The Outdoor Industry's Dirty Secret - How to Stay Dry Backpacking

Want to know how to stay dry while backpacking? There is more to it than a high quality rain jacket and pants. Because even the most expensive rain gear can fail and experience what is known as Wet Out. Wet out is the complete saturation of the outer layer of your rain gear that prevents your jacket from preforming the way that it should. Wet Out can occur in rain jackets, rain pants, tents, rain covers, tarps and more. But it can also be prevented by following this one huge tip for backpacking in the rain. Check out how you can stay dry and prevent wet out the next time you are backpacking.

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Highlights From This Video:
00:00 Can You Keep a Secret?
0:13 Outdoor Industry's Dirty Secret
0:27 What is Wet Out
0:43 Why Wet Out Happens
1:21 Durable Water Repellent Finish (DWR)
2:26 How to Stop Wet Out

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[MyLifeOutdoors]

This video is unpaid and unsponsored. I bought these products with my own money. From my own experience I believe it works! Thanks for watching!

[Of_Hermits_and_Hogs]

After hiking more than 14000 miles over the last few years my resume is this: 1) regardless of your gear you will not stay dry on long hikes. Wet-outs are inevitable and much more so if you transpire heavily as I do. D"WRs show only short term gain lost quickly on long treks 2) an umbrella looks goofy but if the terrain and conditions allow it it is the most breathable solution and extremely cost effectiv. My hiking umbrella weighs half of my Arc'teryx and cost 1/5th 3) generally embrace being wet and rather focus on staying warm while being wet by chosing the right clothing.

[raimesey]

I’m ex army. It didn’t matter about staying dry (unless it was extremely cold weather) because the important thing was whether or not you had dry clothes to change into once you stopped. If you’re out in the elements for a long time, you are going to get wet! Embrace it, but make sure you have the ability to warm yourself up when you stop, and that you have something dry to change into.

[sighterinfo]

Great video. Wet out is a problem for most modern breathable rain gear. But, I don't want to have to go through a multi-step pampering process to re-waterproof my close-fitting, expensive "waterproof" and "breathable" outerwear, a fix which will degrade again in short order (often in minutes in a hard rain) or if used much. I live and work in the Pacific Northwest, on the Oregon coast, and I gave up on the idea of trying to get breathable and waterproof at the same time long ago. "Waterproof" isn't, and "breathable" will freeze you if it's blowing hard, besides. Loose-fitting impermeable fabrics (like rubberized HH gear - a size large - or an impermeable waterproof poncho) is the most effective solution in real weather IMO. Stay away from close-fitting "waterproof" garments. Use impermeable fabrics and let them flap and breathe while they keep the wind and water and condensation out.

[charlesfulcrum]

I had an instructor many years ago who taught mountain leadership. He was also a member of the local mountain rescue team. He never bought the most expensive waterproof’s, because they were a waste of money - over 25 years experience taught him that. He stuck to mid-range, because regardless of the care (Nikwax included) you took, the wear and tear on the garments after 12 months meant they needed replacing. For him, it was footwear, rucksack and it’s contents, in that order

[megajoe]

Here's what works for me- I always carry a dry pair of clothing, sealed up in a ziploc bag. When it rains for days, everything gets wet. You pack up a wet tent, put on your wet set of clothes and hike another day. But when you get settled in for the evening, you have that dry set you can wear, and get a break from it. Always keep the dry set dry.

[TheHappySensitive]

I've given up on fancy raingear (tent excluded) and just use a super cheap poncho on my bike. Weighs nothing, packs small, costs less than $10. Works amazing & even doubles as a picknick blanket. I also wear things that dry quickly and keep me warm either way like others in the comments have mentioned.

[michaelmccormick]

A 120 yr old book called, “The Forest, ” covers this topic in great detail. The author used two wool sweaters during expeditions and would change into the dry sweater once camp was set up. Waxed canvas was too heavy and sweaty.

