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When It Rains It Pours?

Time of past OR future Camino
Camino Frances, April 2023
Hello to All,

My Son and I will be starting out first Camino (Frances) on April 1, 2023. I am curious about the rain along the Camino, based on past pilgrims experiences does it rain for long periods of time or does it come in short bursts. The reason I ask is to determine if a bivvy tent might be something to consider vs walking in heavy rain for an extended period of time. Like more than two hours in heavy showers, any help and guiadance is greatly appreciated.

Hope to see, meet and get to know many Pilgrims along the Camino real soon.

Regards,
Epic and Tristan
American Pilgrims
Southern California
 
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Hello to All,

My Son and I will be starting out first Camino (Frances) on April 1, 2023. I am curious about the rain along the Camino, based on past pilgrims experiences does it rain for long periods of time or does it come in short bursts. The reason I ask is to determine if a bivvy tent might be something to consider vs walking in heavy rain for an extended period of time. Like more than two hours in heavy showers, any help and guiadance is greatly appreciated.

Hope to see, meet and get to know many Pilgrims along the Camino real soon.

Regards,
Epic and Tristan
American Pilgrims
Southern California
Buen Camino!
I walked the Camino Frances last year in April and May. I experienced both types of rainfall. And snow. My regret is not having rain pants. That and a good rain jacket will do more good than a bivy tent. Avoid extra weight.
Blessings on your pilgrimage
 
Hello to All,

My Son and I will be starting out first Camino (Frances) on April 1, 2023. I am curious about the rain along the Camino, based on past pilgrims experiences does it rain for long periods of time or does it come in short bursts. The reason I ask is to determine if a bivvy tent might be something to consider vs walking in heavy rain for an extended period of time. Like more than two hours in heavy showers, any help and guiadance is greatly appreciated.

Hope to see, meet and get to know many Pilgrims along the Camino real soon.

Regards,
Epic and Tristan
American Pilgrims
Southern California
Hi and welcome Just to help us, at what point will you start the Camino Frances?
 
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Ahh yes, we will begin our Camino in St. Jean Pied-d-Port.


I agree with James' advice here. While I have met a few people walking with bivvy gear, it is not necessary in my opinion.

I always bring a good rain jacket, my wife brings good rain trousers also. I dislike the latter, but hey, all walking is personal...

You are starting April 1st.
Make sure to visit the Pilgrim Office in SJPP to check weather status of route. Valcarlos route may be the better option, but all depend on the weather at the time.

Nothing to worry about, just take prevailing advice...
 
Last edited:
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I don't know if you have spent two hours sheltering in a bivvy tent. Personally, I would rather spend two hours sheltering in a nice warm café. Fortunately, there are enough of these along the way to make a bivvy tent an unnecessary extra weight. Nix on the bivvy. Good waterproof outer layers is the go. Buen camino (it might even get quite hot by the time you reach Santiago, it will be May by then).
 
I don't know if you have spent two hours sheltering in a bivvy tent. Personally, I would rather spend two hours sheltering in a nice warm café. Fortunately, there are enough of these along the way to make a bivvy tent an unnecessary extra weight.
Listen to @dick bird. You are rarely more than a couple of hours from a town where you can find shelter.
Since you are starting in SJPdP you can reserve an Altus "poncho" (really an oversized raincoat with room for your backpack) at Boutique du Pelerín.

 


I agree with James' advice here. While I have met a few people walking with bivvy gear, it is not necessary in my opinion.

I always bring a good rain jacket, my wife brings good rain trousers also. I dislike the latter, but hey, all walking is personal...

You are starting April 1st.
Make sure to visit the Pilgrim Office in SJPP to check weather status of route. Valcarlos route may be the better option, but all depend on the weather at the time.

Nothing to worry about, just take prevailing advice...
Thank you for the insight and advice. We will walk on in our rain gear, and make the best of the experience.
 
Ideal sleeping bag liner whether we want to add a thermal plus to our bag, or if we want to use it alone to sleep in shelters or hostels. Thanks to its mummy shape, it adapts perfectly to our body.

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Listen to @dick bird. You are rarely more than a couple of hours from a town where you can find shelter.
Since you are starting in SJPdP you can reserve an Altus "poncho" (really an oversized raincoat with room for your backpack) at Boutique du Pelerín.

I will nix the idea of a bivvy and make the best of the rain. Thank you so much.
 
