Rain Issues

[bangorme]

I've got two issues with rain. The first one is that I perspire so much that rain gear is almost useless except as a windbreaker layer or raining on very cold days. I'm thinking about a poncho, but that doesn't really reduce the need for rain gear for the other two occasions. Any ideas?

Kinda related to the poncho, I've never found a pack cover that really keeps my pack dry (most gradually work their way off, and wet is wet). I use Black Diamond Infinity 60 pack. Anyone had any luck with a specific pack cover for these?

[Grunt]

Like you... unless the weather/rain has set in and is cold enough to consider hypothermia (this can be a little tricky), I forgo my rain jacket. I've never worn rain pants, but I'm just a fair weather section-hiker....

[johnnybgood]

Most backpacks are rain resistant , but not waterproof so that's why it's paramount to use a inner trash bag liner as an additional barrier to the outside weather. The pack liner should be a relatively snug fit over your pack or you have the wrong sized cover. I use nothing when it rains in the heat of summer mostly , sometimes a walmart poncho , $8 or even an oversized industrial trash bag with appropriate cut out holes will do.

[kayak karl]

i use a packa. wear it unzipped when cool. if its hot, no rain gear.

[Weather-man]

Long answer but I can tell you what works for me as I have similar physiological "challenges".. I'm assuming that you're referring to hiking vice camping...

I also sweat profusely when exercising....always have and I actually always saw this as a benefit in terms of thermo-regulation. All that being said, I operate under the maxim that being wet is ok under most temperate conditions as long as you can control heat loss. Under arctic conditions, on the other hand, it's best to stay dry, especially if you're gong to be spending some time there. Also needs to be said that cold/rainy conditions are perhaps the most dangerous, at least imo, and have to treated as such...40 degrees in the rain is man killing weather for the uninitiated.

So I really don't try to keep absolutely dry as I know that regardless of rain conditions I'll usually sweat through everything I'm wearing. I always move fairly quick so I plan to sweat.

My method is to wear light weight poly pro in the summer and light weight merino in the colder months next to my skin. Both will move moisture away from the body, provide a bit of insulation and somewhat limit evaporative heat loss. As temps drop and winds pick up I'll generally use a breathable wind breaker to decrease convective heat loss while still allowing the moisture to move away from my body. My opinion....a product such as Marmot Dri-clime is worth it's weight in gold in these conditions as is a good hat.

In worsening conditions such as hard, cold rain I'll layer in a light rain jacket such as the Precip with pit vents. As you add these layers, even in the cold, remember to vent to move moisture and also to thermo-regulate. That's important. Rain pants are the last thing I'll add. Might add mitts as well if cold.

Using the above methods I'll generally stay warm while moving though will be soaked to the skin. I'm ok with that, though. Especially if I know that I have a warm bag, some hot food and a solid shelter available to me when I want to use them. Food also plays a role as do hot drinks. A quick stop to make a cup of soup or coco really lifts the spirits.

I personally don't use a poncho as I don't like the way it limits my movement and I also don't use a pack cover. Just an old habit of mine. Instead I use some type of water proof bag inside the pack for the stuff that needs to be dry such as my bag and puffy jacket. As of late I'm using trash compactor bags with good success. Also have a couple cuben dry sacks which are great.

Finally, remember to dry your walking clothes out as best you can when you stop and put something dry on. Once you start moving again get back in the wet clothes. Using these methods I've found that I can move for a long time with just one set of walking clothes and one set of sleeping.

Hope the above helps. Harmonize with sweating and be at peace with being wet!

[Stir Fry]

Try an umbrella. They can be found around 7 oz. I have clips so that mine is hands free.

[Meriadoc]

Weather-man said it well. I'll reiterate just to provide support.

Hot weather in the low lands: No rain jacket, just a liner + silnylon cover for my backpack
Warm to cool weather in the low lands or hot weather in the high lands: A nylon windbreaker - as light a jacket as you can find. I use EMS' cycling jacket. Patagonia's Houdini jacket looks to be much the same, and Patagonia makes pants from the same material!
Anything where hypothermia is a more likely issue: Rain jacket and rain skirt. Layer appropriately.
Where I expect cold rain and wind or worse: Rain jacket and rain pants layered appropriately. Down to 20F, just a base layer while moving.

[Another Kevin]

What everyone else said.

Raingear is about keeping warm, not keeping dry. LIne your backpack with a compactor bag, and in warm weather, just wear wicking/quick drying gear and plan to get wet. Because you will, whatever you do.

