Questions I just thought of...oh dear God

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#21

Dear C-Giddy,
I’m an AT section hiker - my sections have ranged between 200 and 450 miles per hike. On all except the first one, I carried a $6 umbrella purchased at my supermarket. It’s full-size but is mechanical (no magic button opener).
It keeps the rain off my skin and the top of my head, which improves my mood considerably. I hardly ever wear raingear, tho like the folks who replied earlier, raingear is great when you’re in camp as an extra, windproof layer and an automatic clothes dryer.
I tarp. Umbrellas can serve as a windward endwall and rain retarder for the tarp. Also, you can prop your tarp wall to make rain drain in another direction (such as away from your groundsheet) by setting up your umbrella inside the tarp and experimenting with angles. Gives you something to do during those long rainy evenings.
Umbrellas can shield your stove from the wind and protect your backside from the rain when you’re using your cathole.
They don’t flap around like ponchos, either.
What’s not to like about umbrellas? Have a great hike. Two Hats

two hats

#22

so, don’t wear the raingearwhen hiking, but put it on when you get to camp…and your clothes will dry underneath it? how well do they dry? How long does that take? In really hot weather, won’t you just sweat under the rain gear even if you’re not moving around? And in really cold weather, is it safe to keep on the wet clothes even if you have rain gear on over it? By the way, thank you to everyone for all of your help. This info has really helped, if even just to calm my nerves.

C-Giddy

#23

C-Giddy, dry is relative. When it is raining out, everything feels damp. I’m like Aswah, I hiked in shorts and tee shirt. Even in GA when it was 10 degrees. If you move quick enough and carry a load you even sweat. If the wind was blowing I put on my fleece. The rain jacket only went on at camp (frog togs are great). You will be putting on wet clothes for months, winter, spring, summer and fall. You get use to it. It rained on us from Fontana to Mollies Ridge in the Smokies and the next morning it was covered in about an inch of ice. Try putting those clothes on. The shelter was full and there were several tents set up so we had to pitch ours in the rain. Those were the worst clothes I believe I put on the whole hike. It didn’t take us long to get to Double Springs shelter!! It is part of the hike. If you get wet and cold stop put up the tent, put on dry clothes get in your bag and eat everything you can find that you don’t have to cook. Oh, don’t forget to drink water when it is raining. People dehydrate when it is wet and cold and that brings on hypothermia faster. Good luck, there are some great people on the trail. Hope to see you at Newfound Gap in the Smokies the last weekend in March.

Papa Smurf

#24

Well, it seems everyone gets wet, even though they know it is a bad thing to do. And I admit I have gotten wet when being out hiking and in the woods many times.

The way it sort of works is this. It starts raining, you say this ain’t so bad, so you keep hiking, it gets worse and worse as the rain starts really coming down. Most/Many people are already soaked by the time they put their rain gear on.

Also if they do put it on, they keep their regular hiking clothes on underneath it, so they really heat up with rain gear on.

My suggestion, strip off a lot of clothes, put them in plastic bag and put them in pack to keep them dry, put rain gear on over whatever, and hike. If you’ve stripped off enough clothes, the rain gear will keep you warm and dry and you will not overheat. If you start to overheat, hike slower, take off more clothes, or try to ventulate the rain gear a little to get some of the heat out and away from you.

Also wear wool. Get as much wool and fleece and down filled stuff as you can. Wool will insulate you and keep you warm even it it gets wet.

Hope this helps. See you out there. :cheers

Maintain