Light weight rain gear

“Hi folks,
so, i am looking at getting some new rain gear. I live in SC and do most of my hiking here or nc. was looking at Frogg Toggs, anybody have any input on it, i have read a few reviews. they seem to be good. thanks odin”

“Marmot Precip”

“Marmot Precip old style is on sale at Campmor. Beats frogg toggs hands down.”

“I hate my precip. Worst gear buy ever.”

“SC is the first person I ever heard say that about a precip.”

“Frogg Toggs are the way to go”

“I use the Red Ledge stuff, love it. cheaper than marmot by a long shot.”

“Lets put it this way chili....

Im not wearing it ever again on a bp trip. It was worthless. the first time I used it and it was not water resistant at all. >:(
Its a shame I didnt purchas it at REI or I would have returned it. a poncho would of worked better.”

“Did you buy it from Salvation Army? Did you notice any holes?”

“I saw a large group of Boy Scouts with new Frogg Toggs on day 1 of Philmont - saw them again around day 10. The Toggs had a lot of duct tape on them.(all trail travel)

Marmot precip wins easy.”

“No, I bought it from an outfitter gear place where I used to live on the coast (no REI's). And I only bought it over this other jacket I wanted because they only had large in the other jacket. It was new. I should of saved my money.”

“had my precip's for years now and still no failures.”

“I saw the Red Ledge jackets on sale in G'burg the other day and almost bought one. Wanted to get some input first.

I might have to run over there next week.”

“frogg toggs are great, very light weight and breathable...do a search of frogg toggs threads, i've done it and if i remember right there were quite a few treads on them”

“I've had my Red Ledge jacket and pants for about 6 years now - its held up great, packs copact and is light weight.

Love it!”

“My Precips are still goin' and goin' and goin'...and still waterproof after many years with no special treatment...I think they're one of the best investments I ever made...”

“I went to Academy and they have the pants and jackets that stuff into their own pocket. I stood outside in the rain, under the gutter that was pouring rain out for five minutes and zero problem. I like that they stuff small into their own pocket and zip up, plus the jacket has vents in it under that arms.
Frog Toggs are also very good except the hood is not really good for keeping driving rain out. But other than that Frog Toggs are bulletproof..unless your a boyscout with sloshing hormones.........”

“Stick with plain ole laminated nylon if you want real waterproofness. I've climbed in three continents and every WPB membrane I have used has failed. It either clogs up with sweat and dirt after weeks on the mountain and becomes a $400 plain ole rain jacket or else it leaks and is a $400 pile of crap. I've used my basic rain jacket and pants (both laminated nylon) for over 7 years. Besides a few patches it works good as ever and it only cost me $40 for the set.”

“I never had any luck with light weight rain gear. I either sweat inside them or tear them, so what's the point? I use a heavy duty breathable parka. Unlined in warmer weather & open up the pit zips.

Half the time, I don't bother taking it out, unless it's cold. I usually do where a hat in the rain. Don't mind hiking in the rain, but sometimes resent the fog for the vista's.”

“If it's not cold out I like an umbrella and if needed silnylon chaps for my legs.”

“My cheapo Academy rain gear cost me 18 bucks for the pair (top/bottom). I think it is just plain old laminated nylon, but it sure works.”

“Drop Stoppers ... 20 bucks for a full rain suit and very light. Google should find the stuff. From a price/weight/utility perspective they are hard to beat... but as with a lot of light weight stuff they need to be taken care of. Anyway, for 20 bucks it might be worth a shot. So far I am pleased but I admit I am now doing the silnylon poncho/tarp combo. Raingear sits in my pack the entire hike most of the time so I am loathe to have more invested here than totally needed. Of course different locales have different needs... You know what I mean.”

“My wife swears by her Marmot Precip - so much so that she's got the jacket for around town and the anaorak for backpacking.

Personally I prefer my Montain Hardware technical jacket because it's roomier for my girth and reinforced in all the right places.”

“I love my Precip jacket as well but also have a Sierra Designs Hurricane jacket and IMO it's basically the same thing minus 1/3 the cost. The pants are the same deal. That said, I mostly use the Precip as a windproof breathable shell for cold weather hiking. It's great for snowshoeing, etc. I stopped carrying it as dedicated raingear when I realized that in this context I seldom ever wore it and it was very heavy.

If I was hiking in a place notorious for heavy rain I wouldn't screw around with a silnylon poncho or drop stoppers, etc. I would take the Sierra Designs or Marmot rain parka.

I also have a pair of OR "Lobster Claw" rain mitts that look likee Yoda's hands. Cool as hell but they are just a breathable shell. I'll carry them for wet weather and also carry them with liners (possomdown gloves) for cold weather with lots of wet snow (making snow caves, etc). It's a great and flexible combo that goes great with a rain gear setup.

I like multi-use stuff because I think you get more for your money when you find other ways to use things than what they were "intended" for. It also saves weight.”

“Jimmy San, I agree on the 'multiuse' aspect. That nalgene bottle sure comes in handy when I need to pee and its raining outside.........I just bought a Columbia "Vertex" jacket, waterproof, etc. for a (maybe) snowy hike in Feb. I'll find out if it was worth the 60 bucks I paid for it on sale.....
last edited: 1/22/06 8:25:09 AM”

“Multi-use, light, and keeps the water off, period: I use a custom-made silnylon rain suit (2 piece), with pit-zips for ventilation. I rarely use the pants, and only use the top when my core temp drops. Otherwise in warmer weather (50F+) I'll just keep it off until I stop for a break, I don't care about being wet as long as I'm warm. My nylon clothes will dry soon after the rain stops.

