35 degree rain. Your best strategies?

[FreeGoldRush]

35 degree rain worries me. What are your strategies for working with it?

[bigcranky]

Yeah, it should.

You're going to get soaking wet, and cold. For me, that means I can't stop hiking until the end of the day, or until I reach a shelter where I can get out of the rain and into some dry clothing for a break.

So, I wear my long sleeve base layers under my rain gear (shell and pants, rain mitts), and I put snacks in my pockets so I don't need to take off my pack. Then I walk so I can generate enough body heat to stay warm. I eat snacks as often as possible to fuel my metabolism. This is usually pretty miserable but survivable.

The real key is what happens when you stop. Two choices:

1. Stop for a break, like lunch. Recommended early in a thru-hike when you can't just keep walking all day. The key is to get out of the wet clothing and into dry clothing quickly, then get some food. I put on my dry sleeping layers, and my big puffy, and my hat and gloves, and might even wrap myself in my sleeping bag. Then I make a hot drink and eat. I do hang my wet clothes to drip dry a little.

Once I'm ready to go, comes the hard part -- taking off the nice warm dry clothing, putting it back in the waterproof part of my pack, and putting on the soaking wet, cold, almost frozen clothing I took off earlier. Then start hiking again.... :)

2. Stop for the day. If it's still raining, this is easier in a shelter. But it can be done with a tent, too. Either way, get the tent set up (or get inside the shelter), then strip the wet and put on the dry. Bundle up, get some hot food and drink, and stay out of the rain. Hang the wet stuff to drip a little -- wring it out if necessary. Some people put damp clothes at the bottom of their sleeping bag overnight -- they might not dry out, but they won't freeze either. (Putting on frozen clothing takes some getting used to. :) )

You could combine the two - stop at lunch time and just stay put the rest of the day.

35 and raining is pretty classic hypothermia weather -- it combines all the causes: cold, wet, tired, hungry. Keep an eye on the other hikers for the "umbles" -- Stumbles, Mumbles, Grumbles, Fumbles. If somebody shows up at the shelter and can't seem to get out of his or her wet clothes, and can't get a stove lit, etc., it's time to step in and help.

[chknfngrs]

Good info from cranky! Layering is where it's at, and dry clothing is crucial!

[theoilman]

+2 from cranky!
I've been at 40 deg. rainy and it is a challenge! For me what I wasn't prepared for was trying to keep my hands dry and warm all day. My hands got so cold I couldn't open a zip lock bag of snacks with both hands and my teeth.
I would make sure to have adequate layers for my hands.

[Sarcasm the elf]

Bigcranky more or less covered it all.

I just want to throw in that this is why I carry a 20 degree sleeping bag in the spring/summer/fall. When I'm hiking in all day rain, knowing that i'm only a mistake or two away from hypothermia I want to be sure that I have a tent and bag that will get me warm when I need it to. On top of that, it is inevitable that one's sleeping bag is going to get damp to some extent and lose some of it's insulating ability as a result, so having a bag that is rated for lower than the expected temperature builds in a buffer for these situations.

PS, if you think 35 and raining is fun, try 25 and raining :eek: I've had the pleasure of hiking at times where the rain was freezing after it tell and covering myself and my pack in a layer of ice. It was the sort of situation that builds character. :D

[bigcranky]

PS, if you think 35 and raining is fun, try 25 and raining :eek: I've had the pleasure of hiking at times where the rain was freezing after it tell and covering myself and my pack in a layer of ice. It was the sort of situation that builds character. :D

Yeah, another frigging learning opportunity, right? My hiking partner and I did that one day all the way into Damascus, totally covered in crackling ice the whole way. Fun. :)

[saltysack]

I've never liked the idea of putting wear cloths near my DRY warm down bag......I've heard people say to sleep in wet cloths to dry them but doesn't sound appealing to me...


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[jeffmeh]

Covered very well in the responses. I find that if I keep moving and well fueled, the temperature doesn't bother me, and a decent piece of rain gear for the upper body over my hiking shirt is enough to keep me comfortable. The key is keeping sleeping bag and spare clothes dry for when you stop.

And nothing quite like a beard full of ice. :)

[ChuckT]

Somewhat buried in this discussion is the detail of having a tent with a separate fly and practicing erecting same. Throw up the fly as a tarp and get out of the weather first.

