A Packa solves all the problems with backpacking rain gear.Typically when choosing backpacking rain gear, these are your only options:

1. A rain jacket and pack cover combination or
2. A backpacker’s poncho.

Both options have MAJOR drawbacks. The Packa is the absolutely the best backpacking rain gearbecause it combines the best features of both previous options and eliminates the drawbacks.

What problems do you have with a rain jacket and pack cover combination?With a rain jacket and pack cover, the biggest problem backpackers face when hiking  in the rain or cold is sweat.  If the backpack is worn over the jacket, air does not circulate under the hiker’s rain garment.  Even in the coldest weather, you will sweat if you wear your backpack over your rain shell.  Chest and pit vents in conventional rain jackets are useless due to the proximity of the shoulder straps, sternum strap, and waist belt when the backpack is worn over the jacket.  Vents do not work if air cannot flow in and out freely.  Vents are critical in your selection of backpacking rain gear.  Excellent venting is the most important feature of the Packa.  Hikers need clothing that can be easily vented to release body heat as hiking becomes more strenuous.  You pay big bucks to have this functionality with all your other clothes and gear, so why would you pay $100+ for another piece of gear that will negate all of that?

I have an external frame pack for which Eddie custom made a Packa. It works quite well. And his price was reasonable. I used it for my 4 week hike from Springer to Davenport Gap. Lots of snow and rain to test it. Contact him through his website to see if he can help you. ~Art Cloutman

The Packa is available in many lightweight fabric options.

Breathable fabrics and why they don't actually breathe
OK, so your rain jacket was marketed as a "breathable rain shell." Guess what!?! "Breathable fabrics" like Gore-Tex, Frogg Toggs, DriDucks, and eVent cannot "breathe" if there is no air circulating under the garment. All breathable fabrics require air movement to transport the liquid through the fabric. This is what the manufacturers will not tell you about their breathable rain jacket. The Packa allows hikers to regulate their body temperature much, much better than earlier backpacker rain gear. Another problem with a rain jacket worn with a pack cover is the lack of protection for pack's shoulder straps and waist belt, as they are not covered by either the pack-cover or the backpacker's rain jacket. Rain will eventually soak the shoulder straps and waist belt and often water will seep into the backpack as it runs down the backpacker's back. With a rain poncho, the backpacker's poncho provides good ventilation, but wind creates the biggest problem with backpacking ponchos as they have a tendency to blow up in a windy rain storm. Unlike backpacking rain ponchos, the Packa has:

• Sleeves with drawstring closures
• A front zipper
• Drawstrings in the hood and along the bottom hem
• Huge zippered pit vents
• And a pocket.

Backpacking ponchos are also difficult to put on and take off, especially if you are hiking alone. Another problem with traditional backpacking rain gear like ponchos, rain jackets and pack covers is that a backpacker is compelled to stop and remove the backpack before donning the garment. This is always inconvenient. The design of the Packa allows it to be donned more easily than a backpacker's poncho or conventional rain gear because it is worn over the pack as a pack-cover only at first. The bottom hem, hood, and sleeves are tucked inside the pack-cover section of the garment when it is placed on the pack. This allows the backpacker to hike with or without the parka section of the garment. If the backpacker wishes to don the sleeves and hood, he reaches over his head and loosens the drawstring on the pack-cover. He pulls the sleeves and hood out from inside the pack-cover. The Packa is designed to be loose enough for the backpacker to easily put the arms in or take the arms out of the sleeves, without removing the backpack. After placing the arms in the sleeves and zipping the front zipper, the backpacker reaches behind his head and re-tightens the pack cover drawstring. Repeat: You DO NOT need to remove your pack in a downpour to put on the Packa!
However, if you like Breathable, I have 40d Polymax Packas too.