wondering if I 4oz. Patagonia Houdini (basically, a windshirt) would be sufficient for raingear as sounds like only likely rain is short afternoon storms. Would be big weight saving vs. 13oz. Marmot Precip. Sarting a southbound hike July 24th - thanks!
Jonny H
Like you said the rain usually will be fairly short but it gets really cold when it does rain during the thunderstorms so you dont want to get too chilled if the houdidni soaks though Also, you may be hunkered down not hiking due to the lightning danger that you wont be moving to stay warm so Id opt for some kind of ultralight raingear over the houdini. Driducks 6oz for XLg 20$ would be perfect. Have a great hike on the JMT!
mat
I have a Houdini and it is only water resistant and not water proof. Last year on the JMT I had a couple of thunderstorms that were real down pours - while short in nature, the deluge would most likely soak thru the Houdini and as Mat mentions - leave you cold. Additionally I had hail and that would be worse as you would be really cold. Coming down from Mt. Whitney it rained for about 5 hours straight - so you cannot depend on storms to be short.
I have a North Face Diad that weights only ~7oz and it protected me perfectly as it it waterproof. Kind of expensive at $200 - however you may be able to find them on sale.
Driducks are also fine - however I don’t like the papery feel they have and find they don’t breath well - although others may differ.
Enjoy the JMT - it is truly wonderful!
OregonBeerMan
thanks for the advice - sounds like sacrificing waterproofness for a few ounces is not a good trade-off for JMT. I hadn’t thought about the fact that when its raining in many cases won’t be moving…
Jonny H
Check out Frogg Toggs made out of tyvek. Hiked the CDT in Colorado where it rained everyday. Never got wet and they are breathable. Best raingear I have ever had. Ours were made in USA. Can’t vouch later models. We used them for windshirts and cold nights. Have fun, the JMT is awesome. We had no rain when we did it early August.
tortoise
I carried a Frogg Togg jacket last year on the JMT and only wore it for an hour. I didn’t like it when I had it on and it didn’t pack down small enough for my liking. I tried it because it was cheap and light, but I think my next purchase will be something that is at least as light and packs smaller, even if it costs more. Of course for the JMT if your schedule is flexible you could usually wait out any rain shower, even if it lasts a few hours.
weez