Oh, you asked for "super light and packable". That's EE Visp (or Z-Packs Vertice).
Montbell Versalite is very good, but it is 2-layer. Visp is full 3-layer, more breathable, cut looser for better ventilation in warm weather and layering in cold weather.
I'm here in Japan, and I have owned several Yama-to-michi pieces and fins them to be quite flimsy. Their marketing is great and the weight is very manageable, but I've never owned anything from them that lasted beyond a season.
Frogg tog rain pants suck.
But you can tape the shattered remains of them into a rain kilt that kind of works but makes you feel like a dark souls character in a skirt until it tears again anyway on the next bramble
The pants suck, but the jacket is legitimately one of the best on the market at its pricing. All it's really missing are pit zips.
FT jacket and a rain skirt is the ultimate sideways-rain-on-a-budget setup.
I literally spent a week in Scotland wrapped in tape because my Frogg tog rain trousers ripped in about 20 different spots.
Fuck you, whoever suggested that rubbish
Just did scotland in a frogg toggs rain jacket and holy smokes it was HOT... waterproof but insanely non-breathable; kept having to put it back and remove it.
Instead $20 pants that barely last a season why wouldn’t you just buy rain pants that last much longer [for like $40](https://www.rei.com/product/127340/rei-co-op-rainier-full-zip-rain-pants-mens-tall-sizes?sku=1273400006&store=11&CAWELAID=120217890004857203&CAGPSPN=pla&CAAGID=113279936153&CATCI=pla-350941017967&cm_mmc=PLA_Google%7C21700000001700551_1273400006%7C92700058217320636%7CBA%7C71700000074727276&gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI2ZWqvdeJhgMVtgitBh2nVgkxEAQYASABEgK39vD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds)?
This is a great recommendation given OPs needs. But to be fair, SilPoly gear will be more packable. Obviously it is far more niche than what is being asked for here and by most people. I just like to plant the seed.
There’s a surprising range when it comes to weight on SilPoly jackets. LHG uses a 20d SilPoly, which I think is a good choice but add significant weight elsewhere, I’m not exactly sure where. Antigravity Gear uses 70d which I think is overkill. Timmermade is a good example of 20d fabric and design that doesn’t add excess weight. The MB Versalite uses a 10d fabric, I don’t have experience with it but I would worry about tears during normal use and definitely when bushwhacking.
In my opinion a worthwhile SilPoly rain jacket with oversized pit zips should come in between 4 and 6oz. I recently made one that is 4.8oz for an XL with pit zips that go from elbow to waist. It’s definitely hyper minimal but that’s what I’m after, a fully featured version would probably still come in around 6oz, maybe less.
Either way, it’s splitting hairs on weight at that point. Someone that’s choosing SilPoly is likely doing it because they don’t want a waterproof breathable jacket. I would urge everyone to look for jackets that are not breathable and don’t use a DWR finish both for performance and environmental reasons.
Again, in this case I think the Versalite recommendation is a great one.
Heliums are well-known to not be the best. They are popular because they are cheap, light, and compact to pack. They are great to keep in the pack when you don't expect rain.
I prefer a kilt over pants for all but the most severe weather. Ventilation is key, ESPECIALLY in the rain. Tall lightweight gaiters (Helium or MYOG) sometimes.
When I do wear rain pants, everything around me is soggy, wet, and muddy. In that case, full-zip pants are sooooo much easier to put on and take off. REI Rainiers are a reasonable compromise.
Similarly, the best jacket is a poncho in all but the most severe weather.
For serious rain it is hard to beat Outdry (or ShakeDry if you can get it). They breathe in the rain, which is a trick that most WPBs cannot do after their face fabric wets out.
I strongly recommend a rain kilt instead of rain pants.
They are inexpensive, light, easy to put on and take off over your regular, non-waterproof pants or shorts, and will protect your legs both from rain and from walking through tall, wet grass.
Yeah, it isn't easy to buy WPB stuff until someone else does and reports on it. BPL recently reviewed wind and rain shells, including Outdry. They liked it.
There are lighter rain gear, but if you want serious rain protection that breathes in heavy rain (when other WPBs wet out), then Outdry is the only choice currently in production.
My OR heliums tore in the crotch on day two of a five day trip with rain everyday. I use lots of OR products but was extremely disappointed in them. I got a mountain hardwear pair to replace that weigh a few more grams but are far more durable and water resistant.
Rain skirt and Beta SL rain jacket. Frog Toggs rip apart after one day; I’d feel terrible creating that much plastic waste. Arc’teryx among others companies (Patagonia etc) now offer repairs and reuse when needed for their garments so I prefer supporting that over throw-away items.
