I hiked half of the Appalachian trail last year carrying an umbrella. Get the clips from gossamer gear for your shoulder straps so you can use your trekking poles. It took some effort to dial in the correct placement of the straps and clip system. As long as the trail is well maintained the umbrella was no problem. I will continue to carry it.
Have the Montbell Versalite. Great jacket, can’t fault it, ultra light, breathable, massive pit zips, pockets, hood stays in place in the wind. If it’s absolutely bucketing down (and conditions are suitable re track width, wind, etc, I pair it with an ultralight umbrella to prevent wetting out around pack shoulder straps
I've been following thruhiker, and her gear choose. She told that no matter the price of jacket, very expensive ones, or cheaper ones - sooner or later every jacket will leak. I guess, if you want be sure to not be wet at all - just pick something that doesn't breath at all :) But of course, we mostly think about few days of hiking, thruhikers rather thinks about months of hiking :-)
Yea most people agree that sooner or later they leak! New ones with a coating seem to do well at first but when used often and with a backpack 🤷🏼♂️ they start to leak as well.
My rain solution is a lightweight umbrella and when the rain and/o wind is too harsh I made a kind of rainjacket from cuben fiber which goes over my backpack, is spacious enough to air the sweat. The jacket weighs about 100 grams. Works wonderful for me.
When I was going uphill in my fancy 3 layer gore tex pro jacket I really realized how bad of a choice it actually is. I had to basically open up every zipper to stop sweating, and at that point it's not that waterproof anymore. Then I saw someone else hiking with a poncho and I got really jealous. All that airflow from underneath looked great, and I'm sure it weighs a lot less too. An expensive lesson to learn, but at least I can still use the jacket for skiing and such.
Yea, the right jacket for the right task and for hiking and doing any kind of activities with a bit of effort GORETEX ain’t that nice 😄 better for skiing like you say, downhill that is 🙂 ⛷️
Umbrella is a good idea for hikes in Spain for both sun and rain protection esp on something like Camino Frances where the trail is paved and super wide. Here in the UK, I can’t even use an umbrella when I go out on the street in the city so let alone when out hiking in the mountains! Same argument against the poncho, it’ll become a massive sail 🌪 and I think both are not practical for going over stiles or scrambling or going over a ridge. Btw how small do those rain jackets pack?
I agree with your conclusions but will try it for when in camp and summer rain with no wind and we’ll see… if worth bringing or not. The LIM is somewhat bigger and I would say like two fists… while the Halo is easier to compact and less than one fist, super compact!
I used an umbrella (decathlon, inesis micro 160g) during my hike of Kungsleden last summer. One of the last items I added and unsure about it, but the days I used it I was really grateful to have it!
paclite has a 15.000 g/sm/24h breatability - so its a bit higher than the point zero OMM uses, paclite sometimes - in my experience, when it rains it hard to feel the difference over multi days of something with low breatability - like the OMM and Haglofs - and something with higher - like berghaus hyper 100 (50.000) versalite (43.000) - pit zips is what counts
I have very olf Lafuma Gore-Tex Paclite jacket and never had problem geting wet from outside, even after several days in rain. It' s 10K/10K jacket and yes it lacks some breathability when hiking in rain and up mountain. Now use more breathable Neoshell 15K/30K and Karimor 10K/50K jackets but these yet to be tested in long nonstop rain conditions but brathabilitu is excellent. I do not use umbrella whilw hiking as rainy weather very often is also windy and umbrella is useless in windy conditions.
The third disadvantage for me of an umbrella is being unable to use it while using two trekking poles. Rather than stow one trekking pole I'd like to see an inventer create a trekking pole umbrella.
You can also make or buy a hands free attachment for the umbrella. Super easy, like two straps only 🙂 if you have daisy chains on you pack that is 😄 and there is a trekking pole umbrella, see the link… don’t know how good it is though! Made by Komperdell. www.amazon.co.uk/Relags-Umbrella-Komperdell-Trekking-Black/dp/B00L5KBM1U
Currently only one left in the Amazon store. With currency conversion, Gst and freight that could cost $120 to $150 landed in New Zealand. We just don't have that stuff here. Neither do we have the lightweight jackets and dfc tents. It will go on my wish list with other stuff.
Ja jag har provat lite i år men inte riktigt fastnat för det, bättre i låglandet än på fjället så… kommer få hänga med fler gånger på turer på Sörmlandsleden, Östgötaleden osv.