I don't know if you have spent two hours sheltering in a bivvy tent. Personally, I would rather spend two hours sheltering in a nice warm café. Fortunately, there are enough of these along the way to make a bivvy tent an unnecessary extra weight. Nix on the bivvy. Good waterproof outer layers is the go. Buen camino (it might even get quite hot by the time you reach Santiago, it will be May by then).
Thank you for the quick reply. I will leave our bivvys at home and walk on. And on and on.
 
I walked from LePuy and experienced about 30 days of rain from LePuy to SJPP....then both sunshine and freezing rain over the pass to Roncevalles. Another time on the Frances we did not get a day of rain from SJPP to Santiago. Yet another time (Jan & Feb) we had wind and rain for many days in a row and then nice weather from about Leon into Santiago.
There just is no way to predict...even from week to week.

I might add that I know several pilgrims that take good rain jackets and just wear shorts in the rain. I have tried this and it is very workable as you do not have the pants legs to get soaked.

I might further add.....I walked the Via de la Plata in August (most days over 110f) and never saw a day of rain....spent time under sprinklers in corn fields as I walked by.:cool:
 
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I will nix the idea of a bivvy and make the best of the rain. Thank you so much.
I think you are making a wise choice. I carry a bivvy bag on most of my Camino walks but I only use it to break up long stages on less-travelled routes like the Mozarabe or Via de la Plata. And only in dry weather! Trying to wait out a Galician monsoon in a bivvy bag on the CF would be much less fun than drying out gradually with a stiff drink or two in a bar a few km further down the line. :cool:
 
I think you are making a wise choice. I carry a bivvy bag on most of my Camino walks but I only use it to break up long stages on less-travelled routes like the Mozarabe or Via de la Plata. And only in dry weather! Trying to wait out a Galician monsoon in a bivvy bag on the CF would be much less fun than drying out gradually with a stiff drink or two in a bar a few km further down the line. :cool:
Your idea sounds soo much better. Cheers!!
 
For a May/June hike in 2019, I used rain pants from REI. They were light weight and worked well. I splurged on a gortex rain jacket. It came i very handy on cold mornings in addition to its rain duties. Mt MVP for clothing was a Patagonia better sweater. I wore it more than half the mornings and frequently on evenings when the temp was in the low 60’s according to the weater app, but a cold wind coming off the snow covered mountains made it feel like the 40’s. In a pinch it even made a decent pillow..
 
Ideal sleeping bag liner whether we want to add a thermal plus to our bag, or if we want to use it alone to sleep in shelters or hostels. Thanks to its mummy shape, it adapts perfectly to our body.

€46,-
I wouldn't bring a bivy tent myself. Just good rain gear. Yes - you will have rain. Could have a down pour. Could have light rain. Could have days of on and off raining. Could have days of constant raining. And so on. But most of us don't let it stop us from hiking. We might take a break from it though or start a little later hoping to let it dry out before we get started. If you bring a tent or bivy to escape the rain - you will just end up dealing with another piece of wet gear. And on the Camino Frances - most days there are towns every few kilometers - so if you need a break you can pop into a bar for a while and order a drink and/or food. I have done that on a few occasions, I even ended my walking day a bit early once when it had been cold/rainy for 4 days and I was finally sick of it. But never felt the need to put up a bivy or tent.

I wore my rain jacket but not rain pants. Sometimes I hiked in quick drying leggings. Sometimes I hiked in shorts. Whatever got wet - dried after the rain stopped. You can bring waterproof pants if you want - but they can be a pain to put on and take off when the weather changes so I don't bother. Actually - in April I probably would bring the rain pants since it is colder too. I did bring an umbrella for one Camino, I skipped it for another.

I don't do waterproof shoes - too hot and when they do get soaked they take too long to dry. I do my best to always have a dry pair of socks to change into if needed. Most of the time my shoes didn't soak through - the day they did however it was because I was walking through tall wet grass on an overgrown trail for several hours.
 
Buen Camino!
I walked the Camino Frances last year in April and May. I experienced both types of rainfall. And snow. My regret is not having rain pants. That and a good rain jacket will do more good than a bivy tent. Avoid extra weight.
Blessings on your pilgrimage
Hi did you experience snow in May or just April? Thanks for the tips blessings
 
You really don't mind a little bit of rain. But, on occaision it will rain fairly steadily for a day or two or three. I find that in those situations, it doesn't matter what you are wearing, you will be totally wet (if not from the rain, then from the sweat under the plastic cape or rain pants). I always have to remember one pretty miserable rainy day, standing under a tree with a Dutch couple watching an Eastern European (by his accent) pilgrim strut by in total wetness screaming at the rain saying "Pilgrims are invincible!!!". You just have to take that attitude.
 
