Good Rainjacket?

[SKYMAX]

I need to buy a jacket and  pants, I guess, for bad weather.
Any advice/experience on what is a good jacket/clothing  for getting caught in the rain while Touring? (recumbent)
Sure, Gore-Tex or similar sounds good but what style/design?
Some have something called "no Shell" backs?
Some have fleece lining? good/bad?


Clear skies, Max.

[RussellSeaton]

Lot of depends to your answer.  If its summer time and its warm, no need for a rain jacket.  Just ride in the rain.  The cool rain will be pleasant.  And if its slightly cool, say down to 50-60 F, then put on your long sleeve winter jersey and you will be fine.  And maybe tights or leg warmers.  No need for a rain jacket of any kind.  Warmth, not staying dry, is the crucial thing.

If you are in the mountains, then staying warm is the most important thing.  Wet or dry does not matter, as long as you are warm.  And if you are riding your bike you should be doing enough activity to stay warm.  You would need a long sleeve winter jersey, and tights, and a windproof nylon shell to keep the wind off.  The wind chill on the down side of the mountain is the problem, not the rain.  And the nylon windproof shell would keep the rain off too as an added bonus.

And of course, remember when you are touring you can change your route or daily mileage.  If its raining, just ride a couple hours and stop for the day.  I did that in Portugal in November 2000.  It was rainy so I rode about 30 miles and stopped and wandered about the town.  Then continued my journey the next day no worse for riding in the rain.

My rain kit consists of a waterproof nylon jacket and pants.  I wore the pants once 13 years ago.  I've worn the jacket a few times more than that.  I'd advise concentrating on staying warm with a long sleeve jersey, tights, arm/leg warmers, and keeping the wind off to aid warmth with a nylon type jacket.  And a balaclava and gloves for warmth.  Water doesn't hurt you.

[LDiskin]

I have to disagree with RusselSeaton a bit. He is correct that keeping warm is the most important thing. But staying dry is part of keeping warm in many cases.

I carry a lightweight raincoat that is waterproof and has a hood large enough to go over my helment. In cold rain, a hood will make an enourmous difference in your ability to keep warm. My favorite jacket also has pit zippers to help with the air flow.

Now, the dilemma that many people notice is that if you are warm enough inside your rain jacket,  people often become wet with their own sweat. I find that scenario to be more comfortable to being pelted directly with rain.

Also keep in mind the regional factors. In the mountain west, there are many places where you cannot simply call it a day early unless you plan to set up your tent in a ramdom place in the woods. There may be times when you are 50 miles from any kind of indoor facility to even hang out in for a while. You'd definitely need to be prepared to keep warm in that situation if you are travelling in the Rockies or Cascades. Also bear in mind that it can snow in these mountain at any time during the summer. It would not be unusuall to wake up to a beautiful August day, have the temperature get into the 90's and only hours later find your self in a very cold rainstorm.

My point being, I recommend that every long-didtance bicycle traveller has a decent rain coat with them at all times regardless of where you travel or what time of year it is.

--
Larry Diskin
Adventure Cycling Association

[SKYMAX]

Thanx Guys, very interesting points of view, I can see the method.
Also notable is no-one has used the word "Goretex" or similar. Rainproof/windproof coverings made from simple polymers (single layer) are much lighter than fleeced Goretex or similar.(As far as I know).
I only got caught in mountain rain once here in Australia during an organised ride. It was the windswept, small freezing droplet kind. The only jacket I had was thinly insulated and not waterproof at all, it got soaked but it still stopped me from freezing.
Incidentally, on that same day I was wearing an Australian designed helmet that had a removable thin Polycarbonate clear face-shield. I always thought it was a gimmick until that day when everyone else was squinting as the cold horizontal rain hit them in the face and eyes, but didnt bother me at all. I have since lost that helmet and the manufacturer went out of business. But I sure would like to get another helmet with a face-shield.


Clear skies, Max.

[Peaks]

To give you a specific answer, I like the Marmot PreCip jacket.  It's lighter than goretex, and keeps me dry.  

My daughter tried one of the clear plastic rain jackets and didn't like it at all.

For rain pants, I now use Frogg Toggs.  Light and cheap.

This message was edited by Peaks on 2-28-05 @ 5:30 PM

[Lucky13]

I am quite pleased with Marmot's PreCip jacket...and not only when cycling. It makes for a fine shell around camp or while hiking, etc.

Burley offers very nice cycling specific rain gear including a jacket aimed at 'bent riders. I'm assuming that the latter has some type of a mesh back.

[burleyrider]

Any advice/experience on what is a good jacket/clothing  for
getting caught in the rain while Touring? (recumbent)
Sure, Gore-Tex or similar sounds good but what style/design?
Some have something called "no Shell" backs?
Some have fleece lining? good/bad?

Skymax,

I ride a recumbent too. I have found that the Marmot Precip jacket and
pants are wonderful. They breathe like nothing else. They are also
100% waterproof/windproof.

[sunfisher]

I have a Burley jacket via e-bay.  On a recumbent the only real downer
is that water tends to leak in at the bottom of the underarm zippers.
I use it as a windbreaker in the winter.  Am quite satisfied with it.  
Would get another.

I'm of the opinion that wool tights would be of as much or more use
than rain pants.  Also, a wool jersey next to the skin (and under the
jacket) and wool socks would be good for those cool, wet days.

[SKYMAX]

Sunfisher. Is that the Recumbent Burley jacket you are talking about?
Thanx, Max.


Clear skies, Max.

[sunfisher]

No, just the regular ol' Rainrider.  They didn't have the recumbent
jacket when I got it.  In fact hadn't heard of it until you mentioned it.
Just checked their site.  Looks like it'd be a good choice.  I'd go for
yellow.  :-)