A warm rain, a cold rain. Hands, head and feet also. Thanks to all in advance.

I wear rain gear.

-- Helmet cover
-- Rain jacket (which is my usual cycling jacket anyway)
-- Booties
-- Rain pants ... sometimes. I don't really like rain pants so it has to be a cold torrential downpour before I dig them out.

And I've just recently purchased overmitts so I'll try them on the next rainy ride.

Baseball hat keeps rain out of the eyes best.

Warm rain:
Body: Goretex (yeah, I know) rain jacket with vents opened
Torso: probably just let the bottom half get wet but make sure my butt stays dry-ish though
Hands: cycling gloves
Head: helmet
Feet: booties (wet shoes starts to really suck after a few days of solid rain)

Cold rain (near freezing):
Torso: Jacket with vents open (I sweat like a mofo in humidity)
Legs: Goretex pants with vents partly open
Hands: long-finger gloves or mitts with stowable rubber cover
Head: helmet with helmet cover
Feet: booties (always keeping shoes dry)

Sealskin socks and gloves, also neoprene diving gloves which I prefer, a shower cap over my helmet and a Frogg Toggs rainsuit. I had a batwing style hoodless poncho made from an old tent fly too, but that's 10 years old now and finally in need of replacing. I wore it out from use, it was by far my favorite rain solution and made a fairly decent light jacket I could stuff in my saddle bag.

I also wear a pair of swim goggles in the rain when I have my contacts in. My cycling glasses don't keep the water out and fog up too much. Speedo anti-fog spray helps when I have my regular glasses on, when I remember to use the bottle I have stashed away.

a

i ride nude

Hmmm, only 6 replies, I guess I should have asked what kind of rain gear you use on your LHT. How about some less vauge answers. There are hundreds of jackets out there, maybe 10 or 20 booties. I need your real world expertise here, people.

My 25 year old Patagonia SealCoat /non breathable calf-length raincoat with hood has served me well from Alaska to South America on various tours in really serious and continuous rain and along the Divide Ride as well. The two way zipper allows for complete or minimal ventilation. I have rarely needed rain pants since I always use fenders on my bikes.

Merino wool under the raincoat is usually all that I need for comfort even in the coldest rain. Sealskin gloves and socks complete my non-naked rain outfit.

The only modern version of this raincoat that I have seen is offered by L.L.Bean in GTX or some variant of wp/b material. The LL Bean Stowaway Rain Parka is 40.5 inches long while my old one is 44 inches long. It costs $185. They have a cheaper $99 UL raincoat as well. I long ago dispensed with GTX as useless and overpriced. It failed me at too many crucial times.

for warm rain usually just a rain jacket, nothign fancy.


cold rain, the same rain jacket, with more layers underneath...

I usually wear the plastic baggies from the grocery store over my socks when riding through rain to keep the feets dry. A rubberband at the top of my sock keeps all but a little rain out. I find that as long as my trrunk stays dry I am okay. it doesnt get all that cold here in south Texas.

In a light rain I just put on my windbreaker and keep going. A little wetness evaporates quickly.

In a real rain:

• Head - Waterproof helmet cover. It doesn't have flaps in back to protect my neck, but that doesn't seem to matter.
• Body - Goretex jacket with zip-off hood. Remove hood on bike, reattach in camp. Pit zips wide open on bike.
• Legs - Goretex rain pants (tall size from Nashbar)
• Hands - Winter gloves. They're more like ski gloves but they keep my hands warm and dry.
• Feet - Waterproof covers from MEC. They allow me to use my regular, size-14 shoes.

Warm rain in Florida I just finish my ride in my short sleeve jersey. On tour I carry a rain jacket and pants. I have never used the pants but the coat has seen a lot of use. But then if it is really cold and really raining that is my definition of a rest day. I don't like to be cold.

Raingear (jacket + pants) made from eVent fabric I bought on sale.

Don't buy the campmor bicycle overboots unless you absolutely can't afford anything else - https://www.campmor.com/webapp/wcs/st...berId=12500226
They suck!!! Bulky, don't stay in place, a pain to get on and off.

Also, the performance neoprene rain gloves SUCK too! They aren't waterproof, the seams leak.

I've been somewhat happier with some Sugoi Resistor booties, but I think platform pedals and rainboots are really the best way.

Shower cap over the helmet. Doubles as saddle cover at night.
Rain jacket "Shamp" bought at Aldi super market. Very cheap and works great we bought them because of all the ventilation.
Leg warmers.
After our last tour (5 days rain) we will invest in some sort of shoe covers for our next tour.

More specifically ...

-- Helmet cover: https://www.mec.ca/Products/product_d...=1194204223697 ... the bill keeps the rain out of my eyes. I also use it in the winter to help keep my head warm.

-- Rain jacket: They don't sell mine anymore, but this one is probably pretty close: https://www.mec.ca/Products/product_d...=1194204278386 ... My requirements for a rain jacket were simply ... waterproof breathable, long tail in the back, huge pit zips.

