Best Rain Gear for extended trips

Storm cag?
It’s like a cross between a sprayskirt and a poncho but with real sleeves added. Long in the body, it can serve as emergency storm shelter also while sitting with knees folded up to chest.



They’ve been made in both Gore-tex and non-Gore-tex versions. Mine is not Gore-tex–it’s more windproof than Gore-tex but not as breathable.

I use two different methods:
1. If it is a cold and rainy, I use a two piece dry suit.



2. If it is mild and rainy the dry suit is too hot so I use a North face splash, (rain) with light weight bike rain pants.



On our various Alaska trips, the two piece dry suits made for very comfortable days of continuous paddling in cold rain



Jack L

Two piece dry suit -

– Last Updated: Jun-02-13 7:33 AM EST –

So if you are wearing a dry suit of one kind or another when you are paddling in rain - do you don the dry suit every day if there is any threat of rain or do you stop and don the suit mid paddle? Also, what do you wear in camp when it is raining and you are ducking in and out from under the tarp etc.? Also, are there "dry" suits out there that are high quality and reliable for service paddling in cold rain all day (if not for immersion which is not my concern) and that have a neck seal that is adjustable - maybe neoprene? Something that would be truly comfortable for use when immersion is not the concern?

Maybe something like this --- http://www.kayakacademy.com/Store/KOKGPS.html. Not cheap. Will it stand up to hard arctic trips?

I don't know - I'm not sure that I would like the fact that I can't change layers during the day without a huge process getting a dry suit off and back on.

storm cag

– Last Updated: Jun-02-13 7:05 AM EST –

great for the sea kayak - but I am talking about canoe trips at the moment. I have and use a Tuilik which is similar when I am paddling a sea kayak in bad weather and when a dry suit is not necessary because immersion is not a major concern.

a website = has been pretty good…
http://www.outdoorgearlab.com has more than a few reviews…fwiw. Am about in the same boat…



steve

The two piece dry suits we have…
are easy on and off.

I can change out of the top while in my kayak or canoe. I need to get to solid ground to change out of the pants.

Many days in the arctic on our Noatak river trip I would change in or out of mine.

The biggest thing I have against the dry top is the constant swish, swish, swish noise of the arms while paddling.

With that said, I don’t like them, but then again; dry is dry!

rain gear
Helly Hansen. Goretex is over-rated. See Alaska Outdoors Forum for a good discussion.

Another vote for the Froggs
They work, their cheap and if their torn, their cheap.

Rain Gear
Sounds like you are going to remote places in spring and fall. I would not mess around with any cheap stuff. I use a 2 piece rain suit designed for hikers from North Face. It is not Gortex, just coated nylon with lots of ventilation. This has served me well over the years. Good movement and ventilation are key - especially for a canoeist (and especially if you will portage).

And if the Froggs rip…
…good duct tape (not the cheap duck stuff) makes a quick repair that lasts a while.

Lifetime warranty
If you have failing seam tape gore products are warrantied for life. I use gore 3 layer products. (Pants jacket dry suit and dry top) I trust them and they work as well or better than the competition. Gore is more expensive but they back up their products for life. Last year I noticed the seam tape on my rain coat was failing so I tried to contact the company (moonstone) which was purchased by Columbia (not a gore user) and was refered to gore. They had me pick out any gore jacket I wanted from any company and shipped to my house. I will only buy gore because of this. Worth every penny.

Mike

I don’t expect to stay dry while paddlin
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I sweat while paddling, setting up camp, and wood gathering. So I know I will not stay dry no matter.



For that reason I’ve been bringing two sets of rain gear.



The first is an inexpensive breathable splash jacket I got from NRS with an inexpensive pair of breathable rain pants I got from Campmor. Those go over my paddling clothes as needed. So long as I’m working I stay fairly comfortable. Sometimes my paddling clothes get dryer even. Quite often those are damp inside when I take them off.



The second is a urethane coated rain suit, Jacket and bib overalls. Those go over my dry clothes when the hard stuff is done. Those keep me fairly warm and plenty dry so long as I remember to change if I’m back to cranking.



That has worked well for me in the Adirondaks, VT, NH and Maine.



I’ve had too much trouble with DWR finishes to want to pay for expensive breathables. I hope the ones I have last a few years.

What I’ve concluded
I had to replace a jacket recently. It was an LL Bean Trail Model coated nylon jacket, said to be 100% waterproof, that was just terrible in the rain. It soaked through in about 10 minutes.



I compared a lot of different brands or coated nylon jackets. In the stores the coatings looked just about identical in the $40 to $80 range. From talking to product specialists at EMS, REI, Bean’s, and Cabela’s, I concluded that NONE of those coated jackets are going to protect you when you need it most: in cold, wet weather. Below 50 degrees I feel like this is a real safety issue (hypothermia) and it concerns me for kayaking and hiking.



