The Pacific Northwest Gear Thread

So, what do you guys wear if/when you want to hike in real, heavy, honest-to-goodness PNW rain? I'm talking specific recipes here; baselayer, insulting layer, shell…the whole nine yards.

I usually shy away from long-distance, multi-day hikes when there's real rain in the forecast, but it looks like I might be doing a few of these in the near future, so I need to start seriously thinking about this. I've got my shelter/sleep system (a hammock setup) tweaked to handle the biggest rain Ma Nature can throw at me, but my clothing situation is a little…unsettled. When I hunt, I wear gear by Rivers West (which is totally badass, btw), but at 2-plus pounds per article, it's waaaaaaay too heavy for a serious hike.

When the forecast is straight rain for a few days, I don't go hiking. I don't mind the occasional day hike in the rain, or some showers on an extended trip, but if it's really going to be famous PNW rain for days, I stay at home and drink excellent beer, look at maps and plan for trips when it isn't raining. That said, after spending some nights in some serious downpours, one of the nicest things to have is a shelter that allows you to spread out wet clothes and hang out comfortably if it is pouring. I've found the space to weight ratio of a pyramid tarp to be second to none. Even the nicest, most expensive rain jacket has it's limitations if you are planning on being in rain all day for multiple days. A pack cover goes a long way to keeping stuff dry if you do get caught in serious rain, but again if you're out for several days of rain, your stuff will get wet.

"I'm talking specific recipes here; baselayer, insulting layer, shell…the whole nine yards."

I don't like the looks of that middle layer, either.

–B.G.–

"Synthetic bag retains most of its warmth when wet"

I've had 67 years of experience with down bags and 45 years with synthetic, and my experience tells me this is folklore. So does this BPL article, although the experiment was quite limited: http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/wet_weather_performance_down_vs_synth_vests.html

My own experience (been there, done that) is that you will be just as cold and miserable in a soggy synthetic bag as in a soggy down bag! Whatever your insulation, make sure you keep it dry!

I gotta say: my new Rab Demand pull-on just performed great in a day of wet snow at Tahoe.

When the forecast is for serious rain, I take a simple, lightweight rectangular tarp in addition to my BA Fly Creek UL 2 tent. I use the tarp when I stop for lunch breaks or just need a break from the downpour. At night, I rig the tarp as an awning over the front door of my tent using my hiking poles. That helps keep the rain from getting into my tent and me dry when entering/exiting. Worth the extra 6 oz.

Also, I take an extra large pack towel for drying off my pooch before she gets in the tent.

"My own experience (been there, done that) is that you will be just as cold and miserable in a soggy synthetic bag as in a soggy down bag! Whatever your insulation, make sure you keep it dry!"

Mary, you're right – I've got my synthetic bag wet and it was uncomfortable, but it's warmer and dries quicker than down when wet.

More than that, with proper technique you can keep both of them dry in which case down is lighter and lasts longer.

I'm not really arguing one should use synthetic over down, just that many people have good experiences with synthetic.

Contrary to what others have said, it's hard to imagine a sleeping bag getting wet. You could shove a down sleeping bag in a stuff sack underwater for a minute and two and it will come out dry. Most bags are water resistant so unless you left it outside in the rain for an hour, it will remain usable.

I've never used a synthetic bag but I've gotten a down bag moderately wet. By sleeping inside, I could see the steam rising off of it and within a few hours it was dry again, bivyless, under my 5×8 tarp in constant rain.

@ T Franzen
word to that. microbrews on the trail and reuse the bottle for water….the additional weight ONLY acceptable on over-nighters. preferably when a good indian (or maybe just Dick's burgers;)) restaruant is visited upon returning from the hills.

ive spent storms in a Big Agnes Fly Creek UL2, and maaan oh man. space can equal sanity. i dont have 37-45yrs+ exp. using down vs. syn., thats on the dreamlist now tho:)
…but I am one of those who've suffered through a night or two in wet bags of both fill. I admit, both experiences sucked equally but both bags were dry the next night. It is much easier for me to get up in the a.m. in a wet syn. bag.
I think synthetic might be more of a "no-brainer" choice for snow/winter. alas, as several have stated before me (im in agreement:)), to the truly seasoned/experienced hiker it shouldnt matter.

