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Equipment shopping in France

MichaelC

Active Member
Donating Member
Time of past OR future Camino
May 2023: Via Francigena, Lucca to Rome
Does anyone have any experience with the Decathlon store in Lyon, or with their Quechua brand? I've been looking through their online catalog, and the styles look good and the prices look amazing ... clothes are about 25% the cost of REI.

I'm tempted to wait until I'm in France before I pick up walking clothes, but I'd like to hear anyone's experiences on Decathlon quality before I commit to that.

(I live in a town with no good outdoors or sporting store, and all my clothes are geared towards the tropics - so I'll need to pick up stuff somewhere. I'll be visiting a town with an REI this weekend; my only real alternatives are to buy this weekend, buy online, or wait until I arrive)

Alternatively, are there other good outdoors stores in Lyon or Le Puy-en-Velay that people can recommend?
 
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No personal experience, but I have noticed that the Quechua brand is very popular amongst Spanish and French walkers.
 
MichaelC,

This is not an ad but a personal comment.
Most of my kit for the past 10 years came from Decathlon; including the boots I wore walking late autumn/winter .
Lightweight, water proof and sturdy; each pair lasted through
at least two caminos.

Since you plan on starting in Puy
here is info for that store.

Decathlon
Allée des portes occitanes,
ZAC Est des Portes Occitanes,
43000 Le Puy-en-Velay
tele. 04 71 06 06 00

horaires
de 9h00
à 19h30

Good luck and Bon Chemin,
 
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Merci! That's exactly what I needed to hear. I was worried from the prices that it might be a cheap budget joint.

This is not an ad but a personal comment.

I had to edit my original post because I thought it sounded like an ad too!

I have three days in Lyon to fatten up before I walk (er, I mean, three days to recover from jet lag), so I'll check out their store too.
 
Decathlon is a good bet for lower cost equipment top ups. We have them in the UK too and all the things I've bought from there have held up pretty well over the years (including Camino wear).
 
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Ideal sleeping bag liner whether we want to add a thermal plus to our bag, or if we want to use it alone to sleep in shelters or hostels. Thanks to its mummy shape, it adapts perfectly to our body.

€46,-
The Quechua brand is excellent value for money and sturdy stuff. There's a Decathlon in most major towns too.
 
Quechua generally good quality, good materials, and good value. Cheaper in France than UK.
 
Since Lyon is a much bigger place than Le Puy, I imagine the Lyon store would be much larger, with more selection, including sizes.
 
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...and ship it to Santiago for storage. You pick it up once in Santiago. Service offered by Casa Ivar (we use DHL for transportation).
Hi,

Decathlon sells various brands, but mostly its own one, Quechua.

Rather a lower-end one, or a bit upper. Generally good value for your money, with some limitations (weight, specifications...).
 
I shop at Decathlon when I can, I find that their Quechua brand is good quality at stunningly cheap prices. There is another chain in France, Go-Sport, who are also rather good (though I have been in but never bought anything yet!!).

Do try on items though, I find that their shirt size labelling is much smaller than our UK labelling - I have had to buy XXL size for a comfortable fit and I am not an XXL!! I also found that their rucksack range seemed a bit limited and nothing super-light or comparable to, say, an Osprey. They sell a pretty good poncho! (again, watch the size labelling!!).

Also, the French must have smaller feet as I find it really difficult to get large sizes (I am a 12.5 UK) - same right across France.

Thinking about it .. my t-shirts and shorts are Decathlon - and I still have my Quechua walking pole from 2005 and it is as good as new!!!! (and doesn't rattle).
 
I agree with David about the rucksack range but have had some great clothing finds there over the years. If you're buying stuff just for camino that you may or may not use again, it's definitely in the right price range.
 
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The Techfresh tee-shirts are brilliant value as low as €3.99 at present in France.

Just inspect the seams and whatever if you are buying and walking - I have a microfleece with a dodgy inner sleeve seam and bought some shorts in Estella last year but didn't notice the puckered inseam until it started to chafe - could hardly walk by the time we got to Viana!

Otherwise one of my favourite stores!
 
I needed a pack cover for my latest Camino and in Australia was quoted $50 (or 33euros) for an Osprey model.
Decathlon Lisbon online offered their acceptable model for 7 euros so of course I visited their Lisbon store.
While I agree with the other comments regarding packs, I would have no hesitation in purchasing clothing. They are indeed worth a look.
Regards
Gerard
 
Last edited:
I walked the Portuguese last month with mostly Decathlon/Quechua gear, except for my shoes (which were soft, comfortable Mizunos).
The T-shirts are super light and quick dry, the backpack (mine is Forclaz 30 Air +) fits on the back really well depending on your height, the socks are comfortable.. I'm a big fan and super excited that they are finally opening in Australia!
 
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Get a spanish phone number with Airalo. eSim, so no physical SIM card. Easy to use app to add more funds if needed.
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