Great video as always especially as I need to buy a rain jacket! About umbrella, another minus is if you use poles, to have an umbrella just will not work ☔
Thanks 🙏🏻 and we’ll… I will try and make it hands free so that I have both my hands free, usually an easy thing to do with a couple of straps/shock cord or such. I hope it will work out… don’t have any daisy chains on my pack so a bit of a challenge 😄
Yeah it gives a lot of great benefits, used it once this year and just have to figure out how I to attach it in a good way on my backpack to get my hands free. Not a bit issue and easily solved, I think 😄 don’t have any daisy chains!!
The third disadvantage of an umbrella is you can't walk with two trekking poles and carry an open umbrella. I am waiting for someone to invent a trekking pole with built in umbrella.
Great insights as always. My Patagonia goretex is in for repair at the moment so I've been using other, cheaper alternatives. Nothing is as good as the Patagonia but the Marmot Precip Eco has performed surprisingly well in heavy rain. I don't use an umbrella nowadays because they get caught on plants/scrub (Australia) plus I like sticking my hands in my pockets😊
Thanks 🙏🏻 and held the Precip in my hands at one time but choose the Halo instead! Glad to hear it performed better than anticipated 👍🏻 what Patagonia jacket are you using? 🙂
Good choices. I use a soft shell in light rain, so my real rain gear spends even _more_ time in the pack. When it rains hard I use a poncho with a full-length front zipper. It is even more ventilated than a traditional poncho, and goes on/off like a jacket. Ponchos are soooo much better than jackets because they go over the pack rather than being pressed to your back and chest like a jacket. Keeping my back cool is something that only a poncho can do. The front zipper makes it easy to cool the rest of my torso. For ultralight day hikes I sometimes carry a Coghlan's Emergency Poncho instead. It isn't great, but it weighs 60g and fits in a pocket. It is truly "emergency" gear rather than comfort gear.
Thanks and yes, many recommend using a Poncho instead… for me I tried but didn’t like it but it doesn’t mean it’s a bad choice 😄 have a friend using one! Never seen one with a zipper though… what brand is that?
@@roberthammenrudh I have replied twice and TH-cam deleted both posts. Sigh. No idea why. Third Attempt: SaphiRose (Amazon): Inexpensive, 310g/11oz, effective. The Packa is a more sophisticated option. Attaches to pack as a rain cover, which allows the poncho to go on/off the body while standing. Has sleeves and long pit zips, making it more wind-worthy for mountaineering in alpine conditions. Available in several fabrics, including WPB. Frogg Toggs UL poncho cut down the front; added snaps reinforced with duct tape. No sewing required. If you sew, the same could be done with a military poncho. Add a poncho liner for a versatile set of weather and shelter options. Mountain Laurel Designs Gatewood Cape (310g/11oz) converts into a small shelter. MLD sells a net inner to make it into a complete tent; total weight 620g/22oz for both rain gear and shelter. Some people use it as their main ultralight shelter, others as emergency shelter, although some others think it is too large for rain gear and too small for shelter. YMMV. OneTigris Tentsformer appears to be a lower-priced version of the Gatewood Cape. 620g/22 oz for just the poncho. There are also some rain capes on Amazon with similar design to the SaphiRose. Some have thumb loops if you prefer that.
@@billb5732 TH-cam sometimes do that… 🤷🏼♂️ don’t know why!! Glad your third attempt worked 👍🏻 thanks for all the tips, if not for me to a friend of mine always using a cheap poncho, maybe wants an upgrade! Appreciate it a lot, thanks 👍🏻
@@roberthammenrudh It's more about knowing the important features than about cheap. The SaphiRose poncho is only $20 US, but does the job better than my $200 WPB jacket. It is better than anything else I've tried. Military ponchos and liners are not expensive, but they can replace rain gear, puffy, tarp, and/or Summer sleep system. Combined system weight is low. Great for people on a budget (although not as excellent as gear used by famous TH-camrs such as yourself). ;)
Bra fråga, jag lutar faktiskt åt RAB Phantom pga vikten och behöver inte fickor mm eller pit zips då jag oftast inte svettas jättemycket utan förmodligen klarar mig utmärkt med den andningsförmåga Phantom har. Gillar designen på Halo och Phantom är ganska lik. Återstår att se hur den motstår slitage 🙂 när jag väl trycker på köpknappen… förmodligen innan årets lite större äventyr i höst i alla fall.
