Rain and Rain Gear

[SeattlePioneer]

Has your unit had occasion to cancel outings or limit activities because of rain in the past year?

 

How adequate is the rain gear Scouts and adult leaders bring on activities? Do they have the presence of mind and discipline to USE raingear properly before they get wet?

 

What raingear do you want to see brought on outings, and how do you evaluate the limitations of that gear?

 

What about hats/hoods?

 

Where do you point Scouts to get raingear? Do you encourage Scouts to check out thrift shops for rain gear?

 

What about rain tarps? Are boys skilled in setting up tarp shelters, and do they set up good shelters when conditions call for it?

 

Tents OUGHT to be adequate! Are they, and are they properly staked out and set up to maximize the effectiveness of their design?

 

 

 

Seattle Pioneer

Where a duck swam in a mud puddle during Camporee last weekend.

[eagle90]

We have never cancelled an outing due to rain, but we had an outing shortened by the park we were camping in a few years ago. At the Lincoln Pligrimage New Salem State Park threw us out Sat. afternoon after a monsoon was making a quagmire out of the park. They were expecting continued rain and dangerous winds developing.

 

Our scouts are getting better about the quality of raingear. I tell new parents two things you shouldn't scrimp on are sleeping bags and rain gear. Now if they actually USE it -- we still have to remind them - PUT IT ON!

 

We have three canvas dining flys which go up prety quick and give us a good size area to work under, especially if we put them end to end.

 

We use Eureka Timerline Outfitters which are very rain friendly.

[eagle90]

We have never cancelled an outing due to rain, but we had an outing shortened by the park we were camping in a few years ago. At the Lincoln Pligrimage New Salem State Park threw us out Sat. afternoon after a monsoon was making a quagmire out of the park. They were expecting continued rain and dangerous winds developing.

 

Our scouts are getting better about the quality of raingear. I tell new parents two things you shouldn't scrimp on are sleeping bags and rain gear. Now if they actually USE it -- we still have to remind them - PUT IT ON!

 

We have three canvas dining flys which go up prety quick and give us a good size area to work under, especially if we put them end to end.

 

We use Eureka Timerline Outfitters which are very rain friendly.

[Trevorum]

Hello Seattle! This is a set-up, right? you being from rainy Seattle and all?

 

Our troop camps "rain or shine". On Friday nights, new parents dropping off Johnny for the campout will ask, "Rain is forecast! What if it rains?" The answer always is, "We'll get wet."

 

Well, hopefully not too wet. As Brian Birdsall said, "There's no such thing as bad weather, only poor choices in clothing."

[CA_Scouter]

Our last two campouts this year were rained on quite heavily.

 

On the first trip, we had the Webelos with us ( prior to the new rules about Webelos not being allowed on overnights any longer ), and their parents, and we had several of them get pretty wet and cold. I even had some of my 2nd year scouts get wet, which was disappointing, mainly because they simply did not put on the gear.

 

Prior to the second trip, we reviewed the skills on how to stay dry, and what gear to bring. This included reviewing personal rain gear, examining their tents to check for leaks, how to properly setup their tent fly's, siting their tents, etc. The patrol leaders also made a point of reviewing gear lists during their meetings.

 

On the second trip, again we were hit by heavy rain. This time though, not one single scout got wet, including the newbies who just crossed over. It was really great to see them learn and apply the skills we just taught them.

 

Regarding gear, we have 3 EZ-Ups which we use, and I have 2 ASM's who are nuts about erecting elaborate tarp structures. I mean NUTS. They wrapped the adult EZup with tarps on three sides, hung a 20x40 tarp between trees and set up the tents underneath, geez, I was half expecting them to start marching animals by two-by-two... :-)

 

 

 

 

 

 

[SeattlePioneer]

Nice post, CA Scouter

 

About those EZ-Up canopies, though...

 

I have one. I brought it to a very rainy Camporee, but we didn't use it. The Scouts TRIED to use it as their rain fly, but I nixed that idea.

 

TARPS! Learn and use the skill!

 

My theory is that adults should set an example, and the adults used a 12x12 tarp we had set up several times.

 

The Scouts got a tarp up, but it was kind of marginal, and had a tendency to fall down. We are going to do a joint overnight with a Cub Scout Pack June 4-5th, and the Troop may need to assist the Pack in setting up tarps. So we have layed on practice of setting up a 12x20 tarp using poles, lines and stakes for next week's troop meeting.

 

(Personally, my standard for having a rain tarp includes the tarp itself, four 6' poles 2"x2" and two 8' poles. Each pole has a nail in the end which can be fit in a grommet. With this arrangement, the corners of the tarp are staked out, then the two 8' poles are used to form a ridgeline in the middle. With this arrangement, you maximize the area protected and don't need to rely on vegetation to hold things up).

