another question - re: rain gear

[Nick Hayes]

Delphia,

Just to add a bit to Gene's comment.
- ponchos have the value of being multi purpose. You can use it as a ground
sheet,
   as a a small tent when you stop and restt in the rain.
- they are easy to put on and off, you just sling them over you and your pack.

   Rain jackets require you to take packs off, and pants are a pain in the
neck ( in my humble opinion)
   when the rain starts to come down and you have left putting on your rain
gear til the last minute
   because of the heat it is nice to not have to mess around getting wet while
you put on rain protection.
Things to watch for.
- what ever you buy test them for water tightness before you leave.
  I had two relatively expensive ponchos. One was not water roof. then other
was but leaked at the seams.
  The best one I had cost me $2 from a hardware store
- with  a poncho your legs will get wet...no big deal. As Gene said you will
warm up while walking
   HOWEVER, if you hit a Galego deluge the water running down you legs can
fill up yuour boots pretty quickly
   as I found out to my chagrin.
Solutions for these problems.
- Poncho test....make a "swimming pool" with your poncho and fill it with
water.....wait ten minutes.
- water in boots....I just took some big ziplock bags, cut off one end. Then
when it really rained i slipped them over
my boots, so that one end was above the top of the boots and then used an
elastic band around my ankle to keep them in place and most of the water out.
More low -ech than that you dont find but they worked.

And in the end getting really wet once or twice isnt too bad and gives you
great "war stories"

cheers
Nick

Gene Silva wrote:

>    Do I take my
> > shorts or trousers off, or wear these over them?    If over, then its'
> > really hot!.   I PRESUME  (frequently inaccurately) that any rain in
> August/
> > Sept will be mostly a warm rain.    So, I ask, what difference does it
> make
> > if my legs get wet???  It might be more comfortable than rain pants which
> > just make me sweat more??
>
> In my opinion, no difference at all. I walked the camino from Leon last
> September. The poncho I used was made from light plastic and it covered my
> backpack which is important to avoid wetting the clothes inside during the
> occasional heavy downpours. My legs were exposed when wearing shorts or
> sometimes covered by my pants. Either way, I never felt cold except in the
> early morning, before sunrise, and that went away fast just because of the
> energy generated from walking. I would have been very uncomfortable in rain
> pants, just as you correctly assumed.
>
> > I just want to buy and carry the least possible.   .... and take my
> chances
> > on the rain!
>
> Good thinking. Whether or not it rains, you will wash your clothes at the
> end of the day's walk, shower off the grime and remember for ever the magic
> of trodding open fields and tree covered dirt roads of Galicia. That's the
> memory you will keep.