Touring - touring rain gear

I'll be touring in Denmark in a few weeks, where there is the possibility of serious rain and wind (though I hope not). Last year, riding in France, I ended up doing 60km in a driving rain wearing shorts and a pretty big (non-cycling) goretex jacket. The goretex held up pretty well, but it was hot and it grabbed the wind. My shorts were soaked, which was okay. My shoes were too, which was not okay.

To prepare better for rain-soaked days, I am thinking of getting a real cycling rain jacket and some kind of overshoe. I've read very good things about the Showers Pass Elite jacket. It sounds perfect, but it's pricey. Showers Pass has a much cheaper jacket, the Club. They also sell waterproof overshoes.

We'll be riding about 50-60 miles a day.

Has anyone had experience with the various Showers Pass jackets/overshoes, or have other recommendations?
thanks

I would look into various capes and chaps.

I found a pair of chaps (rainlegs) and ordered them, though they seem less crucial than the jacket and the overshoes.

I'd second cape/chaps (or gaters, as we call them here), the type that reach upto under your knees - plenty of air circlation, which is good. Youcan get both from Decathlon, cheap and effective.

A few years ago I bought a "water-resistant" shell. As it happened, it started to rain -- hard -- as I rode home from the store, so I put it on. Within minute, I was soaked to the skin.

I have worn it since during drizzles, and it's been OK. But in anything more intense, it is worthless!

I posted (http://bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=292431)a little while back my experience commuting in a rain cape. As I said in that thread, that particular cape doesn't have optimal thumb hooks, and I assume all capes will not be aerodynamic. However, it certainly kept me dry (including shoes) and was a lot less sweaty than rain pants.

I'm a little shy about getting a cape. I know it will keep me pretty dry, and it's cheap, but Denmark is very windy, and we'll be riding the coast, and I don't really want to become a parasail. That's why a jacket appeals.

One jacket I'm interested in comes from Rainshield http://www.rainshield.com/p_cycling.html I've tried on their cheapest model, which felt a little too frail, but their pricier jackets look nice.

I'm surprised nobody's suggested wearing those Shimano sandals. That's gotta be the perfect footwear for warm and wet riding.

One jacket I'm interested in comes from Rainshield http://www.rainshield.com/p_cycling.html I've tried on their cheapest model, which felt a little too frail, but their pricier jackets look nice. I'm surprised nobody's suggested wearing those Shimano sandals. That's gotta be the perfect footwear for warm and wet riding.
I had one of the rainshield hoodless jackets in size xl. It fit tight in shoulders/chest area, and leaked during the one rainstorm I tested it in. I got rid of it.

Shimano sandals do work well in rain - very comfortable. They flex a lot for a cycling shoe - you lose >1.0 mph wearing them vs a rigid bike shoe. Also they're heavy compared to even mtb shoes.


I found a pair of chaps (rainlegs) and ordered them, though they seem less crucial than the jacket and the overshoes. I've thought about getting those (or making some) - the one area of my body I want to keep dry is the skin supporting my weight on the saddle. The fact that Rainlegs cover only leg tops means they'll breathe better than rain pants (which are universally terrible for breathability - pants don't have any ventilation zippers like most rain jackets). I consider a jacket less critical, unless its cold. I haven't found a jacket yet that doesn't leave you nearly as wet from perspiration as the rain itself.

I'm adding a waist strap, thumb loops and scotchlite strip to a silnylon backpacking poncho I have - making my own rain cape that will do dual duty (on/off bike rain wear) and be light weight.

Showers Pass Elite (http://showerspass.com/cart/product_info.php?cPath=21_25&products_id=59&osCsid=dc14afa191f04ff61a017548beecc88b)

Spinnaker--have you, or has anyone here, had any experience with this jacket? From what I've read, it really seems to work, but does it?

I would not have recommended it if I did not own one. :)

It is an excellent jacket!

My girl just recently bought a new jacket. Because we mountaineer as well, it needed to be a good enough mix for both. I prefer gortex XCR material by far over eVent ( although eVent is good ). Its stronger for mountaineering, and as its outer layer is DWR treated, doesnt absorb any water. Also pretty breathable, i dont like getting sweaty. For brands, it doesnt matter, any XCR jacket will be expensive and should do the job.

For special cycling, well ya got me, i wasnt after specific at the time.

XCR is also sometimes lighter or as light as Pac-Lites, dont be fooled by the name always!

Jackets we got:
North Face - universal stretch
Arc´terix - Beta AR ( womans )


Edit ... Another point about mountaineering style jackets, ang just pointed out. Some (ours) are big enough for climbing helmets, so should be good for bike helmets too.. They also are fitted well enough, with good draws against storm level winds, so that wouldnt be a problem.

If you get one that is large enough, you can do what i used to do, pull the bottom of the waterproof below your seat, stops your ass gettin wet.

