# Rain gear for 2 days of rain



## biker (Apr 2, 2004)

What clothing gear (jackets,pants.shoe covers.etc) would you suggest for a scenario riding in mountainous area covering a distance of 80-100 miles/day, 30-60 deg with most of day in rain ?
Looking for something light weight and pack well in pockets,close fitting, breath ability, and does not cost a fortune.

I've look at Double Century Jacket ShowerPass ProTech Craft Bike Rain Jacket 


Thanks


----------



## threesportsinone (Mar 27, 2007)

I'd take comfort over minimalist ultralight design.

If you want to stay dry: Look for something with an actual membrane rather than a water repellent/waterproof coating. And anything 3 layer will last a while. 3 layer means that the membrane (eVent, Goretex, Conduit, H2NO, etc) is sandwiched between two layers of nylon. This makes sure that the membrane doesn't become unbonded/delaminated and will stay waterproof.

The ShowersPass Elite 2.0 is pretty much ideal, IMO, but it's definitely on the expensive end of the spectrum.


----------



## seeborough (Feb 3, 2004)

Waterproof, breathable, cheap - pick two.


----------



## jorbenweb (Dec 23, 2008)

seeborough said:


> Waterproof, breathable, cheap - pick two.


He beat me to it. Goretex is always a very popular and very expensive option.


----------



## husonfirst (Jul 15, 2006)

I agree with the above posters. What you're looking for doesn't exist. Gore-tex is great but very expensive. The cheap stuff won't be breathable.


----------



## JCavilia (Sep 12, 2005)

seeborough said:


> Waterproof, breathable, cheap - pick two.


I slightly disagree. This stuff, IME is both breathable and waterproof, and it's certainly cheap.
http://www.rainshield.com/p_cycling.html
It's a little hard to find.

It does have a drawback -- it's not very durable. but it continues to be functional even if a few rips are taped up.

It's also very compact and light -- packs much smaller than gore-tex.


----------



## buck-50 (Sep 20, 2005)

Personally, I've never found waterproof garments that will keep me dry during two days of rain and exertion.

Goretex doesn't vent fast enough, so you sweat and get soaked after a couple hours.

My advice would be something relatively waterproof and totally windproof that dries really fast on the outside, and something fleece or wool on the inside so that when you eventually soak through, you stay warm and unaffected by the breeze.

Figure hypothermia will sneak up and bite you on the ass even when it's 70°, so the key is to be able to stay warm. 

This is from my experience wilderness canoeing and sea kayaking, where I've spent days on end getting hammered by rain.


----------



## tarwheel2 (Jul 7, 2005)

How do you know ahead of time that it is going to rain?


----------



## brucew (Jun 3, 2006)

Any of the jackets linked above should be fine, and I'll add the one I own, the Endura Gridlock.

On the bike, the breathability of the fabrics is just so much advertising fluff. Fabric breathability alone isn't enough at speeds above a walking pace.

It's the zippers and vents in these jackets that make the difference. Shoulder vents, pit zips, the front zipper, sleeve cuff velcros and the adjustable waistband let me manage airflow through the jacket. That's what keeps me dry and prevents overheating. 

I'm still exploring the upper reaches of comfort with my jacket, and have ridden fairly hard in the lower-50s without basting in my own juices. It's a fine outer layer well down the single-digits (F).

On the legs, I've found any sort of wind-front tights are fairly effective. I have a pair of mid-weight Sugoi wind-block tights where the wind-block stuff is a separate layer sewn on the outside. I find these particularly useful in the rain. Hit 'em with bit of Camp-Dry if water-resistance isn't up to snuff. I also use Camp-Dry on my shoes, booties and gloves. Remember to zip the tights over the booties (not inside them) in the rain.


----------



## JP (Feb 8, 2005)

Showers Pass jacket with every thing else wool and layers. Arm and leg warmers. A vest. And a beanie. Bring layers for your fingers and feet too; that's essential. You can be very very comfortable in that situation. Also, bring enough with you so that if you stop you are not freezning. Sure you need to carry it, but it makes all the difference in the world.


----------



## sometimerider (Sep 21, 2007)

brucew said:


> Any of the jackets linked above should be fine, and I'll add the one I own, the Endura Gridlock.


That Endura looks pretty good. But, as usual, there are no _tall_ sizes. I'm 6-4, and would otherwise need a large. But if it's not a large-tall, it's usually too short in the body.

Bruce, what's your height and what size are you using? How does the length work for you?


