Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board rain pants

was debating buying rain pants for a one day hike beginning of July. the ones at REI are $100 and the cheapies are $10 at Target, but is it worth the weight? They must be over a lb-no, I'm not a minimalist, but do i need them?

A quick response:

Well, on Tuesday the 22nd around say, 11:30am or so (?? can't remember exact time), it rained on my wife and I for about an hour from about 2/3rd of the way up the switchbacks from Portal to around Lone Pine Lake.

Started out as hail for about a minute, then quickly switched to rain, and not a light rain either. We were both wearing shorts as it had been quite warm below. With the wind, however, it got cold pretty quick. My wife put on her rain gear top and bottom and her fleece gloves; I just put on my "uppers". Eventually, however, my hands got pretty numb and I put on my rain pants and gloves also. We both put on our "turtle fur" hats.

After LPL, the rain stopped and it got pretty mild again.

Folks coming down had reported rain, hail, snow hitting them at Trail Camp and above the previous day.

Next few days had weather come in in the afternoon which looked really threatening, but then eventually cleared up.

Very light drizzle again on switchbacks below LPL on Saturday.

Your call which/whether or not to buy raingear. I would unless you enjoy being wet. My wife found me some light, compact Halley Hansen (sp?) rainpants at Marshalls for about $10. So, you don't have to spend megabucks. However, sounds like you may be short on time, so may not have the luxury of finding bargains.

Good luck!

Unless you plan to do a lot of wet weather hiking from here on, save your money. With the way most cheapo rainpants work, your legs are better off bare. You don't lose much body heat through your legs, and if you keep your head and torso warm and dry, using a good parka or poncho, you'll be fine on Whitney in summer.

Most of the fancy stuff is overkill; designed for extreme cold and wind, as off-season or winter. You want to stay away from slow-drying garments, like cotton shorts or jeans. Invest in nylon or polyester hiking shorts that dry quickly or don't absorb much water. You also stay warm, moving.

Until the big tropical disturbances start coming in, the storms usually don't last very long, and you can dry off in the evening. But if you have lots of cash to spend, you can get good rainwear for your legs for better than your $100. Be sure it's high quality, breathable water resistant material for that much, though.

First off don't spend $100 for pants at REI, look around the net discounters. I'm pretty sure you will find something for about half of that. I paid less than half retail on my lightweight rain pants.

I'm in yes carry them corner but I'm a primarily a backpacker and I own them. If you don't see further utility in them it's a lot of $$$ for not much utility.

If you don't carry them must realize your margin of error has been cut a bit and must adjust your plan accordingly.

Bill

Kim
Go to www.northernmountain.com and look at the drop down box above their logo. It says "Killer Deals: Save 69% on Rainwear". They have a Sierra Design womens backpacker rainwear set for $30. This is a basic rain suit and is not breathable but will keep you dry.

I use rain pants and suit I bought for a dollar at the dollar store. I've used it several times and it worked just fine. I would say you'd be crazy to pay $100 when $1 would suffice.

Wearing synthetic clothing and avoiding cotton makes a world of a difference too.

I'm a firm believer that you don't have to spend hundreds of dollars to have adequate backpacking equiment. Garage sales, ebay, innovation, and just plain being smart can save you a lot of money.

Kim,

Also be aware that temperatures drop during a shower/thunderstorm. Air temp immediately after a storm will be the lowest and this is when you are likely to experience chilling. This is especially true if your clothing and skin are wet/damp.

Some products offer good ventilation but lets be realistic here. When you put on raingear, it's another layer of clothing and we all know what layering accomplishes. The key is to keep the upper body and main trunk dry and warm to minimize effects of and potential for hypothermia.

Personally I have used both a quality raingear product and a $5 parka. I have come to prefer the parka because it is easy on and easy off, provides far greater ventilation and it covers 2/3 of me. It doesn't save the botts and socks but if the rain gets really heavy, I find a spot along the trail to stop, squat, and let it pass over. I also always carry an extra pair of dry socks

Check out

http://www.rainshield.com

i wish i started asking about rain gear sooner. i never thought of getting something off the web. it's too late to do that, now. called several stores here in phx and found nothing else. we might just wing it. not sure, yet. i'm planning on leaving early for this reason, too. rain or no rain, don't want to be up there with lightening either!

Kim - I wouldn't worry too much. I've climbed several 14'ers and don't own a pair. I, do, however carry a pair of lightweight fleece pants. If it rains, and I get chilled, I pull on the fleece pants under my nylon hikers. If you really want to be sure, pick up a pair of the non-breathable ones from Target or Walmart. No, they aren't the ideal, but they will keep you warm for the duration of the storm. Do, however, make sure you invest in a good shell to keep your upper body warm. That is important. And like already mentioned - carry extra socks with you. Besides, there is nothing better than a fresh pair of socks at the peak!

I've used Sierra Design rain pants (about $20 at most outdoor outfitters) with great success. No need to spend $100.

For Whitney I'd recommend you go for $1.00 emer. plastic parka at Walmart or Target. It's only few ounces and it'll work quite well to keep you dry , just don't forget extra socks.

My knock against rain pants is that, if I'm hiking as opposed to sitting still, I end up just as wet from the inside out (perspiration) as I would have from the rain. We just tried to get up to Kings Peak in Utah during some rainy weather (wearing rain pants), and by the time we got to camp, my legs were soaked anyway.

I concur with lightweight fleece under nylon shell pants...I have several pairs of lightweight nylon pants, both full-leg and zipoff, and those dry so quickly that it's almost a non-issue.

I also concur that you need a good waterproof shell on your upper body...in moderate weather, your legs will take care of themselves. If it's close to freezing, that's another matter entirely...

well, no time for pants, now. called 2 dollar stores, mervins, marshalls, walmart didn't have them, and at target and the army store, i couldn't open the bag to see what the pants were like to know which size i should get. i also thought about the perspiration factor. the main reason i wanted them was if something happened and we weren't able to walk out and got stuck in the rain-that's how u get hypothermia. we both own $100 marmot precip rainjackets. unless i see something in lone pine, we'll just go as we are, i suppose. i wondered even if the whitney store sells things like that.

Bob - interesting you should say that. In SAR, we always carry 2 black plastic garbage bags. They serve so many useful purposes. You've described one. They also serve as emergency shelter, or if you stuff 'em with leaves, a way to get yourself off the cold ground and conserve energy if you're stuck overnight somewhere. I'll have my two garbage bags tucked into my pack for my attempt on Whitney.

I usually wear some nylon thin shell pants over my water wicking underwear. They work great in the summer and since they always get trashed I don't mind tossing them afterwards. For $10 -$15 they are usually warm enough, and dispensible after a few trips.