Wind/Rain jackets on the PCT

I am doing the JMT later this year and I only plan to bring my eVent rain jkt. While not as breathable as a LW windshirt, it def breaths well. Plus I figure if I have to punch out a 20 mile day in the rain, I would rather do it in a breathable hardshell rather than somthing I will be uncomfortable in. I also like that fact that it simplifies my layering system.

I wouldn't carry both at once. I didn't have a rain jacket until cascade locks (washington border) and just carried a montbell windshirt and trash bags. If i did it again, I might just carry a light rain jacket the whole way and no windshirt, unless I took a poncho tarp. The weather is really hot and dry for the vast majority of the trail, I barely even hiked in anything more than my hiking shirt for all of California, with the notable exception of getting 4-6 inches of snow just after Baden-Powell in Socal. I did get pretty drenched and cold in oregon near sisters, and would definitely have raingear/ more than just shorts for that part of the trail. I'm sure an event jacket would be nice, but I wouldn't worry about it that much since I mostly wore my rainjacket warming up or in camp when breathability is really not an issue.

Disregard everything I said if you are going sobo.

But would I be comfortable doing 20 plus miles wearing a Montane Atomic DT in the wind, or would an eVent be necessary for that?

I would be shocked if you ever wear any jacket, windshirt or not for 20+ miles just due to wind. It gets pretty hot in the daytime regardless of where you are, and even when we were night hiking I never felt the need for an extra layer for more than a couple minutes to warm up. (Ok, maybe if you night hiked through goat rocks or the sierras, but I have no idea why anyone would do that.) The only times I wore a jacket all day were due to rain, at which point i don't think you are going to be all that comfortable or dry regardless of your jacket. I haven't used eVent, and I'm sure it would be nicer in an all day rain storm, but I really wouldn't worry much about using it as a wind shell for more than short periods of time and when stopped.

If you do bring a jacket, I would recommend a propore (e. g. O2) jacket. The big disadvantage of propore is that it is fragile. The nice thing about the PCT is that it extremely wide and well maintained. This means you are unlikely to catch it on a branch.

For the same reason, a light poncho might make a lot of sense too. A rain jacket is more redundant if you carry a wind shirt. If you don't carry a wind shirt, then a rain jacket works as a (lot less breathable) wind shirt and bug shirt.

"would be shocked if you ever wear any jacket, windshirt or not for 20+ miles just due to wind"

Totally agree with this. The only time I use a windshirt for an entire day would be in near freezing winter temp's.

I live in Washington and can generally agree that if you are hiking all day, jackets are not required. However, I have hiked many times in cold, windy, rainy weather here in Washington with a fleece zip-up with my shell over the top.

I guess it depends largely upon the time of year you enter Washington. August and early September are usually the best bets for weather, but come late September through October rain and even snow can be plentiful.

Dirk

Thanks for all the feedback. I think I'll carry a wind jacket up till Oregon, then either add a rain jacket or just switch it out. Thanks again.
Sean

Sean –

last year a bunch of hikers had to bail out when there was snow/rain in SoCal and near Yosemite….Just an FYI…You can check it out over at the PCT-L message boards where there are a lot of people with PCT experience waiting to help as well.

The PCT-L is an old list forum, but the archives are online…

http://mailman.backcountry.net/pipermail/pct-l/

Dirk

I carried an eVent jacket for my socal section hike in 2008. I only used it during that freak snowstorm we got in mid-late May. I wouldn't want to use it as a windjacket because it is so overbuilt, but it is breathable enough to do so.

For future section hikes, I will carry a Houdini (Actually, I'll probably wear it more than carry it) and have a minimalist rain jacket for when it's really coming down.

My eVent shell is really not a summer jacket. Now, I would consider it for Washington if I was up there in September.

Really, I'm wondering if I need a wind jacket if I'm going to be carring the rain jacket. I'll just have to experiment with it a bit. My warm top is a down jacket so that kinda pushes the need for a rain jacket up as well.

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Dave –

I agree on the mixed assessment of the PCT-L. I think there are plenty of people who offer solid advice, but the PCT being one of the big three trails, it does have a tendency to draw people people who are inclined to advise that you carry enough gear to fortify an army.

I find the best advice comes from the list server is in the form of resupply info, trail closures, weather patterns, trail angels, that sort of thing. Gear? Not so much.

Like you said, people underestimate the the rain and snow that can hit SoCal during the spring. Even last year people were driven out of the mountains ill prepared for inclement weather.

Good advice on Washington, especially. This year was one of the nicest falls we've had since I've moved here from California 13 years ago and I think anyone hiking the PCT would have thought, "Washington, a cake walk!"

How do you like that North Face jacket? I've been considering it as a possible purchase.

Dirk

I live in San Diego, so I don't do too much hiking in the rain. Even if it is raining, it is typically is light enough that a wind shirt does the job. Thanks for all the great advice.

I'm taking a Houdini and an O2 Rainshield jacket on the PCT this year (I may swap out the O2 for a sturdier rain jacket in WA or OR). The Rainshield might be fine on its own as a windshirt, but I figure having both makes sense because having two jackets gives me the option of layering both together in cold weather. My only other insulation is going to be a Thermawrap jacket, and that's only for camp and sleeping, so having 2 light jackets gives me a little more wiggle room for hiking in cold and/or wet weather (which does happen on the PCT!). Also, I wear a windshirt a lot when I hike, and it's nice to have something durable that I won't have to worry about tearing.

The O2 Rainshield jacket definitely looks worth checking out. You can't beat 35 dollars.

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The PCT is mostly dry during the north bound thru-hiking window but it does rain and not only in Washington. I wouldn't be in the mountains pretty much anywhere without some sort of rain protection and surely not on the PCT, not even in southern CA. Actually, I went through some of my chilliest nights while on the PCT in SoCal. It's still May and the trail takes high ground.

A windshirt + rain jacket is a very versatile pair and in the long distance versatility is key. I carried both for the length of the PCT, the rain jacket being an O2 Rainshield (5 oz) plus 3 oz for the windshirt. The Rainshield jacket is fragile but I only had to use it when it was actually raining so no durability problems (it wasn't even new). You won't find many rain jackets for less than 8 oz, those you find will all be kind of fragile and by wearing them on a regular basis you may be somewhat compromising their (already limited) breathability in the long term. I think it's better to leave the rain stuff only for when it's raining.

If not raining, the windshirt was all I needed (plus hats, buff and mittens if it was cold) and it was also my bug shirt (mosquitos would go through my base layer). I wouldn't want to wear any rain jacket in hot, buggy weather.

All this stuff comes down a lot to hiking style and likes/dislikes but IMO the big mistake would be to take CA as rain free or if it rains it'll be warm enough to not worry about it.

"You won't find many rain jackets for less than 8 oz, those you find will all be kind of fragile and by wearing them on a regular basis you may be somewhat compromising their (already limited) breathability in the long term. I think it's better to leave the rain stuff only for when it's raining." That's excactly what I was looking for. Considering that a wind jacket only weighs 3 – 4 oz, it's not worth potentially damaging my only source of keeping the rain off.