I need a good rain jacket

[Ryan C]

Out of all the equipment I ended up using while backpacking in Alaska, the Westcomb Specter LT was my favorite piece of gear.

The jacket kept me dry, breathed great, and held up to some intense bushwhacking. I ended up wearing it 75% of the time due to the cooler temperatures and rainy weather.

Only one issue: eVent breathes so well that body heat escapes quicker than other jackets. There were times when some of the people were soaked from head to toe (kayaking in the rain, river crossings, etc.) and seemed to be chilled to the bone due to "evaporative cooling" nearly putting them into hypothermia while it was raining and cold. Gore-Tex seemed to handle situations like this better; people stayed "wetter" but were warmer. I managed to stay drier than some with eVent shells and did not have any near-hypothermic issues.

[Ceph Lotus]

Thanks for the update. Would wearing an insulating layer under the Westcomb Specter helped in these wet, cold conditions?

[Eric Blumensaadt]

1. REI Kimtah eVent parka now on sale at 30% off for $159.

2, Cabela's Rainy River GTX PacLite parka for $129.

I have both and the eVent parka is (natch) the preferred parka for its breathability. I wore it in light rain on a hike in the mountains recently and didn't feel the usual clammines or Gore-Tex WPB parkas.

[Ryan C]

A decent mid-layer helps in hypothermic weather. Most of us had one fleece pullover (I used my Patagonia R1) and a light synthetic or down vest/jacket. Fleece is bulky but breaths better, dries faster, and worked better as a mid-layer under the shell when needed compared to a light down or synthetic puffy.

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