[pct-l] Rain Gear

[Rod Belshee]

My thoughts...

For dry'ish segments (e.g. Cal and OR May-Aug), a $2, one ounce emergency 
poncho worked just fine, eliminating a rain jacket and pack cover. In some 
areas (e.g. Sierras) carry an ultralight so-called rain jacket to wear under 
it, largely for arm cover and wind.  Scoring on the criteria:  effective 
enough for those conditions (ultralight jacket arms will leak and legs will 
get wet, but poncho keeps most of you dry), extremely light, durable enough 
for a couple thousand miles with care, cost darn near free.  One annoynance: 
plastic dries slowly compared to nylon and stinks if you wad it up wet.

For wet'ish segments (e.g. WA Spo-Oct), waterproof is more important than 
ultralight, so carry a good rain jacket, plus ultralight rain pants. Scoring 
on the criteria:  needs to a real rain coat to be effective in these 
conditions, not light, good durability, not cheap.

Steady

--------------------------------------------------
From: "Jim Keener ( J J )" <pct2010 at ridgetrailhiker.com>
Sent: Thursday, September 23, 2010 4:02 PM
To: "PCT-L MailingList" <Pct-l at backcountry.net>
Subject: [pct-l] Rain Gear

> Greetings,
>
> Well, here we are again. I thought I'd ask about rain gear. These are the 
> criteria I'm considering:
>
> - effectiveness
> - weight
> - durability
> - cost
>
> in that order.
>
> Please let me know your experience, knowledge, and opinions.
>
> Walk well,
> Jim Keener ( J J )
>