After trying out rain jackets and pants we are looking into ponchos or rain capes for more vanitlation.
Has anyone here have any experiance with them, and how practical are they for touring?

It really doesn't matter how well you ventilate - when the relative humidity is 100% - nothing is going to evaporate. The only things that have worked consistantly for me are:
(A) In warm weather accept that you're going to get wet and live with it.
(B) In cold weather slow down so you don't work up a sweat and have spare clothes available.
(C) Really heavy rain is much easier to deal with from inside a rest stop.

Some cyclists use ponchos effectively but there's a learning curve I haven't been able to surmount, and I've had better luck with jacket and pants. Good luck if you decide to go that way.

Over the years my focus has changed from staying dry to keeping warm while wet. I now carry only the cheapest, lightest rain gear. My current gear is a homemade silnylon anorak and pants, total weight seven ounces and it packs the size of a double fist. Key to me is wearing the right layers under it for the temperature and exertion level, while keeping enough dry insulation in the pack for descents and for camping. This often means putting on cold wet clothing in the morning and warming it up with exertion. And it definitely means eating, resting, and hydrating well in extended rain, and bathing when you can because the sweat really stinks. This system worked fine for me through a week of rain and wet snow in the North Cascades and Rockies last spring. Again, good luck finding something that works for you--it was a long process for me.

Ponchos are useful for everyday commuting because it will fit over whatever you happen to be wearing, and most people don't go too fast on their city commute. But for touring, spending hours a day on the bike, the wind resistance becomes a real drag (pun intended). I have a Showers Pass rain jacket, and it's wonderful. Wool t-shirts and heavie long sleeve shirts keep my warm and dry underneath the rain jacket. Also, having a rain-cover for your helmet keeps your head very dry and very ventilated.

My view is that you're not going to stay dry, so don't think about it that way. Just stay wet and warm. I don't wear anything waterproof, just wind resistant. Thus I wear the same clothes raining or not, just another layer in the rain. I don't tour when weather is going to be miserable, so I don't take rain pants or even tights. Leg warmers are fine. Craft undershirt, short-sleeve jersey, arm warmers, wind jacket, wind vest, shoe covers. Light stuff that dries quickly. With that gear, I'm good down to about 45° and raining. If I get cold, I pedal harder. I don't mind riding in the rain. I'd rather ride in the sun, but it's fun either way. The bigger problem is what to do with your wet stuff when you stop for the night. The less of it you have, and the less water it absorbs, the better. I haven't used wool in 30 years for that reason.

@ Burton: we have been drenched enough times to know that plan works best (C) Really heavy rain is much easier to deal with from inside a rest stop) but we really like to ride in the rain.
@ andrewclaus: (Some cyclists use ponchos effectively but there's a learning curve I haven't been able to surmount) we do worry about this. The idea of a pocho seems good, planty of vantilation while keeping dry but I keep thinking of the pocho getting cought on something while trying to get on or off the bike quickly.

Maybe its time to dig a little bit deeper in our pockets and invest in beter quality rain gear and stop looking for a cheaper alternative.

Thanks for the repies guys.

Cycling shorts dry very quickly, so I don't wear waterproof pants over them, just a raincoat. My helmet has a visor, which I also find comfortable.

I had an Anorak [LLBean] I lived in on Irish Trip, Now with a Rain Cape My hands are Dry. too.
Cycling rain Capes are Conic shaped , a poncho flaps around, as its a big rectangle ..

Huge difference.

Iv'e found that Gortex is not worth the price. It helps but not much and not really at all with 100% humidity as mentioned earlier. I do find it worth it to pay for a high quality jacket with pit zips. I think pit zips make the biggest difference and the bigger the zip the better.

Just a cautionary note - in very heavy rains visibility can be severely reduced - both for you and for other traffic. Unless you have EXTREMELY bright lights on your bike or are bicycling where there are no motor vehicles - keep in mind that your safety is compromised.

Driving in the rain can be fun, and the whole touring thing should be fun. Knowing when to draw the line will help keep it that way.

If possible, I would love to see some pictures of tourers actualy using rain capes and ponchos, instead of pictures on the catalogues.
Like the saying goes, one picture is worth many words

The thought of riding down a multi thousand foot descent or riding in 40 mph winds has been enough to keep me from trying a poncho or rain cape. Have folks who have tried them not found that to be a problem?

