--- title: "Long trails in the rain – how to stay dry and warm?" description: "How do you stay dry and warm on long trails in the rain? Read the findings, advice and tips from Martin Benc, who has the PCT and a number of other trails behind him." canonical_url: "https://gramino.com/blog/long-trails-in-the-rain" last_updated: "2021-03-23" --- # Long trails in the rain – how to stay dry and warm? Authors: Martin Benc Date: 2021-03-23 How do you stay dry and warm on long trails in the rain? Read the findings, advice and tips from Martin Benc, who has the PCT and a number of other trails behind him. “Stay safe and dry,” Sabrina says as she says goodbye to me 50 kilometers from the Canadian border. After nearly 4300 kilometers on the [Pacific Crest Trail](/blog/pct-2019-interview-after-2400-km), we still haven't got it in the bag, even in these final stretches. It's snowing, our stuff is wet, and the group around our Austrian friend would rather duck into town and ride out the worst of it there. In the end, though, even they psych themselves up and head out a few minutes after us, into the last wild night. We all meet up in the middle of the mountains a few dozen minutes before midnight. A fire that Terka and Luboš have been tending for a while now warms up our frozen hands. There are more than ten of us, and **most don't have dry clothes to change into**. That can't happen to me, though, because I have my own rules, and even though it's freezing at night, I stay relatively warm and dry. In this article, I'll **walk you through a few of the principles I follow in rainy weather that have proven themselves for me**. It's not a universal guide for everyone. These are habits that work for me, but they might not work for you. So take all of this as my personal take and some inspiration, rather than a concrete manual. ## Wet by Day, Dry by Night Quality sleep matters a lot on long trails. Together with a balanced diet, it's one of the main pillars of fast recovery and keeping your body in good shape even under heavy exertion for weeks on end. During the day, you can get soaked to the bone even while wearing waterproof clothing. **What matters is opening your backpack in the evening and finding a complete set of dry clothes to change into**. **I always keep at least a down jacket, base layer bottoms, one T-shirt, underwear, socks, and gloves** in my backpack. While walking, you can at least warm up a little. Sure, you're often chilled to the bone, but you only really feel it once you stop moving. Even the best waterproof clothing has its limits. You'll often feel dampness even with the best gear on the market. Arriving at camp with a damp or wet down jacket is the worst thing that can happen to you. That's why I'd rather put up with discomfort during the day and have comfort in the evening. Good sleep equals the foundation of success. During multi-day rain, I follow the same principles. It's not exactly pleasant to put on wet clothes in the morning when you have another dry shirt in your backpack, but trust me, you'll thank yourself in the evening. Once you start moving, you'll stop noticing the discomfort within a few minutes. - [Turbat Maya 2 LS Mns](/p/turbat-maya-2-ls-mns.md) - [Montane Protium Lite Pull-On](/p/montane-mens-protium-lite-pull-on.md) - [Turbat Dja Wmn](/p/turbat-dja-wmn.md) - [Montane Women's Protium Hoodie](/p/montane-womens-protium-hoodie.md) - [Turbat Maya Hood Trek Mns](/p/turbat-maya-hood-trek-mns.md) - [Darn Tough Men's Hiker 1/4 Midweight](/p/darn-tough-hiker-1-4-midweight-mens.md) - [Turbat Retezat Bottom Mns](/p/turbat-retezat-bottom-mns.md) - [Patizon Merino Beanie](/p/patizon-merino-beanie.md) - [DexShell Thermlite](/p/dexshell-thermlite.md) - [Darn Tough Men's PCT Micro Crew Lightweight](/p/darn-tough-pct-micro-crew-lightweight-mens.md) - [Gramino Beanie](/p/gramino-beanie.md) ## Waterproof Dry Bags That's why I pack everything in waterproof dry bags. I use bags from Sea To Summit, four of them to be exact. One is a compression bag (size L) with an [eVent membrane](/p/sea-to-summit-evac-compression-dry-bag) bottom. I put my sleeping bag in this one, which I can easily compress down to the size I need. The other bags are from the [Lightweight](/p/sea-to-summit-lightweight-dry-bag) line. I have 3 sizes – 20 l for food, 13 l for clothing, and 8 l for electronics, my first aid kit, documents, and so on. This version is more durable than the popular [Ultra-Sil](/p/sea-to-summit-ultra-sil-dry-bag) line, and I'd definitely recommend it to anyone. With the Ultra-Sil line you save a few grams, but it requires gentler handling. I saw Ultra-Sil bags on the PCT torn up after just a few weeks. My [Lightweight](/p/sea-to-summit-lightweight-dry-bag) bags lasted the whole