FYI, I DID order the camo umbrella hat. The band was uncomfortable and the umbrella was only large enough to protect your head, not the rest of your body. I sent the umbrella back.
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Poncho vs. Rain Jacket and Pants (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter BruceBerman
- Start date
BryanP
Little known member
Yeah, the umbrella hat did look like it was a bit small for protecting a camera from the rain. My search did turn up a very large umbrella hat but unless they’ve designed it to be as light as possible it looks like it might strain the neck muscles.
I’ve been doing a bit of research lately into the next generation hiking pants that are on the market these days. They’re generally rain proof, breath well and dry quickly so a big plus for travelling light during the rainy season. An umbrella will keep my top half relatively dry in a downpour but the bottom half gets pretty soggy so these might be just the ticket.
Hmm, I actually haven’t looked into pants. I’ve got a collection of nylon hiking pants. You just gave me more work to do!😆
Which highlights the importance of coverage when choosing an umbrella over just a hat. Hats generally only need to keep your uppermost areas dry, while an umbrellas is tasked with keeping all of you dry, and in this case, whatever you happen to have in your hands too.
MiddleRiver
Well-known member
I can't recall if anyone already posted this, but Six Moons makes little zip ties that are 'designed' for hands-free.
www.sixmoondesigns.com
I might see if I can snag some and report back ;-)
Or DIY Umbrella rigging
Hiking Umbrellas
One of the most overlooked pieces of gear in the world of ultralight backpacking is a good hiking umbrella. Our Silver Shadow family of hiking umbrellas are some of the lightest and strongest available, and feature UPF 50+ blocking canopies partnered with some ultralight components such as...
www.sixmoondesigns.com
Or DIY Umbrella rigging
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I always have multiple lens cloths with me when I travel and they're in multiple small plastic baggies. I've never run out.
pbjosh
missing the neotropics
For sure on multiple. I carry 2 with me on any given day and extras for a whole trip. The interior pocket of a waterproof backpack has kept them dry so far. For pelagics I carry even more. Frequently I don’t use any but I spent a day on a ferry in Japan once where I went through 5-6 microfiber cloths probably, but saw a lot of good birds.
Occasionally the inside of the backpack gets damp just from humidity. Probably once every week or so of Dank weather I’ll empty it and flip it inside out and dry it in the sun or in an A/C hotel room for a while.
kb57
Well-known member
Resurrecting this thread as I'm heading to the humid tropics for a short trip in November, and thinking an umbrella might be a useful addition to my packing list. I found this hands-free trekking umbrella which is made in Germany and wondered if anyone has used it?:
www.euroschirm.com
EuroSchirm | "Trekking-Regenschirm telescope handsfree" | Online kaufen
Höhenverstellbarer Schaft | kann am Rucksack befestigt und handfrei getragen werden | schneller und kostenloser Versand | persönliche Beratung | Jetzt bestellen!
www.euroschirm.com
Elkhornsun
Well-known member
When it is windy an umbrella is worthless and easily damaged. With the brush wet it provides no protection for ones body and clothing. It also ties up one or both hands and so not good if using binoculars or a camera. It is better suited to use on a golf course.
A hat with a front and rear strap like the ones made by Tilley work very well for rain as well as sun protection and can be packed flat in a suitcase for travel. Rain pants and a lightweight poncho take up very little space in ones luggage or in a fanny pack.
In every situation where there has been intense rainfall I have found that getting soaked from my own perspiration will result from most waterproof outer clothing and that a poncho provides the best overall solution whether in the tropics or a rain forest in the Pacific Northwest of the USA.
A hat with a front and rear strap like the ones made by Tilley work very well for rain as well as sun protection and can be packed flat in a suitcase for travel. Rain pants and a lightweight poncho take up very little space in ones luggage or in a fanny pack.
In every situation where there has been intense rainfall I have found that getting soaked from my own perspiration will result from most waterproof outer clothing and that a poncho provides the best overall solution whether in the tropics or a rain forest in the Pacific Northwest of the USA.
