Back to walking in the rain

Walking...walking...walking in the rain. Ah, the dulcet tones of Grace Jones in my head as I tramp over the wet hills in my latest project- a walking guide with a difference- this one is destined to be a high end object of beauty and NOT to be carried in your pack during a day in the hills. It will also explore the idea of walking meditation. There are many many walking guides but there are all so darned workaday. They cause me to yawn. But half of a walk is the thoughts it engenders or the conversations if you are with another. Of course you can have a good conversation walking along a busy highway- but it is more taxing, receives no energy from the surroundings, takes energy in fact and eventually shrivels. I mean the conversation does. Well none of that on these walks....even when it is raining.

As it is now- so on with the 'packa' this is a baggy non-breathable coat with plenty of room inside for a backpack or in my case a side bag and a bumbag (rucksacks are a last resort thing owing to the straps causing sweating). The packa lets you do stuff on the move like get your camera out, make notes etc. It is ideal for a day walk in the rain. If it was colder I'd wear a waxed cotton coat- nothing is better in continuous rain. On a longer hike I'd take a brolly and wear my buffalo top- you need stuff to dry out over night and a soggy raincoat won't, but for day hikes that end indoors you can wear any kind of gear. No need for fancy breathable rubbish. I have found that as long as you have a hat, a rain kilt to cover your money and notebooks in your trouser pockets and a pertex windproof top you can pretty much survive all day in on/off rain. You roll up the rainkilt round your waist when its not raining. But you need to test these things in one hour, two hour , three hour and day long walks. Getting drenched with only a cotton t shirt on under your nylon top is not good in cold weather- but that doesn't mean you need to bring the duvet in a rucksack. By judging the weather report and using your own nous you can devise the minimum rain kit for any outdoor walk you are making. Mostly it is protection against wind you need, not rain. For a multi-day hike different rules apply, but still, think more about how to dry your gear than how to avoid getting wet. Being wet is also secondary to being cold. So by avoiding cold but not wet we can save weight when walking- as long as you can get dry again.