wind protection from rainwear? driducks?

just noticed that Skurka took along a Golite Virga (rainprotection) + a Golite Wisp (wind protection)..

I'm completely flummoxed.

What is wind protection exactly? Is it just about making nylon as thin as possible? Why wouldn't a rain jacket just do then?

A rain jacket may not breathe well enough when walking quickly, plus the filth that comes with working out can also clog whatever membrane it has or bring further risk of mucking up the DWR layer. A wind shirt fills the gap when you need something to stop the wind from sapping your heat, but want more breathability and don't want to mess up your rain jacket. That said, I don't use a wind shirt because I create lots of heat when walking hard that I don't need any skin coverage at all…at least in environments when the temps are above freezing and the winds are below 40 mph. I know people that were wearing down jackets and a wind shirt earlier this hiking season. I was wearing Sahara pants and an Ecomesh shirt at the same time same trail. People have different needs… Still though, I may eventually switch to RR's Adventure shirt and Ecomesh pants to get a little more flexibility.

DriDucks material is completely wind proof, but the cut of the jacket allows a good amount of airflow. If you want to use your DriDucks as a wind jacket I would suggest you add a drawstring to the hem of the jacket, and maybe some velcro dots or small snaps to the zipper flap to keep it from blowing open. But for me, DriDucks are not tough enough for regular wear under a pack, so I use a more resilient windshirt most of the time, and save the DriDucks for when I really need rain protection. YMMV

Any rain gear will cut the wind— it's a matter of breatability as others have said. You often see people on the street wearing a rain shell in cooler weather, doing just what a windshirt would do: keeping a little warm air close to your core. A light shell with lots of ventilation available can double as wind protection. If you are up the hill and too cold, there's nothing wrong with wearing any and all clothing available to keep you comfortable.

I find it helps to think of a windshirt simply as a long sleeve shirt– protection from sun, bugs, wind and cooler temps when a tee is not adequate. It's the perfomance/weight that makes it special.

Some models of windshirts have failed on breathability, so check the reivews. A good windshirt will also give some *light* rain protection via a DWR coating.

Also worth mentioning is that wind shirts are more durable than O2 type rain jackets.