Dri-Ducks--???

[q-tip]

Looking at Dri-Ducks for rain pants--concerned about them not being very sturdy--anyone with experience????

[SmokeEater]

I take them on all my section hikes. Great if you want to go light. I have torn mine a couple of times but nothing a little duct tape wont fix. Plus they are cheap to buy.

[Joey C]

They are studier than I thought, but still had a few issues with snags on branches. They repair very easy with duck tape though. For the $$ and weight, works well for me.

I've had mine for 3 years now. Used the jacket 4 seasons, and the pants 3. I don't take the pants in the summer.

[kolokolo]

You are right to be concerned. Dri-Ducks are pretty fragile, and can easily be snagged and torn on sticks or bushes along the trail. I accidently tore the bottom 2 inches off of the sleeve of a Dri-Ducks jacket just trying to take it off (it was wet and stuck to my skin).

Nevertheless, Dri-Ducks are light and cheap, and I'm still wearing that jacket with the torn sleeve when it rains!

[mark schofield]

I used a Dri-Ducks jacket last fall. 10 days on the northern part of the Long Trail. Rained almost continually. Only one small rip. Fixed with duct tape. The jacket only weighs 5 or 6 ozs.

[q-tip]

Thanks All;

Q-tip

[gumball]

Dry-ducks makes a poncho and I just picked up 2 on sale at Dick's for $5/apiece. Might not last, but worth $5.

[ShelterLeopard]

Are dri-ducks breatheable at all?

[gumball]

Are dri-ducks breatheable at all?

Absolutely.

[Tinker]

Absolutely.

Well, not quite absolutely. The brushed inner of the fabric gives you the illusion that you are dry. It feels pretty nice. The fit of the garments is loose and the fabric is fairly stiff, both of which contribute to what has been referred to as a "bellows effect" whereby your movements pump the damp air out the neck and sleeve openings. The garments are far less breathable than an uncoated windbreaker, so you will sweat more in them (I think some people expect some kind of mystical air conditioning ) than in uncoated nylon - but, of course, uncoated nylon will not keep the rain off.

The pants on mine are history, and the jacket now leaks where I got some oil on it.

[ShelterLeopard]

What I really mean is, will they keep you dry? I've been in search of breathable/ waterproof raingear and just gave up. It's either breathable but not waterproof, or waterproof, but I sweat to death. So I gave up and decided that instead of trying to stay dry, I'd try to stay warm. (I still try to stay dry after setting up camp, but not while hiking.)

[gumball]

Nothing is going to keep you 100% dry in an all day, all out down pour (shudder)...hate those days. But for your generally rainy, miserable day, yes. Will you sweat? Yes...you're hiking. But they breathe quite well. Still, you are going to perspire and you will get a little wet in any gear from the inside out.

[10-K]

Bottom line: If it's raining and you're hiking you're going to get wet one way or the other.

Psychologically it feels somewhat nice not to be getting drenched in a downpour but at the end of a long day hiking in the rain I'm as wet as if I didn't have any raingear on at all.

[gumball]

I'm anxious to try the poncho. Its open on the bottom, like a poncho is, I am wondering if you air out any better.

[on_the_GOEZ]

Bottom line: If it's raining and you're hiking you're going to get wet one way or the other.

Psychologically it feels somewhat nice not to be getting drenched in a downpour but at the end of a long day hiking in the rain I'm as wet as if I didn't have any raingear on at all.

+ 1. The only way to remain dry is to stay in some kind of shelter. No gore tex or other fancy material will keep you consistently dry in consistent precipitation.

Therefore, DriDucks for me the whole way. Light and Cheap. If you can't Duct it....forget it

[ShelterLeopard]

Eh, I think I'll stick with giving up on hiking raingear. I've got things to keep me dry while I'm in camp, and that's enough for me.

[sheepdog]

If it's warm you really don't need rain gear, if it's cold you risk hypothermia without it.

[ShelterLeopard]

If it's warm you really don't need rain gear, if it's cold you risk hypothermia without it.

Being warm has always been my object- so I wear windgear while hiking in the rain, raingear while in camp.

[sheepdog]

Being warm has always been my object- so I wear windgear while hiking in the rain, raingear while in camp.

In the fall I often hike in a fleece jacket. It keeps me warm and dries quickly.

[Tinker]

Being warm has always been my object- so I wear windgear while hiking in the rain, raingear while in camp.

Sensible in cool conditions, not so much in cold conditions. I often hike with my rain jacket nearly (or completely, in calm conditions) unzipped for ventilation. Good ventilation trumps "waterproof/breathable" fabrics. ("__________" meaning so-called in the mysterious realm of punctuation - works with nicknames, too - example: Tommy "Guns" Smith).