Take clothes or buy them?

[Crandall]

How easy is it to find quality clothing along the French Way? In St Jean? I really woukd like to only bring what i am wearing, then purchase more local things as I need them. Any thoughts?

 

[mspath]

Crandall,
There are stores of course along the way.
One good place to find hiking wear in SJPdP is Boutique de Pelerin which is run by a helpful fellow who has walked the camino and k.nows what is needed.

Further along the camino in cities you will often find Decathlon.
Almost all my kit came from Decathlon in France. Sturdy equipment at a reasonable price seems to be Decathlon's unwritten and successful motto. Good quality but nothing fancy, no glitz. Nothing that anyone would want to take or steal. See other posts/comments in this thread.

Happy planning and Buen camino

 

[trecile]

How easy is it to find quality clothing along the French Way? In St Jean? I really woukd like to only bring what i am wearing, then purchase more local things as I need them. Any thoughts?

Plenty of stores along the way.
In St Jean there is Boutique du Pelerine

Pilgrim's shop - Shop for the pilgrims of St Jacques de Compostela

Shop for the pilgrims of St Jacques de Compostela

www.boutique-du-pelerin.com

 

[J Willhaus]

I think if you are a normal size you will find plenty of clothes. My husband and I are larger than average so it is sometimes hard to find larger sizes in smaller stores. Even in Decathlon my husband had limited choices.

 

[MichelleElynHogan]

Wear one set of clothes, carry tomorrow's shirt, socks and underwear. Wash the day's clothes in the shower at the end of walking. By the time you are back from supper, clothes are usually dry. Carry a sweater and rain gear. If you wait to buy them after you need them, wet and / or cold are not happy states, until you can find what is needed.

I have toyed with the same idea, but, most of the time, the stores needed to supply what is required are not going to be there, where and when.

Another option is to pack a bag and have it forwarded daily to your next stop, carrying a bare minimum of necessities on the Camino. nThis is just my, "IIWY," perspective.

 

[C clearly]

Personally, when I am cold or wet, I prefer to have the necessary clothes in my backpack rather than trying to find a clothing store in whatever village I happen to be in.

With a little care, it is not hard to select clothes - basically a walking outfit, an evening outfit, and rain protection - that will serve (with layering) for most situations.

Any thoughts?

If you arrive in SJPP with only the clothes on your back, and wish to change into a clean shirt, of course you can go buy a new one there. In Roncesvalles, if your trousers are wet from unexpected rain (especially if you didn't bring rain gear), you won't be able to find new ones to buy. And your underwear will be 2 days old and you won't be able to wash them because you have no trousers to wear! I suppose you could walk/hop around in your sleeping bag, though, but going out to dinner might be awkward.

 

[Former member 92300]

For hiking the Camino - shop ahead of time and practice in the clothes you plan to take - to make sure they work for you. Get quality hiking gear that will hold up for the entire Camino (especially if you are doing full Caminos as opposed to last 100km). But pack light - and if you do find you need something more that you don't have - you can definitely buy most things along the way.

For AFTER your hike? Buy in Spain when you are done with the Camino! I love doing that. Came home with some nice outfits that no one else at home has.

 

[Lizhk]

I too like to purchase an outfit at the end to wear home. It is a treat to have a new outfit to fit the new body.
But for hiking, I like to field test my clothes before going. Do they chaff? Can they drip dry indoors overnight? Do they smell of sweat even after washing? Do they shrink? Can they take daily wear and tear? Will I sweat excessively in them?

Buen camino.

 

[Charte57]

I agree with the buy before you go camp. Do you really want to spend your time buying Camino clothes when you could be enjoying SJPP?

 

[RJM]

Wear one set of clothes, carry tomorrow's shirt, socks and underwear. Wash the day's clothes in the shower at the end of walking. By the time you are back from supper, clothes are usually dry. Carry a sweater and rain gear. If you wait to buy them after you need them, wet and / or cold are not happy states, until you can find what is needed.

I have toyed with the same idea, but, most of the time, the stores needed to supply what is required are not going to be there, where and when.

Another option is to pack a bag and have it forwarded daily to your next stop, carrying a bare minimum of necessities on the Camino. nThis is just my, "IIWY," perspective.

Please do not wash your clothes in the albergue shower. Most of the time there's another pilgrim waiting to use it, and not only are you causing them needless waiting you are also using up hot water.
Wash your clothes in the designated wash basins/sinks.

 

[domigee]

How easy is it to find quality clothing along the French Way? In St Jean? I really woukd like to only bring what i am wearing, then purchase more local things as I need them. Any thoughts?

There is indeed ‘la boutique du pélerin’ in St Jean pde Port, have a look at their website, you can even order from them, they’ll have it ready for you when you arrive.