At one time or another I've had GoreTex everything from my top of my head to my feet. I've also had a number of different water-resistent fabrics. The fact is - I've never found one that is perfect for complete dryness when cycling. The problem is that you are still pumping out a lot of moisture from your bodyif you are cycling - and if the air around you has a 100% humidity level, there ain't much place for it to go - despite claims of breathable fabric. That said - my jackets have been in the couple of hundred$ range - not a couple of thousand$. Maybe the super expensive ones can do that - but they still face that fundamental issues of physics - - how do you transport moisture into a medium that is already saturated?

For me - long, steady rain is an excuse to stop. I get no fun outta having cold, wet feet, a cold, wet butt - and more dangerously - a cold, wet torso. Hypothermia is not to be laughed at. For me the rain gear is about staying as dry as possible when rain comes up a bit too quickly or unexpectedly. If anywhere near civilization - I look for a nice warm cafe or library. If in the boonies, I may hang out in a dense grove of trees - or pitch my tent for the night.

+1 jama.. its not to be laughed at.

About your opinions on it, id agree about the physics of it. The new XCR types do rock though, but 500 euros for a jacket is a lot.

Though.. if its warm and wet, well.. id go without waterproofs a lot of the time. Reason being is: Ive seen a lot of ppl get caught in the rain, put on waterproofs already a bit wet, they tend to stay wet. It stops raining, they got to stop again , take of the gear, slightly wet, slightly sweaty. On the other hand, ive got soaked, dried in, and never needed to stop.

Id only advice that if you know you will always stay warm. Again, hiking advice, may not be suitable for cyclists, i dont know how a wet ass rubbing for 3 hours may effect you...

This is all good info. Given the way we've arranged our trip, we may not have much choice but to push on in the rain, which is why I want to be as well protected as possible. I did notice a cycling poncho that has a waist strap and thumb holds, so that's an option, too.

You can never stay completely dry. What's really important is staying warm. I've gone a few times with just a wind breaker and a thin fleece and stayed warm. Good raingear keeps you from being soaked through. Don't wear too much under "breathable" raingear or you'll sweat even more and your sweat might cool off before getting to the membrane and it'll stay inside as water. Change when stopping because you'll get cold fast.

As for specific product, I use a cheapo-deluxe local store house brand jacket. The vents are pretty good. For shoe covers, I use MEC's (here (http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524442618318&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302692723&bmUID=1180140613673)). I've had to cut a bit under for the cleats. I never wear rainpants so a little water makes its way from the top but it's a lot better than soaked through shoes.

I did notice a cycling poncho that has a waist strap and thumb holds, so that's an option, too.

Sounds like a cape :) Which one is it?

Cuffy, I have the Showers Pass Club and have ridden as long as eight hours in the rain with it. It works decently, but you can overheat and end up getting pretty sweaty. Someday, I will upgrade to the Elite, which is reportedly both more waterproof and more breathable. It won't keep you absolutely dry in prolonged rain either, but on the two long rainy brevets I rode this year, it seemed like every other person was wearing a Showers Pass Elite jacket.

Two years ago I cycled Norway and had some of the rainiest days I have ever encountered on a bicycle.
I didn't stay perfectly dry, that would have been impossible, but I stayed dry enough.

I have a Sierra Designs Gore Tex jacket, its actually a mountaineering type jacket, but it worked well. I had a MEC helmet cover, some old cycling chaps, that worked adequately but were rather baggy around the ankles and kept getting mixed up in the chain - I tied them up with accessory strpas but I was forced to throw them out after the trip.

My long cycling pants were Schoeller hiking pants which repel enough water for showers and are wind resistant. When it really poured -and it did -I put the rain chaps on over them.

Gore Tex socks, worn over my regular socks were a foot saver. They really worked for me, but I know some people don't like them.

Neoprene cycling gloves from MEC complete the ensemble.

I have used cycling capes in the past, and found them adequate, but they haven't worked for me in the case of really torrential rain. I have since bought some waterproof/breathable rainpants to replace my chaps, haven't needed hem cycling, but they worked well hiking in Chile.

The MEC shoe covers Erick linked are very good. I have their Serratus predecessor and recommend them highly. I am also a fan of the MEC helmet cover with the neoprene brim and drip tail.

This is all very good information. The cape I saw was by an Oregon bike clothing company called J+G: http://www.bicycleclothing.com/Rain-Capes.html

This is all very good information. The cape I saw was by an Oregon bike clothing company called J+G: http://www.bicycleclothing.com/Rain-Capes.html

That's the very one I have: see post #6 and this thread (http://bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=292431)for my review.

Bottom line: it really kept me dry, even my shoes, and I hardly sweated, but the thumb loops have too much slack, and like any cape, it's not aerodynamic.

