Waterproofs?

[jackberry]

Hi All, I have 4 weeks until I start my 1st Camino and I'm getting very excited ... My only concern at the moment is this freaky weather we seem to be having all over Europe :cry:. I was hoping for a sun hat,shorts but now thinking about a poncho or goretex jacket and waterproof trousers. Please can you help me because at this rate I will need a donkey to carry my backpack. :shock:

 

[piogaw]

hello,

make sure your waterproof trousers are breathable. you will sweat like a pig with polyester waterproof trousers. i wouldn't bother with a gore-tex jacket. just an ordinary showerproof jacket will do (also breathable if possible). by all means, get a good poncho that will cover your body.

que tengas un buen camino. que dios los bendiga.

 

[Anniesantiago]

Yup. It's a big question mark. It has to be warming up soon. Maybe you could go to goodwill or some charity shop and pick up clothes you can layer then leave behind when things warm up. There's just no way of knowing. We were getting sunburned one day and sideways icy slush two days later. It's bizarre.

Right now I have the following and I'm comfortably warm and my pack is light. I'm wearing many of these clothes. Lol

2 macabi skirts
2 quick dry ss shirts
1 merino wool ss shirt
1 pair featherweight merino wool longjohns
1 merino wool pullover
1 pair lightweight rain pants
1 matching rain jacket/windbreaker (Moonstone)
3 underwear
2 bras
2 wool socks
2 liners
Altus rain poncho
Food,
water,
deodorant,
clothesline
Safety pins
Soap
Toothbrush
Down Blanket
Tiny first aid kit
That's about it

Funny. A couple of days ago I was thinking of shipping my cold weather gear ahead. Ha. Ha. Ha. !

 

[colinPeter]

Hola Jacqueline,
There are lot's of options for rain gear and people will have their preferences. I would at least take a light weight poncho. Sea to Summit do an Ultra-Sil Ponch which covers you and your pack, it is very light (340 grams), so the donkey might not be needed, but not so cheap depending on were you are, so you probably won't be able to afford the "donkey".
Buen Camino
Colin

 

[jackberry]

Thank you all for your expert advice. I think it's a sea to summit poncho for me, with the sun hat and cream... Lets be positive ! Lol

 

[ArkBuilder]

Hi All, I have 4 weeks until I start my 1st Camino and I'm getting very excited ... My only concern at the moment is this freaky weather we seem to be having all over Europe :cry:. I was hoping for a sun hat,shorts but now thinking about a poncho or goretex jacket and waterproof trousers. Please can you help me because at this rate I will need a donkey to carry my backpack. :shock:

Inspite of all this jackberry. I hope you have a wonderful Camino.

Noah from Indianapolis

 

[xin loi]

Take a look at people who HAVE to work and move in the rain frequently. They all wear rain jackets and pants with suspenders. People who work in non-mobile jobs such as security and don't move much wear Ponchos in the real world. Ponchos trap sweat and you are soon wet if walking. A large Garbage bag with holes for arms and hole for head works as well as poncho.

 

[dougfitz]

I carry a good goretex or similar rain jacket and rain pants. My current jacket and pants are both from Macpac, but there are many other good brands around. Lightweight waterproofs are generally fine if you are prepared to shelter if the rain gets really heavy, but everything has its limits.

Expect to sweat inside your rain gear if you are walking; expect to retain much more, and be even wetter, if you don't have breathable gear. To that end, it makes no sense to me to have good rain pants without an equally good jacket, unless you are walking so slowly that you aren't sweating at all.

A garbage bag with holes is no substitute for a good poncho. It might be a fair substitute for one of those thin plastic ponchos, but not for the many good designs available that are a combination of poncho and pack cover. I have one made by Wafo, and if I had walked closer to summer, would have chosen it over taking jacket, pants, etc.

 

[xin loi]

Garbage bags work great if you don't have anything else and you only expect to need to be dry for one day. Also great for crossing knee deep waterways for about 50 meters before you wear them out and get your feet wet.

