Dri-Ducks on the AT

[Type38]

I have been trying out the Dri-Ducks rain suit on a few trips recently because it's so lite, but also inexpensive. The stuff works great, but whenever I actually get out on the trail, it just gets torn to smithereens. I do the bulk of my backpacking in Indiana and Kentucky and so the backcountry trails are filled with thorns a briars basically on the trail since they are so little travelled. I'm hoping to do a thru-hike of the AT when I graduate college and was wondering how bad the trails on the AT are in terms of thorns and other things that clothing could get snagged on?

[Mags]

Dri-ducks are great for well maintained trails and/or tundra hiking. In other words, the AT..at least the well maintained trail part.

For what you are doing, which sounds more like bushwhacking, not so much.

As an aside, the jackets seem to hold up better than the pants FWIW.

[Type38]

Agreed with the jacket part. I had no issues with that.

[Coffee]

My Dri Ducks rain pants were so torn up after my Colorado Trail thru hike that I think there might have been more duct tape on them than the original material! And the Colorado Trail is pretty well maintained except in some spots where you go through bushy areas. Any small bush will put tears in the Dri Ducks pants. Having said that, they are dirt cheap and you could probably go through several pairs of Dri Ducks before approaching the cost of any other rain pant.

[Mags]

I do not use the pants for the reasons Coffee stated. We must not be the only one as you can now buy the jacket for $15 separate from the pants! At least at my local Sports Authority. Still, at $20 for both, I keep a pair of pants in my car's emergency dufflel (rain gear, hat and gloves, socket set..that type of thing).

For three season use on the AT, depending on your hiking style, a simple pair of wind pants to help keep the heat in may work just as fine.

[colorado_rob]

Those damn pants do go south fairly quickly, but they do still seem to work fine on the thorn/briar-friendly AT, at least during the time of year when they might come in handy, namely the spring (and mid-late fall). They do a decent job of providing warmth and occasional use as an actual rain-pant on the trail. In the summer when thorns/briars/sticky stuff is out, you just plain don't need any pant on the AT. Lose them until it starts getting cold again in the evenings.

I still have not found anything lighter for a pant, has anyone? Maybe something cuben, but those don't breathe, and dri-ducks do breathe.

The jackets work great on the trail, though you probably need a couple of them for a complete thru hike. Glad you can just buy the jackets now!

[Coffee]

Zpacks has a lighter rain pant made of cuben but I'm not sure how well it would hold up under the same conditions... And it is of course much more expensive.

[Cedar1974]

You might try a ULA Rain kilt.

[MuddyWaters]

I don't find driducks or anything else breathes enough to matter. I am always damp to dripping wet in inside if hiking. Mine hold up fine, others must be abusive. It goes without saying bushwhacking while wearing them puts you in the idiot category.

[RADHiker]

Ouch! Really, BW?

T38, when you need them, rain gear is worth a little added expense. Seems everyone's opinion on when you need them varies pretty wildly. When it's warm, I don't use any at all, but will break it out when temps dip and protection against hypothermia is needed. In that case, I try to balance durability and cost. Hope that helps. Have a great hike!

[Another Kevin]

As far as I can tell, when it's humid enough, you will be wet, and there simply isn't anything that will keep you dry. The rain suit is (1) for wind protection, (2) for keeping you from getting too chilled by flowing water when the rain is coming down in buckets. I wore mine a couple of times recently on a 60-some-odd mile section hike of the Northville Placid Trail, with high temps mostly around 50 and lows in the low 30s, cold rain and sleet a lot of the time. I was soaking wet (not least because I couldn't get dry from a few fords) but stayed warm.

Being cold and wet is really, really bad. Warm and wet is not so bad.

[parkinson1963]

I always go for warm and wet. Cold and wet will lead to big problems. The only problem with frog togs is the the class size

[July]

For those early morning, twilite, or mid day cool rain walks, jus getcha a lw anorak to keep the heat in. While walkin' can add wool gloves, and adjust air flow/pace. Your gonna be wet when you get there Then jus put the dry stuff on.

[takethisbread]

I carried dri ducks on the at thruhike for what it's worth . My experience was simply mine I will preface . I carried the pants about a week . Threw in trash. Jacket I carried to mid virginia. Then realized I never wore it. It was too hot in it and I tried to hike around the rain or just suck it up in a t shirt and shorts. I sent for a real rain jacket in Gorham . I needed it for the torrential downpour in the first ten days in Maine.

[misterfloyd]

Got a set of toggs myself.

They do well on well maintained trails. On the last trip I got a few holes that I need to put some T. Tape on. They are a great windbreaker in the fall on the balds! They don't have a prayer against thorns and briars.

During the summer, I just elect to get wet, but bring the jacket in case for higher elevations just as an insulator. Maybe I should say heat retainer.

For 20 bucks at Wally world you can't beat it. I do need to get something more substantial for the winter however.

Floyd