Living and cycling in the Pacific Northwest I perhaps get too many chances to test foul weather gear. In my sport of choice, randonneuring, events often span multiple days and a single ride can have conditions ranging from very damp to very dry with temperatures ranging anywhere from near freezing to dusty and sun-baked. Randonneurs add another challenge to this puzzle: we value self-sufficiency so we tend to avoid the use of support vehicles or drop bags. What gear we need, we carry. Over time each rider's kit evolves and what I'm choosing to carry today might not be what I carried last year. Before, during and after each ride items get measured again and again in terms of weight, bulk and effectiveness. Some things make the cut and some don't, but the quest for perfect gear continues.

The Rainshield O2

Rainshield 02 Rain Gear

One item that I carry more often than not is a surprisingly inexpensive rain jacket, the Rainshield 02. This $35 jacket is made from a 3M material called Propore, one of the many materials that claims to be "waterproof and breathable." As my friend Mark Thomas has wryly noted, such a statement is always half a lie. The balance between waterproof and breathable is always such that if the fabric is truly waterproof, an excercising athlete's sweat rate will overwhelm the breathability of the fabric and the more breathable fabrics tend not to be as waterproof. So "waterproof and breathable" tends to be more of a marketing ideal than an actual product feature. In the past, the best jackets I've found had large pit-zips to help with the venting and I'd look more at the physical construction of the jacket instead of placing my faith in the microscopic miracles of the fabric.

But the O2 jacket surprised me. I worked for a couple of years in a bike shop in the rainy town of Redmond, WA and we got the Rainshield jackets in so we'd have a "just in case" jacket, something folks might buy if they got caught in the rain or as a light, inexpensive jacket they could tuck in a saddle bag. And one day I foolishly left home unprepared on a sunny morning and as my workday progressed the clouds and rains rolled in. I bought myself one of the 02 jackets and field tested it on the damp 12-mile ride home.

The 02 jacket looks like one of those cheap Tyvek jackets you get at some events and it doesn't have any fancy features like pockets or pit vents. The jacket doesn't have any reflective piping but it is a bright, eye-catching yellow and it has the advantage of being very light and packing into quite a small package. The panels of the jacket are not sewn together, instead the panels are electro-welded or glued somehow and my overall sense is that the jacket is kind of delicate. If you really abuse the material you could tear it. But remember, the jacket only costs $35 so it really isn't fair to compare it to a jacket costing three to five times as much.

My two main concerns with the jacket were its apparent fragility and its lack of vents. My trip home on that day about a year ago convinced me that the lack of venting is not much of an issue. "Waterproof and breathable" may be a lie but the 02 jacket comes very close to living up to that promise. Using the single front zipper to vent the jacket, I stayed pretty comfortably dry on my commute home.

Since that day, I began using the 02 as my primary rain jacket. I used it a lot. Last summer I raced the length of the 2,500-mile length of the Great Divide on a single speed mountain bike. I needed a good, light rain jacket. I took the 02.

After a year of use, the jacket does have some tears here and there where I've snagged it on various things but in general it has held up well. I've patched the jacket in a couple of places with little bits of duct tape and it's probably getting close to the time when I should buy another jacket to replace it. I think I'll buy another O2.

More information: Rainshield

Rainlegs

Rainlegs Rain Gear

I had pretty much given up on finding effective rain pants. Everything I'd found was a hassle to put on, too big and bulky and while the pants might keep the rain off my legs my legs would get wet from sweat instead. So I'd pretty much resigned myself to using a jacket to keep my torso dry, fenders to keep my butt dry and I basically just accepted wet legs. And then I got this very light and small envelope in the mail from the UK and in the envelope was a compact set of chaps called Rainlegs.

As I modeled the Rainlegs for the first time in our kitchen, my 17-year-old son said "You know, Dad, I didn't think you could get any dorkier. I was wrong."

