I have lots of experience with car camping and am great at managing wet conditions in that context.
I have a few specific worries as I just did my first 2 day practice in the rain.
I got pretty wet while hiking with a poncho. Not driving rain but heavy for 4 or 5 hours of hiking. I was able to get my tarp up and cook under it before getting my tent up and climbing in to get myself into dry clothes. I didn’t go out again to pee and thankfully was ok. And it isn’t raining this morning so I feel pretty comfortable packing up and continuing in damp hiking clothes that will dry as I walk. I can handle wet as long as I’m moving to stay warm.
Here are some things I feel uncertain about:
Number 1 or 2 in the rain. Currently the system is poncho over backpack so backpack stays dry but I can’t get my pants down with my backpack on. I don’t want to leave it out in the rain while I go and then have to put a wet bag on if I’m still dry.
Taking breaks in the rain. I’m still green enough that I really need to sit down every couple miles to keep my body ok.
Getting up in the morning rain if all my gear is soaked. I stand by keeping a set of dry clothes for sleep. How do I use the bathroom (#2 is usually first thing) and cook my food without getting chilled from my wet clothes? If I wait to put wet gear on how do I keep dry clothes dry when I use the bathroom?
My poncho is wet on both sides and was from the start so it may be that I need to reevaluate my rain gear, but my impression is that that’s typical for just about any rain gear. My poncho is fully waterproof but the rain was able to get through neck and arm holes.
Thanks for any ideas!