Som ren info är jackan nu inköpt, inväntar leverans och utprovning på den länge turen vecka 32. Tog en storlek större än på Halo för att få lite mer utrymme för dunjackan under vid behov, gör inte så mycket ett regnjackan blir lite stor.
Hey Robert Question please...after your review of Alpha Direct clothing, it got me thinking & looking. What do you think of OMM’s Core+ hoody...? Any opinions greatly appreciated thank you.
Hi 👋🏻 well, Primaloft Next is a direct competitor to Polartec Alpha so 🤷🏼♂️ some say it’s warmer, some that it’s not. My two cents… they are about the same! I don’t own any so you can take it with a grain of salt… but I have read some claim it to be just as good as Alpha so, if the hoodie applies to your needs then 👍🏻
I don't like the pro version at all. The half zip mean that you can't open the front fully to let the air in between showers. You will be taking your pack on and off to get it over your head every time it stops raining and then repeating it 5 minutes later when it starts raining again.
I understand completely, but the strength of the Halo is breathability so not necessary to take it on and off all the time, at least that’s my experience.
I hiked half of the Appalachian trail last year carrying an umbrella. Get the clips from gossamer gear for your shoulder straps so you can use your trekking poles. It took some effort to dial in the correct placement of the straps and clip system. As long as the trail is well maintained the umbrella was no problem. I will continue to carry it.
Have the Montbell Versalite. Great jacket, can’t fault it, ultra light, breathable, massive pit zips, pockets, hood stays in place in the wind. If it’s absolutely bucketing down (and conditions are suitable re track width, wind, etc, I pair it with an ultralight umbrella to prevent wetting out around pack shoulder straps
Thanks for info and yeah, seems to be the perfect jacket! 👍🏻
I've been following thruhiker, and her gear choose. She told that no matter the price of jacket, very expensive ones, or cheaper ones - sooner or later every jacket will leak. I guess, if you want be sure to not be wet at all - just pick something that doesn't breath at all :) But of course, we mostly think about few days of hiking, thruhikers rather thinks about months of hiking :-)
Yea most people agree that sooner or later they leak! New ones with a coating seem to do well at first but when used often and with a backpack 🤷🏼♂️ they start to leak as well.
My rain solution is a lightweight umbrella and when the rain and/o wind is too harsh I made a kind of rainjacket from cuben fiber which goes over my backpack, is spacious enough to air the sweat. The jacket weighs about 100 grams. Works wonderful for me.
Sounds like a great solution, like a poncho/jacket 👍🏻 and 100 grams is great! 🙂
When I was going uphill in my fancy 3 layer gore tex pro jacket I really realized how bad of a choice it actually is. I had to basically open up every zipper to stop sweating, and at that point it's not that waterproof anymore. Then I saw someone else hiking with a poncho and I got really jealous. All that airflow from underneath looked great, and I'm sure it weighs a lot less too. An expensive lesson to learn, but at least I can still use the jacket for skiing and such.
Yea, the right jacket for the right task and for hiking and doing any kind of activities with a bit of effort GORETEX ain’t that nice 😄 better for skiing like you say, downhill that is 🙂 ⛷️
A poncho is great until the wind gets up and then it is a nightmare. Whilst hiking in Scotland I ended up tying the bottom and wearing as a jacket.
Ponchos are great in theory but they flap around and either lift up or stick to your legs. Would be a good option at camp though.
Umbrella is a good idea for hikes in Spain for both sun and rain protection esp on something like Camino Frances where the trail is paved and super wide.
Here in the UK, I can’t even use an umbrella when I go out on the street in the city so let alone when out hiking in the mountains! Same argument against the poncho, it’ll become a massive sail 🌪 and I think both are not practical for going over stiles or scrambling or going over a ridge.
Btw how small do those rain jackets pack?
I agree with your conclusions but will try it for when in camp and summer rain with no wind and we’ll see… if worth bringing or not.
The LIM is somewhat bigger and I would say like two fists… while the Halo is easier to compact and less than one fist, super compact!
I used an umbrella (decathlon, inesis micro 160g) during my hike of Kungsleden last summer. One of the last items I added and unsure about it, but the days I used it I was really grateful to have it!
