Some Rain Gear Questions?

[happyfeet]

I am heading out on the Camino from SJPD on April 25 2009 from Vancouver Canada by Paris and will start walking on the 28th flight back in from Madrid on June 5th.

Living in Vancouver and hiking the local mountains means I already have a pretty good Gore-tex jacket and pretty good gortex rain pants and backpack cover. The local outdoor stores have very poor selection of poncho it seems everyone here in Vancouver has a gortex jacket and rain paints!

All the guide books and many of the posts say take a poncho. Is the poncho better than the goretex jacket + pants for a trip from April 28 to June 5?

Can you buy ponchos on the way?

Thanks
Adib

[vjpulver]

I followed the advise of a veteran walker from South Africa who has walked on many trails under many circumstances ...mutiple trips on the Camino too. She advised getting an ALTUS (Google it) rain coat. It is marketed as a poncho, but is actually a rain coat. It is a pack cover too. The hat has a brim and it has sleeves and opens in the front. You can wear it over a fleece and stay warm and dry.

I leave for Madric, 20 April and end my Camino and return to USA on 2 June. Perhaps our paths will cross. You will recognize me during raing or cold weather, because I will be wearing my huge, poppy red rain gear.
8-)

[happyfeet]

Thanks for the advice DHL just delivered two Altus Ponchos one for me and one for my girlfriend. the Altus Atomsopherics looks very promising now I need some heavy rain to try out before we leave next Saturday.

My current plan is to take the altus + Gaters for major rain / down pours in hot weather.

Gortex jacket to wear on top of my base layers for light rain and in case things get cold and windy, not sure if that will be in the case in May.

[iris]

Is it necessary to have rain gear for a June/July trec across the Camino?
Would really appreciate hearing from experienced travelers...Do want to know what kinds of rain gear recommended for this time frame if it is indeed necessary. Thanks in advance...

[happyfeet]

I completed the Camino from St Jean to Santigo in May 2009. I took with me my high end GorTex jacket and and the rain poncho, the frequently recommended Altus Poncho. We bought 2 one for me and one for my wife and they were amazing, it is the best poncho ever and ideal for the Camino. I ended up forwarding my Gortex jacket to Santigo from Pamplona.

You could also just take a Golf Umbrella, I would probably take one if I did the Camino again in the Summer because it would work well to protect from the Sun. Even though we did it in May there was a heat wave and we have several days of 30 degress or more and it was horribly hot, I can't imagine how hot it would be in June/July, we also did 40KM days on those hot days.

Get the Altus it's awsome.

[Covey]

I have completed four Camino's from St Jean to Santiago and carry my Craghopper Gortex rain jacket in my pack. And there it has stayed, never to be used!!

If you are walking and it rains, you are going to get wet on the inside through sweat/condensation even with Gortex, as well as wet on the outside through the rain.

People carry rain covers for their packs. People carry ponchos to cover them and their pack in the rain and struggle to get it on and if it is windy, it blows all over the place.

Me? I pack everything in my pack in plastic bags which seal (large food bags from the supermarket freezer section!) so if the pack gets wet, so what.

I get wet. In Spain in June - Sept it is warm rain and usually does not last long, so I get wet when it rains and I dry out rapidly when it stops.

When you see the time people waste struggling in and out of all their wet weather kit X times a day, you may as well not bother. You know you have dry clothes in your pack to change in to when you get to the albergues, so put a smile on your face, and get wet!!

[JanineSimone]

i live in Almeria so rain in may is unlikely. what are the chances of rain in may early june if i was to take the Portuguese route? thanks *

[walkabout]

HI Happy Feet,

Where did you get your Altus poncho? I have googled it and only found a site in Spain that doesn't seem to send to the US. I am in Seattle. I also am leaving on April 20 to Paris and plan to start from Pamplona on around April 23. One other question, what sort of sleeping bag and you bringing?

Buen camino,
Dorothy

[Oak Hill Walkers]

We got ours on the Internet from Barrabes, a Spanish outfit. When you open their site, click on the 'Barrabes International' button on the upper right-hand side of the page if you are not fluent in reading Spanish.

they will ship to the USA via DHL for about 50 euros (for two ponchos).

Altus - Complementos - Paraguas y Otros - Material de Trekking y Camping - Barrabes.com

[SamBuffalo]

My wife and I ended up getting North Face Venture Jackets and Venture Pants from a local store called Trailblazer... ShopTrailblazer.com ...They fit the bill because they were cheap and light enough that it wouldn't be too annoying to carry them if they never left the pack! And they shipped to Spain, which was key when we got there and were short one jacket!