I had a new experience in the last couple weeks. I have always said, rain would not be so bad, if only they were not cold, cold rains like one experiences in California. It only rains when it's cold.
But, last week, i experienced briefly cycling in a warmer rain. It was not so bad . I still hate having to take take a tooth brush to my gears to get the gunk out. So, in a warm rain, you almost don't need anything. Just go as is.
Cold rains. I have a set of thermal, rain proof tights and rain jacket. Tights seem more rain resistant than rain pants. Plus, they breath better.

get a 'gore-tex' (or equal) suit, including removable hood and air vents. gore-sweat is not perfect, not air-conditioned, but is a product i have used to ride in all temps, seasons, and rains (first suit 1982). i just found a non-insulated shoe cover from campmor to keep the shoes "dry" as well.
good luck!

There's a good thread of this in commuting, do a search there

Keeping hands and feet warm is harder than keeping torso warm.

Feet - shoe covers or waterproof shoes/boots; water can still get in at the ankle, gaiters that cover the top of the shoe work well

Hands - I find this hardest - seem to get soaked in sweat no matter what. Best compromise so far is windproof (non-waterproof) gloves, but still get cold in the wind/on downhills - maybe ski-type gloves are better, but they're just too hot most of the time.

Legs - not really needed unless its cold as well as wet; in wet wind rain pants and leggings/long pants are nice, though.

Torso - most seem to agree that a waterproof-breathable jacket with lots of zips/vents is best; some like capes (I don't). I don't particularly like goretex, it dosen't breathe to any appreciable degree when cycling in the rain, also quite heavy and bulky. Would be good in the cold, though. My current favourite is made of Epic and has vents. The Showers Pass jacket also gets good reviews.

I just saw the campmor booties, too. They look like they're not going to be as dry as the ones from MEC, but they're cheaper, so that's a consideration. I also just found a place that has the old model of the Showers Pass Elite for $60 less than the new model, so I'm leaning that way. Either that, or sticking with my current Goretex jacket, which I mostly use for hiking, and which is big to accommodate lots of layers. (When I used it on our trip last year it did feel a bit like a kite and was pretty hot. But it's a good jacket. On that trip it only rained (torrentially) the last day, so it didn't really matter that everything got soaked. This time we'll be carrying very little, and if we get soaked on day one it could be a problem, so all these suggestions are very welcome. Thanks.

At one time or another I've had GoreTex everything from my top of my head to my feet. I've also had a number of different water-resistent fabrics. The fact is - I've never found one that is perfect for complete dryness when cycling. The problem is that you are still pumping out a lot of moisture from your bodyif you are cycling - and if the air around you has a 100% humidity level, there ain't much place for it to go - despite claims of breathable fabric. That said - my jackets have been in the couple of hundred$ range - not a couple of thousand$. Maybe the super expensive ones can do that - but they still face that fundamental issues of physics - - how do you transport moisture into a medium that is already saturated?


The bike specific rain gear like the Burley and Showerpass stuff does not just rely on the material for ventilation. They have back vents and big zip pits that probably carry most of the load. I use my Burley rain coat as a outer layer wind breaker from mid fall to mid spring when the temperature is below 50 to 55 deg.

One other question: is it worth even trying to keep your hands dry when it's raining and, say, between 55 and 60 degrees? Is it possible?

Spinnaker--have you, or has anyone here, had any experience with this jacket? From what I've read, it really seems to work, but does it?

I've used Showers Pass Elite 2.0 most of the winter on the rainy west coast. To be blunt - it works. The zips, the fabric, the vents the cut...it's all effective and did better than any other jacket I've tried (this is my 3rd cycle-specific jacket).

Highly recommended.

are any of you familiar with the Trek UK Commuter rain jacket? I'm sure it's not as good as some of these outdoor gear brands with the rain protection, but the fit of the jacket is totally designed for riding a bicycle. I just picked one up over the weekend but have not had much of a chance to get to use it. It's supposed to rain here in Chicago today, so if it does, I'll give you an opinion on it.

I've used a "water resistant" jacket before and was drenched. Now I have a gore-tex jacket. It works great. I bought the rain pants from J&G but they are definitely NOT breathable. My legs are drenched by the time I get to work. I have to turn the pants inside out to dry them out once I get to where I'm going.

After reading various recommendations, I ended up getting a Showers Pass Elite jacket and a pair of Rain Legs chaps. I have a cheap, unbreathable pair of rainpants if it gets miserable, but I'm hoping not to have to take them out of the panniers. I'm still waffling about rain booties. My theory here is that if I'm prepared (and my bank account is significantly less solvent because of it), it will be sunny every day!

After reading various recommendations, I ended up getting a Showers Pass Elite jacket and a pair of Rain Legs chaps. I have a cheap, unbreathable pair of rainpants if it gets miserable, but I'm hoping not to have to take them out of the panniers. I'm still waffling about rain booties. My theory here is that if I'm prepared (and my bank account is significantly less solvent because of it), it will be sunny every day!