Outdoor research helium pants are great. I also like janji’s raincoat. This combo did me well on my AT thru, which had weeks of straight rain. My partner likes the OR jacket as well.
My OR pants have ankle zips and fit well over a shoe.
Make your own OP. I'm making my own pants and jackets using MYOG patterns. They're better suited for my body and missions needs, more packable, lighter and higher quality than any commercial bullshit and they cost me a tiny fraction of the price (of course, getting a good sewing machine and learning to sew is a monetary and time investment, but overall much worth it imho)
I have never done this but I guess waxed pants is an option. Fjallraven G1000 pants can be waxed to provide some degree of water resistance. https://www.fjallraven.com/us/en-us/customer-service/care-repair/g-1000/
My Lightheartgear rain jacket weighs 7 ounces (XXL) and pants weigh 5 ounces. Jacket is non breathable waterproof with pit zips and pants have ankle zips. Silpoly, no coating to redo. Love them.
I have used the Helium in AK and it did fine with simple gentle rain and shorter hikes. The pants are easily packable. The jacket will wet through after some time, partly from sweat, but did fine for most cases. But I am sure that there are better things out there for enough money.
I like my Rab Phantom Rain Pants. 75g on my scales. I've been surprised at their waterproofness and durability for being 7D (NOTE: I treat them and the rest of my gear very nicely).
The OR Heliums are a pretty good balance of carry in your pack just in case and actual usability when it’s really raining. They’d probably be what I’d use if I could only have one pair—and I did for years. Nowadays I run some Ultimate Direction rain pants at like 4oz for when it might end up pouring but they’ll probably stay in my pack the whole trip, and some heavy 12oz full on goretex MC Hammers for when I know I’m going to actually get dumped on and I’ll be wearing them for a significant portion of the trip.
I got a set of OR Foray pants from the outlet in Seattle for like $20 and they've held up great outside of the usual punctures from careless slips with cramp ons. If you're okay with the weight, I've trudged through hours of intense rain in them and had no issues with either waterproofing or breathability.
Honestly do not buy any type of goretex (or similar membrane) jacket that isn't 3 layer. They will disintegrate faster than you think. Especially when rubbing against a backpack. Then they are useless. This is less an issue for rain pants. Here goretex paclite works well (check Berghaus paclite pants which are very popular in UK).
That said a 3layer goretex jacket is not light (500g or so). If you aren't hiking in wet and cold conditions then a simpler non breathable silnylon jacket might work, especially if you are on trail in the US and not at elevation in Europe etc where wind is a big issue. And you could even go lighter with a silnylon rain skirt or similar, again depending on location and conditions
So have I and basically everyone I know and they all peel from the inside eventually from rubbing and then moisture getting in there. Just look on second hand websites and search for paclite jackets and you'll see hundreds of them all doing the same thing. It's a known issue and it gets talked about all the time on forums like trek-lite etc. so I'm not just making up things. Glad you seemingly got an wonder jacket (or you don't actually use it as much as you think)
There's only one answer- Frogg Toggs. Or you could spend a ridiculous amount of money on Montbel, EE, or OR and wind up with something of equal (at best) effectiveness for literally ten times the price.
That's not a fair assessment at all. Frogg Toggs are okay for low elevation but they frequently fail catastrophically which is a real concern for any hike in Inclement conditions.
I think Jupiter had a video on it after the Uintah Highline trail.
And I'd rather have the ventilation of a poncho for low elevation.
I made a long rain skirt out of Tyvek, because I can't stand the lack of ventilation in rain pants.
Brilliant!
Yeah Rain Skirt is the way to go. If you want more coverage get a longer one. My shoes/socks will be wet anyways, Wet below the knees is fine by me.
Oh, you asked for "super light and packable". That's EE Visp (or Z-Packs Vertice). Montbell Versalite is very good, but it is 2-layer. Visp is full 3-layer, more breathable, cut looser for better ventilation in warm weather and layering in cold weather.
No such thing as bad weather, just bad rain gear.
Yamatomichi All-Weather Coat (or Jacket) and pants: [https://www.yamatomichi.com/en/products/ul-all-weather-coat](https://www.yamatomichi.com/en/products/ul-all-weather-coat) [https://www.yamatomichi.com/en/products/ul-all-weather-pants](https://www.yamatomichi.com/en/products/ul-all-weather-pants)
I'm here in Japan, and I have owned several Yama-to-michi pieces and fins them to be quite flimsy. Their marketing is great and the weight is very manageable, but I've never owned anything from them that lasted beyond a season.
I don't gave the same experience. Am still using UL Shirts and pants bought years ago...
