How do you keep yourself dry in the rain when hiking?
It's fair to say that every backpacker hopes for clear skies, but just because there's rain in the forecast, there's no need to bail on your backpacking trip.
With a little planing and by knowying a few tricks which we're about to look at.
You can make backpacking in the rain as much fun as backpacking on bluebird days.
Let's start by looking at your clothing :
1- whether there's rain in the forecast or not , bringing rain gear is a must, something like a hardshell, lightweight rain jacket, and remember that no matter how good your gear is, gear tends to loose its water repellency over time, so it's a good idea to apply a waterproofer something like a Nic wax before you go on your trip.
But no matter how expensive and waterproof your jacket and pants are, if you are in the rain all day, you're going to get soaked to the bone, water just has a way of finding its way inside, that make clothing that you are wearing under your waterproof shell important.
Do yourself a favor and don't bring cotton, just leave your cotton clothes at home, there are a few big problems with cotton, for one, if it gets wet either from weather or your sweat, takes a longtime to dry.
2- When cotton gets wet, it also will make you colder, because it saps away from your body, instead of cotton use clothing made of materials that will wick water away from your body, dry quickly and provide warmth even when they are wet, use quick drying synthetic t-shirts and underwear as base layer, and also depending on how cold it might be .
If you prefer natural materials, wear as classic, because it still performs when it's wet.
When it comes your feet, again leave your cotton socks at home, but a good pair of wool or synthetic socks is like a slice of heaven when you are in the backcountry, of course the drier your feet are, the more comfortable be, and so once again, it's a good idea to waterproof your footwear before your trip.
And that takes care of the clothes that you are wearing, but it's equally as important to take care of the gear that is inside your pack.
A waterproof pack can work very well, but we would still recommend packing most of your gear into dry bags, even if it's a trash bag, in a particular we'd recommend a waterproof for sleeping bag and your extra clothes, to use on rainy days.
Down sitting bags are good, but it's important to know one of the major drawbacks of down, is that it actually will not keeps you warm when it gets wet, because the down clump up, whereas the synethic bag will keep you warm if it gets wet.
This change with the invention of hydrophobic down, because it's actually a water repellent on the down, so if that gets wet, it doesn't clump up, and it will still keep you warm if it's wet.
When you are in a camp, the biggest factor in staying dry on rainy days, is where you position your shelter.
the trick is to find a spot with a gentle slope that will carry water away from you, make sure to avoid drainages on low points, where water will pull up or flow underneath you.
In a good storm you'll also want to dig trenches on the high sides of your shelter, to divert water that will otherwise flow under you .
Here's another big tip, when using a ground sheet, it's really important to make sure that it doesn't will catch the rain, and actually will pull it underneath your tent, making it worse than if you don't have a ground sheet at all, some people even prefer to put put the ground sheet inside the tent to provide a waterproof barrier, between you and the ground.
So there you have it, a few tips on how to enjoy your backpacking trip in the rain.
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Look Also ===> prepare your feet for a long distance walk / hiking !
source Sikana tv
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