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[Hikingjim]

If it's a short hike or a section hike I bring more clothes than normal if I know it's going to be multiple rainy days in a row. If there's no sunny days in site where I can dry things on a rock, etc, then some extra dry stuff is worth carrying.

consider a town/hostel stop if possible to dry out and break up multiple days of bad weather. You can still do some decent mileage on those days

I don't find it's that big an issue during the day when hiking. If it's windy on an open peak... yes, it's going to suck. But when you're moving in the woods and you have proper clothing, you can still enjoy

[burger]

I have a few disagreements with what bigcranky wrote:

1) Wearing extra layers is great, but make sure you have something dry to change into when you get into camp/get into your bag (unless you're okay sleeping naked). I actually never wear my puffy while hiking so that it can stay nice and dry for when I get into camp.

2) If you start to feel cold, speed up. Walking faster = more heat generated.

3) As soon as you stop hiking, you are going to start getting cold. You will be wet under your rain gear from sweat or rain that got through, so if you put on your extra layers on a break, you will be getting them wet and making them less effective at keeping you warm when you need it in camp later. If you don't put on more layers, though, you're going to get colder and colder. So my advice is to not stop hiking, period, when it's raining and cold until you are done for the day. In the morning, load your pants pockets and hip belt pockets with anything you will need for the day--snacks, water treatment, maps, etc. Then hike without a break until you get to camp. I've done well over 25 miles in a day without stopping for more than a minute or so at a time to dig something out of my hip belt pockets.

4) Umbrella. It won't keep you completely dry, but it will keep you a lot less wet (and therefore warmer) than you will be otherwise.

5) If you have a down sleeping bag, DO NOT PUT YOUR WET CLOTHES IN YOUR BAG. Your bag will soak up the water, and it will ruin the insulation for you. You don't generate enough body heat to cause all of that moisture to evaporate out of your bag, especially if it's very humid out (which it will be if it's been raining all day). The only thing that potentially works to dry wet clothes is holding them near a fire for a long time, but this is not recommended for synthetics because they burn/melt easily. Bottom line is that your clothes are going to be cold and wet when you put them on the next morning, and there's very little you can do about it.

6) Cold hands, feet, and face are normal for walking in cold rain. But if you start to feel deeply cold inside or you're shivering uncontrollably and walking faster does not help, you're getting hypothermia. Stop as soon as you can, set up camp, get into dry clothes/bag/tent, and eat a warm meal.

[burger]

Covered very well in the responses. I find that if I keep moving and well fueled, the temperature doesn't bother me, and a decent piece of rain gear for the upper body over my hiking shirt is enough to keep me comfortable. The key is keeping sleeping bag and spare clothes dry for when you stop.

And nothing quite like a beard full of ice. :)

Telling other people who have yet to hike in all-day cold rain that they don't need extra layers is bad advice and irresponsible. Everyone is different when it comes to clothing, and the risk of not having enough clothing is serious. I'm usually okay in just hiking shirt + windshirt + rain jacket over that down to below freezing. But on the CDT my wife ended up nearly hypothermic in a cold rain despite hiking in the layers I was wearing plus her puffy jacket plus tights under her rainpants and hiking pants.

Clothing is very individual. When you're hiking in shoulder seasons, until you know exactly what works for you, much better to bring too many layers, and then leave the extras behind on your next trip.

[1azarus]

I call it "my race against hypothermia" -- not stopping till the day is done if possible is really good advice. The best situation is when you are lucky enough to outwalk the rain, so you can use your body heat to dry off before you make camp. So... walk till an hour or so after it has stopped raining, or walk till it is camp time.

[jeffmeh]

Telling other people who have yet to hike in all-day cold rain that they don't need extra layers is bad advice and irresponsible. Everyone is different when it comes to clothing, and the risk of not having enough clothing is serious. I'm usually okay in just hiking shirt + windshirt + rain jacket over that down to below freezing. But on the CDT my wife ended up nearly hypothermic in a cold rain despite hiking in the layers I was wearing plus her puffy jacket plus tights under her rainpants and hiking pants.

Clothing is very individual. When you're hiking in shoulder seasons, until you know exactly what works for you, much better to bring too many layers, and then leave the extras behind on your next trip.

I think you are putting words in my mouth. :) I made it quite clear that that is what works for me, and also that the key is having dry gear when you stop. Better to stop and have dry layers, then wet out all of those dry layers. I absolutely agree with you on the extra layers, particularly for those trying to figure it out. I routinely bring extra layers in the Whites, in fact never deployed a windshirt and an extra merino 150 long top in light rain in the southern Pres two weeks ago tomorrow.

[Bronk]

The nice thing about cold rainy days is you make a lot of miles...if you stop to take a break you know when its time to start again...just a few minutes and you start to get chilled.

Learn how to start a fire with wet wood. If you are soaked to the bone and don't have any dry clothes you're going to be in trouble at the end of the day.