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Like Grayland, I endured the worst possible weather walking out of Le Puy and posted on another thread. Life on the Camino is a day by day planning exercise.
 
For me this will be my first time starting end of April. I have walked 5 times before on the Frances but always in June or September when I had barely any rain. So now we're certainly prepping ourselves for a different experience. A cooler and wetter Camino. For me , I have a poncho and a super light windbreaker( will be useful for colder days too) I am skipping rain pants , knowing my quick dry pants will get wet, but dry fast overnight. We will see how all goes :) But yes a tent seems not a good idea. Enjoy your Camino
 
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To add to everything that has been said and to share my experience
IMHO it matters not "where one starts" - we are talking about the weather and that can be ...well... as "predictable as weather can be" ;) no matter where one is
On my walk SJPdP --> SdC May\June 2022 it rained sporadically (1st hit - early morning in Roncesvalles) on various days.... usually no more than 30 mins at different times of the day....
... that is until I go to Galicia when it rained every day for like 10 days, with few moments of "relief" here and there.
With that, I had a NorthFace waterproof jacket and very flimsy (practically one-time use) poncho that we were given during our "rainforest outing" on the cruise to Alaska eons ago. somehow, it survived all the years and proved to be adequate enough for me on the Camino.
Here are couple of pics. (1st one is at Roncesvalles and it never got to the point of wearing a poncho, but it shows my 'rain skirt' :))
worth mentioning that one of the things I did like about that poncho is that "being flimsy" it weighted next to nothing and very nicely would fold into a tiny square that fitted in my top part of the backpack where its own "poncho" lived.
So - thats what worked for me. Hope you find your niche
Good lucj and Buen Camino
 

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It seems that last year's drought is continuing, even though some current weather may suggest the contrary.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-64730653

France is facing drought restrictions after its driest winter for more than 60 years.

Following a month of no significant rainfall, the country is now in a state of alert.
Local officials will gather on Monday to assess the situation "territory by territory", Ecological Transition Minister Christophe Béchu has said.

...

The hot temperatures triggered drought conditions that many regions are yet to recover from.

Snowfall in the Italian Alps is down by 53% and water levels in the Po basin of Italy's largest river are 61% below normal, according to researchers.

...

Snow cover in the Pyrenees and Alps was also significantly lower than normal during a period considered crucial for replenishing France's groundwater reserves.
Rain was expected to return to southern France on Wednesday, the agency said, and the next three months would prove decisive.


---

Note that there were fires a few weeks ago near Perpignan, because it was so dry.
 
I walked from LePuy and experienced about 30 days of rain from LePuy to SJPP....then both sunshine and freezing rain over the pass to Roncevalles. Another time on the Frances we did not get a day of rain from SJPP to Santiago. Yet another time (Jan & Feb) we had wind and rain for many days in a row and then nice weather from about Leon into Santiago.
There just is no way to predict...even from week to week.

I might add that I know several pilgrims that take good rain jackets and just wear shorts in the rain. I have tried this and it is very workable as you do not have the pants legs to get soaked.

I might further add.....I walked the Via de la Plata in August (most days over 110f) and never saw a day of rain....spent time under sprinklers in corn fields as I walked by.:cool:
This wearing a poncho and shorts in the rain is what I do - legs are easier to dry than pants - and I have very short but super lightweight gaiters to reduce the rain pouring in the top of my trail runners that I got at MEC....
 
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
Hello to All,

My Son and I will be starting out first Camino (Frances) on April 1, 2023. I am curious about the rain along the Camino, based on past pilgrims experiences does it rain for long periods of time or does it come in short bursts. The reason I ask is to determine if a bivvy tent might be something to consider vs walking in heavy rain for an extended period of time. Like more than two hours in heavy showers, any help and guiadance is greatly appreciated.

Hope to see, meet and get to know many Pilgrims along the Camino real soon.

Regards,
Epic and Tristan
American Pilgrims
Southern California
see you there - I start 1st April too! I am bringing rain trousers and a Paramo jacket (as near waterproof as they get I believe) - I am layering up too as there could be snow...but others who have done it i am sure will give you better info as its my 1st time
 
Hello to All,

My Son and I will be starting out first Camino (Frances) on April 1, 2023. I am curious about the rain along the Camino, based on past pilgrims experiences does it rain for long periods of time or does it come in short bursts. The reason I ask is to determine if a bivvy tent might be something to consider vs walking in heavy rain for an extended period of time. Like more than two hours in heavy showers, any help and guiadance is greatly appreciated.

