Rain pants

[DanielleandDerrick]

I was wondering if it is necessary to bring rain pants? We will be starting March 29th from Lisbon doing the central route. Thanks in advance for the input.

 

[henrythedog]

I was wondering if it is necessary to bring rain pants? We will be starting March 29th from Lisbon doing the central route. Thanks in advance for the input.

That will largely depend on whether it rains or not.

April close to the Atlantic? Probably going to be a bit damp IMHO; but probably not overly cold.

I’m doing the very northern part of the Portuguese in early March. I’m not packing ‘rain pants’ but I am packing shorts.

Skin dries faster than cloth

I abhor ‘rain pants’

It rains more where I live than it does in Portugal

 

[dougfitz]

You might expect on average there will be nine to ten rainy days in Apr along the central route (see https://www.climatestotravel.com/climate/portugal). I always carry rain pants, but clearly others make the choice not to.

 

[OZAJ]

I carry cheap Berghaus rain pants. Or at least I did until they were stolen in Abu Dhabi airport. Weird or what??

 

[Dave J]

I walked the central route in late October last year and we had rain almost every day. I carried and tried rain pants one day for about two hours… hated them. Stuck with my quick dry shorts after that. As Henrythedog said, skin dries much faster than cloth, and feels better while walking than that sweaty, clammy feeling inside rain pants. That said, I wore them once more going out for dinner one wet evening to keep my pants dry. Unless I’d need them for warmth or for wind protection, I would not carry them again.

 

[Stewart K.]

Rain kilt!

 

[woody66]

Bring a rain kilt mine weighs 70grms and come down to calf level it's ULA(ultra light adventure)fits up to a 54 inch waist ! Kept me dry in an all day downpour;your feet get wet whatever you wear!!!
Plus it's easy to put on; on the trail you don't put your muddy boots anywhere near it.
Woody
EDIT just to add I do have rain pants Marmot Pricip full zip I use them around town and urban trips with my G/dog where i know can find something to lean on; easy access rainpants but still stand on one leg to do it!
Second pair are OMM Halo pants (weigh 80grams and Hydrostatic head of 10000 ml) but again try getting them on on a muddy trail over boots/shoes!
The kilt is out your pocket and wrap it round .

 

[Kathy F.]

I have never brought rain pants or gaiters with me on my Camino. No need.
My first Camino was VERY wet but I do not regret my decision. I found that, a.) my tech fabric/quick dry pants were sturdy and dried quickly once out of the rain and, b.) my skin is waterproof.
I carry a rain jacket/windbreaker that I wrap around my waist while walking in threatening weather. I have a cover for my backpack.
Injinji socks and wool socks with NOT waterproof boots suffice quite well on all my Caminos so far.
Happy packing!

 

[Camino Chrissy]

I abhor rain pants, too, but always bring them when walking the Caminos in early spring. They have kept me warm and dry a few times and I was very glad I had them with me as they weigh little.

 

[J.Patrick]

I found that if I kept my core warm and dry, that is my waist through my head, that I was comfortable. So, like some others, I wore rain pants once, and then never again. If my pants got wet, I was fine with that. And a baseball cap underneath my hood really worked well to keep water off of my face, except in very strong winds. Walking in the rain has its own charms, by the way.

 

[benny aumala]

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005003516230331.html

 

[slowtraveler]

I was wondering if it is necessary to bring rain pants? We will be starting March 29th from Lisbon doing the central route. Thanks in advance for the input.

Warm greetings, Danielle and Derrick,,
My friend and I walked the Camino Frances last spring. I brought rain pants and he didn’t. I really appreciated staying dry, especially when the weather was cooler. As the rain pants were very light to carry, it worked out well for me. They also can help keep your legs warm if you come into an unexpected cold spell. My friend didn’t mind getting wet so it didn’t matter to him. It is just a personal choice determined by your comfort level, but I was glad that I had them.
Have a wonderful trip and Buen Camino!
Daniel

 

[lt56ny]

I found that if I kept my core warm and dry, that is my waist through my head, that I was comfortable. So, like some others, I wore rain pants once, and then never again. If my pants got wet, I was fine with that. And a baseball cap underneath my hood really worked well to keep water off of my face, except in very strong winds. Walking in the rain has its own charms, by the way.

