Clothing for dinner/touring/evening

[coldweather]

Hello:
I am starting the Camino from Pamplona the first week of May 2013. I am finalizing my packing list and I am struggling with what to wear after washing my walking clothes at the Refugio and going to bed. Basically, I need to know what to wear in the evenings.

I was thinking of 1 light weight, short sleeve, below the knee summer dress. I would pair this with my Keen sandals.

As a first timer I am aware that the first timers usually start out with too much stuff in our packs.
Is 1 dress overkill? Will the evenings in May – early June be warm or cool?

I plan to have 2 pair of walking clothes.

I did search the forum before posting this new thread but struggled to find advice.
Thanks in advance for your input!

 

[fortview]

People generally seem to follow the "one to wash, one to wear " idea. So you could wear your next day clothes the evening before. Some people even sleep in the clothes they are going to walk in. I had a pair of leggings, which I also wore under my shorts on cold days, and a long, light top. A dress sounds fine, but nobody dresses up for dinner !

 

[tyrrek]

If you have 2 pairs of walking clothes that will be fine. Just wear one while the other is washing/drying. Evenings can be cool in May so be prepared for that, but generally peregrino chic involves socks with sandals rather than summer dresses. Buen Camino!

p.s The socks are as much to hide your blistered feet from other people while they're eating as they are for warmth. :shock:

 

[scruffy1]

Fred Astaire was good at "Puttin' On The Ritz" but you won't need to bother on the Camino unless you really want to do such a thing. May will still be cool evenings and your " short sleeve, below the knee summer dress" won't be good for much of anything after a month of being removed and stuffed back into a backpack. All pilgrims, men and women, become threadbare and even downright shabby after about Carrión de los Condes, and you know what? No one cares.
S.

 

[na2than]

"no one cares"

On the contrary....i love it when some one makes an effort!
You will need a little cardigan at that time of year though in the evenings.
I felt scruffy in the big cities of bourgos, leon and logrono....Spanish people are rather well dressed.Some continental pilgrims will take specific evening clothes and suffer the extra kilo in their packs.




(socks and sandals make me shudder)

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Don't take or wear anything for someone else's benefit. You are not there to please others. Even churches are tolerant of pilgrim attire like shorts, sandals, no scarf, and no dress. When they are taking your money in a bar, restaurant, or store, your clothes are the last thing on their mind! If a strapless cocktail dress is to your taste, take it. I found I did not need my tuxedo. :wink:

 

[tyrrek]

(socks and sandals make me shudder)

Yes, I admit I shuddered a bit for the first week or so, but I got used to it and it worked quite well. You can leave your boots at the albergue, but if it's a cool evening socks and sandals work well when sitting outside a cafe etc. Much of the time the only passing locals are canine (they don't seem to mind), and all the other peregrinos look as scruffy as you do. It's quite liberating!

The Spanish are 'muy listo' so they can spot a peregrino a mile off in the cities and forgive any clothing pecadillos.

Buen Camino!

 

[Tia Valeria]

I took a simple dress which I could wear if it was hot, with or without a T-shirt. It doubled as a nightdress being non crease. I mostly wore my spare walking trousers as it was cool in the evenings when we walked. That meant I could freshen the walking ones up if needed.

This year I am carrying an extra pair of lightweight trousers, and the dress, because of our plans pre-Camino. It adds 200gms to my pack which I have tried to save elsewhere.

The Crocs are not chic, but useful.

 

[William Marques]

If you want to take a light easily folded dress do not let anyone persuade you not to. I always take something a little smarter to wear in the evenings and my wife always takes a dress. If you are staying in refugios you will probably wear your walking kit in the evenings but if you allow yourself the luxury of a day or two in a hotel along the way or at the end you will use it. We have been caught up in weddings twice in our travels and been glad to have had some smarter clothes on us.

 

[newfydog]

I met a German lady who put on some huge dangling earings each evening. Drew attention away from the travel clothes.

 

[Pieces]

first time i brought a dress second a skirt both very light... (bout 200 & 150 grams)

along with this 1 pair long pants and 1 pair running shorts, and a couple of nice t-shirts to fit them all

trick is to mix and match between everything you bring a nice lightweight t-shirt to walk in by day and match the skirt at night and so forth...

may will be cold in the evening as soon as the sun sets so bare legs are not necessarily ideal...

I enjoyed being a bit more femenine once in a while and also used the skirt/dres for walking when i felt like it...

the dangling earrings and other jewelry were worn BOTH during the day AND in the evening

 

[David]

This is a woman thing isn't it. I have met many women who take a light frock (can i still say frock?) wrapped carefully in a bag hidden in the rucksack - weighs a few grams and transforms that person when they eat out, or, especially, stroll in a city in the evening - sounds good to me (not for me to have a frock :| , but that a woman would take one)

 

[so-elegant]

Hi, I am from France. The may temperature at Pamplona is 8/15°C (7am/15am). You can take a little fluid satin dress with a skinny jeans or nothing if the dress comes just below the knee.