Best gear for hiking in pouring rain and cold?

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Rancid9999
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Re: Best gear for hiking in pouring rain and cold?

Post by Rancid9999 » March 21st, 2016, 12:01 pm

Just let it rain, your skin is waterproof. Everything else will get wet eventually. If I am just standing around camp, 100% waterproof. If I am moving or working, just fleece or old school sheep hair. I have a mini drybag for my wallet, phone, and electronic car fob thingy; but a heavy duty zip lock will work as well. I usually keep a full set of warm & dry in the truck for the ride home (it can be embarrassing at the drive-up coffee kiosk in only your panties).

Lurch
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Re: Best gear for hiking in pouring rain and cold?

Post by Lurch » March 21st, 2016, 12:33 pm

I'd say most of you guys have the right idea. You'll never stop from getting wet, at least not if you want to continue moving/working, so the trick is learning to work while wet, and how to understand / mitigate the consequences.

Layering is really your key, and to do that properly and adequately, you need to be packing layers. If there's even a remote chance that you may be stuck in a bivy situation, I would recommend packing a full set of extras. Base, mid, and shell if you can, Base and mid at the very least. You do not want to try and bed down in clothes you've been wearing all day, even if they feel dry, they are not. You should be changing your mid layer to adjust, not removing your shell and letting your mid soak in the rain. If you've got long hair keep it up, if you've got no hair like me, keep a hat on. Probably most important for my personal comfort is to take care of the feet. If my toes are warm and dry, the rest of me could be soaked but I'll be happy. If my feet are cold and wet, and everything else is dry I'm still going to be grumpy and miserable.

I cringe at the people who wear minimal gear because they know they'll get wet anyways, but then don't pack the layers they would need to make it through a night of sitting in place.

viking
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Re: Best gear for hiking in pouring rain and cold?

Post by viking » March 21st, 2016, 9:28 pm

Layering and extra clothing is the trick. Spare gloves! Sometime while standing in the middle of a patch of sword ferns (water applicators) while enjoying a bout of heavy mist (rain) I feel the best solution is whiskey and a large fire.

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AAdamsPDX
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Re: Best gear for hiking in pouring rain and cold?

Post by AAdamsPDX » March 24th, 2016, 9:24 am

What Lurch said!!! Dry bag in the daypack with warm dry layers, plus something I can rig as a rain shelter (small lightweight tarp, for example), in case I have to stop due to injury (mine or someone in the group).

One tip I learned from ultralight forums: in addition to bringing a pair of dry socks, I bring a set of bread bags. That way even if my shoes are thoroughly wetted out, if I need to slow way down for any reason but still keep moving (still need to wear the wet shoes but might get too cold otherwise), I can put the bread bags between the dry socks and the wet shoes, and my feet will stay warmer. I've used this while backpacking when I've just forded in my trail runners and then stopped to camp for the night before my shoes are dry. Seemed to work pretty well keeping my feet warmer while setting up camp in cold weather, so I imagine the same would hold true in an emergency situation while day hiking!
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dikkeknodel
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Re: Best gear for hiking in pouring rain and cold?

Post by dikkeknodel » February 22nd, 2017, 2:52 pm

Aimless wrote:In my experience when the outer surface of a waterproof-breathable jacket is entirely wetted it prevents the breathable membrane from passing water vapor from the inside to the surrounding air.
That's actually not necessary, according to my research. I currently have a Gore-Tex Performance Shell from 2010, which needs replacement any time soon as it is wearing out and the camp-fire melting spots don't help either. So I've been doing some research over the course of months to see if there is something better, or at least different.

I found this British brand online that uses a different technique for getting rid of the moisture, which also should solve this problem. The British are very familiar with wet weather, the Welsh mountains and Scottish Highlands are famous for it, so at least because of that I believe there must be some truth in it. The fabric is not waterproof in the same sense as Gore-Tex, you cannot put a column of water on it without it seeping through. However, the way the fabric is put together is similar to fur. Due to the layer structure (an I imagine the orientation) moisture (even whole drops) move from inside towards the inside. This is supposed to work even when both the inside and outside surface are damp. However, regular treatment with the Nikwax water repellent conditioner increases the performance.
The brand in called Paramo. From the reviews it seems the fabric has been around for a while. As far as I can find the brand is only sold in shops in the UK and a few in the south of Germany. Which is quite far off for you guys. I've been trying to convince my local shop to do a trial, but so far without result.
As I don't buy this type of gear without seeing, feeling and trying it, I do not have real life experience with it yet. When I am back in the Netherlands I plan to do a trip to their London brand store to find out more. I'll try to keep you posted of my findings.

Next to that did any of you have experience with Polartec's Neo Shell? It's been around for a few years now, but I have not found any store that has it on stock so I can just have a try. The outdoor brands using it in their product seem to be market towards mountaineering, so I wonder if it is actually suitable for continuous showers like here in the Pacific North West, or my closer hiking destination in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom with similar circumstances.
Keep hiking!