Pilgrim's shop - Shop for the pilgrims of St Jacques de Compostela

Shop for the pilgrims of St Jacques de Compostela

www.boutique-du-pelerin.com

The next shop I know, if you still need something pilgrim-related - is ’Caminoteca’ in Pamplona. It’s right on the Camino. I bought a towel from them after my own went ‘missing’ in the Roncesvalles albergue

Caminoteca - all the information and gear for your Camino - Caminoteca

Caminoteca - packing list, cost calculator, list of albergues, camino equipments and many more...

www.caminoteca.com

After that, any big town (Burgos, Leön, Astorga and of course Santiago! ) will have shops, of course. I even bought new boots in Arzua (wonderful Timberland ).
Small things, like socks, underwear etc you will find in any small shop in (larger) villages.
Nothing in many places though, like Roncesvalles, Foncebadón and plenty others.

PS: I have to add that I have no problems finding my size in Spain but my husband (6’3) does…. You may have to consider that…

 

[Tincatinker]

I can’t really get my head around shopping on Camino. If there is something I need I just check out the Albergue drying line

 

[wayfarer]

How easy is it to find quality clothing along the French Way? In St Jean? I really woukd like to only bring what i am wearing, then purchase more local things as I need them. Any thoughts?

I don't think that the"Reacher" model will work very well on Camino, its just not practical.

 

[RJM]

In actuality one could show up in St Jean, Sarria or Pamplona with absolutely no equipment or clothing to walk the Camino and pop into one of the outdoor stores and exit an hour or so later looking like a pilgrim from central casting.

 

[dougfitz]

especially if you are doing full Caminos as opposed to last 100km

The last 100 km is the full camino just as much as walking 800 odd km from SJPP or perhaps any longer distances, and those who do that are just as much pilgrims as well.

 

[trecile]

In actuality one could show up in St Jean, Sarria or Pamplona with absolutely no equipment or clothing to walk the Camino and pop into one of the outdoor stores and exit an hour or so later looking like a pilgrim from central casting.

Like this guy?

 

[Former member 92300]

The last 100 km is the full camino just as much as walking 800 odd km from SJPP or perhaps any longer distances, and those who do that are just as much pilgrims as well.

OK... I stand corrected - the full "Frances" or other longer distance route

Wasn't implying that anyone wasn't as much of a pilgrim because of shorter distances. Don't know where you got that from my statement. I was, however, implying you need better clothes to walk in if you are walking further distances.

 

[Anamiri]

How easy is it to find quality clothing along the French Way? In St Jean? I really woukd like to only bring what i am wearing, then purchase more local things as I need them. Any thoughts?

Sure there are plenty of stores on the Camino route.
In my experience you will never find the one you need open when you need one.

 

[Kathor1]

purchase more local things as I need them. Any thoughts?

I've been puzzling about these more "local" things. From memory, the clothes in pilgrim ware shops like Boutique du Pèlerin in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port or Caminoteca in Pamplona are not particularly local, they are largely the same brand names as those that one can find in a shop at home. Even more so when you go to a Decathlon store or the sports department of a chain like Corte Ingles.

You can even see what Boutique du Pèlerin carries, see here http://www.boutique-du-pelerin.com/en/nos-marques/

 

[SabsP]

The last 100 km is the full camino just as much as walking 800 odd km from SJPP or perhaps any longer distances, and those who do that are just as much pilgrims as well.

Thank you @dougfitz. Because there is always someone who does " a fuller " one... and to whom St Jean Pied de Port is merely a stop like another .
And yes all respect for those who start in Sarria, Tui or Ferrol.
And I know some hardcore pilgrims who do not invest in technical gear but managed perfectly in jeans and a cotton shirt.

 

[RJM]

I agree with the buy before you go camp. Do you really want to spend your time buying Camino clothes when you could be enjoying SJPP?

That is something to keep in mind. Finding what fits and what one needs is not guaranteed and then it becomes a distraction wondering where to find it.

 

[MichelleElynHogan]

Please do not wash your clothes in the albergue shower. Most of the time there's another pilgrim waiting to use it, and not only are you causing them needless waiting you are also using up hot water.
Wash your clothes in the designated wash basins/sinks.

Of course, this is a normal response when unaware of the following:

I walk late. I arrive late. No one is showering when I get there. Of my short Camino experience, this is how it has always been.

Clothes are not filthy and only need light washing. The same soap washes me and my clothes. My best time for all to be washed is 3 minutes, so, no doddling is tolerated of myself.

 

[David Tallan]

OK... I stand corrected - the full "Frances" or other longer distance route

Applying "full" to any Camino can be a pretty fraught topic on these forums, most especially for the Frances which stretches back all across Europe. There are lots of candidates for where the "Camino Frances" might start. Some might put it in Puente la Reina where the four routes from France come together (immediately before that you have the Camino Aragones and the Camino de Navarre). Others might put it at Roncesvalles (the "halfway" marker just before Sahagun marks half way from Roncesvalles to Santiago). Myself, I am partial to Ostabat, about 20 km farther from Santiago than SJPdP. That's where the three routes from Paris, Vezelay and Le Puy join up. If SJPdP is the start of the Camino Frances, what Camino are you on between Ostabat and St. Jean?

In my experience, once you are living out of your backpack and packing for rain or sun, and for doing your laundry regularly, it doesn't make much difference if you are walking 100 km or 1000 km in terms of what you carry. Now if you are going to be walking for more than 6 months and need to pack for winter and summer, that's something else!