"…it's hard to imagine a sleeping bag getting wet."

Lots of ways it can happen. You can pitch your tent on a nice flat spot that turns out, when a cloudburst hits, to be concave and turn into a pond. You can fall while fording a stream, if your sleeping bag is in a stuff sack rather than in a dry bag or inside a waterproof pack liner, or if you're relying on a pack cover to keep the pack contents dry. For that matter, a pack cover won't keep pack contents dry even in a prolonged heavy ran that runs down between your back and the pack.

The first scenario (tent site becoming a lake) is what happened to me (many years ago), which is why I would far rather sleep on a slope than on flat ground! The worst part was the comment from my then 14-year-old daughter: "Mom, if you'd pitched the tent where I suggested, we wouldn't have gotten wet!"

the advantage of a synth bag or quilt is the dont need to worry too much factor

yes a really soaked synth or down bag just sucks … period

however more often than not the "wetness" one gets with bags is from body moisture, moisture from clothes, from breathing, from condensation …

this is not an issue with down bags IF you have the conditions and time to dry it out whenever the sun comes up

however on longer trips or adverse conditions … the "additive" moisture from the above dont affect synth all that much, alot of it goes away with the body warmth in yr bag, assuming yr bag is not performing right at its limit

note that quite a few people on here use synth quilts … including one of the founders of the site, and some weird bum named after a bird who trekked among the bears

do you "need" synth … nope … would you want one in a week of continuous rain and sprinkle with narry a shine of sunlight … yup

its all about how confident you are in not "screwing up" or having a boo booo

"When the forecast is straight rain for a few days, I don't go hiking. I don't mind the occasional day hike in the rain, or some showers on an extended trip, but if it's really going to be famous PNW rain for days, I stay at home and drink excellent beer, look at maps and plan for trips when it isn't raining."

Not gonna lie; that's always been my M.O., too. :P But I have a couple buddies who are going to be shore leave here soon, and come hell or high water, we're going to go hiking on the predetermined weekend.

"…but again if you're out for several days of rain, your stuff will get wet."

Yeah, this is the part I'm not really accustomed to, hence my trepidation.

Lots of ways it can happen. You can pitch your tent on a nice flat spot that turns out, when a cloudburst hits, to be concave and turn into a pond. You can fall while fording a stream, if your sleeping bag is in a stuff sack rather than in a dry bag or inside a waterproof pack liner, or if you're relying on a pack cover to keep the pack contents dry. For that matter, a pack cover won't keep pack contents dry even in a prolonged heavy ran that runs down between your back and the pack.
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If you are using a tent, the tent floor should protect your bag from water, especially if you are gone and not weighting the bag. Of course if you were in the tent you would do something about the pond forming under you. I guess I don't really understand what occured in your story.

You can fully submerge a compressed down sleeping bag in water for several moments without it getting very wet or wet at all. There is not enough surface area for water to penetrate the water resistent treatment of your sleeping bag. Any kind of stuff like, like a light silnylon, will considerably reduce the water further.

All three of us fell asleep during the storm and didn't wake up until morning. Obviously, we were very tired! Yes, we woke up with icy feet and lower legs! The first order of business was to move the tent back out of the "lake" and wring out the bedding. I put the kids back inside, wearing their insulating wraps and, from hips down, in the upper (dry) part of the sleeping bags. I then kept the hot cocoa coming to warm them up.

The rain had turned to snow, with 3 inches accumulated by morning. By 1 pm it was still snowing hard, with no sign of possible clearing, so we once again wrung everything out the best we could and retreated to the trailhead (still carrying probably several pounds of water apiece), arriving about dark. Fortunately the stream we had to cross (a mere trickle when we went in) was still a couple of inches below the log bridge over it when we got there–the bridge was wet, but wasn't yet under water. I definitely do not count that as one of my successful backpacking trips!

Of course this was early 1980's gear, and mostly the cheap kind. I still don't trust bathtub floors, though!

Here in Maryland, the spring weather is 90% humidity during the day with 4-6 hours of light rain most nights, and 20-25 degree temperature drops at night. As a result, I get condensation even under a tarp. My synthetic bag absorbs enough moisture out of the air to feel 20-30 degrees colder than it's rating and feels clammy to the touch in the morning. I imagine a down bag would be worse in this situation…