rebeccad
Trail Wise!
Writing like a maniac
Posts: 12,674
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Post by rebeccad on Oct 16, 2023 3:41:55 GMT -8
Once my Precip wears out I may get one of the non-breathable jackets. Use venting to control heat. Mostly I find that anything over about 25F here on the east coast breath-ability doesn't matter much. The vapor pressure from the humidity doesn't give moisture much reason to cross the membrane. You may have just explained why I feel like none of my jackets keeps me dry in the PNW. While humidity is generally low in hot weather, when it’s cooler and raining it can push up towards 100%. We also found last winter that if you are too insulated under the jacket—so that the inside of the fabric is as cold as the outside—condensation is huge.
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Post by leadbelly on Oct 16, 2023 11:51:36 GMT -8
for me, half the battle is keeping the rain out, the other half is avoiding sweating out or overheating.
1) the rain shell has to have generously-sized armpit zippers to vent heat and moisture. 2) thin synthetic or merino base layer, fleece over that. i would overheat hiking in a puffy jacket. current favorite fleece are an old patagonia r1 hoody half zip and a patagonia r1 air quarter-zip. r1 air has a bumpy pattern that traps a little more heat and is still a pretty open weave that allows air to pass through. 3) I bring the shells from my backup winter mitts and wear them over gloves in a really hard rain. (primary winter mitts, the shells are insulated too). 4) gaiters - essential to bridge the gap between rain pants and boots, keeps mud and cold water from sloshing into my boots. mine are a brand that went under a while ago, but REI and Outdoor research sell good low gaiters. 5) rain hat with a brim and an adjustable chin string. Hoods provide better coverage but make it a little more difficult to regulate heat.
In New England, if it's that cool, I pack a pair of micro-spikes for my boots. i prefer kahtoola, have friends who prefer yaktrax. if temperatures dip into the 30s, rocky trails can glaze over. it's extremely unsafe, both because you're more likely to take a bad fall and because it's so much easier to get slowed down, exhausted, and exposed to bad weather for longer periods of time, which really increases your risk of hypothermia.
i have used a pack cover with a thick elastic cord around the perimeter for years. short of really horrendous wind, it's good. comparable to a sea to summit ultra-sil cover in design & weight.
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ErnieW
Trail Wise!
I want to backpack
Posts: 9,902
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Post by ErnieW on Oct 16, 2023 12:09:48 GMT -8
4) gaiters - essential to bridge the gap between rain pants and boots, keeps mud and cold water from sloshing into my boots. mine are a brand that went under a while ago, but REI and Outdoor research sell good low gaiters. I have Lycra OR short gaiters. They make a very good seal at the top and do a good job keeping water out. So in the summer when its raining I usually just wear my rain jacket, tee shirt, the gaiters and shorts. My legs get washed and I stay cooler.
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reuben
Trail Wise!
Gonna need more Camels at the next refugio...
Posts: 11,151
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Post by reuben on Oct 16, 2023 12:50:06 GMT -8
for me, half the battle is keeping the rain out, the other half is avoiding sweating out or overheating. 1) the rain shell has to have generously-sized armpit zippers to vent heat and moisture. Pit zips rule.
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Post by dayhiker on Oct 18, 2023 8:54:53 GMT -8
I hiked once in NZ, it was so windy I was afraid I was going to be blown sown the steps! I always sweat when hiking , so adding rain gear means anything underneath will get wet. If it is warm enough I use just a base layer underneath, with shorts. Maybe a wool shirt. Not down as it will not be of much use wet. Mainly keep moving, stop if needed but not longer than too cold. (There was a shelter on one pass but it was really cold, as was hiking down, ice on another).
Basically I am treating my hiking clothes like a "wet suit". I stayed in a hut, but no guarantee that we could dry things out, and still needed dry clothes for hut! Tent comping would be really hard there? (One hut host was scolding some for wearing their dry clothes on the trail!, out for several nights.). Kayakers used to tell me they poured hot water into their wetsuit before getting in, others just "screamed", but dry suits don't require that, and camping out and kayaking, except on the river itself was not common once I moved to Oregon, and usually did that in fair weather, except one winter trip on the Rogue (and backpack back).
X-C skiing is often in the rain here, so I have done that too. I used heavy army wool pants, which have the ability to repeal some rain, if heavy I do put on rain pants. Often top is just a base layer (no rain coat , so warm from skiing AND bottoms)
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