la traviata

Its a short one, 6 days, and I could move some dates around and take a different week off work. I'm going back and forth as I really dislike putting things off cause in the end there is always something. I've commuted in the rain before and don't mind it at all, how do you guys handle days on end with nothing but rain?

tarwheel 

Me? I would be looking for a different location or date for the tour. Riding in the rain all day and setting up camp in the rain is not my idea of fun. Then again, if your weather forecasters are as unreliable as ours, it might end up being sunny all week.

vik 

+ 1 - I would cancel or reroute a tour that promised prolonged rain for the entire ride. I've done wet tours and didn't enjoy them.

MichaelW

Ive done several days torrential rain at 10C. The worst is having wet feet, eventually trenchfoot sets in and it starts to hurt. Sandals are good around a wet campsite.
My tent and clothing held up pretty well, I ditched the Gortex for winter-weight Paramo and that dries in minutes without dripping all over the tent.
You need to be careful about handling wet gear in the tent, try and keep it in the vestibule. Keep all your dry clothes in a drybag. Push your sleeping bag down to the closed end of the tent when not in use, or packed away.
I used a 3/4 length inflatable mat + a short section of foam which I used to sit on damp ground.
I packed my tent wet (comes with an over-sized bag for that purpose) and tried to dry it out in the evening by choosing windier campsites.
Cooking in the wet is not much fun, I try to avoid anything fancy and go for pasta in the bag.
Personally I don't feel safe cooking in a solo tent vestibule. If you do try this, keep an open knife handy to cut yourself a new door, quickly. A small tarp can be strung up to the tent/bike/tree to make a safe dry cooking area.

fietsbob

Tour of Western Ireland, i lived in my rain gear, most of the 60 days , March thru April.

Still enjoyed the trip.. stayed in Hostels overnight, for heavy storms..
independents have an association, there, and some IYHA ones in addition..

simplygib

Option one, move date or location.

Option two, motels every night it rains.

Given the choice I'd prefer perfect sunny days to tour in. But I don't mind riding in the rain too much if it isn't too cold, and I know I have a dry room and hot shower waiting for me.

If camping only, I would definitely choose option 1.

Cyclebum

Never had too. Been extremely lucky in that regard. Couple days of drizzle, a few thunderstroms. Generally just kept riding, but lately have decided to find shelter, if available, until the worse passes. Do carry good rain gear.

On the really rare occasion where it rained hard most of the night, I stuffed everything in the first dryer I came to, including the tent, or if warm and sunny, laid it all out to dry in the sun. State parks often have a dryer.

As you seem to have date options, I'd exercise them. See no point at all in deliberately touring when days of rain are in the forecast. Just too much of an investment in time and energy to have it marred by continuous rain.

Yan 

If nothing else, at least wear booties. Cycling with wet feet sucks. Otherwise rain is just a minor inconvenience. I speak with experience from touring in SE Asia during monsoon season. Be careful when you cook in your tent vestibule. Keep your camp cloths in a dry bag so you can sleep dry. Same for your sleeping bag.

pdlamb

Pardon me for saying it, but some of you sound like the people I work with. "10 days with rain in the forecast!? Oh, no! You'll get wet!!"

The truth of the matter is that it is pretty rare to have 10 days of torrential rain. It's somewhat less rare to have a day of solid downpour. It may happen, but it's rare. More likely, you'll have 5 days out of the 10 when it rains fairly hard for 30 minutes to three hours. For that, you might want to find a diner, nurse some coffee for a while, and talk to the locals. Or you'll have some drizzle or light mist for 7-8 days. Not quite as much fun as blue skies, 3 mph breeze, and constant 67 degrees, but it's not that big a deal; you can ride through it, and have a great time.

I can really only remember three rides when it rained all day. One was a chilly century, with some great views from the top of one mountain in particular. One in Kentucky was pretty miserable, with periodic heavy showers, but it ended well. One was the best day's ride we had in Kansas, raining constantly until 1/2 hour before we stopped.