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retired jerry
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Re: Best gear for hiking in pouring rain and cold?

Post by retired jerry » February 22nd, 2017, 3:04 pm

I've heard people swear by Paramo

It's kind of heavy

Rancid9999
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Re: Best gear for hiking in pouring rain and cold?

Post by Rancid9999 » February 23rd, 2017, 9:56 am

Just learn to love being wet and cold. It feels so good to strip off all the soggy layers and stand by the fire!

Hunt for real Polar Fleece (Malden Mills), use a pack with coated fabric. Everything, as in EVERYTHING (cameras, key fobs, phones)
must be able to take a soaking.

Tom of the Woods
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Re: Best gear for hiking in pouring rain and cold?

Post by Tom of the Woods » February 23rd, 2017, 4:17 pm

The most effective way I found to stay dry hiking was leaving Eugene and moving to Ashland. :) I also got rid of the perpetual mold line about mid-shin.

I grew up in the canyons of the SW Oregon coast region. It was not unusual to have it rain 5+ inches a day in winter. The only thing that works in those conditions is neoprene. For day hikes, such as they were, I'd wear high top Danner boots (the ONLY GoreTex thing that has ever worked for me), wool socks, synthetic or thin wool long johns, a light wool shirt, (gasp) jeans, with neoprene coat and neoprene bibs over the top, and a cowboy style hat with a plastic cover. Hoods don't work for me.

The method ... make the best guess you can about how much warmth you need, then walk fast enough to stay warm but slow enough not to break a sweat. Take your time, but keep moving.

With that kind of rain, by the 2nd or 3rd week nothing will burn. It's important to not put yourself in a situation where drying out is needed ... 'cause you won't, you'll die instead.

I simply do not do overnight backpacking trips when I expect it is going to rain. Here, if the forecast is for 30% chance, it WILL rain, if it's 20% or less, it probably won't. I go when it's not supposed to rain, then I take a tarp anyway. There's nothing like a tarp to stand under to set up a tent or get into and out of rain gear. I think cuben fiber tarps are BETTER than sliced bread. You can pack a relatively huge tarp for very little weight.

If it's going to rain, cancel the overnighter and do a day hike.
- Tom

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adamschneider
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Re: Best gear for hiking in pouring rain and cold?

Post by adamschneider » February 23rd, 2017, 4:23 pm

Best gear for rain and cold:
Image

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5th
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Re: Best gear for hiking in pouring rain and cold?

Post by 5th » February 23rd, 2017, 5:11 pm

I'm from the Eugene area and I do day hikes year 'round, most of them in the rain. I don't typically come home wet. I'm not sure why all these folks do. I know that sounds like bragging, but it's true. I've focused on staying dry while hiking in the Three Sisters area since 1977. I used to get soaked regularly and didn't worry too much as long as I could maintain warmth. Now that I'm almost 50, I don't want to get wet anymore, so I don't.

I don't believe in breathable fabrics. They don't breathe much.

I use a North Face Leonidas rain coat. It's supposed to be breathable Hyvent 2.5, but I don't think it breathes and I'm fine with that. I wear layers underneath, with a synthetic light shirt against my skin and a fleece for warmth. If it's really cold my puffy goes under there to. I'm careful not to sweat. I use the pit zips extensively, adjusting them constantly. If needed I huddle under my silnylon fly to add or remove layers (I just throw it over me, I don't set it up). If my hands get cold and wet, I stick them through the lower part of the pit zips into my inner pockets. I use the hood. I'm sure lots of other raincoats work just as well. Just make sure it has venting (pit zips).

For my lower body, I use a pair of Frogg Toggs pants. They wear quickly, but they last a year or so and they are so cheap I'm OK with that ($25 at Cabellas last time I checked). I wear these when it is raining, or when the foliage is wet, or when my legs are cold. Not only do they repel water but they hold in heat pretty well too. If my legs are warm, I pull the waistband away from me and 'flap' to flush out the hot air. Just takes a second and it prevents sweating.

For my feet, I wear Lowa Renegade GTX Mid Hiking Boots when it is cold or wet (I wear La Sportiva Wildcats the rest of the time, including at home/work). They have never been wet out and I doubt they breathe any more. I don't care. I wear Injinji lightweight crew (toe) socks with REI wool hiking socks over. I normally tend toward sweaty feet, but I stay dry with this combo. Any time I stop for more than a couple minutes, I find a way to take my socks and shoes off, if only for 30 seconds. This contributes to dry feet.

I suspect the difference is that I am willing to stop for anything, so I constantly adjust my clothing to match the temp and my exertion level. My sweating is usually confined to pits and forehead on hikes and it isn't enough to wet out my clothes or even make them feel cold. Despite the regular (but quick) stops I still manage 15-20 miles per day and I stay dry 98% of the time.

Of course, if you were asking about multiple-day hikes that is a different matter. It becomes exponentially harder once your tarp and pack are wet. It just takes meticulous attention to your heat level and a willingness to stop and make changes every time it is needed. The wet wants to seep into everything after a few days.

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