This article on choosing clothing for the Camino de Santiago in autumn is part of a long series dedicated to the Saint James pilgrimage. You'll find plenty of practical tips on how to organise and prepare your hiking trip (routes, equipment, season, clothing, physical preparation, useful advice… And more). Find the list of links to the other articles in the series at the bottom of this page!
If you've decided to walk the Camino de Santiago in autumn, you're 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 you prepare for your departure, you'll need to carefully select the clothing in your pack to be ready for all eventualities. Here are our tips and our clothing selection for the Camino de Santiago in autumn, to help you face any bad weather and complete this journey in the best possible conditions.Clothing for the Camino de Santiago in autumn: the upper body
In autumn, the main constant throughout the entire route will be the variation in temperature over the course of the day. You'll experience greater swings than in other seasons, and to counter this you really need to use the three-layer technique.
You should therefore prioritise warm and breathable thermal underwear that wick moisture away. These are worn as a base layer against the skin. You can then add short-sleeve shirts, long-sleeve shirts and warm gilets. Finally, over all of that, make sure you have a jacket that can handle bad weather (wind and rain): it needs to be waterproof and breathable. If you choose one that packs down well, you can easily stow it in your bag when conditions don't call for it.
Finally, for the coldest spells, consider bringing a lightweight fleece jacket that will give you effective protection against the cold.
Clothing for the Camino de Santiago in autumn: the lower body
In autumn, we recommend setting off with lightweight long trousers and a slightly warmer pair of trousers. You can drop the lightweight trousers if you're travelling mainly in November, where they'll be less useful. A convertible pair of trousers can also be a great option — it saves weight and volume in your pack and lets you switch to shorts when it gets warm. Choose a technical garment designed for walking, offering a good range of movement and minimising excessive friction zones. The benefit of flat seams is crucial here for logging hours of walking without any issues.
Finally, if you're bivouacking or even sleeping in some poorly heated refuges, a thermal long underwear 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 exertion (the cold can quickly cause cramps).
Clothing for the Camino de Santiago in autumn: socks and footwear
Choosing the right socks and footwear for the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage in autumn is important: cooler temperatures and the presence of moisture create increasingly difficult conditions for your feet as the days go by, so it's essential to kit yourself out properly. Your feet will be put through their paces throughout the entire route and are crucial to your well-being and endurance. It can be tempting to walk without specific socks, but this is really something to avoid. You'll get blisters very quickly and your feet won't be sufficiently protected from impacts and the grass or stones encountered along the way. Whether it's shoes or socks, you'll also need to have used them for a few weeks before you set off, and be confident that the products suit you and cause you no discomfort whatsoever. First and foremost, footwear is of course essential: you need to set off with walking or hiking shoes and not with standard sports trainers. Depending on your habits, you can opt for mid-cut walking shoes or lightweight low-cut hiking shoes, though the latter are less secure on wet terrain. When it comes to socks, don't make the mistake of setting off with ordinary everyday socks. Over a single day you wouldn't notice the difference, but after a week it would unquestionably spell disaster for your feet. You'll need to choose lightweight hiking socks, and it would be ideal to go for double-skin anti blisters which are ideal for long days of effort. You can also opt for high-performance, durable hiking socks with a right/left foot ergonomic fit and a good proportion of merino wool in their composition to keep odours at bay.
Plan generously when it comes to the number of pairs so you can change every day if you're unable to wash your socks each evening. A minimum of 4 or 5 pairs is a reasonable recommendation.
Finally, to aid recovery, you can also set off with compression recovery socks that genuinely help reduce the feeling of fatigue and significantly lower the likelihood of cramps and calf pain. They're easy to use — simply put them on once you've reached your stop and wear them for between 2 and 4 hours to re-energise blood flow.
Other articles in the Camino de Santiago series:
