Touring - Lots of rain?

Im wondering how you seasoned tourists here deal with rain. . For example, say youre riding along and it starts to look grey and then 15 minutes later its really coming down. . for hours. How would you have dealt with this situation and what do you bring to deal with rain? Does anyone here bring a cover for the bike so for those without notice storms, you can cover everything up??

Full rain gear + bike cover or just a poncho and an "F-it" attitude?

thanks for all advise and opinions on the topic, I will be off in a week!

~Steve

Depends on a number of other factors really...

1. How long have I been riding that day + am I having a good day, mediocre day or 100% crapola day (gear related, attitude, mental, physical, heat, cold, etc... any of those).

2. How far into the days ride does it happen.

3. Am I solo or with others.

Generally speaking though... I would pedal on as long as I wasn't putting myself into danger with vehicles being able to spot me.

As for my gear... I have covers for panniers so no problem there. For my cycle, why would I need a cover? Last I checked it's made from steel, aluminum, rubber and other materials... none of which can get water logged. Now my Brooks saddle... that gets covered when I'm off the bike. Either a deli-bag or showercap, or rubberized swimmers cap are my answers to that problem.

After the rain ends I "may' wipe down my cycle but more than likely I'd let it "air-dry" :o

I had two days of non-stop, freezing rain on the Gordon River Road in Tasmania back in January. I wore the rain gear, but when it comes down like that, staying dry just isn't going to happen. I broke a chain, too, but that's another rant. At the end of the second day, I spurged and stayed in the pub at National Park (yes, that is the name of a town).

The best thing to do is keep pedalling. That helps to keep you warm in such situations. I've given up on the idea of pannier covers because I'm yet to find one that works. I did, however, have all of my things in heavy duty "waterproof" camping bags inside the panniers, and that seemed to do the job.

If it's not too cold I'm a big fan of the buffalo pertex/pile clothing - they are windproof and designed to be warm when wet. One of these on top and some regular cycling shorts keeps you more than warm enough in bad rain. I wear this top:

http://www.buffalosystems.co.uk/dp3.htm

But they also do slighly lighter bike specific ones as well. I remember touring in skye with friends who decided to don their full waterproofs, after a short while I was soaked by the rain but they were soaked by sweat and guess who dried out faster and smelled better ;-) The problem comes when you stop generating heat (stop cycling) and this is when a waterproof jacket is useful to pull over the top - it needn't be breathable but a hood is nice.

One slightly unpleasant aspect of wet weather cycling/mountaineering is that you often have to put wet clothing on in the morning but it is far better to do this than let stuff stew in a bag. You can wring most of the water out of a buffalo top in the morning to make it not too bad and you warm up quickly. Come to think of it, rain cuts down the number of times you need to do laundry - small victories my friends, but victories non the less....

So far I've avoided long distances in the rain when the temperature has been below 5ºC but I imagine my only change would be either some buffalo trousers or mountaineering stretchy fleece tights with some cycling underwear. Your skin is waterproof - you will survive!

Oh, and get the ortlieb roll top panniers - if the weather is really bad you can just fill some with air to use as floatation bags so your bike doesn't sink - they are that good.

The internet is great for getting accurate weather forcasts. I usually try for official government weather such as Environment Canada or MET. I plan accordingly. Short distances in heavy rain is best. I wouldn't travel on a heavily used road and similar safety issues.

As for what to wear, it depends on the time of year. In the winter in Canada, I wear Gortex outer clothing with wicking underwear and a layer or two of fleece. In the summer when it's 30 C I might just wear a pair of shorts and carry dry clothes for later.
It gets very humid in southern Ontario in the summer, so wearing waterproof clothing means you'll get soaked in your own sweat.

Thanks for the responses all!
I think I will get a rain jacket (minimal) with hood, and of course pack all my stuff in waterproof bags..

~Steve

Im wondering how you seasoned tourists here deal with rain. . .
~Steve

All rain is not created equal. To deal with some of your issues.

(1) It begins to sprinkle a bit..when should i put my rain gear on? Too soon/too late? hmm..well...my rule of thumb is if oncoming cars have their wipers on, its bad enough ahead to put the rain gear on.

(2) I don't use gore-tex..ever. Waterproof but breathable fabrics have their place, perhaps; but I have never seen an unbiased study by an orgnaization what wasn't beholden to the garment industry for the funding. Sweating is not an issue of breathability. You could be riding buck-ass naked in alot of places and still have sweat run off you.

(3) I carry a water resistant windbreaker for when the rain is light, warm, or both. DOn't look for BRANDS..look for features. First, make sure it both ZIPS up (if the weather is chilly and or the rain becomes heavy) and SNAPS up (if the rain lightens or the weather is warm). In the latter case you can get breezes thru which will help somewhat to wick away body heat and sweat. Second: make sure it has an attached tuck-in hood that you can put on, even under your helmet..then rain doesn't pour down your back of your neck [although the sweat might :( ] Third, make sure it has velcro or snaps around the wrists, not elastic. Then you have the choice of loose wrist straps which allow air to funnel up into the garment and again, perhaps, keep ya a bit cooler thru wicking action. My jacket cost about $20.

(3) I carry a waterproof windbreaker for when the weather is really cold or the rain really heavy. I do find--despite my earlier comment about Brand Names--that Columbia (or is it Colombia) rain gear has all the features I mentioned above as being important. I might add...buy the largest jacket you feel comfortable with. The baggyness adds airiness, and you can prevent any billowing or annoying bulk by using the strings and ties that most garments have. My jacket cost me about $45.

(4) under all this I usually wear a pair of bib-shorts on rainy days. I find the bib keeps my jersey comfortable and snug, and i don't feel as clammy with it. On my world tour I had a pair of long tights with a bib; when I had those on I could ride in the rain for days--as I did for several occasions, including hurricane mitch in 1998--without hardly any problem.

(5) rain is not the worst. The worst is wind driven wet snow. When the snow melts on you--as it does instantly--it absorbs far more body heat (phase change for you chemists out there, right?) then merely cold rain does. Under these conditions it is absolutely essential that your remain nice and warm and cozy. I hope you are going uphill at a time like this. Its the only time I thought I might want gore-tex, but I found that a nice wool sweater or jersey kept me just as comfortable as I could expect to be.

Enjoy your tour..and I sure hope some of this helps.

roughstuff

I vote for freezing rain as the worst.
I use a Buffalo-alike pile and pertex jacket (by Mardale) for cold winter riding and it works well. For less cold weather, Ive been using a Paramo jacket. Its far more breathable than my old Goretex, and keeps you drier and more comfortable, dries quickly but doesnt pack down small. Older Goretex can take hours to dry once the beading treatment wears off.
I like pertex overtrousers for cold rain, they are not waterproof, but do keep you comfortable when worn over decent leggings.
Feet are the biggest problem. the choices are:
neoprene booties
goretex socks
plastic bags between 2 socks
shoes which don't leak water to start with.

As for when you put the stuff on, thats always a gamble. Often just as ive put the stuff on, the rain stops.

Oh, and get the ortlieb roll top panniers - if the weather is really bad you can just fill some with air to use as floatation bags so your bike doesn't sink - they are that good.

Oh...and DON"T get Ortlieb roll top panniers. Once your stuff gets wet even on subsequent sunny days your stuff won't dry out thrue the waterproof plastic. For that matter the moisture of your wet clothes will get your dry clothes all rotted out as well--they are THAT bad! ;)

roughstuff

I vote for freezing rain as the worst.

I've dealt with that -- it's bad, but not the worst thing I've seen. That honour goes to a dust storm I rode through in 2002. At least you can breathe in freezing rain.

I don't mind getting wet, as long as my sleeping-bag stays dry... When I toured in Scotland we had some rain every day. I had a light fairly waterproof jacket that I used (mostly to protect me from wind because I still got wet from my sweat anyway). As for the rest, wearing shorts (especially cycling shorts) is better than long pants because I found that skin dries off faster than any fabric, and the cycling shorts dry off pretty fast, too. But again, the most important thing is to keep my sleeping-bag dry...

But again, the most important thing is to keep my sleeping-bag dry...

I think much of that depends what your sleeping bag is made from. As someone who has camped in the rain quite a bit, I favour synthetic fast-drying fabrics, which also tend to hold their warmth reasonably well when they get wet. Even if you keep a sleeping bag dry, it's important to remember that if you or your clothes wet when you climb into it, it's going to get wet pretty quickly.