Not in December with a 30k wind in your face on the Meseta

 

[JerryStroebele]

Si, rain kilt, even for us macho guys. Weighs very little. Buen Camino

 

[TexasIndia]

I was wondering if it is necessary to bring rain pants? We will be starting March 29th from Lisbon doing the central route. Thanks in advance for the input.

I took a rain pancho with sleeves that covered my pack and covered me to mid calf. No need for pants. On other backpacking trips I never wanted to take the time to put pants on.

 

[LovetheCamino]

I will be taking a lightweight rain jacket and rain pants but I will only wear the pants if it is chilly. We are leaving Lisbon on April 1 and may run into you! Bom Caminho!

 

[Moniq]

I was wondering if it is necessary to bring rain pants? We will be starting March 29th from Lisbon doing the central route. Thanks in advance for the input.

I walked the same route last year leaving also on March 29! I didn’t bring a rainpant. But brought a poncho, Altus and a very light rain jacket. I was lucky I wore it only once.

 

[DwainS]

I leave SJPP on May 18 and finish in Santiago June 18. I have already purchased some rain pants but still on the fence on whether to bring them or not. This is the one of my hardest decisions, lol. I don't seem to see a clear cut winner in the comments. I think I might just take them and leave them in the free bin in an Albergue if I feel I don't need them. I don't mind wearing shorts in the rain I just don't like being cold.

 

[Kathy F.]

If people are worried about being cold, or find that the benefit of wearing rain pants is that they keep you warm, why not just bring long thermal underwear? You could wear them under your regular pants if needed for warmth and you can wear them as pajamas (or an extra layer of pajamas) in the albergue if it gets cold at night? I try not to pack anything that cannot serve at least 2 purposes (warmth, pajamas).
Just a thought.

 

[dougfitz]

If people are worried about being cold, or find that the benefit of wearing rain pants is that they keep you warm, why not just bring long thermal underwear? You could wear them under your regular pants if needed for warmth and you can wear them as pajamas (or an extra layer of pajamas) in the albergue if it gets cold at night? I try not to pack anything that cannot serve at least 2 purposes (warmth, pajamas).
Just a thought.

Been there, done that, won't ever do it again. Adjusting layers this way is a genuine PITA. Rain pants are much more easily donned and removed on the road. Removing thermals is not.

 

[Blister Bill]

I was wondering if it is necessary to bring rain pants? We will be starting March 29th from Lisbon doing the central route. Thanks in advance for the input.

I walked in Sept/Oct and needed them regularly. They weigh very little, take up very little space and are invaluable when you do need them. Being conservative, they are also useful as a pair of pants to wear while waiting for the wash

 

[Anthony Rocco]

I was wondering if it is necessary to bring rain pants? We will be starting March 29th from Lisbon doing the central route. Thanks in advance for the input.

I took rain pants on my first camino, but never after that. Why? They take up space in the pack, are not easy to take on and off if your body is creaky, as it will be, and critical to our decision, we saw two French ladies with long ponchos that they put on covering their heads, packs and legs. Too easy.

 

[SusanWW]

Ponchos are a popular alternative.

 

[henrythedog]

Ponchos are a popular alternative.

View attachment 142275

I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone wearing a poncho other than on Camino.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

My daughter-in-law in her Frogg Togg rain suit on one of the few rainy days we had on the Frances in late April.

 

[DwainS]

I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone wearing a poncho other than on Camino.

Yes, I live on the west cast of Canada or should I say "wet coast" and in my 64 years of living here I don't know anyone who wears a poncho.

 

[Anthony Rocco]

I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone wearing a poncho other than on Camino.

When walking the C2C in the UK and Offa's Dyke and the Pembrokeshire Coastal walk in Wales, we brought ponchos. Twice the ponchos ripped to shreds in violent storms, once on Mt Helvelyn near Patterdale, the other on Hatterall Ridge in Wales. Both storms were biblical. There are times when nothing can stop mother nature!

