View Full Version : Help With Rain Gear
hikingbear
03-23-2009, 18:29
I am looking to pick up some new rain gear and would like input. I am 5'9'' female. There are just so many brands and kinds any input would be great!
Thanks
SGT Rock
03-23-2009, 19:56
Sort of open ended. My experiences:
Poncho - works for anyone except your legs get wet. For some people this isn't really a problem. The poncho can also be a mini tarp when you want to stop and eat in the rain. Tends to not work so well in windy conditions so most people won't use a tarp when it can be cold and wet. You can also put it over your pack to keep it dry too.
Frogg Toggs - inexpensive, breaths about like the high end stuff, and it is light. It is a little more fragile than other options - but many people use it with good results.
As an aside - if you go with a rain jacket you will need a pack cover or some other system.
My favorite "jacket" is the Packa. It covers your pack like poncho and all your straps go under the Packa, so your straps and all stay dry with you. This also avoids the issue of lots of little pockets of hot, trapped air that can be created when you wear a pack over a jacket. The packa has lots of room to breath inside and has very large pit zips. I used a Packa with some Shadow rain pants last year.
Big Dawg
03-23-2009, 20:12
Frogg Toggs have worked great for me.
Frogg Toggs for me too. They work fine. Price is right.
Lone Wolf
03-23-2009, 20:27
frogg toggs. no need to buy that overrated Marmot crap
Blissful
03-23-2009, 23:02
I'm selling a Marmot precip jacket on the selling gear thread. :) Used once. PM me if you want for pictures, etc.
Blissful
03-23-2009, 23:04
Frogg togg pants are crap too. PB ripped his out on second day he wore them.
But his jacket did hold out. Pilled like crazy but it held. Probably also 'cause he didn't wear it much either but took an umbrella for the summer.
Breath is what comes out of you when you breathe.
Marmot Precip is tougher than Frog Toggs, but the condensation gets overpowering in warm weather. I used to use Precip and tried Drop Stoppers Micropore raingear (similar to Frog Toggs but lighter). I liked the Drop Stoppers except that the material is fragile. It's very light and feels fairly nice against the skin. For the time being, I've gone back to heavy Gore-Tex for winter hiking, a poncho for three season use, and much of the time I hike with a polyester shirt in the rain when temperatures are above 50 degrees or so. Polyester dries pretty quickly with body heat once you get under cover.
hikingbear
03-24-2009, 07:45
Where can this packa be purchased. Never have seen one?
Sort of open ended. My experiences:
Poncho - works for anyone except your legs get wet. For some people this isn't really a problem. The poncho can also be a mini tarp when you want to stop and eat in the rain. Tends to not work so well in windy conditions so most people won't use a tarp when it can be cold and wet. You can also put it over your pack to keep it dry too.
Frogg Toggs - inexpensive, breaths about like the high end stuff, and it is light. It is a little more fragile than other options - but many people use it with good results.
As an aside - if you go with a rain jacket you will need a pack cover or some other system.
My favorite "jacket" is the Packa. It covers your pack like poncho and all your straps go under the Packa, so your straps and all stay dry with you. This also avoids the issue of lots of little pockets of hot, trapped air that can be created when you wear a pack over a jacket. The packa has lots of room to breath inside and has very large pit zips. I used a Packa with some Shadow rain pants last year.
skinewmexico
03-24-2009, 09:25
Watch Steep and Cheap. They've been dumping a lot of Sierra Designs Hurricane rainwear the last couple of weeks.
DiamondDoug
03-24-2009, 09:40
My rain gear consisted of a windbreaker, a pack cover and zip-loc bags. I packed my 2nd set of clothes in the zip locs (had a garbage compactor bag for my sleeping bag), and put a pack cover on my pack when it rained. The windbreaker helped to keep my body heat up while I hiked in the rain. Yes I got wet. *shrug* When I got to camp in the evening I would dry off and put on my other set of clothes. This system worked for me.
I use a $5 poncho and nylon rain pants with gaitors.
YoungMoose
03-24-2009, 10:43
I got a marmont rain jacket for 70$$ from marshalls. I was amazed i found it there. you should look in those stores if one is nearby
My preference for rain gear is a Marmot Precip jacket and ULA RainWrap. YMMV, but it works for me.
Marmot precip gear here. I've it on the AT and PCT. It's my go to gear for the outdoors. The jacket gets way more use than the pants, but I do have both.
hikingbearWhere can this packa be purchased. Never have seen one?
http://www.thepacka.com/
kolokolo
03-24-2009, 19:45
Dri Ducks. About $15, very light, breathable. They are easy to tear, though, so you have to be careful with them.
SGT Rock
03-24-2009, 19:50
hikingbearWhere can this packa be purchased. Never have seen one?
http://www.thepacka.com/
What he said. Cedar Tree (the guy who makes them) posts here a bit.
frogg toggs. no need to buy that overrated Marmot crap
lol wolf ....
Tossing out my vote on the merrell sprint .... excellent shell ... tho, not made anymore. :rolleyes:
mtnkngxt
03-24-2009, 22:24
thepacka is awesome, but LW is right Frogg Toggs are light and get the job done