Totally agree. A few years ago our daughter couldn't believe that it rained during summer - we typically spend our summers on the Mediterranean basin.

This summer is a bit different as we must stay within a long day's drive from home. So we decided to cycle from our door, a large circle, on the Atlantic seaboard and along the Saint Lawrence River. Great places to cycle, actually. Unfortunately, this year is incredibly wet. At least in Quebec city (things look a bit better to the south)

Our "policy" is to camp, but if it is raining and there are other options, we'll spend the night in a hotel, b&b or such. And so far it has served us well.

I was asking around because I'll have to cover 500kms in four days, on a fixed schedule, to rejoin my wife and kids, dropped in a State park.

I plan to keep riding up to light rain, and wait when it pours.

My focus is on staying warm. Being wet is not a problem. I am now riding in Tevas and wear synthetic clothing that remains reasonably comfortable even when wet. I wear a lightweight waterproof breathable shell (never rain pants, usually shorts, sometimes running tights) and Merino full length gloves to stay warm, removing them if it gets hot. I carry a reusable emergency blanket and probably an umbrella as well (to stop and wait during heavy downpours).

I can easily pack my gear protected from the rain in my tent'vestibule. However, when the weather is really humid, clothes will not dry overnight - eventually nothing will be dry and wet clothes will contaminate the whole pannier.

So I now plan on using two dry bags for clothing. One to keep dry clothes positively dry, and one to store wet clothes and limit the propagation of water inside the pannier.

Anyway. In this part of the world, wet is nothing like a monsoon. Typically just a few millimeters of rain with most of the day overcast and humid. So unpleasant at worst.

Thanks all for your suggestions.