Conventional wisdom would tell you that if you don’t want to get wet, avoid riding in the rain.  As we all know that isn’t always possible and sometimes we can’t avoid riding in the rain.

Staying dry while bikepacking isn’t just about the proper gear.  How you approach certain situations and the decisions you make will greatly affect whether or not you stay dry or not.

Whether you’re racing or touring, monitor the weather regularly and knowing when to push on and when to batten down the hatches can make all the difference.  You may actually be able to avoid riding in the rain.

If you can’t avoid on coming weather, try to get out of the elements before the shit hits the fan or more importantly, get your rain gear on before the rain hits.  Setting up camp or finding shelter might take some time or end up being a bust, but it can be a better trade off then getting caught out and getting soaked.  Drying out can be more work than setting up or finding shelter.

If you’re racing you just have to push through foul weather.  The reality is you’re probably going to get wet.  Either you’ll get caught out without your rain gear on soon enough or you sweat so much you get wet from inside.  At times it might seem like all your doing is taking on and off clothes but this is better than not doing so in the long run.

Example:  I took a wrong turn during my CTR and went down hill almost 3 miles.  On the way back up I saw a storm coming at me but did nothing to prepare for it’s arrival.  By the time I put my rain jacket on I was soaked.  I also never put my pants on and the result was when I finally did get my Big Agnes Fly Creek Platinum II set up I spent the next 3 hours fighting off hypothermia.

-Craig

Do your best to regulate your body temperature, watch the weather, make good decisions and don’t get lazy with putting on or taking off your rain gain.