PCT without any damage. Some people pack everything into one big sack (a garbage bag, for example). This method guarantees resistance to outside water. However, if any part of your gear is even slightly damp, the inside of the bag can end up condensing moisture. Personally, given how I like to organize my gear, I don't recommend this system. I like being able to easily **separate something like a damp sleeping bag into its own bag and then pull it out at lunch to dry it out**. That way it never comes into contact with the rest of my gear (clothing). - [Sea To Summit Ultra-Sil Dry Bag](/p/sea-to-summit-ultra-sil-dry-bag.md) - [Sea To Summit Lightweight Dry Bag](/p/sea-to-summit-lightweight-dry-bag.md) - [Sea To Summit eVac Compression Dry Bag](/p/sea-to-summit-evac-compression-dry-bag.md) - [Sea To Summit Lightweight View Dry Bag](/p/sea-to-summit-lightweight-view-dry-bag.md) - [Sea To Summit Lightweight Stuff Sack](/p/sea-to-summit-lightweight-stuff-sack.md) ## Ziplock Bags For things I need to keep on me rather than packed away in my backpack, I use ziplock bags. They don't last forever, but they're cheap and sold in pretty much every supermarket. **If you use your phone for navigation, I'd definitely recommend tucking it into a dry bag as soon as the rain starts**. Rain doesn't just mess with a touchscreen – sometimes it can kill a phone entirely. ## Backpack Rain Cover A rain cover might look like the ideal piece of gear at first glance, but appearances can be deceiving. Personally, I **only use a rain cover for light rain or drizzle**. During heavier, prolonged rain, more than once water has gotten in around the back panel under the cover and literally formed a puddle that the bottom of my backpack sat soaking in for hours. It's not a great feeling pulling out a completely soaked sleeping bag liner afterward. ## Waterproof Jacket and Pants A waterproof jacket is an absolute essential on long treks. You shouldn't head out even on a summer trip in the mountains without a good jacket. An unexpected storm or cold front can hit, and suddenly you've got a problem. I own several waterproof jackets. The heavier-duty Gore-Tex ones with a higher fabric weight are what I choose for shorter trips, or trips where I know I'll be able to fully dry the jacket out in the evening. **For long treks, I go for the lightest, most breathable jacket with a high enough water column**. I currently have two jackets with a Pertex Shield membrane. Weight and breathability play a key role for me. **It's essential that the jacket can dry out as quickly as possible**. Just to give you an idea – with jackets that weigh under 200 grams, it takes about an hour while you're wearing it. With a heavier Gore-Tex jacket around 400 grams, it can easily take three hours. Pants made from an eVent membrane have dried on me in under half an hour. In case it rains all day into the evening, **I try to keep wet gear on for a while longer, even once I'm already “dry” under a roof or in the tent**. That's specifically **so it dries out as fast as possible**. Obviously, I shouldn't be cold while doing that. On regular trips I wear normal athletic pants, and I only bring waterproof ones to save weight and for protection during multi-day rain. On top of that, I spend most of my time in shorts even at fairly low temperatures. Your body adapts quickly and becomes more resistant to cold, and this is another reason **it's good to wear breathable clothing, because sweat equals moisture equals cold**. - [Montane Minimus Jacket](/p/montane-mens-minimus-jacket.md) - [Liteway Movlite Jacket](/p/liteway-movlite-jacket.md) - [Sea To Summit Ultra-Sil™ Nano™ Poncho](/p/sea-to-summit-ultra-sil-nano-poncho.md) - [Liteway Movlite Pants](/p/liteway-movlite-pants.md) - [Liteway Poncho Pyraomm](/p/liteway-poncho-pyraomm.md) - [Montane Phase Nano Jacket](/p/montane-mens-phase-nano-jacket.md) - [Montane Women's Phase Lite Jacket](/p/montane-womens-phase-lite-jacket.md) - [Montane Women's Minimus Lite Jacket](/p/montane-womens-minimus-lite-jacket.md) ## Waterproof Membrane Shoes On longer hikes, I always wear **the most breathable trail shoes I can find**. Sure, in rain and wet conditions it's not exactly a party, but once the rain stops, all it takes is taking them off at lunch and they're nearly dry within a while. Soaked hiking boots can take several days to dry out. On top of that, even when it's not raining, your feet will sweat pretty heavily in warm membrane shoes, which contributes to hot spots and blisters. That's why I only use membrane shoes on shorter trips, mainly in winter. [Topo Athletic Men's Terraventure 4](/p/topo-athletic-terraventure-4-mens.md) ## Waterproof Socks Miracle or fake? Neither answer is quite right. There are several