Decent Set of Rain Gear for Wife and Me

[Cadenza]

I finally settled on Golite rain gear (www.golite.com).

It's very light, well made, and does as good a job blocking rain as anything and it works great for a "real" wind jacket/pants.

Might as well spend the bucks and do it right the first time.

Concur. My Golite Gore-Tex set fits in a stuff sack the size of a softball.
It's as light as possible and works as intended. Worth every penny.

Packa and a rain wrap is the only combination that actually works for me. Packa isn't cheap, but it is cheaper than name brands like goretex and north face whose jackets don't work nearly as well.

I just recently bought a cuben packa,....and wouldn't you know,.... it didn't rain a drop on my last trip.

[gunner76]

Avoid Dry-ducks. I forgot they were glorified paper and ripped the hood half off pulling it over my head first day out. They are good for storing in a car for emergencies.

FroggToggs DriDucks has two ponchos...an Emergency Poncho which is very thin to the point of being translucent (I would only take it into the woods as a emergency poncho) and the DriDucks UltraLite Poncho which is lined, has snaps and a hood with drawstng. Which one were you referring to ?

[kayak karl]

So... how was the hike?

RainMan

.

so how WAS the hike been a year!

[Bucho]

Avoid Dry-ducks. I forgot they were glorified paper and ripped the hood half off pulling it over my head first day out. They are good for storing in a car for emergencies.

I did a thru hike with dri ducks last year, they outlasted my girlfriends gortex. One does need to be careful with them and bring a little duct tape for repairs but I'd take them on another thru hike.

[MuddyWaters]

Avoid Dry-ducks. I forgot they were glorified paper and ripped the hood half off pulling it over my head first day out. They are good for storing in a car for emergencies.

Actually, they are polyethyelene.
I have had no problem with driducks.
Yes, fragile. Be careful, dont abuse.
I use my jacket as windshell frequently

Rain gear is not supposed to keep you dry. It is supposed to keep you warm. You will get wet with sweat hiking in raingear, even if it is impervious to rain.

[Del Q]

Check out Sierra Trading Post.............bought Marmot Precip a few years ago, my son still uses my jacket, wife still loves hers.............worth the $$$

[Razor]

It is interesting that some people think they can stay dry in the rain on a backpacking trip. You choose your pain. Wet from rain or wet from perspiration. Cheep = quicker money= a little longer. Also reading the comments ,some people confuse frog togs and dry ducks . They are made by the same company but have different materials and different properties. Both are good but need to use care with the dry ducks. Start adding $ quickly from there. Personally I use dry ducks pants because I rarely put them on except for laundry time and the weight penalty is very low( 4 OZS) A marmot top is my pain.

[Duramax22]

+1 for columbia @ dicks

[Bucho]

Here's another option: http://www.golite.com/accessories/umbrellas