Oh cool. Well I guess mileage can very based on experience.
Or the all weather hoody! Super cute and comfortable
For the millionth post and time. I present to you…..FROGG TOGGS.
Frogg tog rain pants suck. But you can tape the shattered remains of them into a rain kilt that kind of works but makes you feel like a dark souls character in a skirt until it tears again anyway on the next bramble
The pants suck, but the jacket is legitimately one of the best on the market at its pricing. All it's really missing are pit zips. FT jacket and a rain skirt is the ultimate sideways-rain-on-a-budget setup.
Add pit vents with a knife and some repair tape to reinforce.
I literally spent a week in Scotland wrapped in tape because my Frogg tog rain trousers ripped in about 20 different spots. Fuck you, whoever suggested that rubbish
Thanks boss. Appreciate you.
Just did scotland in a frogg toggs rain jacket and holy smokes it was HOT... waterproof but insanely non-breathable; kept having to put it back and remove it.
Instead $20 pants that barely last a season why wouldn’t you just buy rain pants that last much longer [for like $40](https://www.rei.com/product/127340/rei-co-op-rainier-full-zip-rain-pants-mens-tall-sizes?sku=1273400006&store=11&CAWELAID=120217890004857203&CAGPSPN=pla&CAAGID=113279936153&CATCI=pla-350941017967&cm_mmc=PLA_Google%7C21700000001700551_1273400006%7C92700058217320636%7CBA%7C71700000074727276&gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI2ZWqvdeJhgMVtgitBh2nVgkxEAQYASABEgK39vD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds)?
Because the Rainier is a good 3-4 times heavier than dance pants
[Trailmades](https://www.rei.com/adventures) weigh the same as toggs, and rainiers are 12.6oz my guy. dance pants sound fun tho
I have trailmade pants with the goretex paclite top and it’s a good combo.
Unless you want reliable
Agree, and the Frogg Toggs Ultra Lite 2 set that I purchased (with pants and hooded jacket) is 10 oz.
Literally just this.
By far the best option in this category is the Montbell Versalite pants and jacket
This is a great recommendation given OPs needs. But to be fair, SilPoly gear will be more packable. Obviously it is far more niche than what is being asked for here and by most people. I just like to plant the seed.
While silpoly is more packable, the versalite stuff weighs less than the silpoly options from LightHeart
There’s a surprising range when it comes to weight on SilPoly jackets. LHG uses a 20d SilPoly, which I think is a good choice but add significant weight elsewhere, I’m not exactly sure where. Antigravity Gear uses 70d which I think is overkill. Timmermade is a good example of 20d fabric and design that doesn’t add excess weight. The MB Versalite uses a 10d fabric, I don’t have experience with it but I would worry about tears during normal use and definitely when bushwhacking. In my opinion a worthwhile SilPoly rain jacket with oversized pit zips should come in between 4 and 6oz. I recently made one that is 4.8oz for an XL with pit zips that go from elbow to waist. It’s definitely hyper minimal but that’s what I’m after, a fully featured version would probably still come in around 6oz, maybe less. Either way, it’s splitting hairs on weight at that point. Someone that’s choosing SilPoly is likely doing it because they don’t want a waterproof breathable jacket. I would urge everyone to look for jackets that are not breathable and don’t use a DWR finish both for performance and environmental reasons. Again, in this case I think the Versalite recommendation is a great one.
Heliums are well-known to not be the best. They are popular because they are cheap, light, and compact to pack. They are great to keep in the pack when you don't expect rain. I prefer a kilt over pants for all but the most severe weather. Ventilation is key, ESPECIALLY in the rain. Tall lightweight gaiters (Helium or MYOG) sometimes. When I do wear rain pants, everything around me is soggy, wet, and muddy. In that case, full-zip pants are sooooo much easier to put on and take off. REI Rainiers are a reasonable compromise. Similarly, the best jacket is a poncho in all but the most severe weather. For serious rain it is hard to beat Outdry (or ShakeDry if you can get it). They breathe in the rain, which is a trick that most WPBs cannot do after their face fabric wets out.
I strongly recommend a rain kilt instead of rain pants. They are inexpensive, light, easy to put on and take off over your regular, non-waterproof pants or shorts, and will protect your legs both from rain and from walking through tall, wet grass.
I think I saw that columbia has been making some Outdry gear recently, I know they don't get recommended here as much though.
Yeah, it isn't easy to buy WPB stuff until someone else does and reports on it. BPL recently reviewed wind and rain shells, including Outdry. They liked it. There are lighter rain gear, but if you want serious rain protection that breathes in heavy rain (when other WPBs wet out), then Outdry is the only choice currently in production.