On my recent two week tour (work in progress journal here (http://kodama.crazyguyonabike.com)) here in the PNW it rained probably 2/3s of the time. Persistent drizzle to pretty heavy spring downpour. I had Arkel Panniers with the covers. The covers worked brilliantly, I would vouch for them in all but perhaps a tropical storm, and maybe even then. In my mind day after day of rain, where you are opening stuff up, packing and unpacking is much more of a test then a sudden downpour. I also used a down sleeping bag, and it did not even get damp. I kept everything inside the panniers in waterproof stuff sacks and/or zip lock bags. There is some mindfulness required, but for me at least that is a big part of the touring experience -- you never have to rush anything.

Thanks for the responses all!
I think I will get a rain jacket (minimal) with hood, and of course pack all my stuff in waterproof bags..

~Steve

Hello,

First time on the forum, great to read everybody's comments. Back to the rain I found one of the most important piece of kit has to be a cap with a peak, this will keep the rain out of your eyes and you on the staright & narrow

Regards
joe
joe

My axiom panniers (can't find the website to show the ones I have) have been through many hours of riding in hard rain while staying dry. My 60L ones come with rainbags while the 30L ones don't. I have never seen moisture get in the bags.

As for what we do in storms, it depends on to many factors. If it looks like its going to start pouring we'll look for shelter. If there is no shelter we'll setup tent where ever we're standing.

If its early in the day we're more likely to ride through any storms with the expectation that we'll have time to dry out. It also depends on how cold it is, etc.

One summer I cycled from Bay of Fundy to Key West Florida, closely following the east coast the whole way down. The first 2 weeks, with the exception of the first two days, was non-stop freezing cold rain. By 'non-stop', I mean just that... day and night, 24-7. That far north, I put on ever stitch of raingear I had (a North Face goretex cycling suit) and just toughed it out. Each night I'd camp and lug all my stuff to the campground washer/dryers to dry it all out.

Later in the ride, through the hotter southeast, I just biked without donning gear, as the rain felt pretty good. Once you abandon all hope of remaining dry, it's not that bad. :D

Dave

well revtor, when im riding the way i deal with all the rain, is that i put some ice on my *****. just the way you should my friend. Whats up steve?!!!!!!!! i saw the pics of your "stead". oh mighty impressive my friend. today was the last day of summer classes. haha. im getting drunk as i type this.
overall in one class, throughout the semester i typed over 35 pages of research-papers-tests and final projects! now i know thats standard in academia, but this is Pratt man! what the ****? dude i cant believe i got five classes out of the way this summer. any way its over now and tommorrow i roll up state for a couple of weeks, i just dropped 500 bucks on my Trek. (new rims, tires, new rear cog, new chain, new grips and a overhaul on the suspension.) lifes good, no complaints. how you doing? phish next week right? watch out for them hippies, especially the crystal weilding ones. are you riding home or what? well stay safe, and ill see you soon. krok

yo steve i was reading through all your old post, and i remember you saying you had a book that you were reading but i didnt know it was by alan watts. i love alan watts. all the time i knew you, i didnt know that you were into him. i heard him on the radio one day and it blew my mind, i went out and bought two diffrent sets of adio tapes of him speaking at colleges. smart, smart guy. thats so cool man!

Spent the first two weeks of a very wet camping tour in Norway with only three days without rain. Some days I put on wet shoes and socks in the rain and later set up camp in the evening in unbroken rain. My cheap jacket soon leaked water but the windproof-ness was a lifesaver. Try and keep a dry set of clothes to wear in the tent/evening to get you warm and pannier covers can be useful, but can also collect water. Internal dry-bags (bin-bags suffice) work best.

As far as the actual cycling goes I figure just get on with it. If you spend a whole day in the rain with water coming up as well as down you're gonna get wet whatever. Best resign yourself to it then you're less stressed or pissed off. I always find when I'm soaked it's not as bad as I still think it's going to be when I'm dry.

Krock glad to hear from ya...

have fun on your trek upstate... Im coming up for a weekend!!

ill call you
later
~Steve

oh yeah rain while on tour.. find some trees to hide under until it stops.. or ride through it and get wet if you dont mind.. Or use a Campmor raincape and just go a bit slower until you find a diner!

fo real!! werd!!