Rain jacket or poncho? Rain gear for the Camino

What do you wear when it rains on the Camino – a poncho, or a rain jacket and rain trousers? More than 70 pilgrims answered this question for us. Here is their collected wisdom, above all the many arguments for and against. We haven't included short answers like just "poncho" or "jacket".

Even at first glance it's clear: there are good reasons for both options. The two camps are almost evenly matched in numbers, with the poncho slightly ahead.

Photo by Kerli Rebane

What does this mean for you?

Above all, one thing: you can't go far wrong. The more equal two solutions are, the smaller the risk of choosing the wrong one.

Jackets and ponchos on the Camino. Photo by Martina Corazon

If you get cold easily or are walking in a cooler season (or high up in the mountains), there's a lot to be said for a rain jacket and rain trousers.
If you don't want to arrive drenched in sweat after walking in warm rain, a poncho and shorts are a popular combination.

Read the pilgrims' most important arguments – and then decide for yourself.

Arguments for the poncho

The most frequently mentioned advantages: your backpack stays dry at the same time, the poncho is quick to throw on and take off again, and more air circulates underneath. The drawbacks people mention are sweating under the hood and problems in storms.

Photo by Inge Vermeire

Poncho or tent? Photo by Sebastian Beck

A red poncho and sunshine in your heart. Photo by Ulrike Kraenz

Anja Beep (on the right; we don't know the name of the gentleman on the left)

Poncho in heavy rain. But with zip-off trousers, so only your legs get wet and not your trousers. I had a great poncho that I only bought in Ponferrada: it could be opened all the way with a zip, like a coat. That meant I could keep it on when heavy rain and sunshine kept alternating, without sweating underneath.
For days with just wind and/or a little rain, I found a (preferably light) softshell jacket ideal.
(Annette Segref)
Definitely a poncho. It's not just about keeping dry, it's also much easier when you need to go. And you definitely don't sweat as much underneath, because more air gets in. If you spend a few euros more, your backpack fits underneath easily, and you can even button it together between your legs.
(Vera Kopf)
Poncho, because you can hide your backpack underneath too, and if it really pours, you can crouch down and get something like an "in a tent" feeling. Best wishes
(Alfred Englert)
A medieval pilgrim's cloak made of loden – windproof, waterproof and still breathable, unlike modern rain gear, in which you get soaked anyway because you sweat buckets …
(Jay Alexander)
Poncho. Everything else takes too long to put on and take off.
(Patrick Büttner)
A poncho, definitely. It's quick to throw over your clothes and backpack and dries faster than trousers and a jacket.
(Conny Bahmann)
Poncho! Whenever there were a few metres of sunshine, I could just fling it back over my backpack and then pull it over again when the rain came (again and again and again).
(Stefan Warnecke)
Sunshine is my first choice too! Then comes a poncho that also fits over the backpack.
(Martina Garbe)
If you can expect heavy rain for a long time, a poncho, of course. For light, occasional rain, an anorak and a backpack cover.
(Hans-Georg Göbel)
I know from painful experience that a poncho is simply better suited.
(Christian Huy)
For me, definitely a poncho … the backpack is in there with you. And I always felt so wonderfully solitary in it.
(Michael Zenhäusern)
Definitely a poncho! It keeps your backpack dry at the same time, and if there's no room at an albergue: string up the poncho, put your sleeping mat and sleeping bag underneath, and your little doghouse for the night is ready. As a backup, in case it starts raining heavily, keep a bivvy bag handy as well.
(Tommy Halt)
Poncho and rain trousers :) No jacket, I prefer it a bit longer …
(Gemeinsam zum Horizont)
Poncho, definitely. It served me and my backpack well.
(Anja Wald)
Poncho, it keeps the backpack dry too.
(Günter Ganzevoort)
Poncho. Even though it gave me blisters on my ears.
(Carolin Klotz)
Poncho, because then the backpack stays dry too. Unfortunately a problem in storms.
(Rosemarie Gebetsroither)
Shorts, poncho!
(Anja Lucky Lüke)
Poncho – never rain trousers again! In rain trousers you sweat like crazy. I'd rather wear shorts in the rain. Your legs get wet, but they dry quickly again.
(Ingrid Mumm)
I say poncho too. Ideally one with an extra section for the backpack.
(Monika Tombrink)
Poncho … No question. It was the best.
(Cornelia Kahn)
Poncho with a zip at the front.
(Andy Müller)

Somewhere in between

Both … Photo by Theresa Lena Weberling

Poncho with rain trousers. Photo by Sascha Mader

I had a poncho; the advantage is that it keeps your backpack dry too. The disadvantage … I sweated so much under the hood that my hair was soaking wet and the poncho stuck to the skin on my arms, which wasn't great.
(Anke van Ohlen)
Heatwave in the south. You don't need a poncho there. Rain in the north and the middle. A rain jacket won't help there either. So …
(Amélie von Bernstorff)

Arguments for the rain jacket

The jacket camp values the greater freedom of movement, the fact that you can put it on and take it off without help, and that a jacket and trousers are also useful in cold wind, snow or as an evening jacket. The backpack is then protected by a rain cover – or by waterproof dry bags inside.

