjohns for the evening but walk with my rain trousers on if it is cold. Then I can get them off if it warms up. Our preference is for a poncho and we have lined windproof reversible fleeces, which weigh 415gms, rather than jackets. I lightly sprayed the lining with a breathable waterproofer so that they are now light-shower proof for that 'do I /don't I?' stage with the poncho. For that reason we retained our packs waterproof covers, which are also useful to prevent over-easy access to the packs on public transport or in crowded bars.

 

[wayfarer]

Hi professor, IMO I would definately get rain pants and pack cover. The rain pants are also great in cold weather, I used them regularly on cold days as much as wet ones. This year I will probably use a good rain jacket instead of the altus, maybe even both.

 

[Leaningforward]

I begin my first camino this month and am testing my equipment in likely climate/weather -- rain, snow, cold -- to see what, if anything, I can leave behind (my pack weight is about 15.8 lbs./7.2 kg.).

My waterproof shell and pack cover kept me and my backpack dry (except for straps) in two hours of steady rain at 37F/2.7C, but I felt a bit cold and damp, and my hands and forearms were vulnerable to the rain.

I found cover from the rain and exchanged the shell and pack cover for a lightweight poncho, which floated over my head to cover my pack quickly and easily. I felt warmer and drier -- even without the shell -- and was able to use my poles under the poncho without gloves.

The poncho I used doubles as a shelter or cover on a less than clean mattress, and weighs only 7 oz./210 g. See http://www.golite.com/Poncho-Tarp-P885.aspx.

Having compared the poncho to my shell and pack cover, I can easily justify the additional weight for use in weather any worse that mist or intermittent drizzle.