While I'm not prone to taking fashion cues from teenagers, Eric did have a point. Rainlegs are clearly not a product of some fashion focus-group. They are instead one of those rare and wonderous items, something that exists because it fills a real need. A product designed and made not by someone who said "we can sell a ton of X" but rather by someone who said "I need this" and then went out and made it.

When rolled up Rainlegs form a 140-gram belt that you can either wear around your waist or tuck into your saddlebag or pack. When worn as a belt, I really don't notice those 140-grams at all.

But Rainlegs really shine when the sun is not shining. Unlike every other rainpant I've seen, Rainlegs can be deployed without a big production. It only takes a few seconds to unsnap four snaps and the belt opens up to reveal gray parachute cloth panels that extend down over the cyclist's thighs and knees. Intelligently placed straps, buckles and velcro secure the chaps. One very thoughtful touch is a bit of insulative padding at the front of each knee. If and when the weather clears, the chaps can quickly be rolled back into the belt. The design is very clever and well-executed.

I was quite surprised at how much comfort Rainlegs manage to pack into 140-grams. Since Rainlegs only focus on keeping the lap and upper legs dry, there is no problem with sweat build-up. Naturally Rainlegs do a good job of blocking the rain but they also work as a great wind-blocking layer. Over the past two months I've worn them often in the rain but I've often found myself using the Rainlegs on clear, cold mornings to help keep my knees and thighs warm. For cold, mountain descents, they are excellent.

Rainlegs have earned a permanent spot in my foul-weather kit. I may look like a dork, but I'm a dry and comfortable dork.

More information: Rainlegs

Marmot DriClime Windshirt

Marmot Wind Shirt

The Marmot DriClime Windshirt is one of those items that I'd heard about for years and never bought. For one thing, it's not a bit of cycling specific gear, it's more a general purpose jacket (or maybe it's a shirt). And it doesn't make any claims to be waterproof and breathable and it's not made from the latest techno-softshell dream fabric. And yet, year after year, the DriClime Windshirt shows up on the gear list of various ultralight backpackers with comments like "can't imagine getting by without one!"

Finally this spring I had an REI dividend and a gift certificate both burning holes in my pocket at the same time that I walked by the rack with the $100 Windshirt and I bought the damn thing.

Now, a few months later, I understand. I can imagine getting by without one, but I don't want to.

On paper it doesn't look like this jacket should work. What Marmot has done is taken a very, very light fleece and joined it to a lightweight, very breathable nylon shell. I'd always logically figured that you could get something more versatile by going with two separate layers that you could use alone as well as in conjunction. In theory, you could. In practice you can't. Here's why.

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The Marmot fleece layer is super, super light. Too light to exist on it's own. You'd destroy it as a stand-alone jacket if it wasn't for the outer shell. And the outer shell on the DriClime is just about perfect. Thin, tough, wind-resistant and it actually holds up to light rain very well. If the jacket were two jackets you'd need double zippers which would also add to the bulk and weight. You can't combine two jackets and come up with anything as light as the 10-ounce DriClime Windshirt.

The DriClime Windshirt has a single front zipper, side handwarmer pockets and mesh pit vents. It's cut slightly longer in the back and I'm pleased to report that it really does work well for cycling. My DriClime Windshirt is an understated black so I wear it together with a high-viz yellow vest when I'm on the bike.

For temperatures from the low thirties to the upper fifties (Fahrenheit) the Windshirt is terrific. The inner fabric does a wonderful job of wicking moisture and the outer shell really does a nice job against wind and drizzle. On a recent 24-hour ride (the Seattle International Randonneurs Flèche NW) I wound up wearing the Windshirt together with a Showers Pass Rainvest for about 18 of the 24 hours including 10 hours of persistent light rain. While I can't claim that I was perfectly comfortable on that ride, I can't think of any layer better than a Marmot DriClime Windshirt for those conditions.

There are warmer insulating layers than a Marmot DriClime and there are better shells to have when the rain is absolutely pouring down. But the Marmot DriClime Windshirt is probably the best and most versatile ten ounce garment I own.

More information: Marmot DriClime Windshirt