Hope to see, meet and get to know many Pilgrims along the Camino real soon.

Regards,
Epic and Tristan
American Pilgrims
Southern California
The rain in Spain is not mainly on the plain. It pours in Galicia and can rain all day.
 
My husband and I've been lucky. We've encountered a few heavy rainy days but not too many. We mailed our rain pants home from Logrono on our first Camino when we were desperate to shed weight. Since then we have really liked having rain skirts/kilts. Super light weight and effective.

There are a few days of constant rain but it's far more common to have days where it just rains a little for a short time, over and over. Constant taking on/putting off the rain gear. Rain kilts are good for that.
 
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
I am prejudiced by walking the del Norte in TORRENTIAL WIND AND RAIN. So I settled on a good super light rain jacket, a superlight RAIN KILT, superlight long gaiters to keep water out of my boots, and a superlight UV UMBRELLA. That way I can walk with my hat off, hood down, neck open to cool air. I only used that a day or two on the Frances last year but the umbrella was great to keep the sun off in the afternoons. I have backpack camped for weeks here in Alaska and slept in bivy sacks and bivy tents the whole time. You can't get in or out of one in a downpour without getting pretty wet anyway. The best advice I read above is to just sit out a downpour in a nice, warm, friendly bar/cafe. Buen Camino
 
Hello to All,

My Son and I will be starting out first Camino (Frances) on April 1, 2023. I am curious about the rain along the Camino, based on past pilgrims experiences does it rain for long periods of time or does it come in short bursts. The reason I ask is to determine if a bivvy tent might be something to consider vs walking in heavy rain for an extended period of time. Like more than two hours in heavy showers, any help and guiadance is greatly appreciated.

Hope to see, meet and get to know many Pilgrims along the Camino real soon.

Regards,
Epic and Tristan
American Pilgrims
Southern California
My experience is that the rain in Spain falls mainly, not on the plains, but on Galicia. When I last walked the Frances, the rain mostly fell in short bursts rather than long periods of time. But it may be different in April. That said, I think carrying the extra weight and bulk of a bivvy tent is unlikely to be worth it. Remember that on most days, villages will not be spread far apart (especially in Galicia). If you want to shelter from the rain for a while, a bar in a nearby village is likely to provide much superior shelter.
 
Hello to All,

My Son and I will be starting out first Camino (Frances) on April 1, 2023. I am curious about the rain along the Camino, based on past pilgrims experiences does it rain for long periods of time or does it come in short bursts. The reason I ask is to determine if a bivvy tent might be something to consider vs walking in heavy rain for an extended period of time. Like more than two hours in heavy showers, any help and guiadance is greatly appreciated.

Hope to see, meet and get to know many Pilgrims along the Camino real soon.

Regards,
Epic and Tristan
American Pilgrims
Southern California
I walked in winter a fee years back now. You can expect any kinds of weather. For me it snowed, sleeted, hailed, rained and blew all the way except for some glorious weather through the meseta. I would suggest a good poncho, but several people I saw had their ponchos completely shredded in the rain. I was soaked to the skin every day, a bit dangerous in colder weather. The problem was my goretex jacket. All three I’ve owned have leaked like sieves. Also the inner layers tend to wear through under the shoulder straps of your pack. Hence my guarded suggestion to look for a good poncho, but with a drawstring around the waist area.

De colores. Bogong
 
St James' Way - Self-guided 4-7 day Walking Packages, Reading to Southampton, 110 kms
Hello to All,

My Son and I will be starting out first Camino (Frances) on April 1, 2023. I am curious about the rain along the Camino, based on past pilgrims experiences does it rain for long periods of time or does it come in short bursts. The reason I ask is to determine if a bivvy tent might be something to consider vs walking in heavy rain for an extended period of time. Like more than two hours in heavy showers, any help and guiadance is greatly appreciated.

Hope to see, meet and get to know many Pilgrims along the Camino real soon.

Regards,
Epic and Tristan
American Pilgrims
Southern California
A good poncho, a smile and a song in your heart. It is the Camino rain, sun, wind and snow all part of the fun. My only guidance is not to worry about it just go with No Expectations and you will have no disappointments.
 
Today it's a cloudy cold windy day in New Mexico where I live. It's usually sunny and beautiful here and when we do have weather like this, I usually wimp out of taking my daily walk. I often tell my husband on these days, "If we were on the Camino we'd just walk no matter what ... and that's one thing I love about the Camino."
 
