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  1. #1
    Registered User
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    12-04-2020
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    Kansas City, MO
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    Default Summer Rain Gear

    I'm in Missouri, the weather is so unpredictable that people say if you don't take rain gear you will get rained on. I have exaggerated that you need to have rain gear during a drought. Our weather in summer is hot and humid so a heavy waterproof layer makes sweat

    I used a circa 1998 Eddie Bauer rain jacket for years that weighed around 3 pounds. I finally replaced it with a Columbia Evapouration jacket that's 12.8 ounces.

    I like the jacket, it's great as a fall to spring jacket, but I want one for summer that's much lighter.

    If you couldn't get Frogg Toggs (they're already on my list) what would you get?

    1. Something that compresses down really tight and is well under 12 ounces.
    2. I like zip up jackets, not pull over ponchos, but item #1 is more important.
    3. it needs to be durable. I don't want one that is targeted to frequent replacement as a business model
    4. I might spend money for the right product, show me all price tiers

  2. #2

    Default

    buy your 3 season rain jacket,,, In summer hot and humid wear nylon type fishing shorts and shirts that basically dont absorb water,, then just embrace the suck...
    really once you are soaked through,, its really not that bad.

  3. #3

    Default

    I'm generally on the same page as Dropdeadfred. Once the weather is warm enough that being wet isn't a safety concern, rain gear isn't on my packing list. Wearing it causes me to sweat so much that I might as well ignore it in the first place and just enjoy walking in the rain.

    Below about 55-60* it's absolutely part of my kit. And a wind layer that can block a brief burst is a good idea at all times just because the wind stopping ability alone is enough to justify the weight, and staying dry for a few minutes is an added bonus.

  4. #4

    Default

    I use an UL umbrella and carry it on all trips. It keeps 3/4ths of me mostly dry and the rain out of my face. I also like having it around camp so I'm not stuck in the tent. Yes, it's not going to work in some situations and I do carry a rain jacket for some trails.

  5. #5

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    Quote Originally Posted by martinb View Post
    I use an UL umbrella and carry it on all trips. It keeps 3/4ths of me mostly dry and the rain out of my face. I also like having it around camp so I'm not stuck in the tent. Yes, it's not going to work in some situations and I do carry a rain jacket for some trails.
    Ditto! I'm going to get one of those umbrella clips from Zpacks for my chrome dome use in hot weather.I always carry at least a Frogg Togg just in case I get wet and the wind comes up or something.The umbrella plus the lightweight Frogg Togg probably push the scale at a combined weight of 13.5 oz.

  6. #6

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    Summer you mostly get quick thunderstorms. Here and gone in a half hour or so. That rain can be heavy and cold, so you really need to shelter yourself from it. This is the type of storm which ponchos are practical for. The umbrella would do the trick as well. So long as your also sheltered from the wind. Ponchos and umbrellas don't do well in wind.

    The closest I've come to hypothermia was waiting out a near-by lightning storm on a humid, 95 degree day. All I had for a jacket was a non-waterproof nylon wind shell. It was useless in the rain and this rain was pretty close to being hail. Once my teeth started chattering, there was no other option but to get moving to warm back up.
    Follow slogoen on Instagram.

  7. #7

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    I agree with Dropdeadfred and Caleb but I carried rain jacket my entire thru and added rainpants in cold weather (down south in March and up north in Sept/Oct). I just use an EMS Thunderhead--not the lightest b/c of pit zips but I use the jacket all 4 seasons. the waterproofing liner wears at key spots like back of my neck so I replace it probably every 5 years.

  8. #8
    Registered User
    Join Date
    04-09-2011
    Location
    Monroe, WA
    Age
    56
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    199

    Default

    I use the Walmart Frogg Toggs. Cheap, easy to replace, light weight, and actually plenty breathable. They fit like a garbage bag but that isn't all bad. I actually find them fairly usable for cold and wet situations. The internal fabric feels better against my arms than does my expensive jackets. The downside, they will tear if you look at them wrong and you won't win any awards for spending the most on your hiking attire. Gear snobs will scoff at you. That may be a bonus depending on your perspective.

  9. #9
    Registered User Maineiac64's Avatar
    Join Date
    08-09-2016
    Location
    Woodstock, GA
    Age
    60
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    688

    Default

    The arcteryx beta ar jacket and zeta rain pants are good options, pretty light, you want protection from cold rain, especially up high even in summer. Zpacks makes some ultralight options as well.

  10. #10
    Registered User
    Join Date
    03-17-2009
    Location
    Hadley Pa.
    Age
    67
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    440

    Default

    The Packa is something I loved since my first long distance hike years ago. A combo of poncho, jacket with pit zips with a connected pack cover sewn on. It's a big loose airy thing but shines in any prolonged rain. For just a plain silnylon jacket at 5 ish ounces then I'd say an Anti Gravity rain jacket. Either the Packa or the AGG rain jacket paired with a rain kilt are solid rain protection.

