View Full Version : Rain gear (& clothing) for September
So I'm not sure my Patagonia Houdini jacket is going to cut it for rain gear during my SOBO in September.
Since September is still technically summer and the daytime temps are going to be in the 60s, I'm not sure if I'll need rain pants for warmth (I'm not assuming they'll keep me dry). If I can avoid them I'd love to, they seem really uncomfortable to walk in when wet. Are they necessary?
I'm seriously considering a knee-length poncho. They seem breathable and allow for more movement, I can use it as a pack cover, and it can double as a ground cover for the nights I hang the hammock. I can't find a place to buy the Golite poncho, Frogg Toggs has too little coverage for my preference, and MLD is kinda expensive. I'm liking the Sea to Summit (http://www.seatosummitusa.com/search-results/?search=poncho) ultra-sil nano poncho, it's only 5 oz and I don't need the tarp functionality (plus the poncho-tarps apparently don't do a great job as either a poncho or as a tarp). Does anyone have experience with this model, or their other ponchos? Is there another poncho that will get the job done at a reasonable price? If I go the poncho route I still might bring the Houdini, it's only a few ounces and it'll give me something semi-opaque to wear when doing laundry in town.
Would a poncho be too cold though? Would it be better to just suck it up and dish out the money for a Marmot Precip jacket and pants this time of year? All of my hiking is in the Northeast, btw.
Ugh, rain gear is by far the least exciting part of planning this trip.
Also wondering what y'all are wearing for hiking, if you're doing shorts or pants, etc. I might leave my convertible pants at home and go with running capris (they're comfortable in the 30s for me if I'm moving) and a long-sleeve lightweight Smartwool top.
If you search...
https://whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php/124595-Poncho-vs-Rainjacket-Pack-Cover?p=2156034&viewfull=1#post2156034
Enjoy your hike.
Wayne
Oh geez, did not even see there was a Rain Gear forum.
Still, would a poncho be too cold for Vermont in September? It seems that ponchos are best for "warmer" weather and rain suit for "cooler," but "cooler" could mean 50 degrees or 20 degrees depending on the individual and where they live. And September is kinda summer, kinda fall. Certainly a relatively warm month for Vermont.
jimmyjam
07-23-2017, 15:16
I'll be hiking the north end of Vermont and New Hampshire in September and I will be using a poncho paired with Frogg Togg pants if its a cold and blowing rain.
Slo-go'en
07-23-2017, 16:22
There is a reason you never see anyone using a poncho in this part of the world.
The northern end of the LT rarely gets brushed so it's a very narrow and grown in trail. You will continue to get soaked well after it stopped raining brushing up against all that brush. Ponchos will be more of a pain then useful and will do little to keep you warm in a cold rain. Get a proper rain suit or you will suffer greatly.
Slo-go'en
07-23-2017, 16:35
And September is kinda summer, kinda fall. Certainly a relatively warm month for Vermont.
You are delusional. It can get pretty friggen cold in Vermont in September. By the end of August in can start to get really nippy. Air which was over the Hudson Bay 24 hours earlier can drop down into Vermont at any time.
Can start getting frosts at the end of August in Northern VT. Higher elevations start seeing snow at the end of September. Rain gear keeps you warm, not dry. If its warm enough to be rain, its warm enough for you to sweat. If you sweat, your clothes become damp. If its cold enough to snow, rain gear keeps the cold snow melt off your skin or insulating layers, if you are wearing any. If its windy, that same rain gear keeps the wind from drying out you damp clothes too quickly. Evaporative cooling can kill you quick.
You are delusional. It can get pretty friggen cold in Vermont in September. By the end of August in can start to get really nippy. Air which was over the Hudson Bay 24 hours earlier can drop down into Vermont at any time.
The key word there was "relatively." :)
Patagonia 3.6 oz Houdini jacket is a weather resistant DWR non seam taped non WP non WP chest zip jacket. It is not WP. It is not a true rain jacket for a heavy or long rain. It's a light wt shell or possibly mid layer offering wind and mist protection.