So I concluded that you have to go with Gore-Tex for early spring and late fall. Cabela’s has a material called Dry Plus that they claim is 100% waterproof. They say it’s “their version of Gore-Tex.” It’s less expensive than Gore-Tex. This video is pretty convincing: http://www.cabelas.com/catalog/video_popup.jsp?productId=1321301&embedCode=Vva3F3MjoWYFKl2sgWOhB7RUzJxp8DFZ



See for example this jacket on sale for $60:



http://www.cabelas.com/product/Clothing/Mens-Casual-Clothing/Mens-Rainwear/Mens-Rainwear-Jackets-Parkas%7C/pc/104797080/c/104746680/sc/104522580/i/104091480/Cabelas-Dry-Plus174-Ultra-Parka-150-Regular/1321301.uts?destination=%2Fcatalog%2Fbrowse%2Fmens-rainwear-jackets-parkas%2Fcabelas%2F_%2FN-1100878%2B1000002949%2FNe-1000002949%2FNs-CATEGORY_SEQ_104091480%3FWTz_l%3DSBC%253BMMcat104797080%253Bcat104522580%26WTz_st%3DGuidedNav%26WTz_stype%3DGNU&WTz_l=SBC%3BMMcat104797080%3Bcat104522580%3Bcat104091480










Helvey Hanson
I bought some helvey hanson rain gear years ago in anticipation of a hunting trip to Alaska. It’s still hanging unused in my closet. It’s what the big boys wear in the rain.

my experience
After many systems,I have settled on a long LL Bean gortex rain parka top with a wide brimmed hat. If it’s not too cold,I just write off my lower legs and feet and wear shorts and keen sandles. When it’s colder,I wear coated rain chaps on my legs with fleece underneath and neoprene high boots. The air gaps at the neck and waist vent moisture quite well. Been was the only place i could find a goretex rain parka at the time,but i see REI or Campmore have one now. The Beam parka was pricy,but doesn’t leak at all.

Turtle

Raingear for Paddling on Extended Trips
Over my fifty years of canoeing, rafting, backpacking, and mountaineering I have used a large quantity of raingear from coated nylon ponchos to expensive Gore tex dry suits. My experience is you get what you are willing to pay for.

Unless you are a very slow paddler any coated nylon parka and pants will leave you soaking wet with in a few hours on the water. Ponchos tend to get blown away from your body in the canoe as it is almost always pretty windy on most lakes and rivers during wet weather.

Wearing an expensive Kokatat or NRS Drysuit in waters which are not particularly cold is over kill and very expensive Suits averaging between $550 and $1,100. There are several brands of Gore tex or other breathable fabric rain parkas, and paddle jackets that will keep you relatively dry and comfortable in most rainy weather. Some manufacturers to consider are, REI, North Face, Marmot, NRS, LL Bean, Cabelas, Sierra Designs, Pantagonia, and Mountain Hardware.

For my upper body in rainy weather I wear either a MTI Adventurwear Kayak Jacket with gusseted cuffs and neck closure or my prized Expedition Solstice Mountain Parka made of three ply Gore tex and Cordura nylon with lapped stitching on all seams. Solstice was a small California company specializing in high end mountaineering clothing. It was bought out by one of the large companies.

For my lower body I either wear my Immersion Research Paddling Pants with neoprene waist and ankle closures or if I have my spray skirt on the canoe I wear shorts or quick dry pants since my lower body is protected by the waist closure.

Anywhere in northern waters where water temperatures are immediately life threatening a dry suit is required.

As for using Froggtoggs for extended trips in wet weather, leave them at home. My wife and I use them on cruise ships to Alaska for walking around towns and escorted excursions, but “never” for serious backcountry paddling or backpacking. Duck take is no substitute for good performance in serious conditions

If my Froggtoggs fail on a cruise it doesnt do much to spoil my day. If they fail sixty to two hundred miles from civilization it taint no fun at all.

Happy paddling!

rain gear
You are asking about rain gear, not, it seems, dry tops or dry suits. I live and paddle in the Tongass Rainforest. If you want to stay dry in cool, wet weather while in camp buy Helly Hansen Impertech. It doesn’t breath and it will withstand days and days of constant rain. We use Kokatat dry suits and paddle tops while in the boats, but Helly Hansen rules the land.

Lid for the mellon
IMO, the best raingear is a wide brimmed hat. The rest of you is going to get wet, so just accept it and move on.



No matter how breathable the material claim is, if you walk and are active, your body steam trapped inside your raingear is going to get you just as wet as the rain… only it smells worse.

Helly Hansen

– Last Updated: Aug-29-14 4:32 PM EST –

Umnak,
I can spot people that know about rain from a long ways away. I used to work on the old Quartz Hill mining project in what is now Misty Fjords, around the Keta and Blossom Rivers and Boca de Quadra. that country averages 150 inches of rain a year, including 30 inches in the month of Oct alone.

Looking at this thread for first time

– Last Updated: Oct-18-14 9:59 PM EST –

I see this discussion has been going on for a while, so I'll chime in late. I believe that all rain gear wears out, and that much of it is great until it does. I see several recommendations for Helly Hanson. I had a rain suit from Helly Hanson several years ago, and it was fine for about three or four years, then suddenly, with no warning, it leaked everywhere, right through the fabric (not just seams) and was no good at all. In its defense, the suit was made from very lightweight material marketed for backpacking, and it probably would have been wishful thinking for it to last longer than it did. For the last 10 or 12 years I've been using a rain suit from Columbia, marketed for hunters. I have no idea what it's made of, but it's a rubberized material bonded to a light fabric. Last year I think it started to leak a little, but I was in heavy rain for such a long time (longest duration of heavy rain I've ever been out in) that it's possible that water gradually found its way in through the various openings. If it's actually leaking, I think I'll replace it with the same thing.

I like Gore-Tex and similar fabrics, but none have ever stayed waterproof for very long, and a short lifespan for waterproofness on such fabric is expensive. On the whole, I like breathable fabrics much more for cold, windy conditions with some rain than I do for steady rain. For warmer weather, I prefer a vented, non-breathable fabric to breathable, just because breathable fabrics are heavy, bulky, and better-insulating (too warm) in comparison. When it comes to use in heavy rain, all of a sudden one day they just don't work anymore and you are screwed. And they take a really long time to dry out once they are soaked. If I needed something that must work and must be durable, and must stay waterproof for more than a year, I'd not get something breathable, even though I still think such fabrics have their place.