Rain jackets versus Ponchos

My MEC Rain jacket at left and a simple poncho at right.
Click to enlarge.

Rain gear usually consists of pants and a jacket but another option is a poncho similar to the one you likely used as a raincoat when you walked to school as a kid.

A good rain jacket will of course keep the rain away from your internal layers while allowing you to keep pedaling without becoming too sweaty. Great rain jackets include underarm zippers to allow you to control internal temperature somewhat as well as a zipper flap along the back to allow trapped air an opportunity to escape.

My rain jacket has all of these features and it works really well even in very heavy rain. Combined with a pair of rain pants and a helmet cover and I am ready for some heavy duty wet weather in a very nice way.

A poncho has several advantages. First and foremost they are usually quite inexpensive to purchase. Since the poncho hangs over top of your clothing air flow is also not a problem since air can easily circulate. You can often find ponchos in various bright colours as well helping you to be visible to others in dreary conditions.

In rainstorms with only mild to non-existent wind the poncho works very well. Unfortunately once the wind picks up then rain begins to successfully get underneath the poncho leaving you with wet clothing.

I intend to stick with my current rain gear although if I was dealing with extremely humid or hot weather the air circulation advantages of the poncho are significant enough for me to consider it.

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