Rain Pants/DIY- Rain Kilt /Skirt made from a big black plastic bag- Cheap and Light

[Salty]

I bought yesterday, a pair of 2 nd hand rain pants, while looking at clothes to wear on my upcoming Camino. Its fancy rainpants but they are heavy ! It made me think, how can I rework/do some sewing to this rain pants, to only use the bottom part of it, and cut on weight in my pack. I stumbled across several You Tube videos on how to quickly make a Rain Skirt. Here are 2 You Tube videos :

How practical will this be on the Camino Frances and how can I save weight on this, even more ? I will have lots of room in my backpack, I am not concerned too much about a little bit of extra weight. Any helpful tips will be much appreciated. I am going to give back and exchange the 2nd hand fancy rain pants, its too heavy.

 

[Salty]

I bought yesterday, a pair of 2 nd hand rain pants, while looking at clothes to wear on my upcoming Camino. Its fancy rainpants but they are heavy ! It made me think, how can I rework/do some sewing to this rain pants, to only use the bottom part of it, and cut on weight in my back. I stumbled across several You Tube videos on how to quickly make a Rain Skirt. Here are 2 You Tube videos :

How practical will this be on the Camino Frances and how can I save weight on this, even more ? I will have lots of room in my backpack, I am not concerned too much about a little bit of extra weight. Any helpful tips will be much appreciated. I am going to give back and exchange the 2nd hand fancy rain pants, its too heavy.

Here is another version of it :

 

[Robo]

How heavy, is heavy?
Mine are 237 gms and I always take them.
Great for wind protection and added warmth too.

 

[VNwalking]

I walk in a skirt with an Altus - which covers a lot, but not the bottom of my skirt.
I've recently started taking a large trash bag (cut across the bottom) with me in case of torrential rain. I rarely use it but it works when I do. Easy peasy - just use the plastic cinch at the top to secure it around the waist. The only time it fails is when I don't stop to put it on; my fault not a problem with the concept.
So in answer to your question, I'd say go for it.

 

[Theatregal]

I've been considering this one. I think it would also work well as a ground cover when there is no handy bench or rock around!

RAIN WRAP

Worn like a wrap-around skirt, this nifty rag keeps you dry from waist to calves, preserves full mobility, and is delightfully simple to use. It takes a mere 2 seconds to put on, and comes off in a flash (less than a second) – very handy for entering a store or restaurant, or boarding a bus...

www.taigaworks.com

 

[BigT]

This thread is great. At college football games, my wife and I use two 55 gallon plastic drum liners, cut down the sides. One covers 4 seats with a bit of wraparound to keep our lower sections dry, #2 wraps around a few people up top and retains heat, keeps us dry. Use the bag concept and you won't look back as far as your lower half goes. I have also seen people wear ziplock type gallon or so bags to keep their hat dry.
Another potential use for Tyvek building wrap is rain gear (less costly than Frogs gear). A friend of mine walked the Appalachian Trail and met a fellow, nicknamed Tyvek because he made his clothes, backpack, hat, out of Tyvek. It's not just for buildings anymore.

 

[VNwalking]

Another potential use for Tyvek building wrap is rain gear (less costly than Frogs gear). A friend of mine walked the Appalachian Trail and met a fellow, nicknamed Tyvek because he made his clothes, backpack, hat, out of Tyvek. It's not just for buildings anymore.

 

[lovingkindness]

el pequeño vestido negro

plastico
muy prática!

 

[Salty]

I am going to make myself a kilt skirt out of an old tent, that we lost the tent poles of. Its very light weight, light blue tent poly material and its water proof. Instead of throwing away this lovely newer tent, I am going to cut it up and rework it into a water proof long skirt up to my ankles at least. It will be pretty, functional, super light and peace of mind, when it starts to rain really hard. I am worried being caught in a torrential rain storm in the middle of now where.
When the rain stops, no need to take off the skirt, just roll it up , towards your waist, and tuck it under the top waist part, when it starts to rain again, let it loose on the waist area and it will protect you again. So no need to take it off and on, on days when it rains intermittently. I still need to buy a poncho that goes over my pack. Now I am going to look for a free sewing pattern to make a poncho DIY also, out of the rest of this Coleman tent, I already have.
I am starting to see that it will be costing me a ton to get ready for my Camino. I needs to find ways to save on all the things I need to buy

 

[Tincatinker]

I wear shorts. Legs dry easier than fabric, any fabric. Legs are waterproof, breathable, and do not require me inserting my credit card into a vendor's machine in anticipation of later disappointment...

 

[RJM]

I have never worn rain pants on any Camino, June through November. I'm more interested in keeping my torso and core warm and dry

 

[Hiawatha]

Walking in a plastic bag , no matter how cold it is , will only get you wetter inside it than outside .

 

[Anhalter]

Both times on my Camino Frances i used a Rain Kilt made from Chinese "3F Ultralight Gear". I think it was like 15€ when i bought it and is around 70g.
I like how light and small it is. That i can put it on without having to put down my backpack or take of my shoes. That you don't wet out from your own sweat thanks to good ventilation. And it can double as a picknick blanket ;-)

On the downside, it only goes to just below my knees. Which for me is OK, since i dont really think more is necessary, but this could be a problem for some people or in a scenario where it rains heavily for an extended period. Since the latter is not that high chances when i was walking in May/June, i figured i take the risk and buy some poncho locally if needed. So far i did not need to.

 

[Salty]

Walking in a plastic bag , no matter how cold it is , will only get you wetter inside it than outside .

When you walk with a skirt/kilt, you will get excellent air flow under the skirt. I cannot see how you argue, that it will get you wetter under your skirt ? I think you are mis understanding the concept of walking in a skirt.

 

[Pilgrim 122]

Hi, I walk in a skirt which sits just above my knees. When it rains I put on my atlas poncho. I found with heavy rain, especially if windy the bottom of the skirt got wet and gradually soaked upwards which wasn't very pleasant. I have solved this issue with a large safety pin. When the rain gets heavy I pin the hem of my skirt to the waistband , no body can see my bare legs because of the poncho. My legs get wet but that's fine and my skirt is dry. When it stops raining I unpin my skirt and let it back down to an acceptable length and then remove my poncho. I just make sure nobody is around when I'm pinning it up !

 

[backpack45]

This thread is great. At college football games, my wife and I use two 55 gallon plastic drum liners, cut down the sides. One covers 4 seats with a bit of wraparound to keep our lower sections dry, #2 wraps around a few people up top and retains heat, keeps us dry. Use the bag concept and you won't look back as far as your lower half goes. I have also seen people wear ziplock type gallon or so bags to keep their hat dry.
Another potential use for Tyvek building wrap is rain gear (less costly than Frogs gear). A friend of mine walked the Appalachian Trail and met a fellow, nicknamed Tyvek because he made his clothes, backpack, hat, out of Tyvek. It's not just for buildings anymore.

We use Tyvek for a ground sheet under our tent when backpacking, and it works well, but be sure to wash it (suggest in the machine) beforehand because otherwise it is VERY noisy.

 

[backpack45]

I love my rainpants and as someone said previously, they are handy for many things other than rain -- windy days, cooler mornings, etc. I even have worn them when I wanted to put all my pants in the washer at once. I would not like to hike in a Hefty bag, etc. unless it was an emergency. They can be great if you are seated, like at a ball game, etc. but they wouldn't cover your pantlegs, and they and they can't be unzipped partially, as my rainpants can, to be allow more breathability.