Gates of the Artic National Park Alaska – August

That looks like a great plan! Would love to see a trip report on this one!

The forecast now looks cold and wet with high temps in the low 40's and low temps around freezing. The kicker is we also have precipitation in the forecast almost every day and at those temps I suppose we can get bone chilling rain, sleet, or snow.

I have done quite a bit of hiking in cold rainy conditions but not day after day after day of it. Is there anything I should add to my gear list? An extra fleece,etc? I hate to add weight to my already heavy pack but I also hate to spend my vacation cold and miserable.

Have you thought about a bit more fuel? Having a hot drink budgeted in each day could make a big difference.

Rain and shine, rain and shine, and I have a few things with some cotton in them – a bandana, 1 or 2 pairs of underwear, and maybe in a blend in a sun hat. But with rain, rain, and more rain, I'd go without cotton in anything. And shift from any wool items I might have brought, save perhaps in socks, to all synthetic. And I'd bump wool socks to wool-synthetic blends.

Think in terms of, "Would it dry as I wear it?"

I wouldn't rely only on the waterproofing of my pack but would bring a good sil-nylon dry bag (need not be expensive, Walmart stocks them in the camping aisle) for night-time clothing.

I'd also bring a small tube of anti-fungal creams and apply it between my toes every other day and watch my pits and under my pack straps for any issues. On a 16-day GCNP rafting trip, some of our group started to ferment on their upper body because life jackets are worn all the times on the River (12 hours or more a day) by Park regulation. Whether sweating in 105F heat or soaking in the 60F River, skin was wet for longer than desirable.

Cold temps plus precip = a challenge to ventilate adequately. But ventilation, rather than totally waterproof clothing is the trick. Hot or cold, I'd rathe be cooled by rain than by sweat. But that means being really proactive when temps drop, activity decreases or the wind comes up – you've got to get insulative and wind-blocking clothes on quickly.

Nasty weather sometimes ups my mileage – I'm not going to hang out in camp or on the pass admiring the nonexistent views. Instead, I keep hiking at a moderate pace to stay warm in moderate clothing.

Thanks for the help. I have everything that I will be wearing all synthetic except my socks which are a thin wool/nylon blend.

I will have a 100wt fleece pullover and a synthetic puffy.

My quilt is down but it is in dry sack.

I am using trash compactor bags inside my pack and also have a big sil pack liner dry sack I could use if needed. It weighs 4.4oz.