 

On camping trips, the Scouts usually make compromises in setting up tarps, and really haven't perfected the skill. By setting up a tarp once in an effective way, perhaps they will improve the way they use the skill in the future, and especially on the Cub Pack Overnight if needed.

 

Anyway--- back to EZ Ups. To me, they are too expensive and too easy for Scout use as a general rule. I used mine once in January on a bicycle trip where it rained a lot, and I would have used the one I brought to Camporee if it had been raining during the comnpetitions and someone would have benefitted from such a shelter. But in general both we Scouters and Scouts set up a conventional rain fly.

 

I might add that on last week's Camporee, we had LOTS of tarps, and found uses for most or all of them. The availability of cheap, lightweight tarps is a great feature of modern Scouting, in my view.

 

Think I'm being too tough? The EZ Up is my personal gear.

 

 

 

Seattle Pioneer

[DugNevius]

we would only cancel a trip it the weather posed a safety probelm.

 

Tarps always, first thing up, last thing down. http://www.campmor.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?productId=12168&memberId=12500226

 

We recommend to our boys to avoid ponchos. The rain gear i have our boys grab is the Campmor Thunderlight parka.

 

http://www.campmor.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?productId=3192609&memberId=12500226

[Aardvark]

Our troop has several of those tarp canopies; steel frame with a 10 X 20 tarp on top. The "Old Goat" Patrol gets one (have to have room for our chairs!) and the other patrols get the others.

 

Take less than 10 minutes to errect and we are dry!

 

Rain flys on tents are normally good enough; some will errect an extra blue tarp over the entrance to thier tent for a tad extra coverage. I use a Hennessy Hammock with a 12X10 nylon fly, with and extra 12x12 nylon fly for extra coverage as needed.

 

Ponchos seem to work the best for personal rain coverage. Roll 'em up and strap to day back ready to grab when needed. My partner just got back from Korea and had some Gore Tex jackets made up. Removable fleece liner, so should be good for all the weather here in Georgia. Will be giving it a test here in a couple weeks at summer camp (Camp Rainey Mountain, NE Georgia Council, lives up to it's name!)

 

I got some el-cheapo poncho's from ebay which are stored in the Old Goats "Stuff" box; come in handy for those times when the lads have forgotten theirs or had it "Stolen" (read: lost!)

 

We figure that if it doesn't rain at least once on a campout, something is wrong!

[Trevorum]

Dug, re safety.

Down here, we have t'storms that unexpectedly become real gulley washers. So when setting up camp, we look at the terrain regardless of the forecast. Never camp in a drainage! Two years ago at summer camp, we were evacuated in the middle of the night due to flooding. Lost some gear but the scouts were all fine.

 

(We take this seriously - The national rainfall record was set in our county - 39 inches in 24 hours!)

[jr56]

We have never cancelled an outing due to rain, but a couple have been ended prematurely by severe weather (tornado warning).

[SeattlePioneer]

Hello Dug!

 

 

I was prepared to sniff at the cost of the parka you referred to in your post --- but $50 is a reasonable price for a lot of people.

 

But if you use a parka, you really need rain pants as well. In wind, cold and rain, legs need protection. But even with just rain, water comes off a parka and soaks the legs unless you have rain pants. And that's an additional expense.

 

So for Scouts on a budget, I think there's a lot to be said for ponchos. They offer a lot of flexibility at low cost.

 

For the determined penny pincher, thrifts shops yiled up good parkas and rain pants often enough to make the search worthwhile. Oftentimes I find very high quality rain gear for $5-10 in thrift shops, although finding sizes to fit young boys is probably tougher.

 

Since no one has talked about hats --I guess that's my job.

 

In my view the BEST rain hat is a 'souwester style waterproof rain hat. It usually offer great protection from rain in the face and from rain that otherwise would drip down the sides or back of the head. Can't beat 'em in a real rainstorm.

 

For winter or high winds, there's an argument for using the hood on a parka. But you need to add a baseball style hat since the bill on the hat protects the face from rain and turns the hood when you turn your head ---preventing the hood from obstructing your sight.

 

 

Seattle Pioneer

[DugNevius]

You are right, SP, i did not add that we also recommend the Thunderlight parka pants and that the scouts bring them in place of regular pants (On hikes) to have a nifty 2-in-1 and save space and weight. Campmor also has cheaper parkas and pants around the $15 range, and for some reason the website lists the prices of the Thunderlights $15 more then what is found in the store. The reason i have them grab the parkas is the durability of the product, $10 or less ponchos dont last as long, where as my Parka has been going strong for 9 years and two high adventure trips (Philmont 98) and will be going again this summer. Also, personally, i feel ponchos limit my ability to do certain things as well as dont provide enough protection. It comes with a hood and im always rocking the trucker hat.

 

On a side note, tomorrow we will be on a Philmont training trip and the forcast is rain followed by more rain with a side order of PM rain. Fun fun.