View Full Version : Rain pants necessary?
Earl Grey
09-21-2006, 18:29
I decided to get a Marmot Precip jacket for outer shell, rainwear needs not just for hiking but also general rainy days around town. Should I go ahead and get the pants too? Probaly wont be doing alot of bushwalking but if I could find some kind of insulating, water resistant pant that could double as shorts it may not be needed. Reason I say this is is because I dont mind if my legs get a little wet and I cant stand to be hot so if you keep walking youd probaly dry faster. Course I dont know all this so thats why im asking.
Appalachian Tater
09-21-2006, 18:40
No, you don't need rainpaints for a normal northbound thru-hike. You rarely even need a raincoat while actually hiking.
However, if you're going to be hiking in cold, wet weather, you probably need them.
vaporjourney
09-21-2006, 18:44
I'm not sure if rainpants are necessary as i havent been caught in the rain and needed mine yet, but I definitely use them in late summer when it gets pretty chilly at night. I can't imagine how crappy it would be in winter to have cold and wet legs. Get full-zips if you do so. And get the Red Ledge brand since they are cheaper than Marmot, and just as good.
hopefulhiker
09-21-2006, 18:54
I used the full zip rain pants during the beginning and end of the North bound hike. I found them pretty useful in staying warm. Although nothing is full proof and water will get into anything..
I carry Durafab rain pants through the Smokies for camp wear in cold wet weather. Not for walking. They weigh 5 ounces and are not very durable, but they breathe well and block wind and rain. So they are multiple duty. In bug country, I pull them on at breaks.
Footslogger
09-21-2006, 22:44
I found rain pants to be sort of redundant and unecessary since I already had a pair of long pants.
I hiked pretty much the entire hike in shorts, using high gaiters to cover my lower legs.
'Slogger
I don't know about necessary, but I used them early and late on my hike. They were part of my cold weather gear for rain, wind and an added layer when I wanted it in camp. They were absolutely essential in a snow storm in the Smokey's in 2000. Ask Sly or Nomad, we were all around Clingman's Dome when it hit.
Personally, I wouldn't leave without them in early spring. But I sent them home in Pearisburg and didn't get them back until I got to Maine. And, I only used them twice more after getting them back.
MedicineMan
09-21-2006, 23:46
i carry a pair of Golite Reed pants-waterproof/windproof and for size L 5oz...I also carry a Smartwool Aerotight that is incredibly warm, packs to nothing and is also very close to 5oz for size L, the two together can see me through serious cold if active and I mean into the teens when hiking in the wind. When sitting around camp I'm good in that combination into the mid-20's, the wool wont take up the funk. 99% of the time i'm hiking in shorts and its got to get really cold or really windy to get me out of them and i'm also usually wearing gaitors so I've got some good combos between all of them. I wish someone made a zip off pant (with the normal lots of pockets) that was waterproof/breathable????? then i would only have to pack the leggings and the smartwool base layer.
Toolshed
09-22-2006, 06:55
I carry LL Bean Full Zip Goretex Pac Lite pant that weigh about 7 oz. I don;t need them 90-95%% of the time, but for that 5%-10% of the time I do want something, I am glad I have them along. Especially on colder wet windy days or when spending most of the day in higher areas with more wind. Otherwise for 3S hiking I do not any other kind of pant, just shorts.
LIhikers
09-22-2006, 08:19
I have the Precip jacket and pants. They make a good outer layer on days when it's either very windy or very cold. Oh, they work pretty good in the rain too. I'm convinced that the key to hiking in the rain isn't to try and stay dry as much as it is to stay warm and the Precip gear works well for that.
In the warm months, Frogg Togg rain pants are the only long pants that I take with me.
vaporjourney
11-27-2006, 16:33
Does anyone just use cheapo Wind Pants, that may not be waterproof, but at least somewhat of a barrier from the rain that dries quickly? I've bought a pair from Target that are incredibly light weight after reading Scott Williamson did that, and he was hiking the PCT which is more exposed to rain than the AT. I haven't been caught in the rain yet though with these pants so I'm not sure if they will really make me miserable in warm weather. My Red Ledge rain pants shed water well, but they are so heavy, and I hate the stiff uncomforable feel. They are great for around camp, but suck which moving. Lightweight pants are much more comfy.
/three-season wear...
NO long pants
NO rain pants
NOt needed
SalParadise
11-27-2006, 17:15
yeah, I used cheapo wind pants on my thru (actually two, they seem to disentegrate with rough use).
The rain early on was kinda cold, but slow, constant hiking would keep them warm. In the summer I didn't care if my legs got wet and the pants worked great to keep me warm at night. I was really happy just having the cheap pants, definitely.