Weather is part of the adventure of touring, particularly on a bike. If it's got to be perfect, pull out the DVD player.

indyfabz

I did Velo Quebec's Grand Tour a few years ago. Supported camping at schools. It rained 6 out of 7 days. No fun whatsover. Ever see a photo of a cracked, dried up lake bed? That's what my feet looked like after about the fourth day. Nothing dried even after being hung indoors for two nights. If I knew it was going to rain like you say it is, I would move things around if possible unless the forecast is for something like a low chance of scatterred showers.

djb

indy...what a drag. My wife and I did it last year and were pretty lucky for rain. In general around here (Quebec) its rare for that many rain days in Aug. Where was it the year you did it?

as for topic...I wouldnt do a trip if the weather was reliabley reported to be that bad for so many days. Aint fun, and that is the whole idea.

Bacciagalupe

If it's easy to change the dates, I'd consider pushing it back a week or so.

If it's a PITA to change the dates (e.g. flights are involved, boss is touchy), I'd just ride it. Carry some extra clothes, some rain gear, stay in hotels a little more, waterproof the baggage, keep your feet clean, watch for signs of hypothermia if the temperatures are on the cold side. Also put newspaper inside your shoes to help them dry out faster.

Weather reports are notoriously inaccurate anyway.

spinnaker

I hate getting started in the rain. If I knew it was going to rain and could change my plans, I would. But rarely have that luxery. Funny, if I'm out and then I get rained on, I don't mind it all that much.

If it s warm, I actually enjoy a very light rain. It keeps you cool.

I like touring in Italy because their trains take you just about everywhere. If it is really poring just hop a train which can be a lot of fun in it's own right.

On my second trip to Italy I was in Como with plans to ride the Madonna del Ghisallo. It poured rain for 2 days. I did not get a chance to ride to Madonna del Ghisallo. I returned again in 2010 and once again had plans for Madonna del Ghisallo. I woke up the day of the ride and it was poring rain again! I think this area is cursed for me. We jumped on a ferry then a train to Bergamo. Meet some nice Dutch people on the train and had a great time.

valygrl

^^^ Yes

vvv No

la traviata

Well after much thought, I'm doin it. Thanks for everyones thoughts.

pdlamb

Good plan.

When I crossed through Colorado, it rained 8 out of 10 days. I think there was a probability of rain one other day. We sat out showers in a hotel, restaurants, a bike shop, and a library. Two days the rain was light, but I had a rain jacket on as part of layering, so I didn't really notice (except for drizzle on the glasses). We really only got rained on heavily for about 30 minutes on that trip.

Do I regret it? Not for a moment!

Still, had I asked, received, and followed the kind of advice given here by fair-weather tourists - well, I would have rented a car in Tribune, KS, and driven clear to Saratoga, WY, because it was going to rain! Neglecting the fact that I don't think there was a car rental place in either Tribune or Saratoga, I'd have missed 3 of the 4 highest passes on the trip, and 3 of the top 10 views of the entire cross-country ride.

To repeat, weather is part of the adventure of touring, particularly on a bike. If it's got to be perfect, pull out the DVD player.

valygrl

pdlamb, you are entitled to your opinion, but there is really no need to be condescending and rude.

edit - I said that more strongly than I wish I had, sorry

la traviata

I depart tomorrow morning, I start cycling directly from my front door, and its raining out as I type. Worst that will happen is I turn around, but I'm giving it a shot dang it.

Thanks for everyones advice, positive and negative. Really!

Machka 

+1

I can't think of a tour I've done when there hasn't been rain, but that's real life in the great outdoors.

I also don't trust long-range weather forecasts. Yesterday, ours said that Saturday was supposed to be rainy all day. Today it appear that Saturday is supposed to be sunny, perhaps with a little bit of rain at the end of the day. Who knows what we'll actually get when Saturday rolls around.



Glad to hear you're going la traviata ... even if you do end up in a motel, doing a hub-and-spoke tour between showers, that's better than not going and regretting it.

simplygib

That really isn't the same thing. You're talking about sporadic inclement weather in the midst of a long tour. That is inevitable and yes, a part of the adventure. But if I had a 6-day tour planned and the forecast was for rain every single day, I would move it if I could. If I couldn't, I'd probably do as la traviata is doing and go anyway, hoping for the best.

la traviata - hope it all goes well for you, and the forecasters prove to be as accurate as usual. Enjoy.

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