10 K was debating a like question for his Aug 2012 End to Ender. on this thread : https://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php/85672-Long-Trail-August-weather
I don't know what his direction of travel was which can make a difference. I'd want to know the other pieces of your apparel. On a late Sept into Oct LT SOBO the weather was variable.. one day 81* and hot(too hot to wear even UL very breathable rain pants with out long leg zips), next day mid 70's and over cast with a rolling breeze, two days later a high in the 50's, two days of intermittent drenching rain, another day hiking atop Mt Mansfield and Camelback the pea soup fog and mist was so thick I couldn't see my feet or the trail actually bumping into the Nature Center Building atop Mt Mansfield at one pt( A 30 ft high white painted building), next three days typical cool early Oct New England crisp clear weather.
Knowing other apparel pieces and how you hike you might do a loose fitting Dancin pants that Mags talked about on his blog and has ben discussed here on one or two threads which are just wind pants that will wet out but even though your bottom half gets wet offers some heat trapping ability.
poncho has many benefits for you. As long as it doesn't get very cold and windy a poncho could serve multiple purposes on a LT thru.
Went ahead and bought a Marmot Precip jacket and some pants. Tried and true, it seems. Though a poncho would be nice for a ground cover when I'm using the hammock, I can just use the pack cover like I've been doing, or pack an extra trash bag.
Too late, but Slo-Go'en had it right on both posts. I think the Precip is way over rated - I've cut the sleeves off mine and use it for golf. For hiking, I use frog toggs - $20 at WalMart, and just as effective as the expensive stuff.
I did the LT end-2-end NoBo in September 2013, finished at Canadian border on Sept 22nd.
used a Montbell Torrent Flier goretex jacket and it was the perfect system. I was able to get this on sale for half the current price.
https://www.montbell.us/products/disp.php?p_id=2328280
Has pit zips to vent when you get warm on uphill climbs.
what others have said here about Sept weather in VT is absolutely true. There were several days with rain, sleet and temps in low to mid 30s and 40s.
then there was the say I took a zero in Rultand when it was 90* and humid, just before that f'n cold front came thru. Sept weather is crazy up there.
don't forget your hands either. I started at Williamstown, MA with a pair of Nike thin running gloves, worked great til I hit Lincoln Gap. Going over Mt Abe it was low 30s and drizzling rain, and my hands turned numb from the wet/cold. Stopped in Waitsfield at a gear store and bought some better Outdoor Research gloves and need them the rest of the hike.
I would not bother with a poncho myself because of the wind on the ridgelines, a poncho would be more of a hurricane flag in high wind and rain.
but everybody has their own preferences, have a great hike
For what it's worth, I'm lugging along an OR Helium ii rain jacket for heavy rain and a Marmot ether driclime hoody for milder weather. The former will be worn over a fleece jacket, and the latter over a HH Odin warm base layer top that works nicely with an Icebreaker l/sleeve wool shirt. Rain pants are an Inov8 which go over a pair of Fjallraven walking pants that go over some HH light base layer tights. In-between this and that, I have a Fjallraven wool sweater. If I get cold I'll make a big, big fire.
Apart from testing the pants and sweater, everything else dries overnight. The Patagonia hoody that I sleep in takes forever to dry
If you haven't yet, you may want to experiment with an Umbrella, too. It's part of my standard kit on the Long Trail or anywhere.