Glad to hear you enjoyed it, looking forward trying it out. First trip bringing it will be next weekend.
paclite has a 15.000 g/sm/24h breatability - so its a bit higher than the point zero OMM uses, paclite sometimes - in my experience, when it rains it hard to feel the difference over multi days of something with low breatability - like the OMM and Haglofs - and something with higher - like berghaus hyper 100 (50.000) versalite (43.000) - pit zips is what counts
Lol, why is there always that sound effect from Jason beckers’ song altitudes?
Haha, don’t know where it’s from 😄🤷🏼♂️ just like it!
I have very olf Lafuma Gore-Tex Paclite jacket and never had problem geting wet from outside, even after several days in rain. It' s 10K/10K jacket and yes it lacks some breathability when hiking in rain and up mountain. Now use more breathable Neoshell 15K/30K and Karimor 10K/50K jackets but these yet to be tested in long nonstop rain conditions but brathabilitu is excellent.
I do not use umbrella whilw hiking as rainy weather very often is also windy and umbrella is useless in windy conditions.
The third disadvantage for me of an umbrella is being unable to use it while using two trekking poles. Rather than stow one trekking pole I'd like to see an inventer create a trekking pole umbrella.
You can also make or buy a hands free attachment for the umbrella. Super easy, like two straps only 🙂 if you have daisy chains on you pack that is 😄 and there is a trekking pole umbrella, see the link… don’t know how good it is though! Made by Komperdell.
www.amazon.co.uk/Relags-Umbrella-Komperdell-Trekking-Black/dp/B00L5KBM1U
Currently only one left in the Amazon store. With currency conversion, Gst and freight that could cost $120 to $150 landed in New Zealand. We just don't have that stuff here. Neither do we have the lightweight jackets and dfc tents. It will go on my wish list with other stuff.
@@mrderekbarthow5967 ah ok… a bit too expensive for what it is then! Sorry to hear you have problems finding good gear at reasonable prices.
How about the berghaus hyper 100 hydrostatic head of 20.000 and mvtr of over 50.000 ?
God video! En paraply er en god ide, bortset fra hvis du bruger vandrestave. Montbell laver nogle ultralette versioner, helt ned til 90 gram!
Ja jag har provat lite i år men inte riktigt fastnat för det, bättre i låglandet än på fjället så… kommer få hänga med fler gånger på turer på Sörmlandsleden, Östgötaleden osv.
Great video as always especially as I need to buy a rain jacket! About umbrella, another minus is if you use poles, to have an umbrella just will not work ☔
Thanks 🙏🏻 and we’ll… I will try and make it hands free so that I have both my hands free, usually an easy thing to do with a couple of straps/shock cord or such. I hope it will work out… don’t have any daisy chains on my pack so a bit of a challenge 😄
@@roberthammenrudh I also have a 20kg dog on a bungee lead attached to my hips 😅
There is a clip for attaching the umbrella to the backpack. Homemade wanderlust is talking about that in one of her videos.
The umbrella is worth it. Especially if you arent packing extra clothes.
Yeah it gives a lot of great benefits, used it once this year and just have to figure out how I to attach it in a good way on my backpack to get my hands free. Not a bit issue and easily solved, I think 😄 don’t have any daisy chains!!
The third disadvantage of an umbrella is you can't walk with two trekking poles and carry an open umbrella. I am waiting for someone to invent a trekking pole with built in umbrella.
Great insights as always. My Patagonia goretex is in for repair at the moment so I've been using other, cheaper alternatives. Nothing is as good as the Patagonia but the Marmot Precip Eco has performed surprisingly well in heavy rain.
I don't use an umbrella nowadays because they get caught on plants/scrub (Australia) plus I like sticking my hands in my pockets😊
Thanks 🙏🏻 and held the Precip in my hands at one time but choose the Halo instead! Glad to hear it performed better than anticipated 👍🏻 what Patagonia jacket are you using? 🙂
@@roberthammenrudh The Calcite jacket. Definitely not ultralight but excellent pockets and the hood stays in place and covers my face.
Good choices.
I use a soft shell in light rain, so my real rain gear spends even _more_ time in the pack.
When it rains hard I use a poncho with a full-length front zipper.
It is even more ventilated than a traditional poncho, and goes on/off like a jacket.