In hypothermia weather, it's sometimes a struggle to keep dry from the outside and dry from the inside - button up the raingear and you get sweaty, open it up and you get wet, and either way is dangerous. I often find myself wearing just long johns (or even skivvies) under my rain suit in cold conditions. Then when I get to the height of land and start heading downhill, or I make a stop, I'm immediately diving into my pack for the fleeces and even the puffy. When you start off up the trail on a cold, wet day, if you're not feeling the cold - and I mean really feeling it, just short of shivering uncontrollably - you'll get sweaty in raingear and then freezing even worse when you stop. So layer accordingly. And wear only stuff (silk or merino or heavyweight polypro baselayer, polyester fleeces or wool sweaters, synthetic puffy) that keeps some warmth even when soaking wet. Because sometimes you'll get it wrong.

[Dogwood]

OK, for all you folks that say you just let yourself get soaked to the bone, how do you manage that on a remote thru-hike/long section of a thru-hike where it comes hard/impossible to dry out your clothing satisfactorily? Let's say you have two sets of clothing and both sets get totally drenched, musty, smelly, and dirty because you do this over two days of rain, what do you do, just bite the bullet and put on those clothes for the next hiking day and the next and the next....? What happens if the weather suddenly gets colder? I want to know your real world process in these situations.

[Weather-man]

OK, for all you folks that say you just let yourself get soaked to the bone, how do you manage that on a remote thru-hike/long section of a thru-hike where it comes hard/impossible to dry out your clothing satisfactorily? Let's say you have two sets of clothing and both sets get totally drenched, musty, smelly, and dirty because you do this over two days of rain, what do you do, just bite the bullet and put on those clothes for the next hiking day and the next and the next....? What happens if the weather suddenly gets colder? I want to know your real world process in these situations.

Yes, I think you summed it up.

I walk in wet clothes, if required, and try and keep a set of sleeping clothes dry. Key aspects are the right clothes...poly pro, wool, etc...so that even when wet they provide some level of insulation. I also don't carry 2 sets of clothes. I carry just one set, the ones I'm wearing. I supplement with rain gear and sleeping gear (wool tops and bottoms) as required.

I'd have to say that the worst rainy conditions that I was in was in Northern Norway in June/July of 1985 (ish), Lyngen Fjord area IIRC. I spent about 3 weeks in 40-45 degree weather with constant drizzle or rain. I wore heavy poly pro with heavy gore-tex the entire time. I also had a heavy poly pro jacket for when I was static. Sleeping bag was also synthetic which really helped. Eventually everything became damp or wet though the poly would dry out somewhat when I was sleeping. Again, the synthetic bag really helped here as you can crawl in wet if you have to and it also will dry out a bit if you keep it out of the rain.

I think the above illustrates sort of a worst case experience that I personally experienced. In a more practical and common place sense I'd say it's rare that the sun doesn't break out and I don't get a chance to dry my clothes and gear out every 3 or 4 days.

In reference to your question about "colder" I'd have to say that's a judgement call based on experience. There's a time to call "time out" to a movement and get warm. That might mean eating some hot food or it might mean building/finding shelter and building a fire to warm up and dry out. There's a difference between hiking wet and walking wet in a survival situation.

[Don H]

OK, for all you folks that say you just let yourself get soaked to the bone, how do you manage that on a remote thru-hike/long section of a thru-hike where it comes hard/impossible to dry out your clothing satisfactorily? Let's say you have two sets of clothing and both sets get totally drenched, musty, smelly, and dirty because you do this over two days of rain, what do you do, just bite the bullet and put on those clothes for the next hiking day and the next and the next....? What happens if the weather suddenly gets colder? I want to know your real world process in these situations.

Yep, you just put the wet cold clothes on in the morning and start walking again to get warm. Frozen socks are always fun!

The most important thing is to always have one set of dry clothes to wear at the end of the day and a dry warm sleeping bag. While you're walking you can usually stay warm, it's when you stop at the end of the day is when you get cold. That's when you just get into the dry, warm sleeping bag.

I've given up on pack covers and trash bag liners, they both leak. Instead I use Sea to SUmmit UL dry bags, one for clothes and one for the sleeping bag. Even if my pack goes into a creek those bags will not leak.

[Kaptain Kangaroo]

OK, for all you folks that say you just let yourself get soaked to the bone, how do you manage that on a remote thru-hike/long section of a thru-hike where it comes hard/impossible to dry out your clothing satisfactorily? Let's say you have two sets of clothing and both sets get totally drenched, musty, smelly, and dirty because you do this over two days of rain, what do you do, just bite the bullet and put on those clothes for the next hiking day and the next and the next....? What happens if the weather suddenly gets colder? I want to know your real world process in these situations.

That's exactly what you do....... Put on the wet, smelly, dirty clothes & walk out into the rain ! I will never forget the joy of putting on the same clothes, wet, dirty & stinking for 6 days in a row........... But I will also never forget the real joy of putting on my dry set at the end of the day to sleep in......