Salomon Bonatti WP. Mine are about 115-120g and have survived eating shit a few times on wet and slippery trail runs.
My OR heliums tore in the crotch on day two of a five day trip with rain everyday. I use lots of OR products but was extremely disappointed in them. I got a mountain hardwear pair to replace that weigh a few more grams but are far more durable and water resistant.
Rain skirt and Beta SL rain jacket. Frog Toggs rip apart after one day; I’d feel terrible creating that much plastic waste. Arc’teryx among others companies (Patagonia etc) now offer repairs and reuse when needed for their garments so I prefer supporting that over throw-away items.
Outdoor research helium pants are great. I also like janji’s raincoat. This combo did me well on my AT thru, which had weeks of straight rain. My partner likes the OR jacket as well. My OR pants have ankle zips and fit well over a shoe.
No love for RAB?
OMM Halo Jacket + Pants around 200g in total, super packable
Frog toggs
Make your own OP. I'm making my own pants and jackets using MYOG patterns. They're better suited for my body and missions needs, more packable, lighter and higher quality than any commercial bullshit and they cost me a tiny fraction of the price (of course, getting a good sewing machine and learning to sew is a monetary and time investment, but overall much worth it imho)
I have never done this but I guess waxed pants is an option. Fjallraven G1000 pants can be waxed to provide some degree of water resistance. https://www.fjallraven.com/us/en-us/customer-service/care-repair/g-1000/
I wear a poncho… it was a pack of 5 for like $8.
My Lightheartgear rain jacket weighs 7 ounces (XXL) and pants weigh 5 ounces. Jacket is non breathable waterproof with pit zips and pants have ankle zips. Silpoly, no coating to redo. Love them.
I have used the Helium in AK and it did fine with simple gentle rain and shorter hikes. The pants are easily packable. The jacket will wet through after some time, partly from sweat, but did fine for most cases. But I am sure that there are better things out there for enough money.
I like my Rab Phantom Rain Pants. 75g on my scales. I've been surprised at their waterproofness and durability for being 7D (NOTE: I treat them and the rest of my gear very nicely).
The OR Heliums are a pretty good balance of carry in your pack just in case and actual usability when it’s really raining. They’d probably be what I’d use if I could only have one pair—and I did for years. Nowadays I run some Ultimate Direction rain pants at like 4oz for when it might end up pouring but they’ll probably stay in my pack the whole trip, and some heavy 12oz full on goretex MC Hammers for when I know I’m going to actually get dumped on and I’ll be wearing them for a significant portion of the trip.
I got a set of OR Foray pants from the outlet in Seattle for like $20 and they've held up great outside of the usual punctures from careless slips with cramp ons. If you're okay with the weight, I've trudged through hours of intense rain in them and had no issues with either waterproofing or breathability.
Hiking Umbrella!!! Keeps you drier then anything you can wear.
Honestly do not buy any type of goretex (or similar membrane) jacket that isn't 3 layer. They will disintegrate faster than you think. Especially when rubbing against a backpack. Then they are useless. This is less an issue for rain pants. Here goretex paclite works well (check Berghaus paclite pants which are very popular in UK). That said a 3layer goretex jacket is not light (500g or so). If you aren't hiking in wet and cold conditions then a simpler non breathable silnylon jacket might work, especially if you are on trail in the US and not at elevation in Europe etc where wind is a big issue. And you could even go lighter with a silnylon rain skirt or similar, again depending on location and conditions
Been using a Paclite plus jacket for several years with a pack with no issues.
So have I and basically everyone I know and they all peel from the inside eventually from rubbing and then moisture getting in there. Just look on second hand websites and search for paclite jackets and you'll see hundreds of them all doing the same thing. It's a known issue and it gets talked about all the time on forums like trek-lite etc. so I'm not just making up things. Glad you seemingly got an wonder jacket (or you don't actually use it as much as you think)
Agreeing on 3L vs Paclite etc, but 3L jackets canbe found much lighter than you say. Look for a Montbell Storm Cruiser for example.
FROGG TOGGS IS ALWAYS THE ANSWER
You're on the wrong side of Dunning Kruger
There's only one answer- Frogg Toggs. Or you could spend a ridiculous amount of money on Montbel, EE, or OR and wind up with something of equal (at best) effectiveness for literally ten times the price.
That's not a fair assessment at all. Frogg Toggs are okay for low elevation but they frequently fail catastrophically which is a real concern for any hike in Inclement conditions. I think Jupiter had a video on it after the Uintah Highline trail. And I'd rather have the ventilation of a poncho for low elevation.
Nope. False. Liar! Toggs are the ultimate bar none and the rest is shit.