High Sierra Topix

After witnessing how efficient a pack cover was one year I bought, carried and used one to protect the pack at night and when hiking in the rain. With various things attached to my pack (fishing gear, sleeping pad, etc..) the pack cover still let in some/alot of rain due to the imperfect fit. I ditched the pack cover and now just use a large/medium size plastic trash bag for the coverage on wet nights.

For hiking in the rain I rely on my clothes and selected gear being stashed in smaller/grocery-sized plastic bags to keep things sorted and dry inside the pack and let everything else stay as protected as the pack material will allow. Seems to work well enough and doesn't take up the space or weight of the formal pack cover (mucho cheaper too).

I leave the old ponchos in the car, comes in handy for getting down and dirty when putting the snow chains on/off.

I went to REI today to check out the Marmot Precip gear. Although nice, I didn't want to spend quite that much. I ended up buying Sierra Designs Microlight jacket and pants. After leaving the store it started to rain, so I took the dog for a walk in my new duds. They seemed to do well and they dried off quite quickly after the rain stopped. Thanks again to all.

My first jacket was a Sierra Designs. I still use it for day trips. I think the precip was a little lighter, but not much.

I have a separate pack cover that seems to keep everything dry in the rain. I got it from a lightweight site. Good that you got to test it right away!

Last February I got a great deal on a golite Xirtam jacket. It is 100% waterproof and incredibly breathable. No pit zips, but the jacket is breathable enough I don't need them. There are two vents along the sides - the location of them means they still work well even when wearing a pack. The thing that I like the most about it is how it doesn't feel anything like a waterproof jacket. It's soft and comfortable, not 'crinkly' like most waterproof materials. I chose to get it because of its rather fitted cut, because I wanted a waterproof jacket to use while active that wouldn't flop around (jogging in the rainy season, snowshoeing, xcountry skiing, etc, where all I need is a single warmth layer under the jacket). I have an old one-size-too-big Marmot Precip for layering when I'm sitting around camp in the rain or snow, and it works just fine for that, but I strongly prefer the Golite for everything else.

I bought it for far, far less than retail price, but I've grown to love it enough that if I lost it tomorrow, I'd go and buy a replacement at full retail price without hesitation. ETA: I think they've done some redesign on the jacket this year, so I'm mentioning it in case anyone sees last year's model on clearance anywhere - definitely worth it!

calipidder wrote:Lso I'm mentioning it in case anyone sees last year's model on clearance anywhere - definitely worth it!

I mentioned the name of a pair of boots that I loved on a forum, and a year later, someone e-mailed me with a link to sierratradingpost with my boots, and they were 1/4 of the price! I bought 3 prs! Good luck with your jacket!

So, has anybody *seriously* tried the Ray Jardine umbrella thing? Sounds to me like it would be great as long as the wind wasn't blowing and you didn't need your hands for anything else... What have others' experiences been?

Snow Nymph wrote:I mentioned the name of a pair of boots that I loved on a forum, and a year later, someone e-mailed me with a link to sierratradingpost with my boots, and they were 1/4 of the price! I bought 3 prs! Good luck with your jacket!

A friend of mine who I hike with regularly knows how I love love love my various Garmont shoes - she saw them on sale somewhere and sent me a link, I think I purchased all of their womens size 9.5 garmonts they had in stock. I'm well supplied through the next couple of years!

I ordered 3 prs of the Raichle Mountain Trekkers a few years ago, and can't find them! I know I had at least 2 prs left. One day they'll show up!