Rain Pants on a Thruhike?

[gonewalkabout]

I still up in the air about the value of Rain Pants on a thruhike. I normaly don't carry them. I know under normal coditions I never hike in them, too hot. However I am staring on march 3rd and am wonder if rain pants should be carriued? I tend to run hot when walking even in winter like condtions. I did the LT in late October and early November in 2004 and did carry or miss them but I had good weather. Although in snowed on 3 or 4 days out of 20 it only rained on one day for aboyt 20 minutes.

Thanks

[Pedaling Fool]

I rarely walk in rain pants, but I carry them for use in camp. However, on occassion, I will walk in rain pants when the weather is cold enough with a brisk wind and/or rain and little-to-no up-climbing.

[DavidNH]

Yes, you want rain pants on thru hike, preferably full zip.

You may not need them in mid atlantic states in summer. But in south at high elevations and in New England they are very useful just for warmth never mind the rain. A T storms comes through temp goes down 15 degrees or more just like that. You'll be glad you have them.

David

[Tinker]

They're a lot more comfortable in a wet snowstorm than breathable pants. It's not likely they'll ice up inside, but if they do, you can turn them inside-out and shake most of the ice out.
Bear in mind, also, that rain getting on your legs, whether bare or with breathable pants, will find its way into your socks and boots quickly. I'd start with rain pants. Maybe leave the breathable ones behind for warmer weather and change them out later? If so, definitely bring full zips, as hiking in waterproof pants can get your upper legs quite moist. Ventilation options are a must.

[Marta]

Ditto the above--I bring rain pants in cold weather, for the warmth.

[Johnny Swank]

Ditto twice. Rain Kilt for summer (2.5 oz), silnylon rain pants for late fall through late spring. I almost always just wear thermals and shorts in the winter when it's sunny, but I'd rather stew in my own juices than freeze my butt off anymore.

[Peaks]

In warm weather, my Frogg Togg rain pants are the only long pants that I take with me. But, if I were to hike in March, I would also have other long pants to wear as well.

[hopefulhiker]

I used the full zip Marmot rain pants.. with the silk weight long johns.. One can zip them up or down for more venitlation. They were expensive though...

[Frick Frack]

I sent my rain pants back home in Monson & did not need them once on my 2008 sobo. We hiked in record rainfall in ME, VT & MA too. All rainpants do is build up moisture on the inside and defeat the purpose. The kilt I wore dried very quick and if it was too cold I added my Patagonia long undies (which dried very quick as well and kept you warm when wet). At the very end of our hike we were hiking in the low 20's and it was no problem...much colder than that then I would want rainpants to keep the heat in.

[traildust]

Layering your hiking gear is key. Will be important until Harper's then you can bounce box them ahead probably until you get to New Hampshire. Good luck on your hike.

[garlic08]

Ditto again for keeping your rain pants for spring hiking only. I was very glad to have them in April. I sent them home in mid-May and didn't miss them.

[SGT Rock]

Leaving March 3 you want rain pants. When it is wet while you hike, you can keep the rain pants on for warmth - much better than getting hypothermic to save 8 ounces. When you get to camp you can take them off and put on fleece and if the camp is wet, you can air dry the inside of the rain pants a bit then put them on over your fleece to keep if from getting cold and wet too.

I ended up hiking most of the month of January, February, and a good bit of March last year with my rain pants on.

[Blissful]

I don't hike in them either - they were quite hot, but I like them for camp, esp on cold and wet evenings. I carried them at the beginning of my hike and from VT on at the end (esp having them in the Whites and the rain in Maine).

[Kanati]

My entire rain suit is from Cabelas' and is very light. It also stuffs into these small bags made of the same material. When stuffed, they are about the size of two soft balls and weigh a total of 12 ounces. The bottoms came in handy for protection against the wind in Mar and April. I only used the bottoms once after that and that was to hide my nakedness while I did my laundry in Pearisburg, VA.

An interesting thing happened in that laundry. I accidently got one of those baskets on wheels that a big local guy had sat in front of his washer. He got really pissed and when he came and got it he kept saying over and over, "don't do it again, don't do it again". I apologized but that didn't satisfy him. I think he was trying to provoke an incident, so I took out my trusty Swiss Army knife and began trimming my fingernails. He went outside and didn't come back in.

[Colter]

However I am staring on march 3rd and am wonder if rain pants should be carriued?

I'd carry them. They have value in a number of ways: warmth, wind protection, rain protection, and to wear in town when you are doing laundry.

If I were to hike the AT again I'd probably start out with them until the weather got dependably warm, send them home, then get them back when I hit the Whites.

Hypothermia is at least a hundred times more dangerous than bears on the AT, especially in the Whites.

[vtdrifter]

i have a really really light pair of red ledge rain pants that i wore mostly in camp at night (i hate bugs). the only times i wore them to hike were below freezing or in the rain above treeline. they were the only pair of pants i carried, but i appreciated having them.