 

[Anthony Rocco]

Yes, I live on the west cast of Canada or should I say "wet coast" and in my 64 years of living here I don't know anyone who wears a poncho.

I lived in Portland, Oregon for four years. The locals referred to rain as liquid sunshine. No umbrellas, no ponchos. The strangest thing to me is that everyone wore socks with sandals. But I loved a sign in our local store that read: Come to Portland for the annual rain festival, January 1-December 31.

 

[henrythedog]

Ponchos are a popular alternative.

View attachment 142275

Is it age-related perhaps?

 

[Blister Bill]

I leave SJPP on May 18 and finish in Santiago June 18. I have already purchased some rain pants but still on the fence on whether to bring them or not. This is the one of my hardest decisions, lol. I don't seem to see a clear cut winner in the comments. I think I might just take them and leave them in the free bin in an Albergue if I feel I don't need them. I don't mind wearing shorts in the rain I just don't like being cold.

Take them and if you really don't want to stay dry and potentially warm discard them

 

[Blister Bill]

Is it age-related perhaps?

or comedic value when the winds up or you're taller than a hobbit

 

[Lleslie]

After completely sodden shoes/boots crossing the Pyrenees in a storm May 2014 and showery weather the next two weeks we took rain pants for the Via Podiensis - flooded tracks in parts, dewy grass, showery days and a storm or two but dry warm feet thanks to waterproof boots and rain pants. Yes, one day in particular we did had multiple 'wardrobe' changes that were mildly annoying but I would rather dry feet than wet. Didn't take them last november walking the Abel Tasman Track in NZ and wished we had! so definitely taking them on the Portuguese this May their weight is not a make or break camino issue for me. Like everything we all have our personal preferences. Bom Caminho

 

[DwainS]

After completely sodden shoes/boots crossing the Pyrenees in a storm May 2014 and showery weather the next two weeks we took rain pants for the Via Podiensis - flooded tracks in parts, dewy grass, showery days and a storm or two but dry warm feet thanks to waterproof boots and rain pants. Yes, one day in particular we did had multiple 'wardrobe' changes that were mildly annoying but I would rather dry feet than wet. Didn't take them last november walking the Abel Tasman Track in NZ and wished we had! so definitely taking them on the Portuguese this May their weight is not a make or break camino issue for me. Like everything we all have our personal preferences. Bom Caminho

Thanks, you just made my decision easier. My new north face rain pants are going on a pilgrimage.

 

[dougfitz]

Being conservative, they are also useful as a pair of pants to wear while waiting for the wash

And I would rather go commando in a pair of rain pants than a poncho!!

 

[dick bird]

It rains more where I live than it does in Portugal

I wouldn't be too sure of that. I lived in Oporto for three years. It rains a lot in N. Portugal. But I never wore 'rain pants'.

 

[DanielleandDerrick]

Thank you everyone for all the responses. I will probably bring them as it is not really going to make much a difference in pack weight. We can't wait to see everyone on the trail. Bom caminho

 

[henrythedog]

I wouldn't be too sure of that. I lived in Oporto for three years. It rains a lot in N. Portugal. But I never wore 'rain pants'.

I can’t find a single data set with comparable stats. Two different sources give me 151 and 162 days of rain annually for Porto and ‘where I live’; so I’ll settle for ‘about the same’

 

[C clearly]

I also live on the wet coast of Canada. According to Weatherspark, Vancouver BC gets significantly more rain than Porto. Scroll down on this page to see a comparison of days of rain or total monthly rainfall. I can't be bothered to add them up.

I often wear rain pants at home, and always bring them on the Camino, too. I don't remember ever seeing anyone here wearing a poncho.

 

[dougfitz]

I can’t find a single data set with comparable stats. Two different sources give me 151 and 162 days of rain annually for Porto and ‘where I live’; so I’ll settle for ‘about the same’

Given the strong standardisation that characterises meteorological services around the world, I would be prepared to accept that even though the data sets might be from different countries, they would be equivalent. On that basis, you are either both right, or both wrong.

