Raingear? for Pacific NorthWest discers and others..........

[niuvalleycane]

50 degree constant rain tournaments, whaddya wear to compete in?

Trying to prep

[worthdan]

frogg toggs are sweet rain gear. i've never played in them but I bet they would work great.
http://www.froggtoggs.com/catalog/2008c ... page04.asp

if you search around you can find them for pretty cheap.

[JR]

It was 40 MPH to more in gusting winds when Hwicha and I played in rain with the rest of the players participating in event 5 of the Russian NT in Tali dgc, Helsinki, Finland. I had a mountaineering jacket that didn't let rain through but my gloves and trousers were soaked in 15 minutes despite the trousers normally handling light to moderate rain that isn't too sideways moving. Luckily the trousers stopped the wind.

Hwicha had waterproof pants but his jacket let him down. He said that he couldn't feel his torso in the end because he was so cold. I was so cold that I feared damaging muscles if I threw hard or pulled the disc close to the chest or snapped my wrist. So I tried to avoid it and still had one nasty tug in my wrist.

What that taught me was to get rain proof pants too and in that extreme a weather even the gloves need to be water and wind proof. I had slippages -a lot of them and my skin in the fingers was thinner afterward for having lost some of the outer layers because my skin was white and soft from the constant soaking.

I didn't go the high tech way with the pants with breathing materials because in time many of them won't take the pressure of sitting down on them without letting the water through. My trousers are fully covered with polyurethane.

[domromer]

I just moved from Oregon so I have a bit of experince playing in the rain.

Tall rubber boots. Most guys I played tournaments with on soggy Sundays wore tall rubber boots. Gortex boots stop working after total immersion.

A large golf Umbrella.

A gortex coat.

One of those big waterproof seattle sombreros.

[roman]

Those tall rubber boots sound pretty restrictive. How did it feel to do the run up in those? I assume it's just a matter of getting used to it...

[JR]

Those tall rubber boots sound pretty restrictive. How did it feel to do the run up in those? I assume it's just a matter of getting used to it...

I heartily recommend rubber boots especially if you can add metal studs to improve the traction imensely. Most rubber boots are heavy and restrictive. Mine are Nokian Finntrim and are designed for running so they are a lot lighter and more pliable and work like a charm. More comfortable in less restriction than any trail shoes with high tops. Not so well padded so the feet take more hits from obstacles than heavier trail shoes. The only gripe I have about my boots is that the rubber studs in the soles wear quickly on rocky terrain and concrete tees if metal studs aren't added. It was interesting to note how quickly the steel studs wore down in the tallest thinnest part. Supafast. DG is murder on shoes and the body it seems if steel doesn't last.

[mark12b]

umbrella for sure.

rain jacket, yeah though if i can get away with leaving it in the bag i'll do that -- fleece is fine in drizzle especially if it's usually under an umbrella. jackets that have good waterproofing tend to be stiffer than i like when i'm throwing. that said, i like my marmot precip in real rain. it's light, packable, waterproof/breathable that really works, and has big ol' pit zips that are great for keeping from overheating.

for pants i really like the rei mistral. i have a convertible pair and non-convertible pair and have been using them as my main rain pants for hiking and golfing for a few years now. the key is the schoeller dynamic fabric. awesome stuff -- it's a soft-shell type fabric that's thin and stretchy and does a great job of repelling water. it'll snag on thorns but otherwise it's pretty tough stuff.

[Jaysus]

I am a big fan of my marmot precip as well... I've been looking for new pants, I'll check out those REI ones.


There is some chatter about waterproof socks elsewhere on the board, I think they'd be worth checking out for the PacNW golfers. I am also not opposed to carrying a golf umbrella if I know it will be nasty.

[J-Man]

For shoes I wear Bogs; they come in quite a few styles, low, mid and boot, and fit snug. I just wear loose cotton pants that I tuck into my socks (smart wool). For the upper body, just a long sleeve T-shirt under a breathable rain pull over, with a polar tech vest. Top that off with a itch free hat. I keep a bogey free bag in my vest pocket to keep my fingers from getting wrinkled. I reluctantly carry an umbrella, but I find them to be cumbersome. A couple of towels, and some extras, and you are set. It's not that bad once you are wet, getting wet is the bitch. You'll find the combination that works for you, you'll get wet, to what extent is the key. Good luck and have fun.

[some call me...tim?]

Yup, umbrella is your best friend, make sure you get a decent sized one. When I first moved here, the idea of carrying an umbrella for anything, let alone disc golf, was foreign to me. I had one of those little collapsible umbrellas that fit nicely in my bag, seemed like a good idea, until i realized that when I was using it, the runoff from the umbrella dripped straight into my bag.

I almost never wear a jacket, especially if I'm worried about my score. I haven't worn any jacket that didn't adversely affect my movement. I'm a big fan of a fleece vest when it gets nipply out though. Main thing I recommend is to stay away from cotton clothing, it'll just get soaked, stick to your skin and make you cold and miserable. Also, base layers are important, a set of thermal underwear will go a long way towards keeping you happy.

Last year I got a pair of gaiters, and I'm sold on them. If you notice, whenever its wet conditions, not necessarily even rainy, people's pants start getting wet at the ankles almost immediately, and the wetness moves upward from there. Having the gaiters keeps you dry, especially if you have to go tromping through bushes and shrubs.

[Eric O]

UMBRELLA!

The most critical piece of gear other than waterproof shoes. With an umbrella and a hat you don't need full upper body raingear, just something that will keep you warm enough and sheds rain even a little. Even better, you can set the umbrella over your bag when you stop, keeping the discs dry. Also, like tim said, get an over sized golf umbrella.

If it's really pouring I will use W/B pants also.

Someone said before that goretex shoes soak through. Mine don't. None of them should, at least not until the end of their lifespan. I also golf with lots of people who just buy cheap hiking shoes and rely on the waterproof socks. Seems to work for them.

[Timko]

Someone said before that goretex shoes soak through. Mine don't. None of them should, at least not until the end of their lifespan. I also golf with lots of people who just buy cheap hiking shoes and rely on the waterproof socks. Seems to work for them.

My bigger problem was with rain getting my socks wet from the outside, therefore soaking the shoe from the inside out. I think gators could fix that though.

I prefer the non GTX shoe with the water sock.

[ChUcK]

I wear all the same stuff as when I golf in the summer (plus a layer of thermals) and just add a golf umbrella. There's definitely a point where cost of gear overtakes the pleasure gained from weather protection, and that point is pretty low for me.

This winter I'd like to try out some gaiters, though, because people seem to swear by them (the good ones, at least). As a bonus, they give the wearer a sort of space-cowboy effect and that's just gravy. Everyone likes space cowboys.

Don't they?

[Eric O]

Well said regarding the cost/benefit ratio of weather gear Chuck.

Note that every single person from the northwest endorses the golf umbrella. A simple ten dollar item will do more to keep you dry and happy on the course than $1000 worth of high tech outerwear.

I've considered using my scree gaiters for playing at Dabney. Not so much for the wet but to keep sand out of my shoes if I have to go down the gully after a misthrow on the back 9.

[tumpsi]

goretex and such is the answer.