Rainwear Confusion…

Hi Nick

I took the Whims to France for 3 months. They are not 100% waterproof, but they worked very well. See
http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/caffin_gear_list_revisited.html
for my comments.

See also
http://www.backpackgeartest.org/reviews/Rain%20Gear/Jackets%20and%20Pants/GoLite%20Whim%20Pants/Roger%20Caffin/Long%20Term%20Report
for reviews at BGT.

Cheers

Pants — For a summer hike in California — where rain is relatively infrequent and short in duration — I wouldn't hike full-time in rain pants.

Jackets — So, just one pair of pants and yet two separate wp/b jackets — an OR Zealot with a Driduck top as backup? Why? Just bring the Driduck top. Say you get a scratch or a puncture. One small piece of duck tape and you're good to go. You really don't need two wp/b jackets. Again, IMO, the Driducks will be both lighter and more versatile as it is 100% rainproof and windproof — but airy enough that you can use as a windshirt as well.

Roger,

Thank you for the insight. You mentioned that you never had to deal with abrasion resistance with the Whim, but would you say they can withstand sitting on rocks (carefully) and the longevity of a thruhike of the PCT?

Ben,

Sorry if my wording was a bit misleading. I meant that I would carry the Zealot and probably purchase the Driducks as a backup (for my bounce box) but not actually carry them.

The Driducks would probably be fine for just a 2 week hike in the Sierras but I'm hoping to do the PCT in 2009 so they may not be durable enough for the extended use in WA (?). Not completely sure about that but that is my assumption. Also, the zealot would probably act as part of my layering system.

Smartwool Midweight
Marmot Driclime
Down Vest/Jacket
Rain Jacket (Zealot?)

What do you guys think?

Nick:

There are any ways of combining layers… Since some portion of your hike will be in relatively warm weather, I would go for light weight Smartwool (or equivalent) as base layer. It's always easier to add on / take off outer layers versus a base that's too warm for the environment at hand.

The next point is not so much 'right or wrong' per se but just a matter of difference in degree. I sometimes hike in my insulation layer — in cold mornings before the hike generates sufficient body heat. I take care to peel off the insulation before soaking it in sweat. Methinks a synthetic layer (e.g. MontBell Thermawrap) is more versatile and much more 'forgiving' than down insulation for active wear. Just food for thought.

Finally, for most three-season hikes (including temps a bit below freezing) — I find three layers — base plus synthetic insulation plus a good wp/b shell — more than enough. At camp, the sleeping bag can be pressed into service even when temps drop significantly. I think I would leave out the Marmot Driclime.

Nick – the target audience for your question should probably be veteran PCT thru-hikers. Talk to them, and I suspect you'll find that Driducks or equivalent are both workable and preferable to more heavy-duty options, all along the trail.

I used Frog Toggs back in 2001, along with an umbrella in WA. The Rain Wrap is a great concept for high-metabolic thru-hiking, since keeping rain off the lower body during a thru-hike is primarily an issue of comfort, and comfort is mostly a thigh, crotch & butt area matter in this case.

Perhaps the bounce box could be used to carry a backup Driducks jacket, to allay any concerns about durability.

Hi Nick

> You mentioned that you never had to deal with abrasion resistance with the Whim, but would you say they can withstand sitting on rocks (carefully) and the longevity of a thruhike of the PCT?

Chuckle. We do a lot of walking in sandstone canyon country and in thick fire-hardened Australian scrub. When we talk about abrasion resistance we are thinking about 500 denier Cordura!

Yes, certainly the Whims will take careful sitting on rock. The fabric is quite strong, all things considered.

How long are you planning on hiking the PCT for, and is it a clear track or a blazed trail through scrub? The answers are obviously very important. We wore the Whims a lot over the first 2 months in France, and I have also worn them for a week in the snow country. I think they will last for a long while if treated with care. Go for a sitting glissade on scree, and it won't be just the Whims which get shredded!

What I have found is that many of the UL fabrics do slide over stuff quite well when they are wet.

Cheers
Roger

The ducks work very well. The only drawback is that they are easily damaged. I still wear the Precip pants, but the top was too wet so I changed it out for a Patagonia Rainshadow. Same weight, but much drier. The Rainshadow hood could have been designed better – I do not wear a rock helmet so it does fit very well. But to be honest I only use the Rainshadow and Precip pants in winter. Driducks are definately my choice for any weather above 35*. I am not sure why you would need secondary pants for camp use. I find the driduck pants to be very adept at use around camp- as long as I do not bushwhack for firewood or water. I say buy both – use the ducks and if its not for you then have the Precip sent postal.

sierra designs isotope = 5.6 oz
ULA Rain Skirt = 2.9 oz
Total = 8.5 oz

To reply to some earlier post on this thread. No I have no dork issues wearing my wonderful rain skirt. But I did have vanity issues with the color Brian chose for his product so I emailed him offering to send him sil nylon in the colors would have rather had (Gray for my self black for my girl)
Brian emailed me back and stated that blue would have to do.
But a month later when I finally ordered several products from ULA he must have took my sorrow to heart because he informed me that he indeed had black rain wraps available. So every time you put on your extremely functional piece of eyesooringly blue rain gear you can think of me sporting my equally functional Black one
Again let me say that the Rain wrap is one of my favorite pieces of gear. For the weight, price, multiuse, and function. You can not beat it. If you can get over wearing a waterproof skirt on the trail.

Many years ago I got tired of sweating inside vey non-breathable waterproof pants. I also wore gaiters all the time so having w/p pants over the top was a bit of overkill. My solution? Turn the pants into shorts! I cut off the pants just below the level of the tops of the gaiters. Now I had some ventilation, the gaiters kept the scrub and water (mostly) off my lower legs, my upper legs were dry, and I even saved some weight :)

Some people laughed at my "waterproof shorts" but they worked for me. Looking at the rain skirt, I think it is close to being a baggy pair of w/p shorts…

Etoway Outfitters also sells a black rain wrap.