I did the LT end-2-end NoBo in September 2013, finished at Canadian border on Sept 22nd.
used a Montbell Torrent Flier goretex jacket and it was the perfect system. I was able to get this on sale for half the current price.
https://www.montbell.us/products/disp.php?p_id=2328280
Has pit zips to vent when you get warm on uphill climbs.
what others have said here about Sept weather in VT is absolutely true. There were several days with rain, sleet and temps in low to mid 30s and 40s.
then there was the say I took a zero in Rultand when it was 90* and humid, just before that f'n cold front came thru. Sept weather is crazy up there.
don't forget your hands either. I started at Williamstown, MA with a pair of Nike thin running gloves, worked great til I hit Lincoln Gap. Going over Mt Abe it was low 30s and drizzling rain, and my hands turned numb from the wet/cold. Stopped in Waitsfield at a gear store and bought some better Outdoor Research gloves and need them the rest of the hike.
I would not bother with a poncho myself because of the wind on the ridgelines, a poncho would be more of a hurricane flag in high wind and rain.
but everybody has their own preferences, have a great hike
The colder and wetter it is the more I opt for a bonafide rain shell with hand pockets for this reason. If you're going without no rain shell pockets in mixed sleet/rain/wind conditions and also are in the habit of using trekking poles perhaps a WP breathable Cuben mitt with liner is an alternative.
capt. photon
07-26-2017, 18:06
I did the LT in Sept/Oct and I found a poncho the happy medium. You get some rain protection and some breathability. I did not find the trail overgrown as I went north. I found sections wanting better waterbeds and stairs, but not overgrown. Yes, I had some cold days, but I warmed up quickly, after all, you climb every stupid mt. in Vermont! I would have sweated to death in jacket and pants. The only sections of trail where jacket/pants would be nice is on the open ridges of Camels Hump and Mansfield, and that's only because of wind that might pop up. You could get by ok with a poncho. If it's that rainy and windy, just sit it out at Butler or Taft Lodge (whichever direction you're traveling).
brian.spigel
07-28-2017, 09:41
I'd throw a Tyvek rain skirt in for consideration as well. They're cheap, durable, and light. Although they offer nearly zero insulation, that also means they won't cause you to sweat. They basically keep your thighs and crotch dry(ish) while sacrificing your lower legs and feet to the water gods. Also well suited for tall, wet grass, whether it's raining or not. It's like a poncho below the waist, then mix and match with a rain jacket, or not.
-I made this one, minus the tape: https://trailtopeak.com/2015/10/16/diy-gear-learn-how-to-make-a-tyvek-rain-kilt-skirt-to-keep-your-legs-dry-in-wet-weather/
-And you can find several sellers of small quantities of Tyvek on ebay.
The Inov8 rain pants are worth looking at. I'm a size medium and got a size large. Perfect fit over pants and pairs up well with OR Helium ii and Marmot Dri-clime jackets. Don't notice I have them on at 3.5 ounces. Has 10 000 HH and a back pocket with loop for keys
bigcranky
07-30-2017, 14:48
My wife hates rain pants and never brings them in the summer, but after a few days of very cold rain way up north the last few days of our E2E, she wished she had them. I had a rain kilt that worked ok at keeping my nylon shorts from being totally soaked. This was in July, btw; I'd bring rain pants in Sept no question.
The Inov8 rain pants are worth looking at. I'm a size medium and got a size large. Perfect fit over pants and pairs up well with OR Helium ii and Marmot Dri-clime jackets. Don't notice I have them on at 3.5 ounces. Has 10 000 HH and a back pocket with loop for keys
Do you have the new AT/C version at 86 g? Drawstring waist or only elastic?
Only elastic. It has a type of black padding on the back but not the front. The legs also have elastic. Easy to put on and take off without shoes, but they should stretch over the shoes. Much better looking than in the advertised photos. It's a grey fabric and not see through, and the logo isn't visible.
Yes, I believe it is the new AT/C version, but the 86 grams might be for the medium size. I found the large perfect and I take medium. (5 ft 11) They not baggy or long and in some ways mimic grey cuben fiber with more gloss added. I intend to wear them over a pair of fjallraven walking pants that are relatively waterproof in themselves
I'll take some photos of them if you're really interested. They look stylish and not like something that has stepped out from a hobo convention