Poll about rain gear degrees of wetness

[WldWil]

So, I am looking at different options on rain gear. I will be looking forward to spring days to test some of them out. Crazy to wait for rain, but I rather know ahead of time. My idea of rain gear is to be dry, not wet at all or may be 10% depending upon the situation.

Hiking obviously adds sweat and breathing considerations as well.

So, based upon pictures and discussions, without getting to deep on equipment debate, I am wondering to what degree of wetness you tolerate or consider acceptable? Percentages examples of body area covered. It could vary, but gives an example.

 

[whariwharangi]

The main problem with your question is that it fails to consider temperature and hypothermia.

For instance it might be alright to be completely soaked on a warm day while on a cold day you are risking death.

 

[Mark Lee]

Yeah, definitely there are times it's OK to get wet from the rain and other times it's not.
I wore a lightweight, breathable, Columbia rain jacket. That's it. Didn't care if my feet or legs got wet (both summertime Caminos). Actually my main concern was keeping the stuff in my pack dry.
Besides, I just wouldn't walk on days where it was absolutely pouring rain. Did get rained on a couple of days after I already started, but no way was I going to step out of the albergue into a downpour. Mama didn't raise no fool and I had enough of being out in the rain when I was in the military. No more of that "if it ain't raining, it ain't training" stuff for me.

 

[whariwharangi]

The part of the equation that needs to be considered is wet skin wicks away heat. So the key point is to protect those parts of the body where there is a large amount of blood near the skin with its correlating heat loss.

The key parts are groin, armpits, head and neck. So these parts are what you need to keep dry or at least warm.

Hiking does not automatically mean sweating ... the sweet spot in dressing for cool wet conditions is the point where you are barely comfortable ... and that means not sweating.

I like wearing a poncho because there is less accumulation of perspiration and condensation.

I usually wear shorts and don't care if my legs are wet.

I wear gaiters to help keep water out of my boots. Wet feet are more prone to blisters.

I wear a cap that can get soaked but there is delay in heat radiating away so my head stays 'warm'. The cap has a brim so that there isn't water saturating my eyebrows and interfering with vision.

I like to wear light weight wool gloves because rain dripping from the sleeves of my rain gear causes rapid heat exchange and my hands get cold fast.

 

[NicoZ]

I usually wear shorts and don't care if my legs are wet.
.

I have bad knees. I'm actually better off wearing shorts and being rained on then wearing wet long pants. It would be even worse for my joints if the pants didn't breathe.

 

[koknesis]

nothing can match a good trekking umbrella

 

[marbuck]

Just remember. You can be wet or you can be cold, but you can't be both at the same time. That leads to hypothermia.

 

[Felipe]

I use a poncho, bcs it is mor airy. It can cover the backpack, also.
I have found that the main problem with raincoats or poncho is that they are useful but uncomfortable. And when the rain is of the intermittent type, which happens frequently in spring, stopping to put it on or off becomes a nuisance. So I tie it to the top of my backpack; when the rain stops, I just throw my poncho over it. Only problem: when it is windy, it tends to fly and flap a bit. And fellow walkers are prone to very bad jokes about "the caped pilgrim"

 

[WldWil]

Just remember. You can be wet or you can be cold, but you can't be both at the same time. That leads to hypothermia.

That is for certain!

I tried to narrow it down between early and late summer. I know when I fish in a boat in Canada, only the hands are allowed to get wet. When fly fishing a stream I may wade in with by hikers up to knee deep or hip boots to stay dry.

I was going to add 0%, but then figured that probably was not realistic.

 

[Wanderer64]

Just remember. You can be wet or you can be cold, but you can't be both at the same time. That leads to hypothermia.

Excellent point, potentially life saving point. To elaborate on it a bit more...

In cold wet weather, avoid cotton at all cost, as it's useless as an insulator and gets heavy when wet (poor wicking material). Wear wicking fabric snug to skin and layer up with fleece or wool. Wind is also your nemesis under these conditions, so your top layer should be a wind breaker of some kind.

