rain gear: could be a silly question

[kaemac]

Ok, i have a question that i think is somewhat silly, but i'm asking it anyway...i know you need raingear for the at.....i lived in the nc mtns. for years, and remember our always wet summers. i have a great rain jacket....no worries there, but i've recently been looking at pants and am a little stuck. now this may seem silly, but didn't know if there was a reason not to try it. i snowboard and have a pair of waterproof liners. they are big
enough to slide over normal shoes, and fairly light weight (not sure exactly but i'd say somewhere around 6-8 oz.?? just a guess) is there any reason why i couldn't just use those?? any input is appreciated. thanks folks!

[Wags]

if you're hiking in the summer my friend you probably don't even need the pants. but i'd think they'll be just fine for spring/fall...

[wilconow]

Most hikers don't wear rainpants unless the weather is mostly below like 50 degrees

[wakapak]

i'm gonna ask a question here too.....i have recently pulled my old gear out, and had a marmot precip jacket that i LOVED when i last thru'd,and has been used alot since.... however it seems to have, umm, died. It's all stuck together to itself and stuff. any suggestions on a new jacket?? should i just stay with the same type or look at different one? i'd like it to be as light and possibly cheap as possible!!

[Christopher Robin]

i'm gonna ask a question here too.....i have recently pulled my old gear out, and had a marmot precip jacket that i LOVED when i last thru'd,and has been used alot since.... however it seems to have, umm, died. It's all stuck together to itself and stuff. any suggestions on a new jacket?? should i just stay with the same type or look at different one? i'd like it to be as light and possibly cheap as possible!!

Have you try soaking your jacket in luke warm water in a lage container. I bougth Frog Trogs , cheep enough.

[wakapak]

Have you try soaking your jacket in luke warm water in a lage container. I bougth Frog Trogs , cheep enough.

no i haven't done that, but it's in seriously poor condition, parts of it didnt quite unpeel from itself the best, so i'm sure there'd be leaks. I fogot about Frogg Toggs...i may just get some!

[ScottP]

I've never used rainpants.

Wakapak, try o2 raingear. It's a cheaper, lighter version of frogg toggs ($20 or so for a jacket, around 5 oz)

[wakapak]

I've never used rainpants.

Wakapak, try o2 raingear. It's a cheaper, lighter version of frogg toggs ($20 or so for a jacket, around 5 oz)

Thanks ScottP, i'll check it out! Did you use o2 on the trail?

[Peaks]

I'm like many. When it's warm out, I don't wear rain pants. However, that is not always the case, or I need to pull on something after I stop moving. So, the Frogg Togg pants that I carry in the summer are the only long pants that I pack along with me. That being said, if your liners work for you, then by all means use them.

[Appalachian Tater]

Call Marmot and see if they will replace your jacket, unless you stored it improperly.

[Wise Old Owl]

At first I could not understand here why anyone would need rain pants - then some one pointed out that remaining dry below 40 degrees is important and others in previous theads wear the rain pants when in trail towns at the laundry!

That's it - Hope they are very lightweight.

Mark

[wakapak]

Call Marmot and see if they will replace your jacket, unless you stored it improperly.

Good thought, however for a short period of time it wasn't stored in the best of ways! Plus, it's about 6 years old with LOTS of wear and tear on it.

[astrogirl]

Ok, i have a question that i think is somewhat silly, but i'm asking it anyway...i know you need raingear for the at.....i lived in the nc mtns. for years, and remember our always wet summers. i have a great rain jacket....no worries there, but i've recently been looking at pants and am a little stuck. now this may seem silly, but didn't know if there was a reason not to try it. i snowboard and have a pair of waterproof liners. they are big enough to slide over normal shoes, and fairly light weight (not sure exactly but i'd say somewhere around 6-8 oz.?? just a guess) is there any reason why i couldn't just use those?? any input is appreciated. thanks folks!

Nope.

They will get a LOT dirtier if you hike in them than they will snowboarding, and if you're hiking in them, they could get snagged on something.