 

[ArkBuilder]

I carry a good goretex or similar rain jacket and rain pants. My current jacket and pants are both from Macpac, but there are many other good brands around. Lightweight waterproofs are generally fine if you are prepared to shelter if the rain gets really heavy, but everything has its limits.

Expect to sweat inside your rain gear if you are walking; expect to retain much more, and be even wetter, if you don't have breathable gear. To that end, it makes no sense to me to have good rain pants without an equally good jacket, unless you are walking so slowly that you aren't sweating at all.

A garbage bag with holes is no substitute for a good poncho. It might be a fair substitute for one of those thin plastic ponchos, but not for the many good designs available that are a combination of poncho and pack cover. I have one made by Wafo, and if I had walked closer to summer, would have chosen it over taking jacket, pants, etc.

Great idea!

I have sturdy but light-weight chaps [ that zip half-way down to get over my water-proof Merrill Moabs ] that strap to my belt and snap. Over this I have a light-weight rip-stop poncho that has a lot of room to breathe on the sides. Will have to use a para cord belt around it to keep the wind from whipping it up in a very windy rain.

I'm more concerned about the mud on the bottom of my Moabs.

Noah from Indianapolis

 

[Youngae]

I am walking my first camino in a month.

The plan I came up so far is wearing a sailing jacket 2 size bigger than my usual size (it covers my mid thighs) with a backpack cover and gaiters.
The sailing jacket was rom my local Decathlon's clearance section. It's big but not ridiculously big.

Now my plan leaves my lower part of thights unprotected. So I am thinking to buy a meter ×1.5 meter sized waterproof/breathable fabric on ebay and make a wrap skirt or something.
I think I can improvise and use the fabric as picnic blanket, bed cover, privacy curtain and so on along the walk.
Do you think it will work?

By the way I am on a budget so I can't really afford a Sea to sumit poncho although I really want to.

 

[Tia Valeria]

If you make a wrap skirt just be sure that it is wide enough to walk in and add a fastener at the hem or it could flap open.
Regatta make a fairly cheap poncho that might work for you - it looks similar to our old discontinued Rohan ones. Depends on the cost of the material you are looking at whether it is cost effective.
I have just made a pair of light gaiters and a pair of arm protectors from a sales pair of Regatta trousers. You could just buy a pair of cheap waterproof trousers, our Regatta ones work well and they are the lightest they make, not the expensive ones. They are also good for keeping the cold out on chilly mornings and easy to remove as we warm up. If you do buy trousers try them on in the shop with your boots on. If they don't go on easily when wearing your boots you will have a problem getting them on or off on a wet/muddy track.

 

[Youngae]

Thank you @tia. Haven't thought of getting fasteners at the hem.
I just ordered the fabric for 5.45 pounds/m. It might be just a silly idea but somehow I want to try it.
I tried on a couple of rain trousers at Decathlon and didn't like them.
I know the camino is not about fashion but honestly they made me look so bad...

 

[Tia Valeria]

It sounds like a good idea to me
Are you going to cut it as 2 'diagonal' pieces so that the lower edge is wide? I once had a fantastic wrap around skirt that was great for walking in.

 

[alaskadiver]

Hi All, I have 4 weeks until I start my 1st Camino and I'm getting very excited ... My only concern at the moment is this freaky weather we seem to be having all over Europe :cry:. I was hoping for a sun hat,shorts but now thinking about a poncho or goretex jacket and waterproof trousers. Please can you help me because at this rate I will need a donkey to carry my backpack. :shock:

What freaky weather? It's 66F in Madrid right now which is really warm for walking. I've been watching the weather for a couple of weeks and it's been nice. Lows in the 40s with highs around 60's. What did I miss? I'm not going until mid-May and I'm not worried about cold weather at all but I'm looking for patterns. What have you been seeing?

 

[Youngae]

It sounds like a good idea to me
Are you going to cut it as 2 'diagonal' pieces so that the lower edge is wide? I once had a fantastic wrap around skirt that was great for walking in.

