clothing variety

[ALAN HOGARTH]

Hi,  I walked the Camino from Roncesvalles starting 26th May and reaching
Santiago on 6th July, 2002.

Like you Dave I took a pair of trousers and a couple of shirts to wear in
Cities and Churches.  By the time I reached Pamplona I had learnt part of
the lesson that I had to lighten my pack! (Part of the lesson because I had
to repeat the lightening process twice more before I reached a reasonable 8
Kilos - 10% of body weight is the target)

Having reduced my attire to two pairs of walking shorts with zip on/off legs
and one pair of legs.  One shirt and 2 T shirts. 6 pairs of socks. I light
windproof jacket and 1 lightweight fleece pullover I felt that I had got the
clothing about right.

After showering and washing today's trail clothes I would change into a
clean T Shirts and shorts, zip on the legs and attend Mass.  I was clean and
reasonably dressed so everything felt right!

Regarding footwear.  I wore Brasher Supalite boots during the day and
changed into walking sandals on arrival.  I found that my feet became too
hot in the boots which were lined with breathable Gortex and partially
solved that by either soaking my feet in water, if available, every hour, or
when there was no water I applied cooling gel.  I'm walking the Camino again
in 2003, this time I intend starting from the church of St. James Torpoint,
Cornwall, England (this is the church that I was confirmed at and married in
and Torpoint is my home town although I don't live there now) Then I intend
to cross to Roscoff Brittany France on the ferry and take a gentle stroll of
about 1000 miles.  I intend to try wearing trail running shoes with Tega
Sandals as a back up.  In rain I will probably continue in the trail running
shoes, but if I hit real mud (which I did on two days last year) I intend to
change to sandals with socks covered by plastic bags, then back to trail
running shoes on clearing the mud.  Mad idea? I would appreciate thoughts.

Best Wishes for Your Camino

Alan
----- Original Message -----
From: "David planning Le Chemin de St Jacques/El Camino de Santiago"
<caminoaOAKAPPLE.NET>
To: <GOCAMINOaPETE.URI.EDU>
Sent: Monday, January 06, 2003 10:54 PM
Subject: clothing variety


> Thank you for all the comprehensive advice
> on the subject Protestants at Mass.
> Lia's post in particular raised enough interesting points
> to last for days, so I'll comment now on just one:
>
> > I was surprised many times to find churches in France that were very,
very conservative and strict with respect to the clothes you wear.
>
> Not only for churches, but for towns in general, to be less of an
> Ugly American, I am planning to carry
> a presentable travelsmith shirt and pants, that can quickly go over
> the runners shorts and capilene undershirt I usually hike in.
> The runners shorts also serve as underwear and swimwear.
> Along with... my rain jacket
> and pants, fleece shirt and pants, and maybe a fleece vest and a netting
> vest to provide handy  pockets in hot weather...
> and I'm going to carry all this in a
> G4 with a 20 pound limit?    We'll see about that.   But crossing the
> Massif Central in April, and the Meseta in June, certainly calls for some
> variety of attire.
>
> Long distance hikers on the Pacific Crest Trail here, who don't have much
> in the way of dry shelter most nights,
> often hike even the snowy early season
> Sierra in trail running shoes like New Balance 804's.
> But they typically don't
> have as many all-day-rainy days and animal pastures to navigate as Camino
> walkers.    So I still haven't decided whether to go with boots or trail
> shoes.