My Marmot Essence leaked after 1 hour of a downpour

Based on my son’s experience, the Precip is likely to wet out quickly as well.

I’ve never been to Iceland but if I’m going somewhere that has lots of rain I’d get a 3L Gore-Tex Jacket. I have the Montane Spine that’s 10.6ozwith Pit Zips but both Mont-Bell and REI have 3L GTX jackets in that same weight range.  As much as I hate Gore’s business practices, I have found their products consistently perform the best in serious conditions.  All raingear sucks but at least GTX has been durable.

Another product worth a look is the DWR-less Colombia Outdry EX Featherweight Jacket.

Well, wetting out is typical of DWR gear. If it can pass moisture, it ain’t waterproof. It is only the degree of being wet that seems to make these marketable.

I just use an old no-name nylon/PVC rain jacket. About 6-7 years ago the taping was going bad, so I ripped it all out and coated the inside and outside with silicone caulk/mineral spirits. It has held up to an hour of pouring rains easily. Of course, you get wet from perspiration if you seal it up. I usually hike leaning forward so the front zipper is partially pulled down, alleviating this. I think it cost $29 at Target more than twenty years ago and weighs less than 7oz…still use it as a ground cloth, tarp door, and rain jacket.

Cheap: non-breathable pvc or sil, or DriDucks.

Not cheap: 3L Gore Tex

Both will work, but the not cheap option will last and you will enjoy wearing it :)  Also…what Brad said.

I’d also suggest steering clear of the Precip.   My brand new Precip wetted out after the first storm.

Have a DWR outer that may wet out in extreme conditions

and synthetic layer(s) inside that will tolerate being wet.

The DWR outer will still shed almost all of the water.  When it stops raining everything will dry out.

The combination of outer and inner will give somewhat of a Paramo effect.

There isn’t one strategy that works for everyone in all conditions.

I have yet to find an inexpensive WPB that doesn’t wet out.  I have been very impressed with Gore Shakedry… but so far it’s only be used in garments which wouldn’t stand up to the rigors of backpacking and which are using zippers which leak :(.  The DriDucks don’t wet out but are fragile. I used a Columbia Outdry Extreme shell for my rain seasons… never wet out, but it wasn’t as breathable as other options and found myself overheating / sweating which is nearly as bad as wetting out. Right now I am using a  Westcomb Focus LT which has never wet out, but that might because the longest continuous rain I have worn it in was around 5 hours.  The best solution I found for multi-day rain was was a Patagonia Cap4 (Expedition Weight), R.5, or R1 with a Patagonia Essenshell (EPIC).  I got wet, but was warm enough and dried pretty quickly once I got out of the rain. A few more thoughts in my raingear notes.

Precip is THE one “WPB” laminate I stay away from based on the de-laminations I have seen to 3 of their rain parkas.

I have two WPB parkas that have held up for several years.

1. Cabela’s Rainy River PacLite GTX (12 years old)
2. 2. REI Kimtah eVent (5 years old)

I even have a 25 year old seam taped REI GTX 3 layer (knit interior lamination) that STILL works as long as I keep repairing the peeling seam tape. I keep it in my training pack for emergencies.

I’ve had good luck for many years with the Patagonia M-10.  No wetting out, very WP, reasonably breathable, and much cheaper when on sale than the Arcteryx equivalents.  The most frequent on line sales are around black Friday.  It weighs 8.5 oz in size XL

Have never had any luck with the so-called ‘2.5’ layer products, except the Patagonia Specter, that is no longer made.  The slight additional weight of the M-10 is well worth it, IMO.

Columbia OutDry Ex won’t wet out and there are a couple lightweight options.

The only 2.5L jacket that I had last a decent amount of time was Gore Tex Paclite (OR Zealot, Haglofs Ozo).

yeah, the women’s equivalent of the Marmot Essence immediately wetted out on my the first time I wore it.

Usually I take DriDucks, but for the Laugavegur I figured maybe I should be more conventional and go with a classic 2.5. REI Coop brand fit me best. Turns out I had great weather and basically used it as a windbreaker.

Back in Oregon it has since wetted out on me during a day hike.

An Ex Dry jacket is on my wishlist.

How wet was it? What is your perspiration output like? What were you wearing with it? Did the fabric wet out of was it still beading?

As I recall, the Essence has no pit zips or other ventilation. It may very well be that the Precip jackets were okay as they do have vents. Virtually every breathable membrane can be overwhelmed by perspiration and vents breathe better than yards of the best membrane. It’s hard to tell if it’s condensed sweat or precipitation that is making you wet. If you are hiking hard in rain and high humidty, there is simply nowhere for the sweat to go.  A jacket without vents is pretty much a plastic bag at high activity levels.

I’ve never thought much of trying to make a membrane with stretch materials. It’s just another dimension for damage. I’m of a mind that wanting UL breathable rain gear is just wishful thinking. I’d rather spend a little more of my weight budget on rain gear that works and cut some ounces elsewhere.

Ponchos are the lightest rain gear for the coverage, well ventilated and no issues with setting out. Your entire pack stays dry and you have an emergency shelter as well. They aren’t as good as a jacket above treeline in windy conditions or bushwacking.

Here’s another vote to consider a poncho!  Definitely not sexy, but deadly effective.

My waterproof Muu-Muu weighs just over two ounces, covers me, my pack, my shoulder strap pocket, and my short pants.  It’s breathable as heck, acts as an awesome wind-shirt in dry conditions, extra insulation in cold conditions, and folds down to the size of a tube of toothpaste.  It also allows me to wear a much more breathable, stowable hiking jacket (Patagonia Houdini) as my main outer layer because it does not have to perform double-duty as both an insulating layer and as rain protection.

Is the Muu-Muu a commercial product? Google came up with Hawaiian dresses, but nothing poncho-like .

Dale, it’s a prototype I’ve been working on for my start-up, ZenBackpacks.com (and hiking with for 1000+ miles).  I hope to have a final version ready for market this spring.

Matt, nice pack…

I’ve been through quite a few products and fabrics and I’ve 100% given up on the concept of rainwear that keeps one dry during a downpour or continuous activity in the rain.  I don’t think of it in terms of staying dry, only staying warm.

Yup!

Gracias, James! :)

My old Rab demand 3 layer event pullover has been very good. I wonder if temps in Iceland mean that you won’t be sweating as much or any. This may make a difference. But then a non-breathable but 100% waterproof outer may work well or best too–no need to vent your body moisture.

I like my poncho for local trips here in Oregon, but it would have been sail in Iceland, waaay too windy.

I really like my Lightheart gear rain jacket, never wetted out, has pit zips, velcro wrist openings nice pockets. You can choose different fabrics and colors. My Large brown 30d is 7.2 oz. It’s very well built and I do layer underneath and the sizing is spot on and the range of motion is good. Had it on for some pretty nasty snow, sleet, driving rain for long trails in the mountainous country and it’s my go-to for really bad weather when hiking and backpacking. The length is longer than some and very nice. I actually prefer it to my Outdoor Research Helium.

Gregory that’s going to be a fantastic and memorable trip. Have fun prepping.

I’m with Wisner in that I first think of a shell in terms of maintaining warmth and avoiding hypothermia, though I do expect a rain shell to keep me reasonably dry for at least a day in the rain, especially if I moderate my activity level and the jacket has good ventilation from front zipper and pit zips. I’m not sure how many hard shells will keep you dry for days of sustained heavy rain especially with high exertion, but they should at least keep you warm enough with a good base layer and mid layer. Microfleece or will be a better mid layer in sustained wet than grid fleeces, though if you have a grid fleece I wouldn’t go buy a new mid layer.