Over 6 Years of Fun in Wet Clothes

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209.237.238.174 crawl24-public.alexa.com ia_archiver Function: Outer clothing layer designed to get wet.

Purpose: Versatile clothing that can cope with frequent soakings. Good as windcheater.

It's amazing how many people wear Anoraks. If you go to the right places you can suddenly see legions of them. They are popular for warmth and personal comfort. Jackets have a full length zip, Anoraks have a short zip opening or none at all, the latter are also called Cagoule.

For your next swim you may want to wear a rain jacket or a light nylon overall for extra comfort and fun. It stops the windchill when you're hopping in and out of the water all the time. In warmer climates a breathable Pertex suit keeps various beasties off you when swimming. It dries very quickly and thus makes a nice amphibian outfit.

Very good for swimming training are Lifesaving and Canoeing Anoraks. Being quite robust, they offer a good resistance workout without risk of injury. They also provide some bouyancy when air gets trapped inside. Pull-it-on-and-go simplicity.

From the kids' swimming practice to fun on the beach, you need something light and simple to handle uncertain weather. And a Nylon Anorak is perfect for the job. The zip placket is deep enough for easy on and off. You get a hood, snug elastic cuffs, and a large pouch pocket in front. The mesh lining inside is comfortable next to your skin and helps the air circulate. Sized to fit over a light layer.

History of the Anorak

Traditional Cotton Anorak

In the 17th Century, Anne of the Rack decided to make a coat with a convenient hood on it, that kept out the rain. Naturally she was accused of witchcraft from not getting her hair wet, and thus she was sentenced to death.

She narrowly escaped the executioner's blade when he chopped her hood off instead of her head. Then she escaped from the big castle by using the hood as a parachute.

After many years in hiding she opened a shop in the woods to show others her wonderous creation, and thus the Ann-o-rak was born. If you believe this, you probably believe anything.

Practical Considerations

I haven't thru-hiked, so take what I say with that in mind.

First, whatever the material, I have a strong preference for jacket/parka style rain gear over anorak style raingear. I've had both, and found the jacket/parka style (with the full length zipper) to be easier to put on (especially in a tent) and easier to vent.

Second, look at the weight. A lot of people on this list seem to end up with a light coated nylon jacket for the warmer months. The argument usually goes something like:

(1) If it is warm and raining, just get wet.

(2) If it is cold and raining, wear the jacket. You'll get wet from the sweat, but you'll be warm.

(3) In warm weather, GoreTex can't keep up, so why carry the extra weight.

(4) In any case, carry some dry clothes for camp.

The key "paradigm shift" is that the purpose of the raingear is to keep you warm, not dry.

The above is what I currently do for three season hiking. People have used ponchos too, but they don't work as well in windy, cold, wet, weather... which is exactly when hypothermia can sneek up on you. If you want to use a poncho, then my personal advice is consider how you will stay warm when you are walking along a ridgeline, the temperature drops 40 degrees, the wind kicks up, and it starts raining. People have solutions for that scenario, but it bears thinking about.

The case for GoreTex seems to be better in really cold weather. I use my GoreTex jacket for winter trips, though I don't know if I do that because it makes sense, or because the jacket feels "rugged" and "safe". I could carry a coated nylon jacket AND a windbreaker for about the same weight as my GoreTex jacket.

One trick I have used (I even learned it (second hand) from an AT thru-hiker) is turning a jacket into a vest by hiking with your arms sticking out of the pit-zips. It worked.

I've been hiking with a plain old $14 uninsulated nylon anorak-style wind shell from Wal-Mart all the fall and winter, changing my insulation layer for the change in temperature. It works fine.

For Christmas, Santa brought me a very expensive, LL Bean Anorak made from Gore-something, with pit zips, back and arm ventilation, adjustable hood, multiple drawstring, velcro/xip closure, really nice stuff.

I don't know if I want to keep it.

No, I'm not willing to give it to you, but I am looking for opinions.

When I went to Beans today, I saw them for $110. I saw some nice suplex nylox without pit zips or ventilation for $49. I still have my noisy-nylon Wal-Mart shell for $14.

Is the fancy shell worth the money? Will I really want the pit zips that much? Will all that extra bell-and-whistle stuff just break on the trail?