[pct-l] Rain Gear or Plastic Rain coat

[Herb Stroh]

Kevin--

That is the strategy I follow--rain jacket that doubles for warmth.

I went with Luke's Ultralight silpoly ultralight rain shell, at a weight of less than 4 ounces. It is not breathable. However, keep in mind that when it is raining nothing is "breathable." The tech of breathable fabrics is that moisture can be drawn from inside out, but exterior moisture cannot penetrate. That works when there is no exterior moisture, but if it is raining there is nowhere for the inside wetness to go. To me, it was not worth paying the high price of eVent -type materials given I would still wet out from within if wearing during a rainstorm. I bought the rain shell with pit zips to enhance ventilation, and the jacket works well for me. If I am hiking in the rain I vent as much as possible, wear something light underneath, and adjust my pace to minimize sweat. The nice thing about a totally nonbreathable jacket is that it also serves the purpose of a windshirt.

Herb

-----Original Message-----
From: Pct-L [mailto:pct-l-bounces at backcountry.net] On Behalf Of Kevin English
Sent: Thursday, June 01, 2017 9:28 AM
To: pct-l at backcountry.net
Subject: Re: [pct-l] Rain Gear or Plastic Rain coat

Thank you everybody for the feedback.  I do like the point that works a lite raincoat works as a layering system for chilly nights. Also, I know hiking with in those plastic ponchos is a pain, I'm leaning toward bringing a real rain jacket, probably going to bite the bullet and get the OR Helium II....

We live in San Diego so rain is never really and issue when we go hiking :) I always have a few of those $1 plastic ponchos from wal mart in my pack.
My wife had a heavy raincoat when we were in New Zealand but she complained it was too much weight in the pack

I know hiking in July, rain won't be our #1 concern but I wanna be prepared for the worst.

Kevin

On Wed, May 31, 2017 at 9:05 PM, Zog7140 at gmail.com <zog7140 at gmail.com>
wrote:

> A poncho did fine for me.
> Zog
>
> > On May 31, 2017, at 4:17 PM, Kevin English <kenglish at gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> > Hello all,
> >  have a very silly gear question and need to settle as wife and I 
> > can't agree.
> >
> >  If we are section hiking for 2 months, PCT in July/August only 
> > norcal section, is it ok to just bring plastic raincoats only or do 
> > we need to bring a full set of rain gear?
> >
> >
> > Kevin
> > _______________________________________________
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