I might have mentioned this a time or two, but we experienced a fair amount of precipitation in the eastern states this past summer, and by a fair amount, I mean record-breaking deluges in most if not all of the states we walked through. My rain gear got a pretty good workout on the trail.
The best thing I can say about the rain jacket and rain pants that I took with me is that they didn't cost very much. They didn't really keep me dry, either, but (and I KNOW I've said this before) it doesn't matter how much you spend or how much the kid at the outfitter raves about your new super-high-tech, totally-breathable, water-proof-to-crush-depth rain jacket, it WILL NOT keep you dry if you hike in it. Use it on a short stroll to the outhouse, well, then it will probably be fine. But when you hike, you sweat, and before you know it, you're wet, one way or the other. So at least I didn't feel ripped off when I was wringing out my shirt after a day of hiking in the rain, some hikers felt pretty bitter about the whole thing.
Lots of hikers gave up on the rain pants, too, but for me, they kept my socks from getting soaked at the tops and then wicking the rainwater down into my boots. Again, they would make my legs sweat after a while, so they weren't perfect, but I carried them - and used them - the whole trip.
No comments:
Post a Comment