If they are expensive, get cheaper rain pants. Personally, I never hike in my rain pants. I use them when I get to camp and it's cold or if I'm doing laundry.

[ScottP]

yeah, i used o2 for my 07 AT section. I tore it after about 500 miles, but I'm very awkward getting into jackets (bum shoulder, and had a real weird time of getting into it underneath my tarp one night). Even if it takes two for your section this year, they're still cheap and light.

[Jaybird62]

Good thought, however for a short period of time it wasn't stored in the best of ways! Plus, it's about 6 years old with LOTS of wear and tear on it.

Honesty, a seldom seen things these days. bravo to u

[Dirtygaiters]

Ok, i have a question that i think is somewhat silly, but i'm asking it anyway...i know you need raingear for the at.....i lived in the nc mtns. for years, and remember our always wet summers. i have a great rain jacket....no worries there, but i've recently been looking at pants and am a little stuck. now this may seem silly, but didn't know if there was a reason not to try it. i snowboard and have a pair of waterproof liners. they are big
enough to slide over normal shoes, and fairly light weight (not sure exactly but i'd say somewhere around 6-8 oz.?? just a guess) is there any reason why i couldn't just use those?? any input is appreciated. thanks folks!

Sorry to see your thread has been hijacked.

Could you give more details on what you mean by "waterproof liners"? If these are really 6-8 ounces, it sounds like this could be vapor barrier clothing for cold weather? Just a guess, but more details would be helpful. If they are Goretex, then give em a try. Otherwise, you may want to look at other options for lightweight rainpants for backpacking.

Rain pants are nice if your main apparel item for your legs is a pair of hiking pants. Hiking any distance in wet pants and you may experience chaffing. The same goes for wet knee-length shorts. In the summer, lots of hikers use running shorts, which tend to dry out very quickly and aren't really long enough to cause chaffing, so some people just let their legs get wet during rains... which explains why so many people who responded to this thread, instead of answering your question, offered their unsolicited opionions on whether or not they themselves even wear rain pants.

[Woody48]

I very rarely use rain pants in the summer, but I generally carry them in my pack. I like them as light as possible but with full side zips to vent. I have found that ski/board pants are kind of heavy. My rain pants most often get worn when I am hiking above treeline in damp and/or windy weather. I want to make sure that I will be warm and dry when I stop. I do most of my hiking in the White Mountains.

[JAK]

Ok, i have a question that i think is somewhat silly, but i'm asking it anyway...i know you need raingear for the at.....i lived in the nc mtns. for years, and remember our always wet summers. i have a great rain jacket....no worries there, but i've recently been looking at pants and am a little stuck. now this may seem silly, but didn't know if there was a reason not to try it. i snowboard and have a pair of waterproof liners. they are big
enough to slide over normal shoes, and fairly light weight (not sure exactly but i'd say somewhere around 6-8 oz.?? just a guess) is there any reason why i couldn't just use those?? any input is appreciated. thanks folks!

It's hard to find cheap light nylon pants these days, even in running stores. You would think runners would know better but I guess in winter they are only training not competing. Anyhow, most nylon rain pants are about 8oz, so unless you go to a 4oz wind pant you may as well use 8oz brushed nylon hiking pants. In summer would I only bring wind pants if I had something 4oz, mainly for packability reasons, and I would bring the 8oz hiking pants instead only if I might get into some bushwacking. Tall grass and rasberry canes is a nasty combination, probably rip 4oz wind pants to shreds also. Not sure.

[JAK]

In LateFall/Winter/EarlySpring I am switching from 8oz brushed nylon hiking pants to 16oz wool pants with a loose but thick twill. They are comfortable to hike in in all weather and not too warm when the breeze blows through them same as a wool sweater idea. Then for when it gets cold I only have to pack 4oz wind pants and 4 oz skin layer, whereas with the brushed nylon hiking pants I would likely have to pack 8oz fleece pants also. So more packability for the same weight. Also, once I trim my wool hiking pants down I think I could get them down to 12oz for LateFall/EarlySpring and 16oz for winter. Might go with a high cut also, and carry tall ski socks.