I didn't even know I could cut it as 2 diagonal pieces. Lol. I am getting worried.

 

[Tia Valeria]

Not strictly diagonal, but if you fold it across so that you have an angle on it, make sure that your two small 'ends' are enough for your waist plus seaming and the 'diagonal' line leaves a bottom end that is wider than the 'tops'. Then will be you will have a wrap round with room to walk easily. Turn one end round so that you have two top ends together and sew a side seam. It does not need to be a full diagonal, but just a slant on the cut line to give you the narrow top and wider bottom. You could make a paper pattern with a newspaper if you want to check it out before cutting.

 

[Youngae]

Not strictly diagonal, but if you fold it across so that you have an angle on it, make sure that your two small 'ends' are enough for your waist plus seaming and the 'diagonal' line leaves a bottom end that is wider than the 'tops'. Then will be you will have a wrap round with room to walk easily. Turn one end round so that you have two top ends together and sew a side seam. It does not need to be a full diagonal, but just a slant on the cut line to give you the narrow top and wider bottom. You could make a paper pattern with a newspaper if you want to check it out before cutting.

Oh, thank you @tia, it's so helpful. You are really resourceful! I will definitely follow these instructions and let you know how I manage it.

 

[Tia Valeria]

Another tip my aunt gave me. (She was a dressmaker). When you have your wrap seamed. For the waist to fit well:-
Make a dart centre back, maybe 1", make 2 darts one each side of it to be half way to any side seam. (Assuming that your wrap round seam may not be at the side, and then only one side this is where the seam should be if it had them.) Front, make a dart each side in a similar position. These 4 darts should be half of the original centre back dart size. Then tweak the darts until you have a good fit. I had a waistband on mine but it isn't needed, a good turn over will do.
Have fun

 

[Paddington Bear]

What freaky weather? It's 66F in Madrid right now which is really warm for walking. I've been watching the weather for a couple of weeks and it's been nice. Lows in the 40s with highs around 60's. What did I miss? I'm not going until mid-May and I'm not worried about cold weather at all but I'm looking for patterns. What have you been seeing?

41* F = 5* C
60* F = 16 * F

Where I come from that is pretty a darn cold winters day.
But I can see you are from Alaska so all is forgiven. : )

We are walking in mid may and I was hoping for 9*C low > 21* C highs. That's 49*F > 70* F. Still cool to me but bearable.

 

[alaskadiver]

41* F = 5* C
60* F = 16 * F

Where I come from that is pretty a darn cold winters day.
But I can see you are from Alaska so all is forgiven. : )

We are walking in mid may and I was hoping for 9*C low > 21* C highs. That's 49*F > 70* F. Still cool to me but bearable.

Oh, okay. I thought I missed some freak weather happenings
No, 70F is far from cool for me. That's shorts and t-shirt weather with profuse sweating. I endured that during a month long trek in Nepal before reaching the Himalayas. Almost got heat exhaustion
I hope where you are it's warm and where I am it's cool.

 

[Hiawatha]

I am walking my first camino in a month.
Now my plan leaves my lower part of thighs unprotected.
Do you think it will work?

It is best to keep your thighs warm and dry , they are the 'main engine' of your legs and really should be looked after .
Legs below the knee and feet might feel a little uncomfortable when wet but they will still function and dry soon enough . Cold thighs will leave you at risk of cramps and hypothermia , it is this risk that is the reason cotton jeans are so dreadful and dangerous to use .
Don't worry about the silly look of a big jacket as long as it drops down to your knees and sheds water it will do .

 

[alipilgrim]

What freaky weather? It's 66F in Madrid right now which is really warm for walking. I've been watching the weather for a couple of weeks and it's been nice. Lows in the 40s with highs around 60's. What did I miss? I'm not going until mid-May and I'm not worried about cold weather at all but I'm looking for patterns. What have you been seeing?

This post was from 2013....

 

[alaskadiver]

This post was from 2013....

LOL!. I hate it when old threads get resurrected. 2013 WAS a freaky weather year.