This article on choosing clothing for the Camino de Santiago in autumn is part of a long series dedicated to the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage. You will find a wealth of practical advice on how to organise and prepare your hiking trip (routes, equipment, season, clothing, physical preparation, tips… etc). Find the list of links to the other articles in the series at the bottom of this page!
If you have decided to walk the Camino de Santiago in autumn, you are choosing a period that can be very pleasant with mild temperatures and sunshine (particularly in late September and October), but also one that can be a little cool and wet (towards the end of the season). So, before preparing your departure, you need to carefully select the clothing in your backpack to be ready for all eventualities. Here are our tips and our selection of clothing for the Camino de Santiago in autumn to face any bad weather and complete this journey in the best possible conditions.Clothing for the Camino de Santiago in autumn: upper body
In autumn, the main constant throughout the entire route will be the variation in temperature over the course of the day. You will experience greater temperature swings than in other seasons, and to counter this you really need to use the 3-layer system.
You should therefore opt for warm and breathable thermal base layers that wick away moisture. These should be worn as a base layer directly against the skin. You can then add short-sleeved shirts, long-sleeved shirts and warm gilets. Finally, over all of that, make sure you have a jacket that can stand up to bad weather (wind and rain): it must be waterproof and breathable. If you choose one that is compact enough, you can easily pack it away in your bag when the conditions do not require you to wear it.
Finally, for the coldest periods, consider bringing along a lightweight fleece jacket to give you effective protection against the cold.
Clothing for the Camino de Santiago in autumn: lower body
In autumn, it is best to set off with a lightweight pair of trousers and a slightly warmer pair of trousers. You can leave the lightweight trousers behind if you are travelling mainly in November, where they will be less useful. Convertible trousers can also be a great option and will save you weight and volume in your backpack, allowing you to switch to shorts when it gets warm. Choose a technical garment suited to walking, offering a good range of movement and avoiding excessive areas of friction. The benefit of flat seams is paramount here to accumulate hours of walking without discomfort.
Finally, if you are camping or even sleeping in some poorly heated refuges, a thermal long johns will be welcome at night. It will protect you from the cold and you can slip it on right after your walk to preserve your muscles after the effort (the cold can quickly cause muscle cramps).
Clothing for the Camino de Santiago in autumn: socks and shoes
The choice of socks and shoes for the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage in autumn is important: the cooler temperatures and moisture present create increasingly difficult conditions for your feet over the days, so it is essential to kit yourself out properly. Your feet will be put through their paces throughout the route and they are essential to your wellbeing and endurance. It can be tempting to walk without specific socks, but this is really not advisable. You will get blisters very quickly and your feet will not be sufficiently protected from impacts and the grass or stones encountered along the way. Whether shoes or socks, you should also have used them for a few weeks before your departure and be certain that they suit you and cause no discomfort whatsoever. First and foremost, shoes are of course essential: you need to set off with walking or hiking shoes and not with standard sports shoes. Depending on your habits, you can opt for mid-upper walking shoes or lightweight low-upper hiking shoes, though the latter are less secure on wet terrain. For socks, do not make the mistake of setting off with ordinary everyday socks. Over a single day you would not notice the difference, but after a week it would certainly be a disaster for your feet. You will therefore need to choose lightweight hiking socks, and it would be ideal to choose double-skin anti- blisters which are ideal for long days of effort. You can also opt for high-performance, sturdy hiking socks with a right foot/left foot ergonomic design and a good proportion of merino wool in their composition to limit odours.
Pack plenty of pairs so you can change every day if you cannot wash your socks each evening. A minimum of 4 or 5 pairs is a reasonable recommendation.
Finally, to aid recovery, it is possible to set off with compression recovery socks which truly help to reduce the feeling of fatigue and greatly lower the likelihood of cramps and calf pain. They are easy to use — simply slip them on once you have reached your stopping point for the day and wear them for between 2 and 4 hours to re-energise blood flow.
Other articles in the Camino de Santiago series:
