Rain Gear

[K_and_I]

I have been accused (perhaps rightly so) of being anal about planning some things. And maybe it's just that it's winter and I have some time on my hands. We are planning a summer trip to Alaska. I have read numerous trip reports and blog posts about Alaska. It seems like rain is a decent possibility in the late summer season we hope to go in. A number of posts have mentioned taking "rain gear" along. This can mean a lot of things. So, a few questions:

Did you take "rain gear"
If so, what in particular? Light weight jackets, such as Marmot Precip; something heavier like a rubber coated product?
Did you bring rain pants along as well, or just a jacket?
How satisfied were you with what you brought? Would you bring something different next time?

Anyway, thanks in advance for any and all replies.

[Grit_dog]

Most camping trips when we lived up there consisted of 3 pairs of shoes. Xtra tuffs, sneakers and flip flops.

[Grit_dog]

Hiking and touristing, lightweight rain gear will work fine. Being warm(ish) out, sweating in rain gear is inevitable, so IMO doesn't really matter if it's goretex or eVent, it won't breathe enough anyway. Works good in cold weather, IMO to vent moisture vapor. If you're sweating in the rain, you may as well wear a garbage bag!
Basically anything that's waterproof will work. Can get good quality lightweight rain gear if you look at the construction type stuff like from Grundens or others (not rubber rain suits, the pvc coated shells), if you like black or hi vis colors.
And I'd have a pair of xtra tuffs or muck boots. Leather boots, even if goretex, still get water logged pretty quick.

Depends how you're camping though. Mostly tourist stuff, big camper to dry wet gear, not using it day in day out? Get whatever is reasonably priced. Spending some time in the outdoors where you don't have the option of changing socks n shoes every few hours, up your wet weather game a bit.

[ppine]

PghBob wrote:
Having been to Alaska and having worked part-time in a clothing retail store for a number of years, let me offer the following for your consideration:

Make sure you get a water-proof jacket, ex. Gore-Tex, not water repellent. You will eventually get wet in a water repellent jacket if you are in the elements for any period of time. Check the tags and the jacket itself to make sure it is water proof and breathable. I hate to add this, but, don't depend on the sales rep's knowledge alone. Some are clueless.

Consider shopping in a store that will allow returns if the garment is unused and you have receipts. Keep in original package if possible. We took rain pants for all of us, but never used them. We had no trouble returning them after our trip because we complied with the return rules.

Another store to consider is LL Bean. Can buy on-line and have shipped to you for free.

Have a safe and enjoyable trip.

In Alaska, you will get wet in a water repellant jacket, a Goretex jacket or a waterproof jacket.

[Veebyes]

There is no need to go equipped with foul weather gear ready to go out on one of the Deadliest Catch boats. We were somewhat overdressed having jackets that we use for inshore boating or riding scooters in the rain.

In places like Seward & Valdez the locals are easy to pick out. They are the ones stomping around in the brown or yellow rubber boots. Not needed by us visitors.

A lightweight waterproof jacket to wear over whatever is enough. Most likely something that everyone already has.

[PghBob]

Having been to Alaska and having worked part-time in a clothing retail store for a number of years, let me offer the following for your consideration:

Make sure you get a water-proof jacket, ex. Gore-Tex, not water repellent. You will eventually get wet in a water repellent jacket if you are in the elements for any period of time. Check the tags and the jacket itself to make sure it is water proof and breathable. I hate to add this, but, don't depend on the sales rep's knowledge alone. Some are clueless.

Consider shopping in a store that will allow returns if the garment is unused and you have receipts. Keep in original package if possible. We took rain pants for all of us, but never used them. We had no trouble returning them after our trip because we complied with the return rules.

Another store to consider is LL Bean. Can buy on-line and have shipped to you for free.

Have a safe and enjoyable trip.

[PA12DRVR]

My experience (only lived worked and played in Alaska the better part of 6 decades 🙂 )

- If one will be doing something (in the wet) that runs a risk of physical damage to your outerwear, then go with wool and rubberized canvas: Filson and Helly Hansen: chances are you'll get wet from perspiration, but GT and similar fabrics don't stand up to physical impacts

- If one will be doing something in the wet that doesn't involve physical impacts, then go with fleeze and gore-tex: the higher end products from Cabelas and REI fit that bill.

I've always thought it was important to have a base layer that either stays dry or that can still provide insulation when wet (fleece, merino, etc). To me, that's more critical (if you'll be in the wet for hours or days on end) than the outer layer choice.