Sorry to give you contradicting information but since I first posted the question I have visited Indonesia, Ecuador and Panama. As has been mentioned, you will probably already be wet from sweat BUT I found that an umbrella is definitely the way to go IF you are in the lowland tropics. I have a small umbrella with a camouflage coloring and it works great in the jungles. My breathable rain jacket is just too hot to wear. I do not have a hands-free umbrella, but it is small (about 34" across the inside) and I can drop it if I need to. However, I can focus my binoculars with one hand and also rest the umbrella against my back when I want to photograph. The guides I hired in Indonesia and Panama both used umbrellas. If you are going up into the mountains, 800 meters or more, then a light rain jacket might not be too hot. Also, just to mention, there are umbrellas that are much less expensive than the one you are considering. It is better to have an umbrella that you can easily replace than an expensive one, even if it is of better construction.
I've successfully used umbrellas in Japanese typhoons several times and never had one hurt by the winds. Not so much out of cleverness, but rather during the course of trying to stay dry, I had to point the umbrella into the wind, regardless of whether that meant off to the side, straight in front, or slowly walking backwards. Maybe a rainsuit would have been better, but it made for an interesting time and memories overseas. Bottom line is that an umbrella can work.
In my previously stated circumstances, it was miles of walking while hitchhiking across Japan. The best things I saw were some of the type of people that never leave their own country and were so enjoyable to visit with.
BryanP
Little known member
Perhaps the wonder of finding oneself in that pickle in an entirely new country which might be kinda cool. Otherwise, I just chalk it up to a future good story.
Of course there are exceptions in how rain and wind can happen in Central America but based on my experience of travelling and living here for 15 years this is what I’ve found.
There’ll be a strong wind right at the front edge of the squall which will drop to zero after 2 to 5 minutes. The torrential downpour part will slow down after 2 to 20 minutes. After that it becomes comfortably walkable and even birdable since when things do slow down the bird activity can often explode.
Someone mentioned cheap umbrellas, good plan.
temmie
Well-known member
My take is that wind + rain is the time to shelter or use that time walking to the next place (without birding).
If there is rain without wind, an umbrella will do.
If there is rain + wind, time to fold the umbrella, make sure the rain jacket is on or the shelter is nearby.
If there is rain without wind, an umbrella will do.
If there is rain + wind, time to fold the umbrella, make sure the rain jacket is on or the shelter is nearby.
Here's a story to illustrate why I've been happy with my umbrella. Recently in the Ecuadorian Amazon, where the temps tend to be about 90 degrees F with 80%-90% humidity, I was hiking in the jungle with my guides at o'dark thirty. It started to rain, a BIG rain. I popped open my umbrella and kept on walking. The rain ended before we got to our destination, we saw some great birds, it began raining again for about 10 minutes and then stopped for the rest of the day. I was reasonably dry, except for the sweaty shirt. You don't get much wind in the jungle. I'm convinced that in the tropical lowlands, umbrellas are the way to go. At higher elevations I'd wear a good, breathable rain jacket and pants. (Again, my guides in Indonesia and Ecuador carried umbrellas, not rain jackets.)
Winterdune
Well-known member
If going to the neotropics get a red umbrella. Hummingbirds think it's a giant flower! Seriously!
I've heard of wearing a red cap, but I also wonder what the other birds will think of a giant red blob visibly moving down the trail?
BryanP
Little known member
We used to do a lot of the CBC’s here in Costa Rica and the teams that had brightly coloured umbrellas did just fine with their count numbers. Not sure if that means the birds just didn’t notice or just didn’t care.
True about the hummers reactions though, they’d occasionally come out onto the trail to investigate something red.
When we’re on our sailboat and are sailing into an anchorage up In BC the bright red Canadian flag sometimes prompts a hummer or two to make the half mile trip over the water to check us out.
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