[hisnameisiam]

The only gear that WILL keep you dry no matter what(I live in Oregon and hunt no matter what the weather.), are the rubber jackets and overalls used for crabbing and fishing in Alaska and such. My dad gave me some 40 year old gear and it still keeps me dry in hours and hours worth of rain. My "game hide" overalls were also very good but are goretex so they soak through eventually. My dad swears by his wool sweatshirt because even if it soaks through, he is warm.

[TwoPlusTwoEqualsFive]

The problem is people want something that breathes but also want something that keeps water out. You really can't have both. This is why it's better to have a loose fitting but waterproof poncho as apposed to a jacket or pants. Airflow comes from beneath and you can just flap it around every now and then to remove wet air.

[BinaryJoe]

Nicely done. I didn't even realise I was watching an ad until the product showed up. Slick.

[jeremyarchambault]

I don’t remember where I’ve heard this story but this hiker and his team were making an attempt at a long hike with a Sherpa. There was a storm and everyone was completely wet. The Sherpa was hiking with an umbrella, he was the only one that stayed dry. It doesn’t matter how expensive the jacket, if it’s directly against your skin and “breathable” you’ll eventually be wet.

[andrewcheshire]

I've used many different rain jackets, and nowadays I'm settled on my army poncho, it's versatile, more breathable than any rain jacket due to open sides, covers your pack, durable and multifunction (for example setting up a quick shelter for a short period to have a cup of tea and break from the wet).

[bandaddie]

My rain gear of choice for almost 60 years; Standard issue US military poncho/shelter half. The models of the WWII/Korea/Vietnam era were rubberized, strong and versatile. Wet out has never been a major issue. It also worked well to block wind and cold air infiltration during winter blizzards. A couple of these are must-haves in any survival kit.

[SurvivalRussia]

In my experience, you will get wet while hiking in the rain regardless of what rain gear you're using. It's just a matter of time before condensation and/sweat will build up inside your rain gear. The best way to stay dry is to wait it out under some form of shelter. If you have to hike in the rain, you will get wet.

[cyberjonesy]

When I was in the army, wet-out was a daily occurrence and we just, stayed wet... all day long, for weeks sometimes ! All I could really do about it, is accept the fact that I am a disposable living entity. ( and that helped tremendously get over it) :/

[TheHavnmonkey]

Lightweight hiking umbrella... really think it is a very underrated piece of gear! Just keeping your head and shoulders free from rain really helps your jacket membrane vent that condensation away from your body.

[jorgenpersson]

Partially I think it's a matter of expectations. One can get wet and it's a disaster during a long trip. One can also get wet and it's just... part of the journey. Knowing what's what and learn to handle the situation and how to maintain one's gear takes time and experience.

Thank you for a great video.

[iLikeMike]

I've done two thru hikes across America. I've found an umbrella is the best thing to use to stay dry. Even in a driving rain you can usually keep your top half pretty dry. For my legs I use a non breathable pair of Antigravity Gear pants.

[RainBoxRed]

I'd like to make a comment on the terminology. Typically wet-out is when just the outside layer is completely saturated with rain. Moisture build up on the inside of rain gear is from sweat. Water-proof/vapour-pass materials work on the humidity gradient. You can get wet inside a waterproof jacket from wet-out (the vapour cannot pass though the outer layer as you described); insufficient gradient (that is if the outside is as humid or more humid than the interior, i.e. if it's raining heavily and the outside air humidity is high), or if you are producing more sweat then the material can pass (breathability).

Typically this last point is the biggest problem when you have to do work (hiking uphill) and you want rain protection, you will sweat faster than the layers can let it pass through. Pit-zips etc can only do so much to offset this. The end result is that you end up wet inside anyway, even if you don't have wet out, or even if it's not raining (intermittently). Assuming the outer has not wet-out, and some moisture can escape, then you get perhaps only marginally less wet than nonbreathable cheap alternative (PVC or equivalent).

The solution is if you expect to use your hard shell jacket for more than strolling around town is: not spending heaps, accept you will get wet inside (be comfortable with being uncomfortable), wear wool/poly to still keep warm when wet, and have a dry set to switch into at camp.