There's no such thing as bad weather…

...only the wrong clothes. Continuing the camping-kit theme, let’s talk about waterproofs. If you’re going camping in the UK, it’s going to rain sooner or later. There are a few things you can do to make this not be a problem

- a tarp, or gazebo, or event shelter, or other tent-without-a-floor-or-walls, allows you to sit around, cook, and generally be outside without getting rained on or feeling quite as penned-in as sitting inside the tent does. Watch out in high winds though.

- Wet grass will soak trainers and leather boots. Get some wellies, some crocs, or some flip-flops

- An umbrella is pretty handy

- Most importantly, get some decent waterproof clothing . For summer camping, I like a lightweight jacket rather than a big heavy winter gore-tex – drying stuff out in a tent is hard (especially if it’s damp outside), so the less fabric there is to dry, the easier it’ll be. My jacket of choice at the moment is a Montane Atomic DT, but my lovely wife has been testing a The North Face Resolve
It uses a 2-layer construction with a mesh drop liner, dries fast (and the mesh liner means it feels dry even when slightly damp), breathes well, and is slightly fitted so it doesn’t look too much like a giant sack. Packs down nice and small, and, of course, it keeps the rain out. It’s cut fairly short, so if you’re out in the rain for a long time you’ll either need waterproof trousers or a tolerance for wet legs. For 3-season use, I’d say it’s ideal.

Update: We’ve had a bit longer to test the TNF Resolve jacket, and so far (after 3 months) the signs are still good. It’s stood up to some pretty torrential rain without showing any signs of weakness, and I am informed that the colour is excellent (I wouldn’t know about that, obviously). The DWR coating is still working well, which is alway a good sign. The previously-mentioned fitted cut means that it doesn’t flap about when it’s blowy, but it’s not tight or restrictive, even when wearing a fleece underneath. The only shortcoming, which is common to a lot of lightweight jackets, is that the peak on the hood isn’t stiffened at all, so if it’s really windy, it tends to get blown onto your face a bit. This isn’t really an issue unless you’re up in the hills in really foul weather, though, and of course adding a wire to the hood would make the jacket a lot less packable, so for a 3-season jacket it’s a worthwhile trade-off.

Chris May : 05 Aug 2011 10:30 |  Comments (0) |  Report a problem