  11. #11
    Garlic
    Join Date
    10-15-2008
    Location
    Golden CO
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    66
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    5,615
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    Default

    My favorite rain jacket is a homemade silnylon anorak, under 3 oz and packs the size of a fist. A hiking friend made it and I've used it heavily for over ten years, including an AT thru hike and a cross-USA bike tour. If something like that is commercially available, I'd buy it. It's basically a durable, tailored plastic bag, but it works perfectly for what I use it for. Its light weight and size makes it stupid not to pack it all the time. The matching pants aren't packed as often but they've come in handy on very cold wet days in the shoulder seasons.

  12. #12
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    12-04-2020
    Location
    Kansas City, MO
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    Default

    Follow up

    I looked at Frogg Toggs. I hated the look and disliked the frequent comments various places on low durability. I even looked at them in a Walmart and it’s clearly a “you get what you pay for” produce which is fine but not what I wanted.

    I looked at a few up market like the Visp, but the cost was out of our budget range.

    I ended up with the latest version of the Outdoor Research Helium with my REI money in March so it cost me well under half price with the sale.

    I can leave it in my 22 liter day pack without losing half the space to the jacket, compacting down is a bigger deal than the weight. It’s been exactly what I was looking for.

  13. #13
    Registered User
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    08-03-2017
    Location
    Fort Worth, Texas
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    48
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    Default

    I had the OR helium and loved it. I started NOBO very early Feb and it became a daily item for me. The DWR will wear out with lots of usage and stowage without proper treatment. Even after it became a wind jacket that soaked through I used it often.

    I eventually grabbed a toggs poncho at WM and that was the answer for me. Threw away the pack cover and wore that breathable wind sail. Pain in the wind and on steep climbs but paracord or bungee sash works great. Some folks hate it...YMMV.

    I won't spend big money on daily hiking clothes or rainwear, more towards my big 3 and footwear. Arcteryx are bomb proof and highly regarded-big $$$ for something I'm going to sweat out anyway. Hope the helium works for you, it is good UL gear.

  14. #14

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Maineiac64 View Post
    The arcteryx beta ar jacket and zeta rain pants are good options, pretty light, you want protection from cold rain, especially up high even in summer. Zpacks makes some ultralight options as well.
    Very expensive but I agree with Maineiac64---if you want something that will last 10 years of hard backpacking and 20 years of weekend trips---get Arcteryx, esp their Pro Shell GTX fabric.

  15. #15
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    12-04-2020
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    Kansas City, MO
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    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Durwood View Post
    I had the OR helium and loved it. I started NOBO very early Feb and it became a daily item for me. The DWR will wear out with lots of usage and stowage without proper treatment. Even after it became a wind jacket that soaked through I used it often.
    What treatment do you recommend?

  16. #16
    Registered User
    Join Date
    10-17-2007
    Location
    Michigan
    Age
    64
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    5,126

    Default

    I agree that rain protection is an essential item no matter the conditions. But I also agree that the objective isn't to stay dry but to stay warm, and there are times when getting wet is no problem. I have an ordinary Eddie Bauer rain jacket. It has large pit zips that I find essential. One trick I use, on days when it's too cold to get wet but too warm to hike with the jacket, is to sticky arms through the pit zips, not the sleeves. I tuck the empty sleeves inside the jacket, so I essentially use it like a rain vest. Your torso stays dry, protecting your core, but your arms get wet and radiate a lot of excess heat. I find this extends the useful temperature range of you jacket a lot.

  17. #17

    Default

    I've worn out a Marmot Precip rain jacket carrying it on day hikes and summer trips. It is delaminating across the bottom of the collar. I got five years out of it, so would be willing to replace it with another one.

    Any alternatives I should be considering that won't take up a lot of room in a day pack? I'm too hard on gear for Frogg Toggs, and the jacket would probably fill my pack in a size XL or XXL in any case.

    Made an error in retirement planning in not budgeting for replacing the gear I would wear out from hiking every week!

  18. #18
    Registered User
    Join Date
    11-28-2010
    Location
    Montgomery, AL
    Posts
    171

    Default

    I started using an umbrella on the AT last year. Wow that thing is great as long as the underbrush isn’t too thick. I also bought a Visp but have only used it on day hikes so far.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  19. #19

    Default

    That Visp (Enlightened Equipment) is very light.

    I went to Marmot's site just now to price a direct replacement and saw that they had the Marmot Minimalist with GoreTex in navy for $100 with tax, so I jumped on that. It's about 2 ounces heavier than the Precip.

  20. #20
    Registered User
    Join Date
    03-31-2016
    Location
    Mount Dora, FL
    Age
    52
    Posts
    911

    Default

    More often than not, I use my rain suit for cold and or wind as the outermost layer. After carrying the relatively heavy Marmot Precips for a few years, I switched to the semi-disposable frog toggs.
    In the few rains I've hiked through in the summer months, I'll generally wrap the jacket around my pack using the arms to tie it in place. It's more important to me to keep the pack dry than it is to keep me dry - when it's warm out.

    I JUST threw out my first Frog Togg jacket. It was about 6 yrs old. I've been keeping it for pressure washing - and even though the zipper was coming unstitched, and it was delaminating in large pieces, it still did the job. I am, today actually, going to use my "new" Frog Togg jacket to pressure wash - so that means I'll have to spend another $25 bucks before I go hiking again. shrug.

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