Some tips for starting a fire during wet weather:

(1) Find wood that isn't laying on the ground...blowdowns and deadfall that are leaning up against another tree or rock. If its dead wood that's hanging in the air the rain will drip off of it, and its also exposed to the wind so it will dry faster.

(2) Use your pocket knife to whittle the bark off and get to the dry wood inside. Use smaller pieces to get a fire started...once its going good the fire will dry the wood as it burns...but having some dry twigs to start with really helps it get going.

(3) Sometimes when you break a stick it splinters at the end. When you get one of these split pieces split it the rest of the way down the length of the stick to expose the dry middle.

(4) Sunbleached wood is some of the dryest wood you will ever find...it looks old and whitish gray in color. You will usually find this on a riverbank or sometimes in glades or on rock formations.

(5) Start with very small pieces of wood and slowly build up to larger pieces. This may sound elementary but it becomes much more important when wood is wet.

(6) Once your fire is going stack your wood pile close enough to the fire that it will dry out. I remember on a rainy day in the smokies two young guys lined the entire fireplace with wet wood to dry it for later use. Even though it had poured all day and continued to rain all night we had a fire warm enough to dry all of our clothes.

[bigcranky]

I have a few disagreements with what bigcranky wrote:

I think you misread my post.

1. I don't wear the extra layers when hiking, and certainly not the puffy. That was for when stopping for a break or at the end of the day.

3. When stopping for a break, take off the wet stuff and put on dry. Then reverse when starting out hiking again.

[Traveler]

Layers work well for me. However, a big part of my strategy is a hat. I always have a acrylic or wool pull over hat to help reduce body heat loss. Such a simple bit of kit can be a huge help in those borderline conditions.

[RockDoc]

We go hiking in Iceland a lot, 3 trips so far. A big problem is storms with high 40 mph winds and heavy horizontal rain at 2 degrees C, even in August. We dress in Icebreaker merino wool from head to toe and have Marmot goretex suits and muckboots (because the ground turns into a wet sponge).

Your problems on the AT are not so bad, generally. But you still need wool clothing, decent rain gear, and footwear that won't be worthless when wet. This is a life threatening condition. Dressing for active cold/wet is one of the biggest challenges of the outdoors IMO. Very few American hikers are good at this; the Scots are masters of it.

[George]

my take on it:

this is when a shelter cannot be beat
as opposed to what others said - do not try to push long days in these conditions - stop with plenty of energy to spare
do not dawdle upon stopping - strip, dry off as best you can and get into the sleeping bag
wring out the clothing - in these conditions hanging to dry does not work
cook and eat 2-3 hot meals

[rafe]

35 degree rain? Avoid it, if you have any choice in the matter.

[AfterParty]

Shelter in case it snows

[MuddyWaters]

Too many scenarios to consider
One day or multiple?
Followed by warming trend or deep freeze?
Near town or not?
Food to stay put or not!
What gear is with you?
Are there shelters?
Etc.

A couple days of it in humid east and everything you have will be soggy.
Not a good place to be
Shelters way better than tent which will be raining condensation inside
Down will lose much loft, synthetics would be much better.

[daddytwosticks]

35 degree rain? Avoid it, if you have any choice in the matter.

Agree! :)

[MtDoraDave]

I haven't seen it mentioned, but it is very important:

Even though it's raining and cold out, it is very important to stay hydrated.

From a Mayo Clinic website:
"Some health disorders affect your body's ability to regulate body temperature. Examples include ... dehydration .... "

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hypothermia/basics/risk-factors/con-20020453

The night I was the coldest on the AT, it wasn't raining all day, but it was cold that day and I didn't drink but 1 liter of water all day and we hiked about 12 miles. That night it got into the upper teens or perhaps lower 20's, and I could not get warm.

[FreeGoldRush]

Is a fleece pullover underneath a rain shell reasonable for hiking in this kind of weather? How about gloves covered with Cuben fiber rain mitts? How do your feet do when soaking wet in this kind of weather? I have a rain jacket coming from Z-Packs but did not get the rain pants. What do you have on your legs in these conditions?

[bigcranky]

35 and raining I have rain pants. My feet just get wet - I wear wool socks and mesh trail runners. A fleece pullover is fine if you are cold while walking, but it shouldn't be your only insulation as it will get soaking wet too. The cuben rain mitts are great, and if my hands are cold I'll wear light fleece gloves under them. (Again, these aren't my only gloves.)

55 and raining I have a homemade rain skirt to keep my shorts from soaking through.