The point of rain gear (when you are producing the amounts of sweat you get when hiking) is to keep your core temp up, not to keep you dry. The expensive "breathable" shells just can't keep up with the moisture. So no matter what you'll be wet. Save the money and weight and get the lightest water/wind proof clothing you can get. For me, that's silnylon.

The multi-use part is its my wind shell, too, and even a vapor barrier if necessary.”

“CHECK OUT THIS LINK!

They are legit. 20% off first order and free shipping over 50$ I use the rain shield. Only downside no pockets.They arent very durable, but then neither are the frogg toggs. and had to buy 3$ chain oil to put me over for the free shipping.

http://www.gottaridebikes.com/page/GRB/CTGY/CTH


I've decided to try a mini umbrella. In combo with my minimalist bivy. No worry of condensation. I'll let ya know how it turns out.”

“$15 bucks for a full rain suit (pants, jacket). Material similar to Frogg Toggs. Pants = 4oz, Jacket = 6oz. 10oz total weight (Frogg Toggs weight in at 16oz for a full suit).

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/drop_stoppers_rain_gear.html

I still think if you are looking for a rain suit this is the way to go, esp if it's going to sit in the bottom of your pack the entire trip.”

“I prefer no raingear (except for my pack). That's pretty lightweight! I can't stand raingear when it gets wet and sticky and gross. Much prefer the feeling of freedom wearing none at all.

Of course, cold weather hiking excluded.”

“wow, $15 for a whole suit...i'm definitely going to check these out...that's better than a cheapo from the evil walmart”

“JS, i can't find any more info about this except on backpacking light...is this product exclusive to them?”

“I like to be nekkid in the rain.”

“its the rainshield. not exclusive to them, but they have the best price.Item cth0027 and cth0028. $26.99 and 22.99 - 20%.

http://www.backpackgeartest.org/reviews/Rain%20Gear/Jackets%20and%20Pants/Rain%20Shield/”

“I don't know about whether or not it's an exclusive to them. I did order a suit from them and it's pretty nice. Not a lot of frills but like I said, it's pretty nice. I don't have a lot of complaints for the weight/price. I am a member of the web site so I paid like 10 bucks for the suit. I can answer any questions about it if you wish, or at least the ones I could know from owning the suit and using it twice.”

“looks like they're out of stock on the back packing light website but i got a suit on ebay for $12.99

http://cgi.ebay.com/Kappler-Drop-Stoppers-Waterproof-rain-jacket-pant-L-XL_W0QQitemZ8707127487QQcategoryZ52481QQtcZphotoQQcmdZViewItem”

“REI had some sort of jacket on sale in their most recent catalog”

“i just got an email from the ebay seller i bought my drop stoppers from...he said the company doesn't make those anymore”

“I use the thunderlight stuff from Campmor....works pretty good.”

“Jimmy, do you still recommend the drop stoppers?”

“He wore the jacket to cover his down layer while on our NCT hike a few weeks ago and comments that he was happy with the stuff.”

“yeah, i like the drop stoppers but it's not as sturdy as i am sure some people would like. it's easy to tear bushwhacking/etc. it's hard to beat for rain gear if it generally sits inside your pack all day. esp when you consider the price...”

“... wk is right, btw, it makes a great top-layer to stop the wind and provide protection to clothes that might get damaged by sparkes. it is very breathable and quite waterproof. i wish the zipper was a little toughter... mine needs some stitching re-done but even i could do that on the sewing machine in my house so no biggie.”

“Interesting. Too bad the medium/large is out of stock or I would have bought a pair for the Mrs. and I.

Anyone know where else to get them??”

“Same here rosey.

I do bushwhack a good bit, but any trip I'm likely to do that will not be in hard rain.

Thanks for the info JS.”

“For the price, I guess so. You could shred a couple pair before you would be at the price of an medium/expensive pair.

I've come across a very disappointing situation. Last week, I noticed the laminate on the inside of my PreCip, right around the taped seams.

Then two days ago, I'm wearing my Sierra Design rain pants, picked up something from the floor and ripped them almost in two -- and I didn't even have Taco Bell.

Both pieces of gear have light to medium wear on them.”

“i've got the drop stoppers...i love them but they aren't very durable...i'm constantly looking over my shoulder for briers or sticks, but you can't beat it's weight/price ratio...the only problem is they don't make them anymore...there are a few on ebay though”

“Outta stock:(

I have a friend with a Precip jacket that is delaminating around where the hood connects to the jacket as that is a "hinged" are on the jacket.

I have an early-version of the current "Rain Shadow" jacket by Patagonia. I see that the newer versions are only $149 now and 13 ozs. I abuse this jacket and it has held up nicely but wouldn't mind a whole rainsuit to pack away for emergencies for only 10 ozs...”

“I had a silnylon shirt/pant combo made for me a few years ago, roseymonster. About 10 ozs and packs down to two baseballs in size. Probably wouldn't hold up well to bushwacking, though.”

“Yeah, I guess I could just go the laminated nylon route. I have a campmor anorak cheapie but it is not seam sealed. I think I'd at least want it sealed up. I guess I could do it myself...

Tech, do you know of anyone who makes a silnylon set?”