...but it's not really fun to hike in Helly Hansen 😞

[Orion]

Yes, the people that I had as customers were commercial fisherman and they all would not use Goretex. I was really disappointed as I had just bought my first GoreTex jacket!

[pigman1]

Orion wrote:
I've known a lot of guys that have worked in that area. If you're going to spend a lot of time in the wet, you really need waterproof gear, at least as your outer gear. Gore Tex just doesn't cut it. In fact I've heard Gore Tex described as '15 minute rain gear', as being out in a downpour for longer than that, and you'll get wet!

Don't know where you've heard that about GorTex, but we've EXPERIENCED just the opposite. We've been in Alaska 8 summers and we fish from Valdez in an open, inflatable 14' boat. Not at all unusual to be on the water 6 hours in the rain and 50 degree temps, and we've never been wet in GorTex. I don't have any experience with doing hard physical labor, unless you count pulling two shrimp pots on a line from 400' down by hand, hard work, but the Guide Wear jackets, pants and hats we got at Cabela's has kept us comfortable and dry. Our gloves do occasionally get soaking wet, but after wringing them out, they go back on and we're good to go. (GoreTex too)

[profdant139]

Orion, we have not had a problem with high-quality GoreTex outerwear. We have tried truly waterproof stuff, and we ended up wetter than ever because it traps perspiration. GoreTex does breathe, somewhat.

Admittedly, we were not working. We were playing -- hiking in the Hoh Rain Forest, for example.

I guess you'd just have to try both methods and see what works best for you??

[Orion]

I've known a lot of guys that have worked in that area. If you're going to spend a lot of time in the wet, you really need waterproof gear, at least as your outer gear. Gore Tex just doesn't cut it. In fact I've heard Gore Tex described as '15 minute rain gear', as being out in a downpour for longer than that, and you'll get wet!

[profdant139]

When we travel to the Northwest (including hikes on the Olympic Peninsula -- wet!!), we bring ponchos, rain shells, rain pants, gaiters, and waterproof boots. We shop at REI.

This is all very expensive, but it all really works. Mostly Gore-tex (except the ponchos).

We used the same gear on a bike tour in Alaska -- Anchorage to Denali to Valdez. Wet. But the gear kept us dry.

[Tee_Jay]

Dress for what you are doing. Sitting on a charter boat on the river or the ocean in the rain you are going to get very cold even if you do not get wet, so add the thermal layers. Bank fishing or hiking you will be active and relatively warm if you stay mostly dry.

[Powder_pig]

We always have an umbrella in the trailer for walking around in camp grounds and often I carry a small umbrella in my pack for short hikes. I prefer that to walking with a hood up on my light rain jacket. We also carry light rain paints when hiking but would never use them in campgrounds since we prefer being inside with the heat turned on if the weather is that bad:)

Umbrellas are useless in the wind but most of the time they are very handy.

[PA12DRVR]

ppine wrote:
I used to work in SE Alaska with 150 inches of rain a year.
Helly Hansens are the favorite. Or Filson tin cloth.
Check the Alaska Outdoors Forum for a discussion.
If you are in the field in SE, you are going to get wet. When the rain stops the brush is wet. There are plenty of streams to cross. You can wear waterproof gear and get wet from the inside, or breathable gear and get wet from the outside.
YOu can spend a lot of money and get fancy gear, but you are still going to get wet.
In SE, spring and early summer are less wet. Late summer and fall are really wet. The month of Oct in Ketchikan averages 30 inches. The mountains are even wetter.

This x10.

It all does really depend on what one will be doing. If you're working (loading pipe, shoveling, cutting timber) you need Helly Hansen or equivalent...something stout enough to hold up to wear.
For just observing, almost anything will do....and there's a whole spectrum of stuff inbetween those two extremes.

My summer rain gear that gets used for hiking around Los Anchorage and other southcentral areas (but doesn't get used for dedicated fishing or high in the mountains) is a lightweight ("Russell Outdoors" IIRC) rubber coated nylon coat with big vents and North Face coated gore-tex "water resistant" pants. This setup covers almost any conditions in the average summer.

The trick more than anything is what you wear underneath: More often than not, in the summer, I leave the rain gear in the backpack until I stop or turn to go back. I wear polypro or merino base layer with a wool shirt and some variant of fleece pants....as noted above, one will just get wet and it's best to have clothing that will not lose it's efficiency when wet.

Probably not practical for visitors, but to the extent you can avoid cotton clothing (i.e. jeans) for outdoor excursions, it would be a good idea. On a tour boat where you can go back inside, it's no big deal. At mile 3 of a 6 mile hike, wet jeans (either from rain or perspiration) are no fun.