I’m Trekking In The Rain

I wouldn’t recommend anyone to go on a dedicated rain trek, but… Sometimes it’s actually better to take a chance with the weather in stead of staying at home just because it might rain. You never know for sure. You can still admire all the greenery, flora and fauna, breathe the fresh air, cover the miles etc. while trekking in the rain. And in the mountains it’s pretty awesome to sit on a ridge somewhere and just admire the rain clouds drifting around above and beneath you!

If you have the proper rain clothes, it’s really not that bad trekking in rain. With the invention of 3rd generation Gore-Tex® and other great clothing fabrics, you can remain reasonable dry, comfortable and warm. Let’s look at some rain trekking gear that might help you.

The good old Brolly (Umbrella) Yes, indeed why not use an umbrella when trekking in the rain? I know, it’s tiresome to walk all day holding an umbrella in one hand, it gets in the way sometimes, it catches the wind and it can be bulky to log around with when not in use. If your backpack have side-strops though, it’s easily attachable there and won’t get much in the way. You might even be able to attach it there when you are using it, hands-free! And perhaps you can also use it as a walking stick… I have to admit though, I don’t remember ever seeing someone trekking through the rain with an umbrella. But I think it is worth considering. There’s so much effort being put into developing rain-proof clothing that remains breathable for your body. Well guess what. A plastic umbrella is 100% waterproof and 100% breathable! Just thought I’d mention it here ;-)

Rain Hat for Trekking (left) Unless you decided to go with the brolly-option above, you need a hat. A simple fishing hat is actually really good for trekking in the rain. It’s water-resistant / water-proof and has a brim all the way round, stopping the rain not only from hitting your head but also from falling in under your clothes around the neck opening. Rain Poncho for trekking (right) The basic idea here is as simple as it is good. You just throw a big piece of plastic over your shoulders, and let it hang down to your feet covering your whole body and backpack. Again, leave it loose around your neck and wear a large-brim hat. That will keep the rain out and provide an escape-hatch for your body perspiration.

Backpack Rain Cover (left) Unless you are going with the poncho which will also cover your backpack, you need a simple rain cover for your backpack as well. You can use plastic liners (even plastic garbage bags) or zip-locks to keep your clothes dry inside the backpack, but without the external rain cover, your bag will get wet, uncomfortable and heavy. Ziploc bags (right) Use these little waterproof baggies to keep stuff dry inside your sack. Map, iPod, camera etc., but don't forget essential clothing.

Trekking Rain Clothes
And now on to the proper rainproof clothes. I've already covered the trousers issue in a previous post (trekking trousers for Himalaya), so just click and scroll down to the last part about tough conditions.

Breathable Rain Jackets (Hard Shell) Seriously now. If you find yourself in a monsoon-grade downpour, a hard shell rain jacket is the obvious choice. Some alternatives do exist, see below. In the old days, a rain jacket was pretty much just plastic (or leather, if you didn’t mind the weight), but now we have Gore-Tex® and all the other modern fabrics that keeps the rain out while allowing your sweat to escape. They aren’t cheap and you will still have some of the sweat stuck in your inner clothing. It’s not 100% breathable, but… It’s a lot better than plain plastic. The efficiency of a breathable rain jacket also depends a lot on what other thermal layers you are using underneath, closer to your skin.

Plain rain jacket Like I just mentioned above, they aren’t as good as Gore-Tex in allowing your body to breathe. But plain rain jackets are a lot cheaper. They will still keep the rain out. You just have to vent it and manage your body perspiration in another way. Get one with pit-zips (zipper openings under the armpits) and also try to keep the rain jacket loose around your neck. Don’t zip it up all the way. The warm body moist will be able to drift up and out. Specially if you help it one the way sometimes, by fluffing the jacket a bit, creating some “wind”. If you are wearing a large-brim hat, rain won’t go down underneath your jacket that way. You might of course also just stop under a shelter, take off your rain jacket and ventilate it a bit from time to time. Make sure the size is big enough to wear a fleece / sweater underneath. There's not really any insulation in this jacket, except for its wind-stopper capabilities.

Soft shell Jackets Soft shell jackets are becoming increasingly popular for trekking. Although they are water-resistant, they aren’t water-proof. They will keep you dry during a small rain shower, but not if you are trekking in heavy rain. Why so popular? They are lightweight, 100% windproof, very breathable and give some thermal insulation as well. Not bad, ey!

Paramo / Snugpak Jackets While technically speaking these jackets are not super water-proof, they are actually some of the driest jackets you can get! Hard to understand perhaps, but many trekkers will attest to this. As long as it’s not a very hard rain there’s a-fallin’, as long as you’re not sitting down in a puddle, this jacket will keep you dry. It uses a “pump liner” which will actually suck out moisture from your clothing. I’ve heard that if you pull a Paramo hood over your wet hair, the liner will actually draw moisture away from your hair until it is dry! So the whole system is the reverse of what people traditionally conceive of as water-proof. It is water-propellant! As with other breathable rain jackets, you’ll need to get your layering right underneath. The down-side is that the Paramo is generally a bit heavy to carry. It also tend to be quite warm when you exert yourself, which is good for high altitude and winter trekking (~4000 meters, 13,000 ft) but less so for walking up and down the lower foothills. Great warming power - highly windproof - water propellant! No wonder that the "Pro Force Snugpak Sleeka Elite" featured here, has become standard military use in the British Armed Forces.

Pile/Pertex Jackets And finally a word on the Pile – Pertex system, which is often compared to Paramo jackets – but it’s not exactly the same. While Paramo is very much about keeping you dry, the PP system is more about heat retention, regardless of wetting. The pile/pertex jackets spread the moisture over a large surface and relies on body heat to move the moisture out, but the fabric itself doesn't pull the moisture through to the outside like the Paramo pump liner described above.

Anorak / Smock for those of you who don't know what an anorak or a smock is, it's basically a jacket without the front zipper. Some might have a small top zipper, but not the full length thing. You'll have to pull it over your head to wear it. The advantage of getting rid of the front zipper is that, theoretically at least, it can give a little better wind/water-proof'ness, since the zipper is usually the weakest point in the jacket - except for the hand-body-neck openings of course! Another nice thing with the anorak is that you can have a big map pocket in front. <-- Choose / buy anorak / smock here