I generally just assume that I will be wet, rain or not, and wear what I need to be warm.

I attended a lecture by Josie Dew not so long ago. She had a picture of demonstrating how convenient an (opaque!) poncho is when, as a woman, you have to go. Couldn't find that particular picture online sadly.

Sorry no pictures. But my experience they are akin to riding with a parachute draped over you. The wind resistance is tremendous. It was fine for riding to the store but no riding on tour.

You also have to consider the temperature of the rain. Warm summer rain is very hard to deal with, the humidity inside a breathable waterproof is matched by outside and you get very hot and clammy.
Cool rain is easier to deal with.
On my North Sea circuit I took 2 waterproofs, a well ventilated summer Gortex that worked OK in light rain, and a heavier duty winter-weight Paramo for the cooler northern sections (also doubled as evening jacket). Paramo was always more comfortable to wear but may be too warm for summer touring. It is also bulky to carry.

Very good advice, IMO. I run a 250 lumen blinky on the front and a SuperFlash on the back in the daylight, always, not just in the rain. I have a second taillight and a real headlamp fitted, also, just in case, plus spare batts.

That does sound scary.

Just not on my Itinerary , if it was raining hard and I has a big Descent, ahead
I'd just stay indoors at the Hostel , The thought of riding down a multi thousand foot descent or riding in 40 mph winds has been enough to keep me from trying a poncho or rain cape. Have folks who have tried them not found that to be a problem? B&B, Zimmer,
or wherever,( probably the Pub, ) till the weather improved.
then I control my downhill speed to less than that ..

Even Here, I go around near sea-level than over the Hill the town is built on.

I'm no wider with my Cape on Than without. so the rate of speed
which is always Modest , does not change..

& a 30 knot headwind is still a 30 knot headwind.


( cannot, or have not, yet mastered the solo selfportrait,
short of old selftimers and tripods )

I ride with a cheap plastic rain jacket. I get wet from within but stay warm, while avoiding the high cost up upper end ware.

That may work depending on the location, but many places that folks tour it just will not always be possible. Towns can often be 40, 60, 80, or more miles apart and many of them will have no accommodations other than the tent you are carrying. Rain can and does blow in unexpectedly. I figured that not ever getting stuck riding in the rain was not a serious option.

I have always been pretty lucky to not have weeks of everyday rain for my tours, but I certainly have been rained on, sleeted on, and hailed on and at times I could not have easily avoided it.

I use the same rain gear for biking as i do for hiking. That is an LL Bean Goretex Rain Jacket and Pants. The good news is it keeps all the rain out. The bad news, i'm not dry hiking or biking. I too opt for warm.

In summer showers with temps above 85 degrees i will opt for no rain gear or just a water resistant biking shell. Though temps will drop into the seventies with the rain, as soon as the sun pops back out I'm warm and dry.

Still ,even though the Goretex leaves me clamy it does keep out the cold rain. In sustained rain that's a big plus. The underlayers near your skin, even if wet from sweat can trap that warm moisture near the skin and give you a wetsuit type effect. The difference being that once you stop producing heat, say at a lunch stop, things get colder quickly. But as long as you are moving, it's all good.

When I have to do a big descent in the rain, I zip up. That's because I'm wearing enough clothing so that while climbing in a pouring rain I have everything unzipped down to my undershirt which currently doesn't have a zipper. If it did, I'd unzip that, too. In fact, that's how I know I'm dressed right. That said, descending from Rainy Pass in the North Cascades in the sleet can be intimidating. The good thing is that it's usually a lot warmer lower down during reasonable touring season. No hotel up there.

I have a goretex poncho that pretty much keeps me dry but is a pain in the wind. I am intrigued by this https://www.carradice.co.uk/index.php...&product_id=70 but I am waiting for my buddy to get it so I can check it out firsthand.

Not a fan of Ninja colors in The Dark, and Heavy weather...

Carradice Pro route, cape, is neon lime..

My Grundens one is Yellow..

Agreed...I have very good lighting (2magicshine taillights, a magicshine head along with a cygiolite 410). I leave the magicshine headlight at home while on tour due though.

BUT I really am interested in the cotton, it does have a reflective strip and a mesh vest could be added.

I wear high vis all the time and honestly feel it makes me a target in the city but I am rarely touring through the city.