Chatting with a fellow hiker revealed the best rain jacket hack.

Ask people on the trail for honest gear feedback.

2 comments

2 Comments

That "bad batch of seam tape" line is the perfect example of why trail gossip is better than any product review. It's funny how we spend a small fortune on a jacket only to find out its biggest flaw was a Friday afternoon at the factory. Makes you wonder what else we're all carrying that has a known secret fault. The best gear advice always comes with a story about total failure, not a shiny ad. I guess the real pro tip is to find the hiker who looks most miserable in the rain and ask them what went wrong.

daniel7411mo ago

For years I swore by my old Arcteryx until a guy on the PCT told me his failed in a storm. Asked him what he switched to, got the same model, and now I see how much better the pit zips work. Turns out mine was from a bad batch of seam tape.