65 and raining I don't have anything but my shorts and my rain shell, mostly unzipped.

75 and raining just feels pretty good so I get wet. :)

[saltysack]

If your a cheapskate try to keep a couple bread bags in your pack for rain mitts and slip over socks when nature calls at night...work great...


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[V Eight]

The nice thing about cold rainy days is you make a lot of miles...if you stop to take a break you know when its time to start again...just a few minutes and you start to get chilled.

Learn how to start a fire with wet wood. If you are soaked to the bone and don't have any dry clothes you're going to be in trouble at the end of the day.

Some tips for starting a fire during wet weather:

(1) Find wood that isn't laying on the ground...blowdowns and deadfall that are leaning up against another tree or rock. If its dead wood that's hanging in the air the rain will drip off of it, and its also exposed to the wind so it will dry faster.

(2) Use your pocket knife to whittle the bark off and get to the dry wood inside. Use smaller pieces to get a fire started...once its going good the fire will dry the wood as it burns...but having some dry twigs to start with really helps it get going.

(3) Sometimes when you break a stick it splinters at the end. When you get one of these split pieces split it the rest of the way down the length of the stick to expose the dry middle.

(4) Sunbleached wood is some of the dryest wood you will ever find...it looks old and whitish gray in color. You will usually find this on a riverbank or sometimes in glades or on rock formations.

(5) Start with very small pieces of wood and slowly build up to larger pieces. This may sound elementary but it becomes much more important when wood is wet.

(6) Once your fire is going stack your wood pile close enough to the fire that it will dry out. I remember on a rainy day in the smokies two young guys lined the entire fireplace with wet wood to dry it for later use. Even though it had poured all day and continued to rain all night we had a fire warm enough to dry all of our clothes.

I carry a small pill bottle stuffed with cotton balls that are completely covered in Vaseline. I have no idea what it weighs.
I have used these to start a fire in a downpour. Either put the balls in the middle of your twig teepee & light or light them in a covered area on a piece of bark, then get the burning ball to your twigs.

I learned this trick here on WhiteBlaze a few years ago!

V8

[Puddlefish]

35 degree rain? Avoid it, if you have any choice in the matter.

This is my strategy. I've only hiked in freezing/near freezing rain/snow/slush for two days. I used an umbrella, the only thing I have to add to the conversation is to remember to knock the snow off of it once in a while.

[QiWiz]

35 degree rain worries me. What are your strategies for working with it?

Plan on hiking with very brief interruptions only; wear a merino wool base layer and waterproof outer layer; make sure my camp and sleeping insulation is in a waterproof bag in my pack. Generally I hike warm enough to not need a mid layer, but it would need to be wool or synthetic if I did (light fleece for example).

[Dogwood]

I too feel there are many scenarios to consider. For one there are different scenarios/variations of 35* of rain. Is there wind for example? In a forest or with massive exposure, all day heavy rain, wind driven 35* rain, etc? What scenarios are likely to follow the 35* rain(warming trend, night time lows, is the 35* rain occurring at noon time, at 7 p.m. with sunset quickly approaching, etc.), etc. Lumping rain, even 35* rain, into one big category ignoring these scenarios/variations is too narrow a view IMO! It neglects important distinctions/scenarios/variations!

I am also of the sincere opinion that is in direct opposition of many offering opinions that a 35* rain absolutely entails getting drenched. Rain, 35* rain, considering it's different scenarios/variations, ABSOLUTELY does not mean I will get soaked. I specifically work on not getting soaked through and through. IT IS possible under some(many?) rain scenarios NOT to get soaked!

I'm also of the sincere opinion that allowing oneself to get drenched even under 75* temps can open the door to thermoregulation issues. When I read of advice eschewing rain gear and/or protective outer layers because it's currently 75* or allowing oneself to get soaked even in 75* temps I believe it's a slippery slope as it doesn't always stay 75* i.e.; winds can pick up, exposure can increase(after allowing to get soaked), temps can quickly plummet, etc.

FWIW, in the 35* rain warmth while doing one's best to stay dry is my priority. Of course layering especially with base and mid layers of merino tops, possibly a wind shell(MB Tachyon, Pat Houdini, Marmot DrClime, Montane Featherlite, etc) under a UL rain jacket(ZP's Challenger, MB Versalite, Marmot Mica, etc.) for the top half works. Personally, in cold rain I like a shell with a descent hood that doesn't flop down, WITH hand pockets( I'll also likely be wearing gloves even if only nylon running gloves that I put in my rain shell's pockets), waist/hem bungee, and adjustable velcro wrist enclosures. I'd be wearing GoLite Tumalo or MB Versalite rain pants as well. Much below 35* or with regular cold weather as that I may even be carrying/wearing light wt synthetic bottoms under the rain pants. I'm almost always, even in summer with my early a.m. starts, carrying a merino/alpaca light wt beanie too that goes under my shell's hood.

