Rainwear Recommendations

[mauisher]

Hi Everyone! I'm planning an across USA tour for next March-April. What rainwear would you recommend: hat/helmet cover, jacket, pants, booties??
Thanks in advance for your help!!

[Eden]

hat with a brim over a helmet cover (a cycling cap!) - a small brim will help keep the rain out of your eyes and off of your glasses.

I'd skip the pants, but take a jacket and booties. I prefer a pair of tights that stay warm when wet over rain pants.

[mauisher]

Eden, Thanks for your reply. I do have a small cycling cap but it's not waterproof. Also, as for tights that keep you warm when wet, which ones are best for that? I was going to get gore tex pants, but maybe the tights are better?? /////thanks//////////

[Eden]

I personally find rain pants to be too hot, even the breathable kind, and too loose - they bunch up and catch on things. I find them much more uncomfortable to ride in than plain old tights. I don't even have waterproof tights, just ones that will stay warm when wet (so just no cotton). Tights would also be less bulky to carry and more versatile than rain paints, when what you can pack/carry might be limited. I don't have a favorite brand, but I prefer tights without a chamois so that I can layer them over my regular shorts.

I really don't worry as much about waterproof, except for my feet, when I ride in the rain. Even breathable rain gear holds enough body heat and moisture to make you sweat and get drenched, so I find it better to just go for the warm when wet option in the first place. I prefer softshells to regular rain jackets. I do recommend waterproof booties, they'll keep your feet pretty warm and dry for at least a few hours.

[ny biker]

I highly recommend a jacket made with eVent fabric. Extremely waterproof yet breathable.

http://www.teamestrogen.com/Showers+Pass/c0-b100094.html

My first eVent jacket was made by Pearl Izumi. I wore it during an 80-mile ride in a heavy rain and it kept me wonderfully dry. And it didn't leave me really sweaty. The only problem was that it didn't have a dropped tail so my butt got wet.

So I replaced it with the Showers Pass jacket in the link above. Same fabric, but the cut is better for cycling. I also got the removable hood.

I find it comfortable in the rain when temps are in the 60s - if it's warmer than that, you would probably be too warm with the jacket on. It's also a good jacket for colder temps when it's sunny.

[mauisher]

Thanks for the info on E-vent fabric and the recommendation on the Showers Pass jacket. I'm trying to decide between a Gore-Tex and the Showers Pass jacket. Someone else recommended the Showers Pass jacket to me, so you're the second. Also, do you NOT use rain pants?? Thanks, again!!

[Biciclista]

I use rainpants when wearing street clothes on my bike. They are not good for the long haul, but on a short commute where I hope to arrive at my office presentably, they're perfect.

Rainpants are also good for warming up when dry and cold and not riding.

I wear the SHowers pass raincoat.

[Aggie_Ama]

I don't get enough rainy days to worry about it but the brand of coat I always hear come up is the one Mimi uses.

[java]

I also wear a Showers Pass raincoat but don't wear rainpaints. I wear full tights over my shorts. I also have full fenders w/mudflaps on my bike and as said by others previously, they makes a big difference in helping stay dry.

[Grog]

I have a Showers Pass raincoat but not the cool expensive one, just the cheaper "club" version that I found for even cheaper on a discount rack in Portland. It's waterproof but doesn't breathe very well. The good thing though is that it rolls small enough to fit in my jersey pockets, which the fancier version doesn't.

I bought a pair of rain pants but I don't know how much I'll wear them this winter. Maybe when it's below 5 Celcius and raining (as it always is in the Vancouver winter). Otherwise my tights probably won't dry up completely during the day. But we'll see. For touring, I think I'd rather use just tights, although the problem is also that if you don't have an option to dry them up overnight you'll be wearing wet and cold tights the next day. So rain pants perhaps will be useful for you.

[mauisher]

Thanks so much for your replies. I've decided to get the Showers Pass rain jacket. As for pants, I believe you've convinced me to not use rain pants and instead use tights. But, which ones work best??? Thanks, again!