-- Booties: I've got two pair. The neoprenes are for colder weather, the nylon ones are for warmer weather and touring.
Nylon: https://www.mec.ca/Products/product_d...=1194204380320
Neoprene: https://www.mec.ca/Products/product_d...=1194204421322

-- Rain pants: I picked them up from a Go Sport in France.

-- Overmitts: https://www.mec.ca/Products/product_d...=1194204515891 ... I haven't tried them yet, so I'm not sure how they'll be.

A lot of people are mentioning booties. Do they go over clipless shoes in some way I'm not figuring out, or are they strictly for clipped/platform?

They go over clipless shoes. What part are you not figuring out?

Have a look at the links I posted for my nylon and neoprene booties for some illustrations.

Thanks, sorry, somehow I missed the pictures there. Now it makes sense. I was seeing in my head shoe-shaped booties something akin to galoshes, and wasn't sure how one would know where the clip goes, but that makes plenty of sense. Thanks!

I prefer the nylon booties because the hole for the cleat is already there ... they just have the toe bit and that strap that goes under the shoe to hold the bootie in place.

The neoprene ones can be a pain because you've got to cut the hole out yourself (they provide a sort of template on the bottom of the bootie to help you), and then sometimes it doesn't line up properly which makes it harder to clip in and out. But they do protect the feet more.

Long sleeved light wool jersey. A one piece unified Bib with long pants. A light jersey or T-shirt on top. A water resistant windbreaker if it is just drippy or showery; a waterproof yellow rain jacket like ya had in second grade (gore-tex is hopelessly overpriced).

As the weather gets cooler I add a few lighter layers, including a wool sweater on top of my bib. There have been times in the andes where it was so cold and wet I literally had almost EVERYTHING on.

roughstuff

I've been researching rain jacket brands also, and have gotten rave reviews for various models of the Showers Pass brand jackets from my local listserve. I haven't bought yet, but will be doing so. www.showerspass.com

I wear jeans, hiking boots, a sweater, and a hoodie with the hood under my helmet.

a big wool sweater, and wool scarf. and those fashionable fur covered girl boots. im a real animal out there.

i stick to the name brands...

in ALL seriousness.
-ESSENTIAL!!!!! patagonia breathable nylon style rain coat. I rode in a big rubber rain coat which wasn't breathable for far to long. We had rain constantly for over a week in WA this past summer, and besides getting just as soaked by sweat in the coat, the only other item i wish i had was a water-proof tent. both of which i have now . typically hood went under my helmet in the cold, and in warm i like to get my hair clean by leaving my head exposed. I also wear spectacles, so keeping them from fogging plays a role in my comfort. the shower cap idea is pretty good, or buy some silicone nylon and make a nice helmet cover, for it allows ventilation and as well to keep glasses un-foggy.
-post office issued gortex pants (not for warm weather, i prefer the spandex in warm rain cause they dry fast and dont feel wet, when wet)
- booties are the smartest item i brought with me, HOWEVER, i made mine to suite my clipless shoes, open footprint. That week of rain in WA, 8 hours a day of pedaling in rain, and then walking in the wet setting up camp, got my feet wet regardless (however always warm). We were stealthing it, so there was never a good chance of drying. full covered booties would had made this leg better than anything would had, wet feet for a week, swollen, sore, and itchy for two weeks after, suck. one of the reasons Im not touring clipless again is so i can wear full booties.
-paddlers cloves for when its cold. or any clove to keep a layer of warm water next to the skins. or waterproof gloves would be nice.

Warm rain and I don't want to get too wet a Cycle Cape comes in handy, cold rain I will wear the cape and probably a set of rain pants. Never found a set of shoe covers that suited me so the feet usually get wet. I typically wear wool in colder weather so if it gets damp no big deal. Gloves are usually my regular cycling gloves, in cold weather I may put on an old set of full fingered MTB gloves that I have. I have never had much success with rain suits, even the more expensive gore tex ones. YMMV Also if I am on tour and hit a day of miserable weather I am more than happy to take a rest day

Aaron

My house, if possible.

But seriously... I have a light goretex jacket from REI, that works ok but leaks after not-too long. Not that happy with it. For my legs, I have a pair of those stretchy pants that are water/wind proof in front and on the butt, and stretch-pants material on the sides. I like those a lot, since they look like tights, & move with me, and don't make noise like real waterproof pants.

Hands - long fingered gloves that I don't like, i'm still looking for the perfect pair.

Feet - I have a pair of Descent neoprene booties, but usually I'm wearing sandals if i'm riding in the rain, because i ride in the rain on tour, not from home. so if i'm touring, i have my sandals and a pair of neoprene socks that hunters wear, and I wear wool socks under them if it's cold.

Ear band, or if it's raining really hard, I pull the hood out of the jacket's collar, and wear that.

How cold it is will determine how many jerseys I'm wearing under the jacket.