I do have gloves for the trip so I hope this isn't going to be a big issue. That is a default position for me since my extremities are often cold. It will be summer and I am sitting in an air-conditioned room, and my hands will be tucked between my legs near crotch or under my arms. Even in 80 degrees, simple evaporation, encouraged by wind stream, can cause hypothermia in 10-20 minutes, depending on your body mass. Once cotton gets wet, your body heat can't dry it.
The most important thing you can do to survive is to protect your core om your neck down to your waist. Ten minutes in 48 degree water made them believers and their hands quickly slipped downward. Most believed the head very important to survival. Now, where do your hands return to a comfortable place, hands on your head/crotch or head?ĭuring cold water rescue training we had many service men, EMTs, survivalists, etc in the course. Repeat, though this time put the newly frozen hands under your armpits, or if really adventurous into your crotch. Try this experiment: put your hands in ice water until the cold is uncomfortable, then place your hands on top of your head. Stands to reason.heat rises, your chrome dome is the top of your head, therefore.,Īctually, most body heat is lost in the arm pits and the groin. It's a common misconception that you lose most of your heat through the head. You lose most of your heat from your head so bring a tuque. Whariwharangi mentioned in his well written reply:Īs the saying goes. The 2014 fleece will be stuffed in a compression bag and will go into the bottom of my rucksack, next to the 600 gm Altus sleeping bag that I very rarely use. In 2015, discretion will be the better part of valor.
The good news is that I was able to find one made by Trang World, in my size and in a color I liked at the Peregrinoteca shop on the corner, before the stairs in Sarria. I had not brought the one I splurged on the previous year. On my second Camino this year, I made it as far as Sarria before the incessant rain and chilly morning temperatures compelled me to buy yet another form-fitting fleece layer. That night I slept in my layered fleece, in my sleeping bag, under a woolen blanket in a heated hostal room in Pamplona. So, it was buy the fleece or get bronchitis, or worse. The selection was limited, and I felt like merde. The store was closing in 10 minutes on a Saturday evening and would be closed the next day. There were no good choices on offer that day. But, the North Face body layer fleece cost me € 149 - ouch! The added layer solved the core temperature problem. I had walked in the constant rain and mud for two straight days, Roncesvalles to Pamplona. On my first Camino, I bought an overly expensive body-hugging fleece jacket in Pamplona as I arrived totally chilled to the bone and pre-hypothermic at the end of April. This is especially true if you stay in albergues and are exposed to inadequate or nonexistent heating, dampness, drafts, and a few dozen other folks, any one of who will likely have a respiratory infection spread by coughing or sneezing. The BAD news is that you MUST keep your core temperature up. The GOOD news is that polar fleece insulates very well even when wet.
That fact is that I needed the added layer to prevent getting too chilled. The reason was that I was soaking wet, either from perspiration or incessant rain. In BOTH cases it was not because it was cold, ambient temperature-wise. However, on BOTH Caminos I was compelled to buy ANOTHER lightweight (100 level) form-fitting fleece to wear under the original looser fitting fleece. I continue to recommend this as the "standard grade" for outerwear. In both my May Camino Frances treks (2013, 2014) I started with a grade 200 mid weight, long-sleeved fleece worn under a Gore Tex rain parka with pit zips.
The form-fitting underlayer styles are usually made in 100 weight and not intended as an outer layer. In addition, you need to be aware of styles that are intended to be worn as form-fitting under layers, and looser cut styles intended for layering. Polar fleece, at least the original and IMHO best "Polar Tech" brand is ranked and marketed in three weights 100 (lightweight), 200 (middleweight) and 300 (heavyweight).