Porto: 110 days of rain for 1255 mm on average annually
Carlisle: 152 days of rain for 919 mm on average annually.

 

[dick bird]

Given the strong standardisation that characterises meteorological services around the world, I would be prepared to accept that even though the data sets might be from different countries, they would be equivalent. On that basis, you are either both right, or both wrong.

Porto: 110 days of rain for 1255 mm on average annually
Carlisle: 152 days of rain for 919 mm on average annually.

Interesting that the stats show Oporto has more rain but on fewer days. That was distinctly my impression. When it rained (always outside the summer months) it would absolutely throw it down. I felt at times that the entire Atlantic Ocean had decided to jump on my head. But I'm talking here about the north of Portugal. Like Galicia, it is a very wet part of the world. As Lorca wrote (in Galician) 'Chove en Santiago'. South is a lot drier.

 

[Bob from L.A. !]

Modern day Kilt = Poncho

 

[henrythedog]

Given the strong standardisation that characterises meteorological services around the world, I would be prepared to accept that even though the data sets might be from different countries, they would be equivalent. On that basis, you are either both right, or both wrong.

Porto: 110 days of rain for 1255 mm on average annually
Carlisle: 152 days of rain for 919 mm on average annually.

I usually approach life on the assumption that I am right; other than with Mrs HtD when (to save time) I assume that I am wrong.

I’m sure that @dick bird and I have declared an honourable draw.

 

[Rita Flower]

I found that if I kept my core warm and dry, that is my waist through my head, that I was comfortable. So, like some others, I wore rain pants once, and then never again. If my pants got wet, I was fine with that. And a baseball cap underneath my hood really worked well to keep water off of my face, except in very strong winds. Walking in the rain has its own charms, by the way.

Ditto about the warm core. Late November 2022 in Galicia carried light rain jacket and poncho and wore quick dry shorts. Sometimes wet but never cold and all dry pretty soon after the rain stopped or in the morning on a totally rainy day.

 

[Stewpot]

For a man of wisdom who still wears Ron Hill tracksters I am with you all the way. I put the rain pants in the pack as a token defiance of what the Peak District has to offer

 

[Kathy F.]

Been there, done that, won't ever do it again. Adjusting layers this way is a genuine PITA. Rain pants are much more easily donned and removed on the road. Removing thermals is not.

Of course, I completely agree that putting thermals on and off during the day would be a total PITA (new acronym for me. Thanks!). I never brought thermals (or rain pants) with me. I sucked up the chill in the morning, knowing that by mid afternoon I would be OK. But several posters seemed to be concerned about being chilly without rain pants. That's all I was suggesting.

 

[WGroleau]

I was wondering if it is necessary to bring rain pants? We will be starting March 29th from Lisbon doing the central route. Thanks in advance for the input.

It would start to sprinkle and gradually increase util I would get off the bike and put on the rain gear. Get back on the bike and within a minute or two, the rain would stop (and the clammy sweat would be uncomfortable). So I would take them off, roll them up and put them back in their spot behind the seat. A few more minutes, repeat. After five more cycles, I just decided they were more proctalgia than just getting wet.

 

[woody66]

After five more cycles, I just decided they were more proctalgia than just getting wet.

Being an ignoramus i tried for ages to find the meaning of proctalgia; but gave up as it was such a pain in the bum!!!
Woody

 

[ken2116]

Rain chaps (individual sleeves for each leg, tied to one's belt loops) used in conjunction with a raincoat with decent overlap. These keep the water off, ventilate better than pants and have less weight and bulk. We made ours from SilNylon, very light weight, but you might be able to purchase them.

 

[Leon RSA]

I was wondering if it is necessary to bring rain pants? We will be starting March 29th from Lisbon doing the central route. Thanks in advance for the input.

My previous Camino in 2019 I was walking with a rain pants on day one during a lot of rain. After 10km, I took the pants off as it was too uncomfortable. I never used it again on the rest of the walk, although there were more rain days.