Photo by Katha Baum

Rain jacket and photo by Theresa Lena Weberling

A poncho needs a helper to put it on; on the other hand, you can pull it off quickly when the rain is over. A good rain jacket, by contrast, restricts your movement less. Trousers? As long as it stays around 20 degrees, just shorts for the rain. Skin dries faster than fabric, and trudging on in wet trouser legs (not even a long poncho really helps with that) ranges from annoying to painful. So: rain jacket + shorts + rain cover for the backpack.
(Agnes Fromme)
To which Michael Seibold replied: "A poncho doesn't need a helper, you just have to know how."
Softshell in light rain, otherwise a rain jacket and simply a good pair of quick-drying trekking trousers. I can put my rain jacket on and take it off while walking without taking off my backpack, so I can adjust quickly and don't have to sweat for longer than necessary.
(Floresta Madera de Abedul)
Asked how you put on and take off a rain jacket without taking off your backpack, Floresta replied:
I have a well-fitting backpack with a hip belt – that's where the weight rests anyway. So I pull the rain jacket through over the hip belt, between the backpack and my back. There's enough room there for me that it doesn't get in the way and can stay there for the time being. When needed, I first slip one shoulder strap of the backpack off, put that sleeve on, put the strap back over and repeat on the other side. When the rain eases off, I just take it off the same way, and then I usually leave it hanging there over the hip belt until the weather has definitely improved and I take my next break, where I can put my backpack down somewhere dry; then the jacket gets packed away at leisure.
I prefer a rain jacket and rain trousers; I like to see my feet, depending on the ground. Since rain covers aren't 100% waterproof, I pack everything in ultralight dry bags that are waterproof; at the same time, the dry bags help keep the contents organised. So far that has worked brilliantly for me.
(Thorsten Raulfs)
A rain jacket plus trousers is better for me – when I pull the poncho over myself and my backpack, I always end up tying myself in knots if I don't have another pilgrim to help.
(Christian Dereser)
Rain jacket – thin, light – also good for the evenings – rain cover – May 2014, 2 weeks of rain on the Camino Francés – all fine – it's juuust water – in all its variations – from the front – from behind – lots – a little – drizzling – pouring …
(Nic Kunkel)
Jacket + trousers. Because both are also great and useful in cold wind and snow. A poncho, on the other hand, only has one use.
(Cindy Noack)
Trousers, jacket and backpack cover … Perfect.
(Antje Hecht)
Rain jacket and trousers.
(Joon E. Dočkalson)
After 17 days of rain in April, at 0 degrees in the mornings in Portugal: rain jacket and rain trousers.
(Hannes Schlosser)
If it's not cold, I'd rather go short-sleeved with a spare shirt to change into, but in cooler temperatures I prefer the jacket.
(Michael Spanel)
Hat, buff, rain jacket and technical trousers … sorted!
(Marc Weislowski)
Rain trousers and a rain jacket are recommended.
(Klaus Peters)

The third option: the trekking umbrella

Photo and umbrella by Felix Gast

Photo by Felix Göbel

Definitely an umbrella, and a cover for the backpack. The few drops you still get can be kept off by a good windstopper jacket. It's certainly more pleasant than sweating under a poncho.
(Bernd Sienel)
For as long as possible I use a trekking umbrella, then the rain jacket comes out. I put up with wet trousers. They dry in no time anyway. That's how I got through three weeks of rain on the Francés in 2013. The umbrella weighs 200 grams and is windproof.
(Hubert Neumann)
You can also use it as a sunshade.
(Peter Eich)

Don't skimp in the wrong place

Whatever you choose: rain protection that gives up in the first downpour won't do you any good. Here's an example of what happens then:

Frank Hoppe writes about his picture: "After I chucked my cheap poncho in the bin on the first day of heavy rain, I'm battling through the lousy weather with the fly sheet of my tent."

Conclusion

Poncho, jacket and trousers, or umbrella – all three will get you to Santiago dry(er). What matters is the season, how quickly you get cold or sweat, and how well you manage putting things on and taking them off along the way. Ideally, try out your rain protection beforehand on a test hike with a full backpack.

Photos by Britta Bandelt and Traudl Bauer

Do you have your own experiences with rain gear on the Camino? Write to us at info@caminoninja.com – we'll be happy to add them to this page.

Rain jacket or poncho? What over 70 pilgrims wear in the rain on the Camino