I have had a love hate relationship with ponchos. Theoretically they make great sense, but I have tried rain ponchos five times for six month or longer. After each poncho experiment I switched back to a rain jacket and a dedicated shelter. This post is about my current re-evaluation of ponchos as rain gear. For…

ArcTeryx Norvan SL Rain Jacket is one of the lightest, most breathable rain jacket currently available. I originally purchased the jacket in 2016. I have made some updates my original post based on longer term use. The Norvan SL works brilliantly when biking or hiking when it’s cool (say 55F). When running I can go for…

Hats seem to be one of the more personal pieces of gear. People seem to care about the style of their hat than many other clothing items. There are a huge number of options with a wide variety of styles, colors, materials, etc. Hats are highly effective at fine tuning thermal comfort because they are…

Like hats, hardware seem to be one of the more “personal” pieces of gear. Unlike “hats”, fit and function rather than style seems to drive most people’s decision making.  The fit of handwear is much more important  than say, a jacket.  Less than 1 cm of extra length in the fingers can be the difference…

Contents1 TL;DR2 Context3 My Choice4 Forms of Rain Protection4.1 Rain Jackets/Pants4.2 Something + Chaps/Skirts4.3 Rain Jacket/Pack Cover4.4 Poncho4.5 Umbrella5 Rain Shell Materials6 More Info / Details7 Low Cost TL;DR As of April 2024 the best rain gear in terms of performance have their membranes on the outside. They don’t wet out, and dry amazingly quickly,…

Often people will have a single layer of clothing for their legs. Generally legs need less protection from weather than the torso for several reasons. Moisture management is typically less challenging and in most activities, your legs  generate more heat than your arms because you are using your legs to propel yourself. Legs also tend…

The purpose of the insulation layer is to keep you warm. (I have brief notes about layering clothing). There are a number of factors which affect how much insulation a person will need to be comfortable for a given set of conditions.  The most significant is the level of activity, or what researchers call Metabolic Equivalent (ResearchGate…

Everyone has their own definition of “softshell” which makes the marketplace quite confusing. My definition of soft shell is any single layer garment which is designed be worn in a wide range of conditions putting an emphasis on breathability over absolute protection from external conditions.  I consider unlined windshirts a part of a softshell system. Contrary…

Windshirts, sometimes called windbreakers or wind-shells are one of the most versatile pieces of clothing you can use. A simple, unlined windshirt can ounce per ounce provide more warmth than many other clothing items because it helps prevent convection cooling which increases significantly as the wind speed increases. In many cases a windshirt over an…

I used to believe a good base layers will move moisture away from your body.  In warm weather a wicking base will help keep you cool by provide more surface area than your skin to promote evaporation of your sweat. In cold weather convection cooling tends to be the bigger issue than evaporation…  so a…