I know nobody likes the rain. Being wet and learning how to deal with it has to be the most unpleasant bushcraft skill to master. So what rain protection gear would you pack for a weekend away in the woods given the recent inclement conditions here in the UK?
What type of wet weather gear would you recomend?
- Thread starter Bishop
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Poncho, covers you your pack and can be a shelter. good boots and gaiters to complement.
Worn together I'm sureNo option for chaps or a skirt?
(Genuinely do own both)
I just carry a tarp in my bag for when I want a brew. Clothes wise I use a wool pullover/wax jacket combo
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Up in the high Pyrenees, I've met shepherds sheltering under large umbrellas as their only protection against persistent rain. I also saw someone walking up Cader Idris under an umbrella and carrying a suitcase, but he was a twit!
Nicholas Crane also habitually carries an umbrella: he knows what he is doing. (See Clear Waters Rising, his account of a 17 month walk across the mountains from Cape Finisterre to Istanbul.)
Me, I hate umbrellas. Jacket and trousers always for me.
Nicholas Crane also habitually carries an umbrella: he knows what he is doing. (See Clear Waters Rising, his account of a 17 month walk across the mountains from Cape Finisterre to Istanbul.)
Me, I hate umbrellas. Jacket and trousers always for me.
For me water proof jacket and trousers, I tend to hike / walk more and have never gotten on with ponchos, nasty flappy things that get caught by the wind and branches. I'm sure if I was sitting around a poncho would be great [my jerven bag even better] I like the Idea of a poncho covering my bag, but everything is in waterproof bags inside anyway, still it'd be nice to stop the actually pack from wetting out.
Never really tried my jerven as a poncho when walking - too afraid of it getting caught and torn on branches. - I'm sure it'd be strong enough to cope with it but I'd rather not try.
I do have an offshore waterproof set but that only gets used for extreme wet and coldness
Never really tried my jerven as a poncho when walking - too afraid of it getting caught and torn on branches. - I'm sure it'd be strong enough to cope with it but I'd rather not try.
I do have an offshore waterproof set but that only gets used for extreme wet and coldness
I'm another vote for poncho and gaiters for all the reasons stated.
I use one of the rubberised German army ones which have poppers down the side, so you can pop it closed and it doesn't flap about.
Having a poncho makes it a lot easier for putting your hands down the back of your trousers to hoik your pants up and just general fiddling about underneath.
And it makes you look like a goblin.
What's not to like, eh?
It's also a lot easier to wrap up and stow away when you don't need it.
I use one of the rubberised German army ones which have poppers down the side, so you can pop it closed and it doesn't flap about.
Having a poncho makes it a lot easier for putting your hands down the back of your trousers to hoik your pants up and just general fiddling about underneath.
And it makes you look like a goblin.
What's not to like, eh?
It's also a lot easier to wrap up and stow away when you don't need it.
No option for chaps or a skirt?
(Genuinely do own both)
I was tempted to suggest that without pictures, posts like that are a complete waste of time but as I am completely out of mind bleach at the moment, perhaps not!
+1 on not being able to get on with umbrellas but you can’t argue with Nicholas Crane’s achievements and apparently umbrellas can come in very handy if you ever find yourself involved in a tense standoff with German tanks on a bridge in the Netherlands!
That's one of those questions that is really hard to answer if someone has to ask it.
Without being flippant, you get the poncho over the pack in exactly the way you think you would - as you put your head through the head hole the back part of the poncho automatically falls over your pack. You don't have to do anything. It does it itself.
Yep that simple! also if you use a brimmed hat you look like a bushcraft Clint Eastwood badass!....no?......ok maybe not, I'll umm get me coat, or should I say poncho!
In the woods/base camp definitely a poncho , I use the German Army rubberized one and gaiters , but if out on a hike jacket/trousers.
Always waterproof trousers and a jacket for me plus gaiters.
I have always liked the look of cloaks, such as you see in fantasy movies, lord of the rings etc.
Not maybe much use for one now to cover up a sword,but im sure we could fit all manner of axes and carving knifes in below it. And then at night you just fold it over yourself and sleep in it. After removing the axes of course.
Might just get myself a ponco and cut the front out of it
I have always liked the look of cloaks, such as you see in fantasy movies, lord of the rings etc.
Not maybe much use for one now to cover up a sword,but im sure we could fit all manner of axes and carving knifes in below it. And then at night you just fold it over yourself and sleep in it. After removing the axes of course.
Might just get myself a ponco and cut the front out of it
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Might just get myself a ponco and cut the front out of it
And that's always been the problem for me. As a teenager the only waterproof I had backpacking across the moors and mountains in the early 70's was a poncho but as soon as I could afford it I swapped for a decent jacket and, where necessary, trousers. I just got frustrated in camp having to keep getting the ruddy thing out of the way when doing any kind of chore - you can't chop wood safely with a poncho on, you can't cook safely with a poncho on, even bending down picking mushrooms or other foraging activities is a pain as the thing keeps falling over your arms. OK, you can tie it back and button it up etc. but then you're getting wet!
They're OK for walking (but you still need overtrousers in my experience as the water drips down onto your knees) or for sitting watching the rain
I have tried them, and with a largish pack its a skill in itself, it catches on the pack and you have to somehow reach behind to move it whilst your arms are under the poncho. I do like a poncho though esp3cially a pack poncho, as its a tent in itself, just not with a pack
Never tried a poncho but can't see it working for me. Mind you waterproof jacket and trousers don't work too well ime.
If walking I'll use the jacket and trousers (if really needed). Personally I believe some levels of wet weather can be handled with a good softshell jacket and decent walking trousers.
If hanging around a camp I'll be under a shelter so don't wear anything waterproof. Windproof and warmth is usually more important. Coping with those two will probably mean you'll cope with the odd dash out from your shelter. TBH if in proper campsite I'm well sheltered. If wildcamping I'm under a tarp inside the bivvy bag and sleeping bag. Basically wildcamping I'm generally moving or pitched for the night and tucked away in a sleeping bag and bivvy bag under a tarp.
If walking I'll use the jacket and trousers (if really needed). Personally I believe some levels of wet weather can be handled with a good softshell jacket and decent walking trousers.
If hanging around a camp I'll be under a shelter so don't wear anything waterproof. Windproof and warmth is usually more important. Coping with those two will probably mean you'll cope with the odd dash out from your shelter. TBH if in proper campsite I'm well sheltered. If wildcamping I'm under a tarp inside the bivvy bag and sleeping bag. Basically wildcamping I'm generally moving or pitched for the night and tucked away in a sleeping bag and bivvy bag under a tarp.
Up and over petro! with the front hem a bit like slinging on a long coat or waving a flag a bit of a forward motion or breeze can help I try to billow it over then draw down, the higher you have stacked your pack the more likely your might need more than a single go and the more likely your look like your having a moment
