Rain Jacket vs. Umbrella ( or both?)

[HankIV]

If it’s warm enough to not worry about hypothermia, then just get wet. If it is cool enough to, rain jacket. Sometimes pants.

One of my best days was hiking from just south of Duncannon to Boiling Springs when the remnants of Ida came thru Temps and breeze kept me from getting too sweaty in the gear, and rain knocked down the gnats that had been plaguing us the week or so before. Feet were pretty pruney by end of day.

And yeah, I gorged at Anile’s and platinum blazed into Pheasant Field to treat myself. Both highly recommended if you can manage the cost. Pheasant Field went above and beyond.

[jefals]

I'm not crazy about the umbrella. I use poles, so I need the umbrella to be hands-free. I have a gossamer gear umbrella with their bungee shoulder strap attachments, but haven't really been able to get it attached to where it really works like an umbrella that you're actually holding over your head.
I like the pants and jacket for backpacking. poncho might be ok for day hiking.

[GolfHiker]

I’ve heard a variety of rain gear options, jackets, pants, Umbrellas ( remember Umbrellas, that’s the initial question). What I have not seen mentioned is the Rain Wrap/skirt. I actually have one of these, and during the right hiking season I’ll use the Wrap instead of traditional rain pants. A small weight saving, and a considerable improvement in ease & useability. Your wrap won’t give you the warmth of rain pants, so there’s a trade off.

I absolutely understand we all like & use things we are comfortable with, and changing can be a challenge. For my upcoming mid April, Central Virginia ( Pearisburg to The Priest) hike, I’ll go with the Rain Jacket, the Wrap, Rain Mitts and the Umbrella w/ hands free attachment. Wish me well! Of course, it never rains on the AT……

[JNI64]

I’ve heard a variety of rain gear options, jackets, pants, Umbrellas ( remember Umbrellas, that’s the initial question). What I have not seen mentioned is the Rain Wrap/skirt. I actually have one of these, and during the right hiking season I’ll use the Wrap instead of traditional rain pants. A small weight saving, and a considerable improvement in ease & useability. Your wrap won’t give you the warmth of rain pants, so there’s a trade off.

I absolutely understand we all like & use things we are comfortable with, and changing can be a challenge. For my upcoming mid April, Central Virginia ( Pearisburg to The Priest) hike, I’ll go with the Rain Jacket, the Wrap, Rain Mitts and the Umbrella w/ hands free attachment. Wish me well! Of course, it never rains on the AT……

Is the wrap the same as the kilt? Or different?

[GolfHiker]

I guess it’s in the kilt family. It’s a very lightweight fabric, that you simply wrap around your waist. Normally it goes below your knees.

[Crossup]

Love my rain "skirt", packs down to matchbox size. Best part is I can whip out my umbrella and wrap the skirt in under 30 seconds, so on those on/off days its an order of magnitude more convenient. Of course effectiveness goes down as the wind increases, but we all know there are no perfect solutions.

[Deadeye]

I have the ULA rain skirt, just the thing in certain conditions. If you plan to wear it as a kilt on laundry day, get the darker colors!

[JNI64]

I hope ice isn't hiking in a kilt !!

[Starchild]

If I can carry it for the rain and not when it's dry I will usually go with an umbrella (barring high winds), and would be my preferred method to stay dry hiking in the rain. For thru hiking the AT, I may buy a cheap umbrella en route if it looks like it may be useful but hiker box it after the rain event, however I would generally use my poncho or emergency poncho (which is all one really needs in hot temperatures).

[High-Milage Hiker]

The great Andrew Skurka generally uses a rain jacket with rubber gloves (used for washing dishes).

[Time Zone]

Horses for courses ... I think umbrellas are underrated for some situations. But I'm a hiking pole person, using two, and not having a good means (nor the desire) to attach an umbrella to my shoulder strap. An umbrella would get in the way in most of the places I hike. Already an old-school pack that is too tall (for this area) gets caught on the overhanging and encroaching branches.