SalParadise
11-27-2006, 17:20
constant hiking would keep my legs warm, that is.
I only had a liner to sleep in during the summer, so I needed my long pants for nights it got cold, but otherwise if you're going to keep your bag, I definitely agree with highway that they aren't needed in summer.
So that would leave two months when long pants would be needed, and why spend $80 for a great pair of rain pants for only two months of use?
Spirit Walker
11-27-2006, 20:55
On the AT it isn't just the rain that gets you soaked, it's the wet bushes along the trail. If you are hiking before mid-April, bring rainpants. You can send them home mid-May when it warms up. But in March/April you get snow, ice storms and sleet - some protection for the legs is usually a really good idea. I use cheap nylon rain pants when it is necessary to have warmth for my legs. I sweat the same in Goretex and nylon, but nylon is a lot less expensive.
Don't waste your time with "full zips", unless they are of the waterproof variety. I used the precip full zip pants and at times I could feel drops of water seep through onto my legs. They were useless... Now I carry Montane Atomic rain pants and only use them in windy situations (which could be rainy too) or around camp for extra warmth and in town while doing laundry. They weigh only 5 oz.
freefall
11-27-2006, 22:52
Should I go ahead and get the pants too?
Nope, don't need `em.
SalParadise
11-28-2006, 01:39
On the AT it isn't just the rain that gets you soaked, it's the wet bushes along the trail.
definitely. I've never used them, but I'm thinking tall gaiters could work just as well to keep the rain out in those cold months, and likely for less money.
On the AT it isn't just the rain that gets you soaked, it's the wet bushes along the trail. If you are hiking before mid-April, bring rainpants. You can send them home mid-May when it warms up. But in March/April you get snow, ice storms and sleet - some protection for the legs is usually a really good idea. I use cheap nylon rain pants when it is necessary to have warmth for my legs. I sweat the same in Goretex and nylon, but nylon is a lot less expensive.
rain pants keep outsidemoisture from coming in but not the inside sweat from coming out. Dont wear them/three season and you stay much drier-even in the rain. You always keep your trunk dry, so why concern yourself much with your legs? Your shorts are synthetic and dries quickly, too, right?:rolleyes:
the goat
11-28-2006, 10:08
rain pants are a waste.
Well.. it is true that rain pants may not be needed most of the time BUT..
when it is buggy I am glad to have them (as happened in NJ and MA)
when it cools off in the evening they are nice to have. They double as rain pants and regular long pants.
When it rains had for a long time it gets chilly and then they are nice to have.
I could say the same thing about a tent. Most of the time it stayed in my pack as there was usually a nice dry shelter for the night. But when I did not have the shelter and needed a tent..I REALLY needed the tent and was glad to have it.
Somethings one should have just in case.
David
If they yank your chain and make you smile...
Just grin and bear their load:D
But there is another way!;)
JoeHiker
11-28-2006, 14:45
If I were buying rain pants, I would only get the super-breathable variety - like the eVENT pants that Integral Designs makes. But those are so expensive that so far, I've passed. Once I have some money for them, I'll buy something made out of eVENT.
handlebar
11-28-2006, 20:37
I used mine at the beginning of my hike when I had to camp in freezing rain because the shelter was overflowing. They helped save me from hypothermia. They also helped stave off hyperthermia in the Whites when we hiked in winds approaching 60MPH from Madison Hut. Also, again in Maine in late Sept. when there was a cold rain.
In between, I hiked in my shorts or, from Partnership shelter north, my hiking kilt.
Based on that experience, I'd send them home after the Smokies and get them back again in Hanover NH.
Blissful
11-28-2006, 20:55
Well.. it is true that rain pants may not be needed most of the time BUT..
when it is buggy I am glad to have them (as happened in NJ and MA)
when it cools off in the evening they are nice to have. They double as rain pants and regular long pants.
When it rains had for a long time it gets chilly and then they are nice to have.
I could say the same thing about a tent. Most of the time it stayed in my pack as there was usually a nice dry shelter for the night. But when I did not have the shelter and needed a tent..I REALLY needed the tent and was glad to have it.
Somethings one should have just in case.
David
That's kind of the way I'm looking at my gear these days. :) I whittled down what I didn't need by taking some trips. But there are still some things I take just in case. Rain pants is one of them. For me they are good for bugs, for wind, for chilly rain.
Johnny Swank
11-29-2006, 13:53
I think rainpants are a must for the shoulder seasons. I've been caught is some stupid-nasty storms without them before and had to resort to using my groundcloth wrapped around me to stay warm. I've sewn some really simple rainpants from silnylon for those times of the year. Don't leave home without them.
Summer? Not so much.