Keeping places where water typically penetrates at bay(ankles, wrists, etc) by overlapping apparel has been key to staying drier for me. Although boo hooed here on WB and many other sites I may be wearing WP footwear and low cut gaiters. The gaiters go under the rain pants keeping me drier. My rain jacket has to be long enough to cover over the waist of my rain pants or water from my top half can drip into the waist area and into my pants. Depending on the scenario/variation of what I expect as far as rain I may be wearing WP socks too opting to carry a merino shortie sock and short WP socks for change under varying conditions.

Assuming one can duck into a shelter(lean-to?) if it snows is being narrow minded as to most trail's/route's shelter availability too. Most trails do not afford the luxury and convenience of lean tos as does the AT. FWIW, learn to backpack by being self sufficient first by using your own shelter without relying on lean-tos/shelters as the norm is a good habit it have.

[Dogwood]

Is a fleece pullover underneath a rain shell reasonable for hiking in this kind of weather? How about gloves covered with Cuben fiber rain mitts? How do your feet do when soaking wet in this kind of weather? I have a rain jacket coming from Z-Packs but did not get the rain pants. What do you have on your legs in these conditions?


Even though I don't typically layer a fleece under a shell in 35* rain on multi day/LD hikes others do quite successfully.

If anticipating a hike with increasing durations of rain and possibly colder weather I may throw MLD CF Rain Mitts into the mix(over merino gloves/mitts) but it depends on the weather's anticipated variations. Again, if your shell has hand pockets USE THEM for greater dryness and warmth! I try to keep my feet warm and dry as long as I can! YET, I know under long durations of rain(all day rain, heavy downpours, etc) regular socks and layering techniques and non WP footwear I may need to go to WP socks. I really like the HANZ Crew Length Lightweight WP Socks paired with trail runners on maintained trails(the AT) in these colder longer duration rain conditions. These HANZ socks are non bunching(they stay put on my feet!, they don't sag unnecessarily!), are non restrictive(overly tight), breathe well!(I know it's an over used marketing term), and work well for me using rain pants over the top. The rain pants have to be long enough and funnel water away from the anklet/shoe opening if using low cut trail runners. HANZ also makes more insulatative socks in this crew length for colder conditions although I haven't tried them.

I wouldn't discount throwing WP Shortie or Schoeller Stretch Dynamic fabric gaiters paired with low cut trail runners to divert water away from my shoe's ankle openings IF using low cut trail runners into the mix under my rain pants to keep feet dry(drier?) either. Again, make sure water from your torso and waistline isn't dripping into the inside of your rain pants down your legs into your shoes.

[LittleRock]

I've gotten some of my biggest mileage days in those conditions. When it's cold and rainy, you get cold if you stop, so you just don't stop. Although it is pretty darn tempting to stop for the day whenever you get to the first shelter.

When hiking in those conditions, it is critical that your bag and warm clothes stay dry. I always keep those things in water resistant stuff sacks in the bottom of my pack.

[Another Kevin]

PS, if you think 35 and raining is fun, try 25 and raining :eek: I've had the pleasure of hiking at times where the rain was freezing after it tell and covering myself and my pack in a layer of ice. It was the sort of situation that builds character. :D

It's particularly delightful when the trail starts like this:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/sZKd-OjMNRxVIr1haYpiMhbXO-h2dYBpX0hPWGwFtSJkruJtAFBODnqelBtaYq87r1_FDPeuwOA= s640-rw-no

and so nobody brings crampons or ice axe - and then the rain hits and it gets like this instead:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/6pmMTadp9P3QHTWAs3n_CNOUIDDQEn-MdE3m4dJ1GCtAocyphsVOZxTD3fcnbO2o5nqddZ4Ik-E=s640-rw-no

until the ice is inviting an 'inadvertent seated glissade' at each step.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/vuvT0dEd_fx-fNnAGJLp76ddQYd3VRu8fiaJxSFIDFtU7yJBeCavnmDzNpdYW6 cVsnDNUzHqdjw=s640-rw-no

[Another Kevin]

Learn how to start a fire with wet wood. If you are soaked to the bone and don't have any dry clothes you're going to be in trouble at the end of the day.

This. The one time that I've made a campfire for myself in the last three years or so, it was because I fell in a river in 35° sleet. Camped illegally right there on the riverbank: I'm pretty sure I could have convinced a hypothetical ranger that it was an emergency.