----------



## PdxMark (Feb 3, 2004)

JP said:


> Showers Pass jacket with every thing else wool and layers. Arm and leg warmers. A vest. And a beanie. Bring layers for your fingers and feet too; that's essential. You can be very very comfortable in that situation. Also, bring enough with you so that if you stop you are not freezning. Sure you need to carry it, but it makes all the difference in the world.


Agree. Wool tights will work, even if wet, unless it gets too close to freezing. A wool beanie that fits under your helmet is a very good thing too. Avoid a synthetic beanie. Your toes & fingers will suffer if it stays below the mid-40s for long. Consider wool socks, gore-tex or some other over-sock (like seal-skinz), and 2 pairs of gloves - one pair if it's not very cold or wet, the other pair for nasty-cold conditions. Bundle up whenever you stop or you'll get chilled. Likewise, don't wear so much that you break a hard sweat, or you'll eventually get chilled from that. All of this can be summed up as: Wool against your skin, including a hat, a good jacket, and bundle up whenever you stop.

The importance of the wool decreases to about zero the closer you get to 60 degrees.


----------



## brucew (Jun 3, 2006)

sometimerider said:


> Bruce, what's your height and what size are you using? How does the length work for you?


I'm 5'-10, 165. I wear the large. It's a tad big on me, but that's useful for layering underneath when cold, and for flow-through ventilation when warm. The front comes to just below my beltline, the back covers my butt real well. And it has "knuckle-dragger" length sleeves.

Endura is sold at a lot of LBSs, at least in my area. That's where I got mine, and was able to try it on and (literally) give it a test ride.

Now, I've never purchased anything there, but Lou at Foxwear comes highly recommended. Contact him directly for made-to-measure. That'll probably be your best bet.


----------



## sometimerider (Sep 21, 2007)

brucew said:


> Endura is sold at a lot of LBSs, at least in my area. That's where I got mine, and was able to try it on and (literally) give it a test ride.
> 
> Now, I've never purchased anything there, but Lou at Foxwear comes highly recommended. Contact him directly for made-to-measure. That'll probably be your best bet.


Thanks. It seems one of my local shops carries Endura - I'll check it out there. If that doesn't work, I may try Foxwear.


----------



## PaulRivers (Sep 11, 2006)

seeborough said:


> Waterproof, breathable, cheap - pick two.


Ditto.

I would think the Showers Pass Elite Rain Jacket ($230? $250?) is the best you're going to find. It's not cheap, but it's about the cheapest you can find that's still good. If you want cheap, you'll have to give up waterproofness or breathability. Maybe you can live with that. I try to justify it by saying I'll use it as my regular rain jacket in the summer.  If you look at their 2009 catalogue, they have a "mountain" version that has less breathable arms, but has extra stuff so you can wear a backpack with it without worrying about damaging it.

The Shower's Pass Protech, for example says:
http://showerspass.com/cart/product...id=58&osCsid=297bb1894c525710205940a732d725d1
Windproof-waterproof-breathable micro-membrane transparent stretch fabric which is waterproof to a water column standard of *5,000mmm*. The Moisture Vapor Transmission Rate is *1,000 g/square-meter/24hours*.

http://showerspass.com/cart/product...id=59&osCsid=7eb061ae5d005aa1c38742ad2e913a39
The eVent™ fabric used in our Elite jacket has a waterproof rating of *30,000 mm* and a *MVTR of 22,000*. 

P.S. If I was looking at the Showers Pass stuff, and looking for something cheaper for your situation, I would avoid the ProTech. It's designed to be the ultimate in lightweight - which means it lacks the pit zips, vents, and more waterproofability that someone riding more than an hour or two would want in exchange for keeping off a couple of grams. I would think that for another $20 ($120), the Double Century jacket:
http://showerspass.com/cart/product...id=63&osCsid=7dc88aff99bd2a1abb25527d5a93957c
"The fabric used in the Double Century Jacket has a waterproof level of* 20,000 mm* and an MVTR of *8,000 g/24-hr.* "

might be *exactly* what you're looking for.


----------



## biker (Apr 2, 2004)

Thanks for all the feedback !


I am leaning towards below items:

ShowerPass Double Century Many venting options and light weight easy to store in pocket.

Anyone use ShowerPass Roadie Pants

or maybe Gore Leg Warmers 

Adidas CP Rain Bootie


----------



## Icculus (Mar 14, 2007)

Look at fenders and maybe an extra pair of good wool socks to change out if feet are wet. Wool base layers are always nice.


----------