2 sets of clothing doesn't mean 2 days of starting hiking with clean,dry clothes, it means one wet set for hiking in, and one dry set for sleeping, however many days you are out for.

Regarding the cold weather, you need to,ensure that all your clothing can still keep,you warm, even when it is soaked through.... And make sure that you have one dry set, and a dry sleeping bag for a real crisis.

[Malto]

OK, for all you folks that say you just let yourself get soaked to the bone, how do you manage that on a remote thru-hike/long section of a thru-hike where it comes hard/impossible to dry out your clothing satisfactorily? Let's say you have two sets of clothing and both sets get totally drenched, musty, smelly, and dirty because you do this over two days of rain, what do you do, just bite the bullet and put on those clothes for the next hiking day and the next and the next....? What happens if the weather suddenly gets colder? I want to know your real world process in these situations.

Assuming it is multi day leg.... When I get up and have wet hiking clothes they go right back on. Lets look at socks. If I have two pairs of socks one wet and one dry, no way would the dry socks stay on only to get wet in a few minutes. Same principle for all layers. As far as insulating layers, I can normally hike in just base layer and say rain suit down to about freezing. That only puts my base layer at risk, not insulating layers. I would rather run down the trail to stay warm than get my insulating layers wet. Once it get below freezing then wet isn't as big an issue. One caveat, my base layers will always be the lightest weight material I can find. This allows me to dry them extremely quick.

[bangorme]

Thanks for all the good advice here! One thing I've learned is that I'm not the only one getting up in the morning and putting back on my wet clothing! I like the idea of bringing a set of "dry clothes" that are used for nothing other than keeping warm and comfortable after the day's hiking is done.

I'm confused about the term "compactor bag." Is that something like this: http://www.campsaver.com/ultra-sil-pack-liner or just a trash compactor bag?

I can also commiserate with Dogwood as I don't ever seem to be able to actually dry something out. People talk about rinsing their socks out every night and hanging them off their pack to dry, but nothing ever seems to dry on my pack. Maybe I'm just not patient enough?

[Gorgiewave]

Has anybody ever experienced flooding on the AT?

[hikerboy57]

Has anybody ever experienced flooding on the AT?

are you talking about rivers rising?trails can become streams in heavy rains.

[chiefduffy]

I'm confused about the term "compactor bag." Is that something like this: http://www.campsaver.com/ultra-sil-pack-liner or just a trash compactor bag?

Just a trash compactor bag. They are a heavier guage plastic, white, and just the right size. Walmart grocery stores still carry them. I'm switching to dry bags, after 8 years of trash compactor bags, though. (Finally poked a hole in one last week)
Incidently, I've had real good luck with a lightweight Montbell umbrella...unless its really storming or very cold. I just clip it to my chest strap, and I'm hands free and not sweating.

[Meriadoc]

OK, for all you folks that say you just let yourself get soaked to the bone, how do you manage that on a remote thru-hike/long section of a thru-hike where it comes hard/impossible to dry out your clothing satisfactorily? Let's say you have two sets of clothing and both sets get totally drenched, musty, smelly, and dirty because you do this over two days of rain, what do you do, just bite the bullet and put on those clothes for the next hiking day and the next and the next....? What happens if the weather suddenly gets colder? I want to know your real world process in these situations.

Like the others said: dry clothes for sleeping. Dry insulating layers. If I can avoid it at all, I do not get my insulating layers wet (until it drops below freezing I can). I like my two man tent for this because it gives me space to spread out my wet clothing - spread out, not dry out.

My main problem with being wet for multiple days in a row is chafing and skin issues. Petroleum jelly or bag balm helped me out here by providing a water barrier and helping the skin heal overnight.

Once on a long hike the temperature dropped from steady 70s to mid 40s in a single day with rain and mist for 4 days. My system was really taxed because my body hadn't adjusted to the temperature drop yet and I was shivering while hiking in my base layers. After 4 days, even though the weather didn't change, I was comfortable again. So that shows the limits of my setup there - I was almost forced to use an insulating layer in the rain. Fortunately, my first insulating layer is a nanopuff that insulates when wet.

Has anybody ever experienced flooding on the AT?

Yes. Knee high water on the trail for two miles. It seems to be quite common in the Smokies.


It's raining and I'm living in Maine. Time to go for a walk!

[Gorgiewave]

are you talking about rivers rising?trails can become streams in heavy rains.

Is this likely to wash one and one's terribly beautiful but ever-so-slightly fragile dear girlfriend into a watery early grave?

[hikerboy57]

are you talking about rivers rising?trails can become streams in heavy rains.

Is this likely to wash one and one's terribly beautiful but ever-so-slightly fragile dear girlfriend into a watery early grave?

how much do you love her