Ponchos are soooo much better than jackets because they go over the pack rather than being pressed to your back and chest like a jacket. Keeping my back cool is something that only a poncho can do. The front zipper makes it easy to cool the rest of my torso.
For ultralight day hikes I sometimes carry a Coghlan's Emergency Poncho instead. It isn't great, but it weighs 60g and fits in a pocket. It is truly "emergency" gear rather than comfort gear.
Thanks and yes, many recommend using a Poncho instead… for me I tried but didn’t like it but it doesn’t mean it’s a bad choice 😄 have a friend using one!
Never seen one with a zipper though… what brand is that?
@@roberthammenrudh I have replied twice and TH-cam deleted both posts. Sigh. No idea why. Third Attempt:
SaphiRose (Amazon): Inexpensive, 310g/11oz, effective.
The Packa is a more sophisticated option. Attaches to pack as a rain cover, which allows the poncho to go on/off the body while standing. Has sleeves and long pit zips, making it more wind-worthy for mountaineering in alpine conditions. Available in several fabrics, including WPB.
Frogg Toggs UL poncho cut down the front; added snaps reinforced with duct tape. No sewing required.
If you sew, the same could be done with a military poncho. Add a poncho liner for a versatile set of weather and shelter options.
Mountain Laurel Designs Gatewood Cape (310g/11oz) converts into a small shelter. MLD sells a net inner to make it into a complete tent; total weight 620g/22oz for both rain gear and shelter. Some people use it as their main ultralight shelter, others as emergency shelter, although some others think it is too large for rain gear and too small for shelter. YMMV.
OneTigris Tentsformer appears to be a lower-priced version of the Gatewood Cape. 620g/22 oz for just the poncho.
There are also some rain capes on Amazon with similar design to the SaphiRose. Some have thumb loops if you prefer that.
@@billb5732 TH-cam sometimes do that… 🤷🏼♂️ don’t know why!! Glad your third attempt worked 👍🏻 thanks for all the tips, if not for me to a friend of mine always using a cheap poncho, maybe wants an upgrade! Appreciate it a lot, thanks 👍🏻
@@roberthammenrudh It's more about knowing the important features than about cheap. The SaphiRose poncho is only $20 US, but does the job better than my $200 WPB jacket. It is better than anything else I've tried.
Military ponchos and liners are not expensive, but they can replace rain gear, puffy, tarp, and/or Summer sleep system. Combined system weight is low. Great for people on a budget (although not as excellent as gear used by famous TH-camrs such as yourself). ;)
@@billb5732 I will for sure send the link about Saphirose to my friend! And I wouldn’t go as far as saying “famous” TH-camr… just TH-camr 😄
Om du skulle köpa en jacka, vilken hade du valt av Rab phantom eller Montbell Versalite?
Bra fråga, jag lutar faktiskt åt RAB Phantom pga vikten och behöver inte fickor mm eller pit zips då jag oftast inte svettas jättemycket utan förmodligen klarar mig utmärkt med den andningsförmåga Phantom har.
Gillar designen på Halo och Phantom är ganska lik. Återstår att se hur den motstår slitage 🙂 när jag väl trycker på köpknappen… förmodligen innan årets lite större äventyr i höst i alla fall.
Som ren info är jackan nu inköpt, inväntar leverans och utprovning på den länge turen vecka 32. Tog en storlek större än på Halo för att få lite mer utrymme för dunjackan under vid behov, gör inte så mycket ett regnjackan blir lite stor.
Hey Robert
Question please...after your review of Alpha Direct clothing, it got me thinking & looking. What do you think of OMM’s Core+ hoody...?
Any opinions greatly appreciated thank you.
Hi 👋🏻 well, Primaloft Next is a direct competitor to Polartec Alpha so 🤷🏼♂️ some say it’s warmer, some that it’s not. My two cents… they are about the same!
I don’t own any so you can take it with a grain of salt… but I have read some claim it to be just as good as Alpha so, if the hoodie applies to your needs then 👍🏻
@@roberthammenrudh much appreciated as always...be safe. Bless.
.Wish.
I don't like the pro version at all. The half zip mean that you can't open the front fully to let the air in between showers. You will be taking your pack on and off to get it over your head every time it stops raining and then repeating it 5 minutes later when it starts raining again.
I understand completely, but the strength of the Halo is breathability so not necessary to take it on and off all the time, at least that’s my experience.
ELLER ett parasoll!
😂🤷🏼♂️…