August 9, 2018

Ultralight Backpacking -- Rain Jackets

I love my Patagonia "Houdini", but it is a wind shirt, not a rain shell. Some people say you can heavily treat it with DWR and use it in the rain, but in any serious rain, you are simply going to get soaked. On the other hand, it weighs a mere 4.5 ounces and along with a fleece upper can provide a lot of emergency warmth when temperatures drop and the wind picks up.

Another favorite item of mine is my Cloudveil Serendipity parka. This is a soft shell, with only partial rain shedding that depends on what condition the DWR treatment is. It is also rather heavy (19.5 ounces). Great in cool weather where you will wear it almost all the time, but not what you want to have in your pack "just in case".

I also own a couple of bulletproof Gore-Tex hard shells. One is an older Marmot product, and weighs 34 ounces. Just the thing for skiing, but not for backpacking.

I have been using an inexpensive Sierra Designs "Hurricane" parka for rain gear. This is a nylon shell with an interior polyurethane coating. The main virtue is it is cheap (currently selling for about $50). However, you get what you pay for. Mine is getting old, has let me down in two summer thunderstorms with hail, and needs to be replaced and upgraded.

Care of rain jackets

One salesman told me that owning an expensive rainjacket and not washing it regularly is like owning a car and never changing the oil. The issue is that dirt, oils from your body, spilled food, and other things will degrade the performance of the DWR coating. Then the outer fabric "wets out" and you may as well be wearing a rubber suit.

The first thing to do is to look inside the garment for care instructions. The next thing is to look online for whatever instructions the maker offers. The next thing is to buy a cleaner (like Nikwax Tech Wash or Grangers performance wash) and use it according to instructions. Don't just use regular detergent. It may leave a residue (perhaps including perfume, for better or probably worse). Avoid fabric softeners too, many leave a wax based residue.

Check the garment instructions about using the dryer. Certain DWR coatings are restored by the heat of a dryer. Some DWR wash in coatings should be applied to a wet garment. So plan the whole care process from start to finish before getting started.

DWR may need to be replenished. Arcteryx clearly recommends spray on for their Gore-Tex products. Patagonia says to always use a spray on for Gore-Tex garments. Patagonia says to use a wash-in for their non-Gore-Tex 3 layer garments, and a spray on with 2 layer garments and recommends Grangers. Makes sense to me -- put the stuff where it belongs and don't send the bulk of it down the drain as you would with a wash in.

The search for a new shell

Rain jackets are popular and money making products and every gear maker has several to offer you. One very reliable source says that there are 3 classes of rain jackets. First there is Arcteryx - their gear is the best, but you pay for it. Second there is everything else. Third there is Columbia, which you avoid -- with the possible exception of their Titanium line. I am looking hard at Arcteryx products, and if you are interested, you should check the following link: Patagonia gear is always well regarded. They sometimes use Gore-Tex, but in general they offer their H2No products. You will find if you investigate that H2No is not a technology, but a standard for waterproofness and breathability. Maybe this makes sense, but it seems like doubletalk. At any event, if it is H2No, it ain't Gore-Tex and could be almost anything, probably a proprietary polyurethane coating. I tend to trust Patagonia and think that whatever they offer, you can hardly go wrong. Their entry level product is the "Torrentshell" at 11.5 ounces and $120. Next is their "stretch rainshadow" at $200. The one that interests me is the "cloud ridge" at 14 ounces and $250.

You will hear about 2 layer, 2.5 layer, and 3 layer. I am not sure how much 2 layer you actually see these days unless you are going low end. My old Hurricane parka was 2 layer -- outer nylon with an inner slick coating that went against your skin.

2.5 layer adds some kind of surface treatment as an innermost layer. Gortex "paclite" is 2.5 layer. Garments made this way often have a nice soft feel, but are not as durable as full on 3 layer. I am choosing to avoid 2.5 layer products, but some are well liked.

3 layer garments have an outer shell, a waterproof membrane in the middle, and an inner layer next to your skin or clothing. These are the most durable and expensive. The only downside may be some bulk and stiffness, but this is the road I intend to go down.

Take a look at this article by "Adventure Alan". He covers shells 12 ounces and under (and says you only need a heavier shell if you are into hardcore mountaineering or really rough outdoor activities, which I am inclined to agree with).

Some recommended classic shells:

No doubt there are others worth considering.
Have any comments? Questions? Drop me a line!

Tom's hiking pages / tom@mmto.org