I like a poncho for ventilation, and dripping water beyond my shoes; I control the amount of flapping around with a makeshift belt made of excess strapping, buckles, and a tri-glide or two.

Recently I've been vexed over using an umbrella or jacket for an upcoming (non-hiking) trip. In the past I found my membrane waterproof jacket would "wet out" and feel damp inside. I lost confidence in its waterproof ability. But an umbrella isn't going to be a great solution for me either (for other reasons). I wondered if there was something else going on with the jacket, so I did an experiment! I laid it over a 2 gallon bucket, and poured a Dixie cup worth of water on to it, creating a little puddle. Went away for 30 minutes. Then dabbed up the water, and checked. No leak! Not wet underneath, either - but it felt cool. Hmmm.

I wondered if having something on the underside would cause water to wick through. So I got a bowl out, folded a paper towel and put it in the bowl. Then I laid the jacket on it, and poured the water in. Now everything was touching - the water, jacket, paper towel, and bowl. Waited 30 min., checked. The paper towel felt slightly damp, but not exactly wet (could not wring a drop out). My hypothesis is this: the cool water is condensing moisture out of the air on the underside. An extreme example/analogy is a glass of ice water in summer. it'll be wet on the outside, but not because the glass is leaking.

So I might feel a bit more confident about my rain jacket ... I'm still not sure it holds up to a pounding rain - and I know for sure that years ago, with two different Gore-Tex textiles - I truly did get water coming in eventually (30+ minutes), I was wet, I don't think it was condensation. This is just a light Costco rain jacket with the various waterproof membranes (that haven't peeled yet). Nothing great but it doesn't pretend to be. It seems to hold standnig water OK. Granted, not the same as being pelted by rain. But maybe good enough.

Anyone ever try this? I suppose I should test it in the shower next. That might have more validity. But I don't see myself standing in there for 30 minutes!

[heavy]

I hate rain. I carry an umbrella a lot and find it to be the best way of dealing with rain while moving. I also carry a frogg toggs jacket for sideways rain, insulation, annoying mist etc. If it gets bad I will pitch my tarp lean to style and huddle under with anyone else who is rainphobic while using my umbrella to block any mist that might blow under the tarp and wearing my jacket. None of this typically happens though, because I either checked the forecast and stayed home or ran straight to the nearest shelter at the first sign of bad weather.

[vtrek]

I’ve done both the umbrella and rain jacket thing before. I ended up ditching the jacket on my last hike and just used the umbrella for the rain. If you’re layering up, you should be fine without the jacket, but I’d suggest keeping it for town stops or if you end up hanging out at camp. I did find that having it for those moments was nice.

[Miner]

I think it depends on where and when you are hiking. I often hike with both. Issue with just the Umbrella is strong winds or where brush is overgrowing the trail. Even if you can keep it from inverting in the wind, rain will still blow under it so a jacket would still be needed. On the other hand, even if you tend to use a jacket, the umbrella is still nice to use for breaks in extended rain when there is no shelter from it. I've taken several lunch breaks under one or used it to wait out a downpour from a thunderstorm above treeline while sitting in a shallow ravine.

[Slow Trek]

I carried an umbrella for the first 1006 miles. Was useful somedays,but often caught on branches,etc. Trying to cut weight the next section,left it at home. Can't say I missed it.

[LazyLightning]

The only thing I would see the umbrella useful for me is when it's too hot to walk with the hood on the frogg toggs but if it's that hot out (like yesterday) I'm fine letting my head get wet and walking slow with the rain jacket/pants. Even though you get wet under, especially sweating, it still seems necessary and is too much to just get rained on in my hiking clothes. When it's a cold rain I wear the hood but having long hair it does get wet still. Maybe the umbrella could be useful there but I just see it being a bigger hassle.

[RockDoc]

Most of the time you can just use the brolly because the rain is light and temporary. The thing you want to avoid the most is getting drenched by perspiration in rain coat or poncho. They come out only when absolutely necessary.