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Bubblehead
04-12-2017, 11:32
I'm hiking Pearisburg, Va. to Wingdale, NY beginning 5/29. Do I really need to bring rain gear with me during the warm weather months on the middle third of the AT?
I'm a heavy sweater, so I'll get wet either way...from rain, or from the sweat under my rain jacket when it does rain. Thoughts?

FreshStart
04-12-2017, 11:37
It could double as a wind jacket and just a layer to hold in warmth if the temps drop at night. If you are wet and the wind is blowing you could get awfully chilly even in 60+ degrees.

DownEaster
04-12-2017, 11:38
I'd recommend at least a light rain jacket for use in camp. Once you stop hiking, even slightly cool rain will suck the heat out of you at a surprising rate.

Bubblehead
04-12-2017, 11:42
I have a packa that is a rain/wind jacket and pack cover all in one....I'll probably take that again with me this year...

sfdoc
04-12-2017, 12:49
I, too, recommend a rain jacket to act at least as a windbreaker. A moderately stiff wind on a wet body can result in hypothermia which can lead to some dire consequences.

HooKooDooKu
04-12-2017, 13:02
It doesn't require freezing temperatures to die of hypothermia. Hypothermia is a possibility any time of year if you get cold and wet. Night time lows can easily get into the 50s. Add some wind and rain and hypothermia can become a very real danger.

Deadeye
04-12-2017, 13:25
Cheap rain jacket (Frogg Toggs) for when it's cool enough or you're not generating heat, and an umbrella. A lot of folks ridicule the umbrella idea from their armchairs, but I get a lot of "geez, I wish I had one" when I meet them on the trail in the rain.

scope
04-12-2017, 14:02
I don't understand, if you have the Packa, why were you asking about a rain jacket? I don't see any need for both.

HKDK may be correct about hypothermia, but you should always be able to climb into your insulation (bag, quilts, extra clothes if you have them). Key is to keep them dry.

Bubblehead
04-12-2017, 14:25
Wasn't going to bring the packa, just an Osprey pack cover that I already have.

scope
04-12-2017, 15:59
I think its more personal preference. You will have some tell you that hypothermia is possible, but I say that's only if you're standing around in camp. Keep hiking, then no, you don't need the rain gear. You do need dry clothes to put on in camp. As others have said, there are applications for the rain jacket that may come into play, especially for wind.

I haven't done the middle section, but I wouldn't midjudge it based on lower elevation. You likely still have some exposed areas where you'd want something to put on. If you're not the type to want to sit down and enjoy a view, and you are the type that's going to push all day until camp, then you probably don't need any rain gear. Those caveats aside, I'd take either the packa or jacket/cover combo depending on your preferences for weight, etc. I'd probably prefer the extra weight of the jacket to have packed in the pack as needed for stops and camp instead of wearing the packa all day, but that's because I like getting wet in the rain.

Dogwood
04-12-2017, 18:28
If you felt the need to ask this question bring the packa.

bikebum1975
04-16-2017, 19:47
It doesn't require freezing temperatures to die of hypothermia. Hypothermia is a possibility any time of year if you get cold and wet. Night time lows can easily get into the 50s. Add some wind and rain and hypothermia can become a very real danger.


I'll second that. Its not the moving that's the issue soon as you stop this when it sets in. I got a mild case of it years ago falls under young and dumb. I got a set of frogg toggs now and they are worth the weight doesn't add much

egilbe
04-16-2017, 19:59
Rain jackets won't keep you dry, they are to keep you warm. Take the packa. It will keep the wind off you.

Patrickjd9
04-16-2017, 20:12
The Packa seems like a reasonable choice. There are also very lightweight rain/wind jackets available.

Bubblehead
04-20-2017, 08:13
Recommendations for an umbrella? Maker and where to get one....REI, Amazon, ????

OkeefenokeeJoe
04-20-2017, 08:30
I say educate yourself and DON'T bring a rain jacket this trip. That way, next time you will know to take one.

OkeefenokeeJoe

Sandy of PA
04-20-2017, 09:24
Umbrella I have carried for 6 years of AT hiking is made by Montbell, their ultralite trekking version.

Bubblehead
04-20-2017, 10:29
??????????

Bubblehead
04-20-2017, 10:30
Thanks Sandy, I'll check it out.

Jayne
04-20-2017, 11:01
In the summer I prefer a Sil-nylon poncho. It's light and packs small and ventilates really well while I'm moving. I have sleeping gear to deal with cold temperatures at night (down is really light weight)

JayLake
04-28-2017, 09:16
What brands have the best collection of rain jackets?

Traveler
04-29-2017, 06:04
If you felt the need to ask this question bring the packa.
+1 - If there's a doubt, there is no doubt.

Hypothermia is a very real thing in most any mountain terrain. The problem with hypothermia is you are likely not going to recognize its effects as your mental capacity ebbs, which exacerbates the condition making it nearly a silent killer.

globetruck
04-29-2017, 10:38
What brands have the best collection of rain jackets?

Bargain: frogg toggs
Mid level: $100 marmot precip $100
Light: OR Helium $160
Expensive: ArcTeryx $350 and up

Greenlight
04-30-2017, 19:43
I was hammock hanging night before last on the Knobstone Trail in southern Indiana. I had just texted my wife shortly after 7 a.m. after getting a good night's sleep hanging in the trees. It was in the mid-sixties. Not two minutes later, a monster storm blew in, plucked the stakes from my tarp like they were push-pins, swung me horizontal in my hammock and drenched me and my 40 degree down bag with ice cold water. I was out of my nest sputtering in the rain trying to re-stake my tarp in nothing but my Ex Officio Boxerbriefs, when the shivers hit me. Priorities being what they are (this was the most extreme weather condition I've experienced since I was caught in a downblast back in the 90's), water be dammed, I knew I had to get warm quick. On went the OR Helium 2 jacket. The shivering stopped. I wrung out my hiking pants and put them back on, then wrung out my Darn Toughs and put them on, followed by my Nike trail runners. I was surprised at how quickly the Helium warmed my torso. By that point I had my base layer wrung out, took off the Helium and got the base back on and put the Helium back in place. jgillam and I got our stuff torn down and packed by that point, ate a cold breakfast of iced coffee and energy bars, and hit the trail weighted down with rain soaked gear, but a couple of hours later the sun came out and it turned into a perfect day. Except that about a third of the trail consisted of rivulets and we had to fjord "seasonal creeks" every couple hundred yards, which were swollen to knee level. I love this crazy ****e so all was good...but my point was that that Helium jacket probably saved me from hypothermia. Yes, you need something that doubles as a rain/wind jacket.

bayview
05-02-2017, 21:42
If one was nervous about how well a jacket would hold up with rain, should I retreat regardless how old. I think it is within a year old not washed too much, but I don't want to risk it on my hike.

Slo-go'en
05-02-2017, 22:47
During the summer, afternoon Thunderstorms are the main threat. Since these are typically short lived, it's best to hunker down and wait it out rather then to try and hike through it. (unless you need to get to a lower and less exposed ground quickly) For this a poncho works well. Make one out of Tyvke and you also have a ground cloth for your tent.

Thunderstorms with heavy rain, high winds and possibly hail mixed in can cool you off in a hurry, even if it was 90 degrees just minutes before. At the first hint of rain, get under cover since you might only have a minute to get ready for the deluge.