The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
Hello to All,

My Son and I will be starting out first Camino (Frances) on April 1, 2023. I am curious about the rain along the Camino, based on past pilgrims experiences does it rain for long periods of time or does it come in short bursts. The reason I ask is to determine if a bivvy tent might be something to consider vs walking in heavy rain for an extended period of time. Like more than two hours in heavy showers, any help and guiadance is greatly appreciated.

Hope to see, meet and get to know many Pilgrims along the Camino real soon.

Regards,
Epic and Tristan
American Pilgrims
Southern California
I carry a rain poncho that covers me and pack , I’ll walk in light rain , but if it’s rough I’ll sit in a cafe , it’s not a race
 
Thank you for the insight and advice. We will walk on in our rain gear, and make the best of the experience.
You make it sound like a chore rather than the delight that it is. But I guess that you did say that you were from Southern California 😍
 
Ideal sleeping bag liner whether we want to add a thermal plus to our bag, or if we want to use it alone to sleep in shelters or hostels. Thanks to its mummy shape, it adapts perfectly to our body.

€46,-
A good, large poncho with sleeves is all that is needed. You can just sit down on any wet bench or even on the ground without getting wet, and your backpack is safe from rain, too. Combined with a hat and rain pants, you'll feel like walking around in a tent 🤣.

I carried a bivy tent on several Caminos/hikes, but I've never used it inbetween stages to shelter, only for sleeping at night. I agree with others that sheltering in a café or bar with a hot coffee is much nicer, and thankfully on the Francés there are many of them 🙂.

Enjoy your walk, may it be in the rain or not. Buen Camino!
 
Hello to All,

My Son and I will be starting out first Camino (Frances) on April 1, 2023. I am curious about the rain along the Camino, based on past pilgrims experiences does it rain for long periods of time or does it come in short bursts. The reason I ask is to determine if a bivvy tent might be something to consider vs walking in heavy rain for an extended period of time. Like more than two hours in heavy showers, any help and guiadance is greatly appreciated.

Hope to see, meet and get to know many Pilgrims along the Camino real soon.

Regards,
Epic and Tristan
American Pilgrims
Southern California
A poncho that cover backpack and body with 5000 watercoloumn protection is sufficient 98% of time on path. In other words, exellent protection level. For me…?… in my experience as a repetetive peregrino…?…this norm has become a
m i n i m u m cause rare, random and severe rainstorm with undercooled water is also to be «mastered» by all. Murphys law.

Ultreia🙏🏼F38A4509-32A6-4383-86CE-38FB4790B12B.jpeg
 
A selection of Camino Jewellery
For a May/June hike in 2019, I used rain pants from REI. They were light weight and worked well. I splurged on a gortex rain jacket. It came i very handy on cold mornings in addition to its rain duties. Mt MVP for clothing was a Patagonia better sweater. I wore it more than half the mornings and frequently on evenings when the temp was in the low 60’s according to the weater app, but a cold wind coming off the snow covered mountains made it feel like the 40’s. In a pinch it even made a decent pillow..
Thanks. I think we have the layers covered. Do you think I should forego the rain jacket and take my gortex instead due to temps in early April?. The gortex is a bit heavier material.
 
The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
Can anyone suggest where I can order an Altus type poncho (zippered front, covers pack, size XXL) to pick up in either Pamplona or Burgos?

I tried Caminoteca in Pamplona but their website does not load and google says that they are closed.

While the combo of 1) waterproof (theoretically breathable) hooded jacket, 2) rainskirt and 3) waterproof pack cover works 80-90% of the time, when drying out in a cafe (from perspiration or rain?), I was impressed by several peregrinos who walk by in t-shirt, shorts and a highly breathable poncho that is as light as any one of the three items I was carrying.

A poncho with a zippered front that covers the pack can be unzipped, arms pulled out of sleeves, and remain hanging off my pack to dry in the breeze.
 
I tried Caminoteca in Pamplona but their website does not load and google says that they are closed.
I was able to get the Caminoteca site to load. Here's their "contact us" page.
I would send an email or call them. Google says that they are temporarily closed.

 
New Original Camino Gear Designed Especially with The Modern Peregrino In Mind!
@trecile Is the Altus poncho weight listed somewhere? I can't seem to find it and would like to compare the Altus Large against the Decathlon version. Thanks!
@Walkalong - Decathlon sells a "poncho" similar to the Altus, but it is heavier.
 
St James' Way - Self-guided 4-7 day Walking Packages, Reading to Southampton, 110 kms

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