Choose Good Rain Gear

You're out ready for a nice day hike (not backpacking), but the weather suddenly looks like it may rain on you! You remember you need to get out that rain gear, but you're not sure it will really help. How can you choose the best rain gear to buy and take with you? Here are some ideas.

Steps

Consider what kind of weather you will hike in. Is it going to be warm or cold rain? Will there be snow also? Warm rain requires water protection without warmth. Cold rain and/or snow requires both water and heat protection.
Be flexible. Bring various layers to protect from rain and cold, but not plain cotton. For cold weather, begin with a thin thermal layer in a synthetic fabric or silk. Then add light wool or fleece, and top it with a heavy Goretex or similar jacket with hood.
Remove most layers for warm rain. Start with a light synthetic wicking layer that will remove sweat from your skin, and add the lightest nylon shell for water protection. Pit zippers (under the arms) allow your body to breathe while working up a sweat in the rain.
Consider a rain hat for both warm and cold rain. Especially for warm rain, a wide-brimmed hat may be enough with a light shell. Be sure the hat is a fast-drying fabric like nylon or water-resistant cotton. Even for cold rain, a hat on top of your hood may help to drip rain away from your face.
Consider rain pants for both warm and cold rain. These nylon pants work well over light shorts in warm rain, since you will sweat. For cold rain or snow, add them over the other layers as on top: wicking long underwear, fleece pants, and rain pants. Do not wear jeans as they dry slowly and get heavy.
Buy good boots for rain. Hiking boots with a Goretex layer and high tops (at the ankle or higher) are good for swollen streams, puddles, snow, and mud. Add two layers of socks, liners, and thicker woolen trekking socks. For warm rain, the boots are still critical, but you may wear a lighter hiking sock over liners.
Use a poncho for emergencies. Carry one in your day pack and you can always use it if you are caught without anything else.

Tips

This information applies to day hiking only, where you leave from and return to your car or camp. This means you will have supplies handy when you return, including warm dry clothes.
The biggest problem is sweating in rain gear. A long hike, especially an energetic one, means you are working up a sweat, and must dissipate it somehow. Pit zippers are good, and a poncho might work if you want the ventilation. An umbrella could be used in warm rain, though your hand is now not free.
Don't wear traditional cotton when hiking if you will get wet. Jeans, sweatshirts, t-shirts, stay wet a long time, get heavy, and can get very cold.
Wool and fleece can dry fast and usually don't let water penetrate to the skin, which is why they are preferred.
Be prepared to change clothes after you get soaked. This is especially important in cold rain or snow (see warning).
Don't plan to hike far in traditional rubber rain boots. They will often cause blisters, and don't work for careful footwork such as is needed for crossing boulders, scree slopes, fallen logs, etc.

Warnings

Do not allow hypothermia by staying in cold wet clothes longer than necessary, especially for children, weak and elderly people. Remove, change, or dry wet clothes as soon as possible. When a person is shivering, clumsy, not talking sensibly, stiff, or is pale in the face, get them warm fast. Remove wet clothes even if you have to wrap them in a blanket, coat, sleeping bag, or any available clothes.

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