View Full Version : Does anyone have any suggestions for rain clothing/ rain gear in general?
Kraken Skullz
08-20-2014, 19:41
Saran wrap your whole body and poke holes for eyes and mouth. Lol.
It depends on how much you want to get into rain gear. You can get by for the most part with just a good rain jacket or you can go all out with gaiters, a rain kilt, a packa and gore tex everything else.
It really depends on what area you are going to be hiking in.
I've been researching this as well and there are postings that address this issue. What I've gotten out of all the responses to the posting was that we have two decisions to make when making the purchase for rain gear. Either purchase the gear with the knowledge that eventually we will become drenched to the bone with perspiration. Or, we can become drenched to the bone by wearing some semblance of head protection (hat with a brim etc) and walk in the rain anyway. I've gathered that either way, we are going to arrive at our stopping place wearing wet clothes that we will be putting back on in the morning. Some say that if we have it with us in the bed or on the bed etc, our body heat will dry it somewhat and that the remainder of moisture will dry via our body heat as we wear it the next day. If it's raining the next day, we will be wet regardless.
Sigh, I can hardly wait. Maybe I should just douse myself with water at the trail head and just get it over with.
When it's really warm I just hike without rain gear, it's fine and kind of nice.
But rain is VERY cold! Even on cooler summer days you really need a rain jacket - not to keep you dry but to keep you warm! Yes, rain jackets make you sweat while hiking so you get wet anyways, but getting wet with a liquid from your body that is your body temperature is very different than getting wet from rain.
There are all sorts of expensive hi-tec rain jackets that may suit you. Or you may be comfortable in a cheap rain parka or something like Frogg Toggs Dri-Ducks.
Personally I use a fancy Marmot Neoshell jacket when it's cold, and a just keep a cheap, light rain parka with me when it's warm and usually opt not to use it.
You will hear lots of different opinions.
sympathetic joy
08-20-2014, 19:58
On a long enough timeline, the rain will always win.
bigcranky
08-20-2014, 20:04
Just realize that you're going to get wet, and it makes your decisions easier. At least, it does for me. You'll get wet from sweat, from rain coming inside through the zipper and the pit zips and your collar, from your shorts or pants getting wet and wicking upward, etc. In moderate to heavy rain I am generally completely soaked inside my rain gear.
I don't see a need to spend $400 on a "breatheable" rain shell when I'm just going to get wet. I don't see a need to wear a rain shell in warm weather when I'm just going to get wet. What works for me is to consider the rain shell and rain pants or kilt as layers that manage my temperature -- they help keep me warm while I am walking, even though I'm very wet inside them. This also means that I don't freak out and get my rain shell on as soon as it starts raining -- as long as it's not too cold, I can get a little damp before donning my rain gear, since I'm just going to get wet anyway. Putting on rain gear over wet clothing is a way to stop heat loss, not a way to get dry.
The thing about all this is that once you're wet, you need to keep walking as long as it's raining, which could be all day or several days. Once I stop for the day, I immediately set up a shelter, strip off all my wet clothes, and put on my dry layers that are buried safely inside my pack. That helps prevent hypothermia, which can happen at very moderate temperatures if I'm tired, hungry, and soaking wet.
So, recommendation: an inexpensive hard shell like the Marmot Precip jacket is fine, and they are often on sale for around $70. For a lighter alternative, a couple of cottage gear companies make rain shells of silicone nylon, which doesn't even claim to be breatheable, but it's light and does the job. If, like me, you wear shorts all the time, then a silicone nylon rain kit is the bomb -- keeps my shorts mostly dry while allowing ventilation, and it keeps my butt from getting cold :) In the winter, a pair of rain pants is a good idea.
saltysack
08-20-2014, 20:15
Recently got an OR helium 2 rain jacket....very light but haven't tested yet....keep my fingers crossed
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kayak karl
08-20-2014, 20:26
Packa always
Precip pants (winter only)
swjohnsey
08-20-2014, 20:31
You need a waterproof/windproof layer year round. It can get cold enough (50 degrees) to kill even in the summer. This is also the outer layer in you cold weather gear. After I got past Damascus this was the only cold weather gear I carried. I use both DryDucks and Precip. The DryDucks won't last a thru-hike.
swjohnsey
08-20-2014, 20:32
You rain gear will also double as you laundry clothes.
kayak karl
08-20-2014, 21:02
You rain gear will also double as you laundry clothes. that's why i sold me cuben chaps :D
Kraken Skullz
08-20-2014, 21:54
Haha. Wear that packa very often on laundry days?
Need to know more about your hiking style, budget, time of the year and so on...
Question comes up fairly often, so I wrote this article and lazily link to it :)
http://www.pmags.com/rain-gear-what-to-wear
We're still using Frogg Toggs suits that we got about 8 years ago. The suits fits over all our clothes real easily. Over 1000 miles, many different hikes, still good. Also good for warmth and windproofness (but breatheable). Reasonably light too. Did I say they are cheap? Attractive colors too, we use orange. USA made.
I know they don't get no respect from the Marmot wearers but I think they are good rain gear and I like how soft the fabric feels after some use. You don't have to spend hundreds of dollars for Chinese made raincoat that feels like plastic and doesn't even breathe very well when you can get good soft USA made for cheap.
WeShallSee
08-20-2014, 23:13
HI Goodas, quick interruption You haven't responded to my PM. Do you know how to get those?
You rain gear will also double as you laundry clothes.
This!
I've seen people try to push for UL cuben rain kilts instead of rain pant and I just can't do it for this reason. To be able to wash all my dirty clothes and remain covered with rain gear means I don't have to pack town clothes.
HeartFire
08-21-2014, 06:11
I ( LightHeart Gear) have a new Hoodie Pack Cover28135 (it does come in green and gray as well as blaze orange) This along with my Rain Wrap28136 worked so well this summer climbing Mt Killington in a downpour. The puddles were over the top of my shoes, that's how hard it was raining. The hood and the shoulder cape kept in enough body warmth (plus I was going up hill) My arms were exposed - wearing a t-shirt which helped cool me off, the cape and hood of the pack cover kept water from going down the back of my neck. Everything in my pack was perfectly dry. - It's all available on the LightHeart Gear website.
I use a large trash bag 44 gal.and elastic cord in a rolled and duct taped band at top for a skirt. Works well easily replaced and cheap. Tall gaiters are used mostly to repeal mud, as I usually sleep in my pants.
For a jacket, still looking. Have tried four, all have merits, for different seasons.
Whatever you choose to wear, add an umbrella. You are now $0.02 richer.