Driducks Undershield came today!

**koaloha05** · 03-19-2009, 20:00

Breath ability as a rain poncho relative to everything else out there from coated to hi-tech whatever under moderate (40-70F) temperatures? I've wasted enough money trying to find the highly breathable rain wear. They all end up as street wear. Now that the Jacks have created a multiple use piece of gear at a reasonable price thinking poncho is the way to go. If this poncho breaths well because it's a poncho may take the scissors and thread to the WS2 and convert it into a poncho. But if this poncho breaths better due to the material it will be time for another JRB product.

**HappyCamper** · 03-20-2009, 09:15

I did a dayhike in my DriDucks jacket in 40 degree weather where I was really hoofing it (for me anyway) and the jacket ended up wet inside. When I got home turned it inside out and wiped off moisture and let it dry out. I know I wasn't layered properly. I wanted to test out a merino wool sweater for hiking. Maybe overloaded how much moisture the DriDucks jacket could take.

But I'm like you, koaloha05, feel like I've wasted enough money looking for right breathable rainwear. This year I'm going to hike in 3 oz wind shirt and just get wet and change into dry clothes in camp or right before bed. I do anyway.

I'm not going to hike in JRB modified driducks poncho. I'm keeping that for in-camp rain gear and to use as a weather shield layered with my underquilt. I don't really like hiking in the poncho with my backpack. Doesn't go well over my big pack -- others with smaller packs may feel differently. Don't like it under my pack straps -- feel like it won't take the stress over time. But I do think it will make a great in-camp, mulit-use piece of gear. Anyway that's the plan for me this season.

**Shug** · 03-20-2009, 10:12

Originally Posted by HappyCamper

I did a dayhike in my DriDucks jacket in 40 degree weather where I was really hoofing it (for me anyway) and the jacket ended up wet inside. When I got home turned it inside out and wiped off moisture and let it dry out. I know I wasn't layered properly. I wanted to test out a merino wool sweater for hiking. Maybe overloaded how much moisture the DriDucks jacket could take.
But I'm like you, koaloha05, feel like I've wasted enough money looking for right breathable rainwear. This year I'm going to hike in 3 oz wind shirt and just get wet and change into dry clothes in camp or right before bed. I do anyway.
I'm not going to hike in JRB modified driducks poncho. I'm keeping that for in-camp rain gear and to use as a weather shield layered with my underquilt. I don't really like hiking in the poncho with my backpack. Doesn't go well over my big pack -- others with smaller packs may feel differently. Don't like it under my pack straps -- feel like it won't take the stress over time. But I do think it will make a great in-camp, mulit-use piece of gear. Anyway that's the plan for me this season.

I totally agree with you HappyCamper. I always get wet no matter what the rain gear ... just sweat. My thoughts are .... it is like waterproof boots, if you walk all day in the rain they are GONNA GET WET. Not the end of the world. Just put on dry clothes in camp ... it is just part of getting out into the piney woods. It is fun to just embrace the rain that we spend most of our time trying to get out of and just get into it. Just be sure not to get hypothermic in cold.
Soggy Shug

**Peter_pan** · 03-20-2009, 13:48

Originally Posted by Shug

I totally agree with you HappyCamper. I always get wet no matter what the rain gear ... just sweat. My thoughts are .... it is like waterproof boots, if you walk all day in the rain they are GONNA GET WET. Not the end of the world. Just put on dry clothes in camp ... it is just part of getting out into the piney woods. It is fun to just embrace the rain that we spend most of our time trying to get out of and just get into it. Just be sure not to get hypothermic in cold.
Soggy Shug

HC, Shug, et al,

A little war/hikin story....Spring 2003 while sectioning I got caught in a down pour about 2 miles south of Miss Tilly's Woods Hole Hostel.... I said, who cares, I'll just get wet".... Then the temp dropped 15-20 degrees and I was freezing.... So I donned my O2 Rainwear jacket....Same material as DD....After 40 minutes more hiking I arrived at Wood's Hole....Upon removing my jacket the poly T shirt was bone dry....Key was to slow the pace and let the evaporation work.....

As an aside I find that slowing the last mile each day almost always gets me to camp dry or nearly dry....Plus I'm too tired by the last mile to hike hard anyway...

Pan

**Take-a-knee** · 03-20-2009, 15:02

Originally Posted by Peter_pan

HC, Shug, et al,

A little war/hikin story....Spring 2003 while sectioning I got caught in a down pour about 2 miles south of Miss Tilly's Woods Hole Hostel.... I said, who cares, I'll just get wet".... Then the temp dropped 15-20 degrees and I was freezing.... So I donned my O2 Rainwear jacket....Same material as DD....After 40 minutes more hiking I arrived at Wood's Hole....Upon removing my jacket the poly T shirt was bone dry....Key was to slow the pace and let the evaporation work.....

As an aside I find that slowing the last mile each day almost always gets me to camp dry or nearly dry....Plus I'm too tired by the last mile to hike hard anyway...

Pan

Tnanks for sharing that. I'm guessing that, since you had gotten cold, you also stopped sweating, so the heat you generated as you walked was sufficient to dry your easily dried tee shirt. This likely could not have happened without a quick dry tee shirt AND a breathable jacket.

Folks who dismiss modern breathable rain gear must only hike in the summer and not be old enough to remember the rubber/vinyl alternative.

**Peter_pan** · 03-20-2009, 21:21

Originally Posted by Take-a-knee

Tnanks for sharing that. I'm guessing that, since you had gotten cold, you also stopped sweating, so the heat you generated as you walked was sufficient to dry your easily dried tee shirt. This likely could not have happened without a quick dry tee shirt AND a breathable jacket.

Folks who dismiss modern breathable rain gear must only hike in the summer and not be old enough to remember the rubber/vinyl alternative.

Hey...Hey...Now!

Let's keep age and memory outta this....

Pan

**Ashman** · 08-07-2009, 06:45

Bump for a brief after action report. Since I got this poncho I have done two overnight hikes. I took one of my kids on each. The first hike we had no rain at all during the hike, went to bed to clear skies had a thunderboomer in the middle of the night. I didn't deploy the poncho bone headed move. My tarp kept me nice and dry but there was a little extra moisture on the quilt in the morning. The second hike taken last week at Grayson Highlands gave me a pretty good field test. I put the poncho on the hammock and we had a BIG Thundershower that night, next day the quilt was dry as a bone. That day we hiked in the rain more than not. The poncho did a great job of keeping rain off me and my pack. It vented well enough I didn't have sweat on the inside. A very solid test on both main uses of this project. Overall I was very please with the product. The "self-storage" bag on the pocho tore very easily.I would not want to use this poncho spending alot of time off of a trail, I think it would rip very easily. For trail use though it was great. Thanks again Jacks for a good product at a good price.