10 Things You Should be Knowing About Wearing Rain Jacket

Walking for hours in the rain, for many of us, a good rain jacket is vital, but even the best rain gear can't keep us 100 percent dry in constant precipitation. Whether it's a trickle down your neck or self-generated moisture, everyone is guaranteed to end up at least damp. However, there are many subtle tweaks you can make in how you wear your rain gear that will help keep more water out and bring you closer to 100 percent dry. Here are 10 simple ways to make adjustments.

1. Cuff the hem of your hiking pants and shirt sleeves underneath your rain paints and jacket.

It’s important to keep your non-waterproof layers from sliding out underneath your shell, as they will quickly start to absorb water. Cuffing ensures they won’t escape their protective layers and provides a buffer zone between what is wet and what is dry.

2. Wear a cap under your rain jacket’s hood.

This creates an awning to keep rain out of your eyes and from trickling off your face and down your neck. Look for synthetic caps that dry quickly and absorb little to no water.

3. Set wrist straps to comfortably tight.

The goal is to prevent your rain jacket’s sleeves from riding up. Sleeve ride up results in exposed wrists that will then get the inside of your jacket’s sleeves wet once they're back in place.

4. Leave your pit zips open as their default setting.

In most light-medium rain, the venting benefits of pit zips will outweigh whatever tiny amount of water can sneak in under your arms. Only in heavy rain, in a strong side wind, or when bushwacking is it worth closing the pit zips.

5. Store your rain gear on the outside of your pack.

It’s important to keep your rain gear handy so it can be accessed as soon as the rain starts. Comparatively, storing rain gear inside your pack’s main compartment will cause you to get wet while you fish it out, and even worse, allow water to enter the pack.

6. Tuck your undershirt into your rain pants.

Just like cuffing your sleeves or pants, the goal here is to prevent the hem of your shirt from draping below your jacket or becoming exposed to the elements if your jacket should ever ride up. Another benefit is that rain pants often have an elastic waist band that is uncomfortable to wear directly against your skin. This helps prevent chafing.

7. If you’re using waterproof gaiters to protect against rain, wear them under your rain pants.

This creates a shingle effect that keeps the rain flowing down and out. Wearing gaiters over your rain pants can allow water to trickle down in between the two, eventually landing on your socks or down your boot.

8. In very light rain, wear your hood like a collar.

Any time the rain is bad enough to justify a jacket, but too warm or light enough to justify wearing a hood, it’s worth rolling the hood up like a collar. This prevents rain from collecting in the hood like a bucket and from pouring down the back of your neck when the rain gets worse and you decide it’s time to wear the hood.

9. Set the elastic drawcord hem to prevent jacket ride up.

Most rain jackets can cinch at the hem, but tightening doesn’t always make it less likely to ride up as you hike. Every jacket interacts differently with every body shape and every backpack. Next time you’re wearing your jacket, see if tightening or loosening at the hem helps keep it in place better.

10. If possible, when putting a rain jacket on, take another layer off.

Rain jackets are warm and sweaty enough with only a base layer, especially during warmer months. If you were already wearing a mid layer, let your rain jacket replace it, not add to it.

The last words

Hopefully these tips will help keep you a little bit drier and a little bit happier next time you find yourself slogging through the rain. Oh, and don’t forget to zip up your pockets!

A note on shopping for rain gear: If you enjoy staying dry, it’s imperative that your jacket and pants aren’t too small. Due to its waterproof construction, most rain gear has little to no stretch, which means that large steps or reaches can expose wrists and ankles. To prevent this, make sure everything fits a little loose, with more than enough room for added layers underneath. When shopping online, if you’re in between sizes, or a jacket is noted to run small, it’s probably best to err on the side of caution and size up.

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