Hey everyone,
I’m currently putting together a rain setup for bikepacking and would love some input from folks here. I’m mainly looking for lightweight options that pack down small, since space is quite limited.
1. Rain Jacket
What’s your go-to compact rain jacket? I’d like something that fits easily into a jersey pocket or saddlebag but still holds up in sustained rain. It should also have a hood which goes over the helmet. Bonus points if it doesn’t turn into a sauna after 10 minutes. I’ve seen some offerings from RockBros and Santic—any first-hand experiences with those?
2. Rain Pants - Long or Short?
Curious what people wear on the bottom during rain. Do you go full-length rain pants, or just stick with shorts and deal with wet legs? I’m debating if long pants are overkill, especially in warmer temps. I saw some lightweight overtrousers on Ali, but not sure if they’re worth it for the occasional shower.
3. Shoe Covers
What are the best rain shoe covers out there that are actually waterproof and durable? Has anyone experience with the ones from YKWBIKE?
With cycling gear you may easily go for Chinese options when it does not have to be much technical. That being said, I got the worst experience with cheaper Chinese tech gear and best with very expensive pieces from western brands - the price/value curve here is far higher than for regular lycra.
1. No experience with these particular brands, but I got rain jacket from now passed Morvelo, it did the job well mostly due to the high quality membrane, construction and proper ventilation. After 5 years of use on and off the bike the membrane partially lost its water repelling qualities on the hood/shoulders seam, but considering how it was used it was totally worth the money. Cheaper options, like Castelli, Spexcel and Decathlon, while not letting moisture in, build up sweat from the inside and turns your ride into bath. At this stage it is comfier to ride without any jacket. I suggest you to spend extra and get expensive jacket on sale from Maap or something similar.
2. It depends entirely on you shoe setup and the weather you are willing to ride into. If you go for shoe covers and ready to ride in heavy rain, buy longer option, else you'll get wet legs anyway from the water falling down your ankle right under the shoe covers. Use either covers+pants or nothing of the above. I used primarily waterproof shorts (Endura Humvee with GoreTex) to avoid chaffing from excessive moisture, legs were wet anyways (but I was OK with that).
3. Having MTB version of Velotoze is a no brainer at this point, as they are cheap, snug and being a plain piece of heavy rubber does not let moisture in. Every other cover with zippers, velcro etc will be more bulky and provide less protection. They are PITA to get on and off but that's a little price for the perfomance. Shaving legs helps a lot, though.
Edit: too many typos when writing from the phone.