I also recognized that it was a dodgy crossing and had stocked a small amount of firewood on the near bank, so as to have a place to retreat to. I was glad I'd been so careful. Even with that precaution (and the Vaseline-and-cotton trick), I was in real trouble. For a while I was huddled close to the fire with my sleeping bag around me like a cloak (and in a dry baselayer) and still shivering.

[Dogwood]

Is there a reward for turning in criminals like you AK? If so be forewarned of that knock on your door um tent. :D

[CarlZ993]

I've been in these conditions before as I climbed into the Smokeys on my thru-hike. As I climbed from Fontana Dam, the light rain got colder & colder. By the time & gained a bunch of elevation, the rain was freezing on the trees & other vegetation. I was wearing my rain pants, rain jacket, undershirt (wool), hiking shirt, fleece vest, hiking pants, knit cap, trail runners w/ wool socks, and supposedly waterproof overmitts. I had to force myself to drink water and eat as I hiked. It took me about 5 min to unwrap a Snickers bar as I walked. I didn't dare stop. I'd get too cold. It was the coldest 13.8M ever!! Once I got to Russell Field Shelter, I claimed my shelter space & got some water. Other hikers already had a fire going in the shelter. I put on warm clothes & warmed up in my sleeping bag for a while. Brrrr!!! I hope I never experience that again.

[saltysack]

I've only seen conditions like these once on a February Roan highlands section hike.....everything froze going up and down Roan took hours...I had to sit on my arse and slide down most of roan mtn after falling several times. I now pack 12 hex head metal roofing screws for emergency traction....easily screw 6 in each shoe...should carry spikes but these work good in a pinch with trekking poles. You live and learn....also learned that a half empty fuel canister is useless at these temps!


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[peakbagger]

I dis several sections of the AT in early spring in New England. As expect I got wet and on some days the fronts that brought the rain brought a drop in temp. In that case A good slightly oversized rain shell with long pit zips with fleece underneath was about the best compromise. Even though the inside of the jacket gets wet from perspiration, the fleece even though its wet maintains some air gap between the coat and the skin. Taking a break is tough, I just switch into graze mode and really not take any significant stops for lunch as any significant load of food in the stomach (like lunch) will switch blood from the extremities to the stomach. This will quickly make the hands and feet numb and its can take quite a bit to get them functioning again. Quick high calorie snacks usually wont trigger the change in blood flow. If the weather is going to stay wet, I have been know to stretch the miles one day to end up at a shelter rather than to do a wet camp with a tent. In the spring during the week a full shelter is rarely an issue. If in a tent I think its very difficult to dry things but in a shelter its amazing how things can be partially dried overnight. I also have used the wear it dry method with synthetics where I warm up the sleeping bag and then swap into the damp synthetics and let my body heat dry them overnight (definitely not recommended for down bags). It works but if you have a marginal sleeping bag its a net loss of rating.

I also used to carry a whisperlight on potentially cold weather trips, a couple ounces of white gas can generate a lot of heat and unlike a canister, gas white gas is not fussy around 30 degrees F. On unexpectedly cold damp nights I have had to heat up water bottle and throw it in my sleeping bag preferably in ziplock bag.

[Odd Man Out]

... Very few American hikers are good at this; the Scots are masters of it.

We ran into this cold horizontal rain in Scotland, not while hiking but while on vacation. We were touring the Bannockburn battlefield, using the Bruce Statue for cover when this local man nonchalantly walks by with his dog. We greet each other and I make some comment about the horizontal rain. He says "It's raining? I hadn't noticed."

[q-tip]

Garbage bag rain shirt, keeps heat in, MLD mitten covers, keep walking....

[Dogwood]

Nice to have some chemical heat packs such as Toasty Toes, Grabbers, etc at times like these as well. Placing one in each glove/mitt or hand pocket on my shell and one in each shoe can help stay comfortable enough. Just don't let the packets leak or rip, which they are designed not to, as they can stain gear. This is based on always making note of weather before and during a hike which I find a necessity.

[sadlowskiadam]

Option 1): Stay in shelter or tent, if possible, and wait it out.

Option 2): Set up tent ASAP and wait it out. No glory here IMO, unless a life threatening situation requires you to hike.

[pickNgrin]

In addition to a lot of good tips already given, when you stop for your break you can make a warm cup of liquid Jello. In addition to being something warm in your belly, the sugar and gelatin will kickstart your metabolism and create internal heat.

