RE: [at-l] Gear Talk: shells

["Mayer, Jim" <JMayer@crt.xerox.com>]

Tim,

I haven't thru-hiked, so take what I say with that in mind.

First, whatever the material, I have a strong preference for jacket/parka
style rain gear over anorak style raingear.  I've had both, and found the
jacket/parka style (with the full length zipper) to be easier to put on
(especially in a tent) and easier to vent.

Second, look at the weight.  A lot of people on this list seem to end up
with a light coated nylon jacket for the warmer months.  The argument
usually goes something like:

(1) If it is warm and raining, just get wet.
(2) If it is cold and raining, wear the jacket.  You'll
    get wet from the sweat, but you'll be warm.
(3) In warm weather, GoreTex can't keep up, so why
    carry the extra weight.
(4) In any case, carry some dry clothes for camp.

The key "paradigm shift" is that the purpose of the raingear is to keep you
warm, not dry.

The above is what I currently do for three season hiking.  People have used
ponchos too, but they don't work as well in windy, cold, wet, weather...
which is exactly when hypothermia can sneek up on you.  If you want to use a
poncho, then my personal advice is consider how you will stay warm when you
are walking along a ridgeline, the temperature drops 40 degrees, the wind
kicks up, and it starts raining.  People have solutions for that scenario,
but it bears thinking about.

The case for GoreTex seems to be better in really cold weather.  I use my
GoreTex jacket for winter trips, though I don't know if I do that because it
makes sense, or because the jacket feels "rugged" and "safe".  I could carry
a coated nylon jacket AND a windbreaker for about the same weight as my
GoreTex jacket.

One trick I have used (I even learned it (second hand) from an AT
thru-hiker) is turning a jacket into a vest by hiking with your arms
sticking out of the pit-zips.  It worked.

-- Jim Mayer

-----Original Message-----
From: Tim Hewitt [mailto:thewitt@fairchildsemi.com]

No I don't mean pasta shells...

I've been hiking with a plain old $14 uninsulated nylon anorak-style
wind shell from Wal-Mart all the fall and winter, changing my insulation
layer for the change in temperature. It works fine.

For Christmas, Santa brought me a very expensive, LL Bean Anorak made
from Gore-something, with pit zips, back and arm ventilation, adjustable
hood, multiple drawstring, velcro/xip closure, really nice stuff.

I don't know if I want to keep it.

No, I'm not willing to give it to you, but I am looking for opinions.

When I went to Beans today, I saw them for $110. I saw some nice suplex
nylox without pit zips or ventilation for $49.  I still have my
noisy-nylon Wal-Mart shell for $14.

Is the fancy shell worth the money?  Will I really want the pit zips
that much? Will all that extra bell-and-whistle stuff just break on the
trail?
* From the Appalachian Trail Mailing List |  http://www.backcountry.net  *

==============================================================================