Riding in the rain clothes

[Mike Ayling]

Re Ground Effect Anti Cyclone jacket - aptly named given what they experienced on the North Island in February this year!

Mike

[mickeg]

After reading John Saxby comments on jackets, I have a few more comments.  This is in addition to my previous comments which included the red jacket I was wearing in a photo in a previous post in this thread.

I think my rain jacket is a Marmot Precip.  Waterproof, breathable, very light, has a hood but also has a pocket to put the hood into so it does not catch air when I ride my bike.  Mine is over a decade old, they may have changed or discontinued it since.

On a bike tour I bring a light high vis color windbreaker for cycling, but that windbreaker is not really roomy.  It flaps a bit but it is too tight to put my down vest under it.

But my rain jacket is roomy enough to put my down vest under it.  If it gets cold, even if it is dry out the rain jacket is great for cutting the wind over a down vest.  That is not as warm as a down puffy jacket because the sleeves are not insulated, but it is a pretty nice combination.

And there have been a few times when it was quite cold where I put my rain pants on, even though it was not raining because that extra windproof layer was pretty nice to have.

I bring a down vest on virtually every trip I go on.  I usually keep my stocking cap in one of the vest pockets, as when I am wearing one, I am often wearing the other.

This thread is on rain gear, but my rain gear is part of a package that also includes cold weather gear, etc.  I would be lost without a good wind jacket that I can put over my down vest when it gets chilly and my rain jacket serves in that role.

I mentioned in a previous post that I put my rain gear on top of my front panniers where it is handy.  I do not have to open up any bags to access my rain gear, it is quick to grab it when I need it.  My rain pants (black) are rolled up an don top of the left front pannier, the rain jacket (red) is on top of the right front pannier in the photo.  She covers are next to the rain pants.

Sometimes I use panniers other than my Ortliebs, but only my Ortliebs allow something to be strapped on top.  So, some trips my rain gear is packed inside a pannier instead.

[JohnR]

There are so many different types of rain to fend off: Warm / cold, perpetual drizzle, torrential rain, intermittent rain, rain that comes straight down, rain that comes sideways with lots of wind ...

During winter months I'm not going to be travelling very far and breathability isn't an issue as I won't work up enough heat. Almost any waterproof jacket will work provided it's not too baggy to flap around excessively in the wind which often comes with winter rain. Similarly, waterproof overtrousers will add some warmth as well as keeping the rain out. Providing the trousers are long enough then they'll overlap with my goretex-lined walking boots so, overall I'm fairly well protected.

For the rest of the year I'm still trying to find the optimum balance between clothing size when packed, convenience and being weatherproof. The worst case is heavy showers when, as already noted by @PH, the ideal waterproofs are those that can be put on and left on without risk of overheating between showers. Many of the 3-layer fabrics have very good waterproof and breathability ratings. I've just invested in a Showers Pass Spring Classic jacket which not only uses 3-layer material but also has zipped underarm vents. It passed its first rain test last week and I hope it will continue to pass other tests. The material is fairly soft, quite light and not too bulky although not quite as compact as my Endura MTR shell jacket which is 3-layer material but no venting other than the front zip. The Endura MT500 and GV500 jackets use the same ExoShell40 material.

During the warmer half of the year I cycle in shorts and sandals. Unless the rain is warm I don't like wet feet and I've found the Sealskinz warm weather socks with hydrostop to be the best of my collection of waterproof socks. Thinner means they dry faster than thicker socks will the hydrostop reduces the amount of water running down the insides.

That leaves protection of my legs and lower body. I've got the rainlegs. As already noted, these aren't very comfortable but they are quick to put on and do provide protection and are also easy to take off so they are fine for a big shower but not longer duration rain.
If I know it's not going to be too chilly then comfortable but waterproof/breathable shorts that are worn for the whole ride are the sensible solution. I've got some Endura MT500 shorts that fit the waterproof/breathable requirements but the material isn't very comfortable so the research continues. However, if the weather is a bit chillier then long trousers will be preferable and I've just invested in a pair of Showers Pass Timberline trousers which are waiting to be tested. The material is a bit softer than the MT500 shorts and I hope that I can comfortably wear these all day (they have pockets) over some undies with the option of using them as overtrousers. Light weight and small packed size were also factors in their selection. I've also got Wiggle's dhb Flashlight overtrousers which are 2.5 layer and no pockets or zips on the legs which makes then fairly easy to put on as overtrousers and a challenge to take off when standing by the side of the road.

I've also got a large pile of gloves, none of which are ideal for cold wet conditions. The Pro SL seems be be better than the Strike (as they should be given the price). In the summer months wet hands are acceptable (but soggy gloves can be awkward to pull off) while neoprene gloves are an in-between solution.

I hope there's something useful among these ramblings ....

[julk]

Soggy wet gloves (with no metal parts) can be dried in the campsite kitchen with a microwave.
Just give them 30 second bursts with the door open in between bursts to let the steam out - until they dry.
They are also warm to put on after this treatment...

[JohnR]

Soggy wet gloves (with no metal parts) can be dried in the campsite kitchen with a microwave.
Just give them 30 second bursts with the door open in between bursts to let the steam out - until they dry.
They are also warm to put on after this treatment...

An excellent suggestion which I've just tried at home because my Endura Hummvee mitts got somewhat soggy today when the weather decided to give my new jacket and trousers a good test. Both garments passed the rain resistance test without problems although my knees felt cold at times which had me wondering if water was getting in but I think it was just the effect of wet material being stretched over them because they were dry on the inside when I checked after the ride. I have hung the waterproof socks up to dry but if they are still wet in the morning they'll also get microwaved. The wife thinks I'm mad microwaving the soggy clothes, but that's not unusual!

I omitted to mention overshoes in my lengthy essay. I've got several pairs and all bar one are a struggle to put on and take off - not something to do when standing on one leg by the road. The exception are the Eager overshoes which used to be made by a couple of ladies in Wales and have the major advantage of opening completely at the back which makes putting on and off very easy. Unfortunately, they seem to be no longer available and I haven't come across any other overshoes which fully open at the back.

[ourclarioncall]

Just won a used pair of gore goretex overshoes and a used pair of gore goretex gloves . Both off eBay. Be interesting to try on a wet day

[ourclarioncall]

Great info and comments guys . Love the detail . Cheers