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Thread: Hiking in rainy weather

  1. #1

    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Location
    Ann Arbor, MI USA
    Posts
    219

    Hiking in rainy weather

    Based on discussions in this forum and other sources, I use a reel case and Kelty Redwing for hiking. It works fine, but I don't think it provides good protection against rain. I leave unwieldy LF behind when the sky looks ugly, but there have been occasions where the condition turned out to be very "shootable." Only if I could be sure my gear is protected... I thought about improvising an "AW cover" with water-proof fabric, or a poncho-type rain wear that also covers the pack.

    How do seasoned hikers prepare for the prospect of wet weather? I do only day-hikes now, but would also like to try overnighters sometime.

  2. #2

    Re: Hiking in rainy weather

    At the shop I bought my hiking pack from, they sold sold waterproof covers for packs of different sizes. It's like a big waterproof bag with drawstrings on the bottom, pull it over, pull it shut, keep your gear dry and save a few hundred dollars (over buying a waterproof pack).

  3. #3
    Abuser of God's Sunlight
    Join Date
    Aug 2004
    Location
    brooklyn, nyc
    Posts
    5,796

    Re: Hiking in rainy weather

    i think it's often simpler to have a smaller waterproof bag (like a seam-sealed stuff sack or a garbage bag) for any pieces of gear that can't get wet. this goes inside your pack, of course. it would work if you have on e of those removeable inserts for your camera stuff ... just pop it out, slip into the plastic bag, and pop it back in.

    i keep a garbage bag inside my regular over-the-shoulder camera bag all the time, just in case the sky opens up.
    Last edited by paulr; 20-May-2006 at 14:31.

  4. #4
    Mike Lewis
    Join Date
    Nov 2003
    Location
    Florida Panhandle
    Posts
    83

    Re: Hiking in rainy weather

    A few months ago I was in the Hoh Rain Forest at Olympic National Park where it was (you guessed it) raining. Not a hard, driving rain but the intermittent drippy kind. I also use a Kelty Redwing pack and a reel case for my lenses. On this occasion I brought along a couple of trash bags. I draped one across my camera when I had it set up and rain was drizzling, waiting until the drizzle let up to take the shot. When the rain got too heavy to take photos, I folded up the camera on its tripod, put one bag over it, and put the other bag over the top of the backpack. This worked out okay.

    The only problem I had was with film. I use Quickloads, and I think some got wet. Three exposures of Fuji Acros had stains on them after processing, but none of the Provia sheets did. When I asked, the folks who developed my film told me that getting the film wet could cause this. Hmm. I suspected a problem with development but I dunno. Next time I'll put my Quickloads in a large ziplock bag, just in case. Otherwise I'd use the same system again in a light rain.

    A funny note: the Hoh Rain Forest is the wettest place in the contiguous 48 states, with 120+ inches of rain a year. Its visitors center has waterless urinals in order to save water. Heh.

  5. #5

    Join Date
    Apr 2006
    Location
    Hell's Kitchen, New York
    Posts
    525

    Re: Hiking in rainy weather

    Most of the folks I know use a heavy plastic bag inside their rucksack, renewing it when it gets worn. Some people use contractor's rubble bags, some use plastic bivvy bags with the top folded down and some use old fertiliser bags.

    Best,
    Helen

  6. #6

    Join Date
    Sep 2004
    Posts
    103

    Re: Hiking in rainy weather

    Quote Originally Posted by fredthetree
    At the shop I bought my hiking pack from, they sold sold waterproof covers for packs of different sizes. It's like a big waterproof bag with drawstrings on the bottom, pull it over, pull it shut, keep your gear dry and save a few hundred dollars (over buying a waterproof pack).
    My Mountainsmith pack has a rain cover built in; but if it didn't, I like Fred's solution best.

  7. #7

    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Location
    Ann Arbor, MI USA
    Posts
    219

    Re: Hiking in rainy weather

    I should have thought of ready-made rain covers. Found them on REI.com and will check them out along with other goodies. Garbage bags would also be handy for the photo gear and other stuff. Thanks everyone for the advice.

    I'm still uncomfortable about shooting in the rain. Past threads suggest it's not a problem IF you dry the gear afterwards, but I'm afraid a drop of water that remains in the shutter could do quite a bit of damage. Is there a model procedure to make sure?

  8. #8

    Join Date
    Dec 2001
    Location
    San Joaquin Valley, California
    Posts
    9,599

    Re: Hiking in rainy weather

    A black shower curtain is always a handy item to have along in rainy weather!
    "I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority"---EB White

  9. #9

    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Posts
    2,955

    Re: Hiking in rainy weather

    My raincover is permanently in the side pocket of my Kelty Coyote. If rain is threatening I also bring a small folding umbrella and a shower curtain that I have modified by cutting a filter size hole near the center. The hole slides over the lens and is held in place by an elastic, a uv filter over the lens is wiped just before making the exposure. The front bottom curtain ends are tied to the tripod legs with shoelaces. The camera is set-up under the curtain, so in a light rain it is feasable. Great for waiting for after-storm light.

  10. #10

    Re: Hiking in rainy weather

    Persistent rain can be challenging to work in. I worked in a steady rain with extended downpours last autumn in the northeast because, well, it was worth it. But, even with all of my precautions, my pack and some gear came away sodden (even more so than on a trip to the Hawaiian coast).

    The hardest part was keeping the pack dry, even with its rain cover while I was photographing. I didn't anticipate the capillary action of the water, which seeped in around the edges and saturated the pack. Rather than a trash can liner, a 6' suare sheet of visqueen might have worked well to cover it all. For photographing, I used a golf umbrella and my waterproof focusing cloth to keep the gear dry. Between the umbrella and a flarebuster used as a shield from falling drops, I was able to keep drips off the front lens element, but the damp air still seemed to envelope everything I was carrying.

    I holed up in a hotel for a night to give everything a chance to dry out, helping things along with a variety of techniques. I bought a big bag of rice, a box of 2 quart ziplocks, a dozen pairs of cotton socks, some towels and the local newspaper.

    I emptied everything out of the pack and stuffed it with newspaper (and did the same for my soaked boots).

    I then wiped the lens board and exterior of each lens with the towel before placing each in a ziplock with a sock filled with rice to act as a dessicant.

    Worked like a charm and I was back in business the next day. Just for good measure, I kept the lenses stored in the ziplocks with the rice-filled socks for another week.

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