Waterproofs
Staying Dry on the Path
The British Isles have a reputation for changeable weather. You can experience all four seasons in a day, at any time of year.
For that reason, it is always wise to carry weather protection, as getting soaked and cold is a sure way to challenge your pilgrimage.
Many different opinions exist on what is the best way to achieve this. In Ancient Rome, the Emporer Diocletian listed only one import from Britain - our waterproof woollen cloaks, known as Birrus Brittanicus, which cost an average year’s wages!
Thick wool is an effective layer for keeping dry in most showers, and a garment like those made by Bison Bushcraft is surprisingly effective in combination with an umbrella.
Umbrellas
Often neglected, an umbrella is the most breathable waterproof layer possible. A mobile roof keeps the rain off your body entirely!
Euroschirm in Germany make the most robust trekking umbrellas. A range of trekking umbrellas are available on this website.
Look out for summer umbrellas, designed to provide effective UV protection as well as rain.
However, for sustained rain you will want stronger protection. Especially if you are walking in windy or colder seasons, or at higher altitudes, where recovery in a nice warm pub, or from reliable sunshine, is not available.
Summer waterproofing is sometimes not worth the trouble. A nice rain shower can be a relief, and the stress of attempting total dryness can far outweigh the actual harm caused by a bit of water. Our ultimate rain jacket is already on us, wrapping our bones. Skin is the best semi-permeable membrane available.
But sustained rain can be less fun, even in summer. One very simple and cheap option is a basic poncho. This will cover your head and body, and also your bag if required. Because these are loose fitting, they do not need to be ‘breathable’ like a modern waterproof jacket. So a poncho can cost and weigh very little, and be a very effective option. They do get flappy in strong wind, so you may want to tie the waist with a piece of cord. And these do not cover your whole arms, so you may suffer from damp wrists, especially if you are carrying a staff and keep one arm outstretched. But for the price, a poncho can handle Summer rain very well. Your legs will be protected to the knee. If you are wearing shorts, this is adequate. But beware of rain running into your shoes!
Another option is low-price cagoule-style jackets. These typically suffer from not being made from breathable fabric, so such jackets tend to soak you inside the jacket almost as quickly as rain would outside. If you can, get one with pit-zips. These are zipped openings under the arms that allow massive heat loss, and keep air circulating, which prevents condensation buildup and interior dampness.
Don’t expect to win any fashion prizes wearing this gear - or to enjoy the feeling of the material. But do expect to keep off the worst of heavy rain.
An option for keeping legs dry is a Rain Skirt. This is an ultralightweight ‘leg-poncho’, a sil-nylon kilt that you can pop on and remove very quickly. It will not protect your ankles, but with gaiters (or sandals) this is not a problem. For chaps, this may test your sense of masculine propriety, but you can handle it. As with the poncho, this option can be a bit flappy in high wind…
Other Waterproof Fabrics
Not every waterproof works in the same way. One of my favourite options is a material invented in the 1950s for Churchill’s RAF, to be used as immersion suits for pilots who crashed into the North Sea. They died in minutes in the freezing waters, so a cotton suit was made that provided a much enhanced water protection - called Ventile.
Ventile is made from the world’s longest and finest strands of cotton, in an ultratight Oxford weave. And that’s it. No laminate, no nylon, no tiny holes masquerading as breathability. It is all natural, and extremely breathable, and very quiet. While almost every plastic garment swooshes and swishes, ventile is used by birdwatchers like Bill Oddy for its relative silence.
It is also totally windproof. But Ventile is not 100% waterproof. As the fabric gets wet, the fibres swell, blocking further ingress of water. So some heritage dampness will always get through. Also, ventile gets stiff when wet, so in a storm it can feel like you’re walking in cardboard. And it is much heavier than nylon ultra-thin layers.
If you want a ventile garment that will keep out sustained heavy rain, it has to be double-layered or backed with another fabric. But this can weigh an awful lot, and when not being worn, can feel like a terrible burden. So ventile is best suited to winter, when you intend to keep your jacket on all day.
For a 3-season showerproof natural jacket, single layered Ventile is pretty great (especially if you also carry a poncho or ultralight outer for more extreme rain).
Some manufacturers of Ventile clothing combine it with other fabrics. Keela use a laminate backing that ‘pumps’ moistire outward. Their heavy winter jacket is famously effective - but also expensive and heavy!
UK manufacturers making Ventile clothing (jackets and trousers) include: Hilltrek - Keela - and Weather Wise Wear.
Another option in terms of waterproof clothing is offered by a UK brand called Paramo. They are very popular with mountain rescue teams, and focus on pumping water out from the inside, rather than blocking it entirely. They claim their fabric mimics polar bear fur in this!
You can browse the full range of Paramo jackets and trousers here. It is a slightly heavier and warmer style of waterproofing - though not as weighty as Ventile, and much more reliably waterproof imo. The Cascada II trousers are especially good. But Paramo recommend re-proofing your gear before each long journey. This is probably sensible advice whatever waterproofing you use.
Gaiters
If you are Wayfaring in particularly boggy conditions, or in long grass with much rain, you might want to protect the overlap between the top of your shoes and the bottom of your trousers. Also, if you are wearing ultralight waterproof trousers, you may want to protect them from abrasion. This is where gaiters come in useful. However, most water proof trousers will already cover the ankle of your shoes, so these may not be required.
Debris gaiters can be helpful in warmer climates to prevent the ingress of pebbles and debris into your shoe.
Waterproof gloves
The easiest thing to do with your hands in summer is let them get wet. In Autumn and Spring, a pair of wool gloves should suffice, as long as the rain is not a multi-day event.
But in winter, you really want to keep those hands dry.
In persistent winter rain, you will want either dedicated foul weather gloves, or waterproof shell mittens to cover your base gloves.
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