A Packa solves all the problems with backpacking rain gear.Typically when choosing backpacking rain gear, these are your only options:
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:
However, if you like Breathable, I have 40d Polymax Packas too. |