[Del Q]

remain hydrated, eat carbs, I like tee shirt (merino), rain gear, fleece cap, event gloves and keep moving. Layer up at breaks. Prefer cold to HOT

[camper10469]

lots n lots of good advice. one thing ive learned the hard way after hiking all day in rain up tomour butts n coming down so hard it hurt.... TARP TARP TARP!

we got to the leanto n it was full of pot smoking kids with a rip roaring fire. the fire was great but the number of people, you couldnt even sit down.

put the tarp up n you at least haveca place to setup your tent out of tge rain, and then after changing clothes, you have a place to sit!

[DrRichardCranium]

Also, on a long hike, get a weather report and plan accordingly. If you know that cold and heavy rain will be coming in in a few days, that might be a good time to be in a town.

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[Tipi Walter]

Bigcranky more or less covered it all.

I just want to throw in that this is why I carry a 20 degree sleeping bag in the spring/summer/fall. When I'm hiking in all day rain, knowing that i'm only a mistake or two away from hypothermia I want to be sure that I have a tent and bag that will get me warm when I need it to. On top of that, it is inevitable that one's sleeping bag is going to get damp to some extent and lose some of it's insulating ability as a result, so having a bag that is rated for lower than the expected temperature builds in a buffer for these situations.

PS, if you think 35 and raining is fun, try 25 and raining :eek: I've had the pleasure of hiking at times where the rain was freezing after it tell and covering myself and my pack in a layer of ice. It was the sort of situation that builds character. :D

All good points---overkill bag as yes a fluffed up down bag at home will never be as dry and as warm when in the field, therefore having a low temp buffer is nice. And it amazes me at times to be sitting in my tent during a winter rainstorm when the temps feel absolutely frigid but dangit it's still raining out there and not snowing.

Every backpacker should study the case of David Decareaux and his two sons who perished on a dayhike in the Ozarks in January 2013. See---

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/01/14/air-force-veteran-and-his-2-sons-die-while-hiking-missouri-trail.html

I have thought about the incident in some detail as he encountered what I now call the Decareaux Cycle---

THE DECAREAUX CYCLE
** Stage 1 is 50F-60F in January/February whenever with nice weather. It lures out the dayhikers.
** Stage 2 is a cold rain at between 35F and 45F---a storm system that usually lasts at least a day or night.
** Stage 3 is when the rain ends and temps drop drastically into the 20Fs or teens under crystal clear skies.
** Stage 4 is when the cold air dissipates and temps return to 50Fs and 60Fs back to Stage 1.


This cycle is only relevant to the Southeast mountains and can occur any month of the year but most especially between November and March. For unprepared dayhikers it's a one-two punch of cold soaked clothing followed by frozen clothing and hypothermia and sometimes death.

The reason I am so preoccupied with this Cycle is because I spend so much of my winter backpacking caught in these cycles.




Also, on a long hike, get a weather report and plan accordingly. If you know that cold and heavy rain will be coming in in a few days, that might be a good time to be in a town.

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Bailing to a town?? No thanks. Miss Nature offers us a full meal and we should eat each bite.

[DrRichardCranium]

All good points---overkill bag as yes a fluffed up down bag at home will never be as dry and as warm when in the field, therefore having a low temp buffer is nice. And it amazes me at times to be sitting in my tent during a winter rainstorm when the temps feel absolutely frigid but dangit it's still raining out there and not snowing.

Every backpacker should study the case of David Decareaux and his two sons who perished on a dayhike in the Ozarks in January 2013. See---

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/01/14/air-force-veteran-and-his-2-sons-die-while-hiking-missouri-trail.html

I have thought about the incident in some detail as he encountered what I now call the Decareaux Cycle---

THE DECAREAUX CYCLE
** Stage 1 is 50F-60F in January/February whenever with nice weather. It lures out the dayhikers.
** Stage 2 is a cold rain at between 35F and 45F---a storm system that usually lasts at least a day or night.
** Stage 3 is when the rain ends and temps drop drastically into the 20Fs or teens under crystal clear skies.
** Stage 4 is when the cold air dissipates and temps return to 50Fs and 60Fs back to Stage 1.


This cycle is only relevant to the Southeast mountains and can occur any month of the year but most especially between November and March. For unprepared dayhikers it's a one-two punch of cold soaked clothing followed by frozen clothing and hypothermia and sometimes death.

The reason I am so preoccupied with this Cycle is because I spend so much of my winter backpacking caught in these cycles.