You lose much of your body heat via your head so cover the head with a fleece or wool hat, big enough to cover your ears; do not use a cotton or nylon ball cap! Same applies to hands. Fleece or wool gloves.

I don't mind being wet while hiking, as long as I am well insulated and layered with proper cold weather material. I find that even my Gortex coat is not water proof at the worst of times, but it is a good windbreaker.

If I'm well protected via the above rules, my next big concern is keeping my pack dry, so a decent pack cover is recommended. There are ample threads on keeping feet dry or well insulated from the elements, so search out those threads for further information.

As mentioned, these issues are very dependent on weather conditions and the season you walk in. I only know the Camino in summer, and I loved wearing light cotton during the hot, dry days of walking.

Growing up and living in a rain forest climate most of my life (coastal British Columbia), much of this stuff is almost second nature to me, but I realize it isn't so cut and dry for people not familiar with cold, wet hiking environments.

 

[jmcarp]

My wife and I took lightweight rain jackets and rain pants. I can't tell you whether they worked well or not, because we walked the CF from mid-August through late September 2013 and it never rained on us until the day we reached Santiago. Yes, we had a couple of light sprinkles back on the meseta, but not enough to even bother taking out the rain gear. It did keep us dry in Santiago, though, where it rained at least a portion of every day for the four days we were there. The rain jacket, however, worked well as a windbreaker on a few chilly, foggy mornings in Galicia. For that purpose they probably worked better than a poncho.

 

[dougfitz]

There are too many variables, but if pushed to give a simple response:

• cold and wet - clothing needs to protect from wind and rain, keep you warm, and transport moisture away from your skin - no cotton, layers, jacket and rain pants, etc
• hot and sometimes wet - clothing needs to allow air to circulate and protect you and your gear from being soaked - cotton is okay, layers for cold mornings, poncho
• in between - I prefer to use the cold and wet approach, but have seen just as many people with ponchos who seemed to be doing fine.

 

[WldWil]

I wonder how many people look out side and say, "Hey, its raining, lets grab the gear and test it out." To late for this year, but looks like I will be in the category.

I almost have airline tickets bought for next September.

 

[saltwaterpearl]

I have found a system that works for me in (mostly) 3-season backpacking. Different layers and versatility for warm or cold rainy days - I only care about keeping my gear and core dry (and warm when necessary).

I use a Packa as a pack-cover/"jacket" for moderate to heavy rain. (http://www.thepacka.com/)
The Packa in just pack-cover mode, along with my trekking umbrella, is great for light to moderate rain. And it easily converts to pack-cover/"poncho" mode without removing my pack if the rain gets heavier.

I can insulate underneath the Packa on cool/cold days as necessary with a merino base layer long-sleeve top and/or my 100-wt full-zip fleece hoodie.
Both the Packa and fleece are full-zip, so can be opened up for more ventilation in light rain.
I can also use my water-repellent full-zip windshirt, either over a t-shirt or merino base layer long-sleeve top, or under my fleece hoodie, with or without the umbrella. My pack can still have the Packa pack-cover on, with the jacket part folded back, to keep my gear dry.

For rest/travel days & evenings sans backpack, the water-repellent full-zip windshirt + umbrella are perfect are perfect for rain protection, with or without insulating layers.

I don't care about my legs staying dry, but they mostly do with my water-repellent Macabi skirt (which I wear with merino base layer leggings if needed for warmth). Since I hike in trail runners or Teva sandals, keeping my feet dry is also not an issue.

 

[Bearbag]

It's not "rain gear" but "cold gear." If it rains, and you are cold, put it on. If it does NOT rain, and you are cold, put it on. If you are comfortably warm, don't wear it. It is life saving equipment. I think of it as my portable and wearable tent. So I carry a water-proof jacket and pants. A poncho won't do in windy, cold rain. This gear with a layer of fleece will take you below freezing, and you could survive the night.