<div>The Sierra Design Peak Bagger is almost identical to the Precip and I ended up sending mine home for EXACTLY the same reason during my AT thru. The so-called breatheable laminates do a great job of shedding light intermittent rain ...but get caught in a non-stop multi-day rain situation and they totally soak out. The outer layer, generally a ripstop nylon doesn't absorb water per-se but during constant downpours the water seems to somehow get trapped in the fiber. The garments end up getting wet and staying wet and once wet, they weigh a lot more than when dry.</div> <div> </div> <div>For that reason, I personally switched to silnylon rainwear about 3 years ago. Yes, it's totally non-breathable and warm but it does keep the rain off and does not soak off or get heavier. Mine is vented enough to allow some trapped body heat to escape and I typically only wear it during sustained heavy rains. Plus, once
the rain stops you shake it off and it dries relatively quickly.</div> <div> </div> <div>'Slogger<BR><BR><B><I>Karen Somers <kborski@yahoo.com></I></B> wrote:</div> <BLOCKQUOTE class=replbq style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #1010ff 2px solid">Just a note on Marmot Precip rain gear, which a few<BR>mentioned.....and which I should precede by saying<BR>that I am generally a fan of Marmot gear. I think<BR>they do an excellent job with most of their products. <BR>I carried a Marmot Goretex rain jacket on the AT and<BR>that thing literally saved my life in the Whites.<BR><BR>However, I was firsthand witness to five thru-hikers<BR>who ditched their Precip jackets in Oregon after four<BR>days of rain on the PCT (including myself). We had to<BR>actually hitch into Portland to the REI to buy WORKING<BR>rain jackets, or risk our health by staying with the<BR>soggy Precips. The Precips had performed fine in<BR>light rain and warm weather -- through
all of CA and<BR>most of OR. But after that fourth day of 40-degree<BR>rain in northern Oregon, we became official Precip<BR>Haters.<BR><BR>I don't know why my friends and I had such a bad<BR>experience compared to so many other hikers, but I<BR>wouldn't dare take a Precip on the CDT. When we<BR>returned our jackets to REI, they were flabbergasted. <BR>I bought a The North Face Stormlight Goretex jacket. <BR>At 24 oz. it is definitely NOT lightweight, but I have<BR>never EVER had it fail on me, even after eight solid<BR>days of rain in Washington. <BR><BR>At that time, I also bought a pair of zip-off Goretex<BR>rain pants (also very heavy, but hey, we were so<BR>miserable that I didn't care at that point), which I<BR>was extremely skeptical about. I had never worn rain<BR>pants much. Now, I LOVE those things. I can actually<BR>hike in them -- I just zip down from the hip to aerate<BR>when I start to sweat. They are very warm and cozy in<BR>camp, but I won't be carrying
them for all of the CDT.<BR><BR><BR>I'm a big fan of Esbit stoves, but I think Bald Eagle<BR>and I are planning to take an alcohol stove that we<BR>recently built and tested based on the "Cat Stove"<BR>design (do a Google search). It's very similar to<BR>most other alcohol stoves, but it is particular about<BR>base height being placed accurately above the flame to<BR>maximize heat transfer. This height above flame seems<BR>to be quite a bit higher than our last few stove<BR>stands/bases, and it certainly boils stronger than the<BR>others. Without this innovation, we had set our minds<BR>on two smaller pots and Esbits. I still think Esbits<BR>are a lot lighter than alcohol, but Eagle doesn't like<BR>them. So, like most hiking couples, we learn to<BR>compromise (esp. important since he does all the<BR>cooking while I journal!).<BR><BR>Well, "D-day" at work yesterday ("disussion day"). <BR>They know what I've cooked up for this year, and now I<BR>just have to wait and see if
they'll help me out with<BR>a leave of absence.<BR><BR>Regardless, I agree that June 15th cannot get here<BR>soon enough.<BR><BR>Nocona<BR><BR><BR><BR>____________________________________________________________________________________Pinpoint customers who are looking for what you sell. <BR>http://searchmarketing.yahoo.com/<BR>_______________________________________________<BR>cdt-l mailing list<BR>cdt-l@backcountry.net<BR>http://mailman.hack.net/mailman/listinfo/cdt-l<BR></BLOCKQUOTE><BR><p> 
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