rain splats. (somebody please make these in cuben fiber)

How do they go on a brisk ride in the rain?

They look like they are made of fairly heavy canvas so a lot of weight to be saved. One issue might be though that the canvas and edge binding provides them with a lot of stability and stiffness so that they don't blow up in the wind and vigour of cycling…? Also if you are like me and many others and healstrike somewhat, then you would need something more durable than the lighter weight cubens in that area or it will wear through in no time.

The other thing I wonder, is how do they go keep rain from running down your legs into your shoes? I use some lightweight toe covers, and once they are on most of the water stays out of my shoes (Shimano MT230), except a some runs down my legs into my socks, etc.

I think lightweight cuben could definitely be applied in some other areas of bike clothing though. A .31oz cuben gillet (and/or front only) would be sweet.

Tried something similar and found that when moving at speed (20mph+) or in a strong head wind the water creeps up the inside of the spat.

Try various other solutions as they come up but the last 20 years it's been waterproof socks and overshoes if it's really cold and wet, waterproof socks if it's cold and wet.

I use clipless pedals and when i commuted i just kept a pair of shoes at the office.

For hiking, if it's wet i now use waterproof socks

well..

on a bike if i'm wearing them, i've also got rain pants on, the over lap at the cuff keeps the water out. that, and the dynamics of rain on a bike are just different than when hiking.

i'd been wondering how that would work when hiking. my hypothesis is that rain pants would serve a similar purpose when hiking. i was also thinking that a rain kilt could keep water running far enough away, like an umbrella effect to mitigate seepage at the ankle cuff. (but i don't have and never hiked in a rain kilt, mean to try it soon).

as to wear, no part of these would (if the under-strap was modified or absent) would touch a part any part of the ground when walking. you'd have to be walking on the backs of your heels, i'd imagine. idunno, nothing's perfect.

it's the stiffness of the canvas itself that provides the shape/stability, the edge binding is a pretty minor factor compared to overall construction. (edit: brainstorm, yes the material is thick. but it's shape is mostly held by a caternary effect from the heelstrap)

my footwear rain strategy for a while has been to wear minimal enough shoes that will dry quickly. i'm plenty comfortable with wet feet in thin merino socks and lightweight trail runners (just picked up a pair of new balance mt1010v2 to this end).

they won't keep all the water out/off. but, i've found them to keep more than enough off to be worth it, with less complications than other solutions. (i don't work in offices, or even the same place every day. so i'd have to carry different shoes with me for work, and i'd still be putting wet ones back on when heading back out).

based off my experience with the "heavy" ones on a bike (more than worth it). i really believe the weight/benefit ratio would be worth it if their was a lightweight backpacking version. especially in light rain, where your feet can still get plenty wet, as that is where all the water runs down to. in a really heavy rain, yer gonna get wet somehow, i'm comfortable with just dealing with that and staying warm by moving fast enough.

they wouldn't be a water-proof solution, just tip the scales towards comfort by keeping the majority of water off your feet, seepage would occur. but, there would be more "dry" surface area for the water to spread to and be evaporated by.

I like the design of the splat. I've been wearing Showers Pass rain booties for the past few years. They work pretty good but I think I need to seam seal them because during heaving rains there is some seepage. What I see this design most useful for are those dewey morning sections through thick underbrush near the alpine line (is there a term for this ecosystem?). Walking down trails during heavy rains, at least where I do most hiking in the Olympic NP, those splats I'm guessing wouldn't help much when the trail turns into a creek. Seems like you could adapt it into a sun visor somehow. Maybe clip the two together to get wider coverage.

Also, I wouldn't use cuben fiber, but a VX21 or VX42 would be better for the application. Somebody else will probably chime in that knows more about fabrics than I do. I have MH scree gaiters and the shock cord provided which is for the under-arch area to secure the gaiter from the bottom, has held up really well so far.

Personally, if I had the extra cash (and it meant more to me) I would buy a pair of UL water shoes (ie. Zemgear Oxygen 2) for river fords and camp shoes during wet weather. But honestly, if I can stay relatively dry from my thighs up I'm pretty comfortable in most 3 season conditions, and breathable sneakers will dry out with time if you can switch for dry socks.