factors to consider with [waterproof socks](/c/clothing/waterproof-socks). First is your body weight and the pressure you put on the membrane in the socks. Simply put, the heavier you are, the faster you'll push moisture through the membrane. The second key factor is sweating. Waterproof socks aren't exactly known for their breathability. For these reasons, **I only put on waterproof socks when it's freezing cold in the morning and my shoes are wet**. This is individual for everyone, though, and [Kuba](/blog/pct-2019-interview-after-2400-km), for example, who's several kilos lighter, can't praise them enough. ## Baseball Cap A special piece of gear I appreciate not just as **sun protection, but in the rain too**. I think anyone who wears glasses will know exactly what I mean. [Gramino Trucker Hat](/p/gramino-trucker-hat.md) ## Tent / Shelter [Tents](/c/sleep/tents), [tarps](/c/sleep/tarps), ground sheets and the like could fill a whole article on their own. Different things work for different people. **Always choose your shelter based on the conditions you're heading into**. If you're sleeping in a field behind your house, a ground sheet or tarp will do. If you're heading into the mountains, where there's not much grass and the ground is packed hard instead, heavy rain will splash water up off the ground. From experience, I can tell you that water combined with mud can splatter the inner mesh half a meter up from the ground. I put a [Tyvek](/p/tyvek-groundsheet-230-x-75-cm) sheet under my footprint so the bottom of my inner tent doesn't get dirty. When I dry things inside the tent, **I never put them by my feet or beside the sleeping bag, so it doesn't get damp**. I dry things more around the head area instead, or hang them up if they're not actively dripping. Sleeping out under the stars is a beautiful thing, but don't forget about dew. So if I am sleeping without any shelter, I try to at least be in the forest, where the tree branches offer some partial cover. [Liteway Illusion Duo Tent (2024)](/p/liteway-illusion-duo-tent-2024.md) ## Sleeping Pad I've grown fond of the [**NeoAir XLite**](/p/therm-a-rest-neoair-xlite-nxt) inflatable pad from Therm-a-Rest. If moisture gets through the footprint and my pad is wet in the morning, I don't just roll it up – I first fold it in half (dry side facing in) and then roll it. It's not a perfect solution, but it helps. If you carry a foam pad strapped to the outside of your backpack, I'd recommend wrapping it in a garbage bag or a sheet of Tyvek. Of course, I could go through countless other pieces of gear, but these strike me as the most important for maintaining some level of comfort in rainy and snowy weather. Always choose gear that works for you, and above all, gear you've actually tested. If you've got equipment in your backpack that you can rely on, you'll enjoy your time outdoors a lot more. There's no worse feeling than wondering whether you'll make it through the night in a tarp you're not sure can handle a real downpour, or pulling out a jacket you have serious doubts about even in light rain. **The right gear is essential when spending time in the mountains**. You should have a waterproof jacket with a hood on practically every trip into the outdoors. It takes up minimal space in your backpack and significantly reduces the risk of hypothermia if the weather suddenly changes. **Overall, you should know what conditions to expect in the mountains. Checking the weather forecast, the route profile, and its difficulty should go without saying.** In the mountains, you're not just responsible for yourself. If you get into trouble and you're lucky enough to have someone nearby willing to help, you're putting them at risk too. Mountain rescue teams are just people too, not robots, so don't forget that! - [Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XTherm NXT](/p/therm-a-rest-neoair-xtherm-nxt.md) - [Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XLite NXT](/p/therm-a-rest-neoair-xlite-nxt.md) - [NEMO Tensor All-Season](/p/nemo-tensor-all-season.md) - [NEMO Tensor Elite](/p/nemo-tensor-elite.md) - [Sea To Summit Ultralight Insulated](/p/sea-to-summit-ultralight-insulated.md) - [NEMO Switchback](/p/nemo-switchback.md) - [Therm-a-Rest Z Lite Sol](/p/therm-a-rest-z-lite-sol.md) - [EVA Foam Pad 3 mm](/p/eva-foam-pad-3-mm.md) - [Tyvek 150x250 cm (for 2 people)](/p/tyvek-groundsheet-250-x-150-cm.md) - [Gramino Ultralight Sit Pad](/p/gramino-ultralight-sit-pad.md) - [Big Agnes TwisterCane BioFoam Hiking Seat](/p/big-agnes-twistercane-biofoam.md) - [Yate EVA Classic 1,0](/p/yate-eva-classic-10-mm.md) This post is also available as [HTML](/blog/long-trails-in-the-rain). ## Sitemap See the full [sitemap](/sitemap.md) for all pages.