While some form of rain-proof clothing is almost always a necessary safety measure for wilderness travel, the performance of jackets and pants made from waterproof-breathable fabric is typically a compromise. Such garments serve a single purpose, are often relatively heavy, and on many occasions their purported virtues (breathability in particular) do not meet expectations. For many backpackers, rainwear beyond WPB jackets and pants can be a cheaper, lighter, more effective solution. These articles survey the current options available in lightweight alternative rainwear and evaluate a number of them based on field testing.
On many occasions the only thing worse than a steady, cold rain in the backcountry is having to wear and carry the jacket and pants necessary to guard against it. Rain can, via convective and evaporative heat loss, quickly turn a mild day of hiking into a potentially life threatening situation. Ryan Jordan’s essay on Thermoregulation details the various ways in which body heat is lost in the backcountry, and it should be no surprise that getting wet plays a large role in many of them. In balmy conditions a hiker can safely choose to just get wet, but if conditions dictate the use of any insulating clothing, you’ll need something on top of it all to keep the rain out. As Jordan concludes “...there is no fiber in existence, be it natural or manmade, that can fairly make the claim that it is warm when wet.” Ergo backcountry safety usually demands raingear.
That being the case, what to bring? The standard answer for the past three decades has been a jacket, and in especially cold and wet conditions, pants made from a waterproof-breathable fabric. Gore-Tex invented the category, and claims of a magical ability to keep liquid water out while venting perspiration have seen this product category bloom spectacularly. Virtually every outdoor clothing company has a range of WPB garments at the core of its product range. They come in many weights, fabrics, cuts, colors, and are aimed at every conceivable user group. They are also somewhat-to-very expensive.
ARTICLE OUTLINE
- Introduction: The Necessity and Failure of Rain Gear
- Alternative Rainwear Defined
- A Note on Hydrostatic Head
- Next Week
# WORDS: 1780
# PHOTOS: 4
Member Exclusive
A Premium or Unlimited Membership* is required to view the rest of this article.
* A Basic Membership is required to view Member Q&A events
Discussion
Become a member to post in the forums.
Companion forum thread to:
Lightweight Alternative Rainwear: State of the Market Report – Part 1: Introducing and Defining Alternative Rainwear
Matt
Have you used such systems in alaska in the rainy seasons? I would be most interested to hear of such succesful use on a multiday trip under wet and windy conditions
If i remember correctly even mr skurkas rain jackets failed in alaska …
Thats the point Eric..
Andrew Skurka's jacket failed.. but his adventure did not.
The same failures happened to everyone i met after extended periods of rain on the trails.
There is no perfect, fool proof, solution to rain gear, shelter systems, or anything else.
Sitting back and expecting gear to do everything for us will leave us dissapointed.
It takes strategy to succesfully use gear and sometimes even that isn't enough.
Carrying 75 lbs of gear is no more a gurantee than 7.5 ounces of gear. Sometimes the results are the same and we all get wet.
I met people wearing your favorite Arcteryx jackets, some wearing trash bags, some wearing ponchos, some with umbrellas, and others without any raingear at all.
At some point on a long distance hike every one of those people had their raingear system overwhelmed.
After meeting these folks actually out there hiking thousands of miles the one common thing besides that was their resilience and will to go on or try a different system and go on.
I don't think anyone is claiming the "holy grail" of raingear and thats what will make this thread so interesting.
I agree that will is important
I own and sometimes use a sil poncho during the summer out here … However, hype aside, there isnt usually constant non stop rain during the summer even in the coastal rainforests of the canadian pnw
I would not want to use it right now here … November in squamish is basically constant freezing rain where hypothermia is a very real possibility …. And i use a synth bag … Nor would i want to use it in the alpine where i need both hands free … Or in places in the rain forrest where the trails are faint to non existant
The point is simply that many people infer their experience in one environment to be suitable for all environments … This is not saying you do
However i do see quite a bit of post on bpl recommending equipment without regard to the conditions or even the users fit or requirements
And conversely i see alot of gear on gear trade … I assume that at least some of it stem from recommendations gone awry
I wonder if Andy Skurka's jacket failed because of long term wear on tear on the DWR finish. I'd agree though that no system is perfect and sometimes you're just going to get a bit wet. I got a heavier raincoat because of issues with my Golite Virga but we'll see if its noticably better. If not back to the lighter coat and the occassional wet out. I think if I expected a lot of rain rather than a heavier rain coat I might consider a second baselayer so I'd have something to change into once I was out of the rain. When your tired drying wet clothes with body warmth is no fun!
Luke … I belive it was determined that the dwr failed
Without a heat source to renew it …
Now the interesting question is would 3 layer vs a 2.5 layer work better in terms in wouldnt have leaked after dwr failure … Or a non brethable jacket …
Many people use 2.5 layer jackets just fine … However for certain conditions it may not be the best or even a safe choice
Just like any other system
http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/lightweight_guide_to_backpacking_in_sustained_rain.html
Good discussion everyone.
The umbrella question I previously answered. Pretty much all the others will be answered in either the second part of this series, or in my upcoming SOTMR on sub 8 oz WPB jackets.
Count me as an Umbrella fan! Though it may go against the "gram counter" philosophy, I carry one all the time. Even in sunny Colorado it rains nearly every day in the Mountains.
Umbrellas have a long history in Ultralight Backpacking, (see Ray Jordine's books),but reviews like this one always seem to exclude them.
Folks, Ron Bell brought to my attention that the 7.5 oz claimed weight for the MLD Simple poncho is for the smaller size. The claimed weight for the large, which was the one tested, is 8.5 oz.
Those weighing size v. grams would do well to take poncho size into account.
[Now fixed in article.]
I use a compact umbrella while on long distance walking trips. I've found it very helpful in the Pacific North West in particular, but one thing this piece of gear is not and will never be is light-weight.
Otherwise great write-up. I haven't used a poncho in a long time and it might prove way more useful when compared to the jacket-pants combo.
I guess it depends on your definition of light weight. The Golite Dome Umbrella weighs in at 8 oz.
8 ounces for a multi-use tool for use as a rain top, sunshade, Tarp "beak", wind blocker, animal frightener(and if necessary a club), fishing pole, and more, or separate single purpose item to do the same. One of the hallmarks of a good lightweight backpacking item is its ability to do more than one thing.
I will go with the very breathable rain gear and multi-purpose tool: the Umbrella.
Check out 12 amazing ways to use an umbrella: http://lifehackery.com/2008/09/02/various-5/ … The light saber use may not be light weight backpacking at its best ;)
new zealand is full of narrow and or steep valleys, the wind often blows hard and upward ridges, and the rain can come up with it… not the best for staying dry with ponchos and umbrella.s
Become a member to post in the forums.