Bailing to a town?? No thanks. Miss Nature offers us a full meal and we should eat each bite.
I said "on a long hike". Like a thru-hike. On a long hike you periodically stay in towns
And it's best if you check the weather reports and figure out when the bad weather is coming in, and try to plan your stays in towns with bad weather. I know you can't always do that, but you can sometimes adjust your schedule that way.


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[Dogwood]

All good points---overkill bag as yes a fluffed up down bag at home will never be as dry and as warm when in the field, therefore having a low temp buffer is nice. And it amazes me at times to be sitting in my tent during a winter rainstorm when the temps feel absolutely frigid but dangit it's still raining out there and not snowing.

Every backpacker should study the case of David Decareaux and his two sons who perished on a dayhike in the Ozarks in January 2013. See---

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/01/14/air-force-veteran-and-his-2-sons-die-while-hiking-missouri-trail.html

I have thought about the incident in some detail as he encountered what I now call the Decareaux Cycle---

THE DECAREAUX CYCLE
** Stage 1 is 50F-60F in January/February whenever with nice weather. It lures out the dayhikers.
** Stage 2 is a cold rain at between 35F and 45F---a storm system that usually lasts at least a day or night.
** Stage 3 is when the rain ends and temps drop drastically into the 20Fs or teens under crystal clear skies.
** Stage 4 is when the cold air dissipates and temps return to 50Fs and 60Fs back to Stage 1.


This cycle is only relevant to the Southeast mountains and can occur any month of the year but most especially between November and March. For unprepared dayhikers it's a one-two punch of cold soaked clothing followed by frozen clothing and hypothermia and sometimes death.

The reason I am so preoccupied with this Cycle is because I spend so much of my winter backpacking caught in these cycles.





Bailing to a town?? No thanks. Miss Nature offers us a full meal and we should eat each bite.

The scenario is not relegated to the southeast though. I've experienced it or seen it happen to others in British Columbia, Cali, Colorado, Montana, New Hampshire, Utah, and Vermont for example under even initially warmer temps, although not always in Jan /Feb which is why when I hear to let oneself get soaked in 75* weather in a downpour or rain gear is no good at all I say whoa, not so fast. Weather gets more fickle based on seasons, at the higher elevations, when the hike enters into lowland protected valleys than heads back up to ridge lines, coastline hikes, etc.

[plexusbritt]

Last winter a friend and I intentionally went out to test gear in weather predicted to be like the above mentioned cycle. Now, I said it was intentional but, we were not stupid. The car was 1/4 mile away from the end of the hike if things got messy and we felt it would be better to bail.

We hiked around with our (always present) dogs all day, when it got late afternoon we chose the trees for our hammocks and proceeded to spend a lot of time gathering wood for a fire and storing it under the hammock tarp. She and I generally backpack together so we planned to share the same tarp for extra heat under the tarp. The tarp was a bit longer than the hammock so we had room to hang wet clothes once we got to that stage.

Our method was pretty much the same as above. Get dry and eat. The temps did plummet even further than expected and I woke up to see that we had both pulled our dogs into the hammocks with us. Other than ice coating everything. All was well.

I feel like my post is all over the place bc I'm half asleep but my point is that bc we hike a lot. We knew we were bound to come into the scenario and wanted to have experience in dealing with it. Also, her family happened to have their RV in the same state park's campground.

We ended up being glad for the practice as we ended up needing it on a later kayaking trip. we felt the temps dropping and felt the first drops of rain. We immediately started looking for a good campsite well above the creek but we got wet and just dealt with it bc we had safely tested ourselves and our gear.


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[Leo L.]

Had the situation a few days back, rain and wind and temps dropping close to freezing, so I was stuck high up in the valley I was. Proceeding over the pass at 2.400m was out of question with my minimalist rain gear, backing out down into civilisation neither.
So I setup the tent at 1.700m, rationed my food, launched the Kindle app and spent a full day dry and warm in the tent.
Next morning, freezing cold and freshly white capped peaks around, blue sky and all was OK, actually one of the greatest hiking days I ever had.

When the conditions go bad, I highly recommend to not push yor luck too hard, always leave a margin for possible failure, injury or other error.
Much better to sit out the bad weather in a tent if there is any chance for better weather ahead.
You will not starve to death that easy, but you can easily get into serious trouble when beeing soaked through and by bad luck get injured or otherwise immobilized on a bad spot.

[aka.cyberman]

Boy Scout Motto......"Be Prepared".....Don't skimp on gear....Wool & more Wool....Head to Toe.....Gore-Tex Rain Gear & Shell Mittens....Umbrellas are cool.....Fire Building Skills are a must......Hot Coca with Ramen noodles.....Practice string up & breaking camp in the Rain..... Practice building a fire in the rain