Brett

Source: IAMAW

Biolite contacted me to see if I’d check out some of their products and put the word out about their preparedness month kits (you did know September is Preparedness Month, didn’t you?).

You’re reading BioLite Preparedness Kits, originally posted at Graywolf Survival – Emergency preparedness from a Counterintelligence Agent by Graywolf.

I finally made it to Regina this past summer – the last of the Canadian cities for me to visit. Even though Regina is a prairie city, it’s green and lush thanks to 350,000 hand-planted trees. With truly fabulous restaurants, a passionate fan base for the Saskatchewan Roughriders football team and one of the largest urban parks in North America, I’d certainly recommend a visit.

Here’s what you can do in the city- 8 Awesome Things to do in Regina Right Now

Enjoy these 29 fun and interesting facts about Regina

1. Regina became the capital of Saskatchewan in 1905. 

2. Regina started off as a hunters’ camp in the 1880’s. Back when the buffalo still roamed the prairies it was called Pile O’Bones for all the bones left there after skinning and cutting buffalo.

3. Regina is the 16th largest city in Canada. The population of Regina as of July 1, 2018 was 257,337 people – according to Statistics Canada. Its growth rate is about 2.2%. Of that 14% are 65 years or older. Eighteen percent of the population is under 15 years of age.

4. Regina sits at an elevation of 577 metres above sea level. It’s mostly flat with a maximum elevation change of just 43 feet within 3.2 km of Regina.

5. Regina is the closest city to the centre of North America.

Business facts related to Regina

6. Of the top 500 corporations by revenue in Canada, five are headquartered in Regina. They include Crown Investments Corp. of Saskatchewan, Saskatchewan Worker’s Compensation Board, the Saskatchewan Auto Fund, Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority and Saskatchewan Telecommunications Holding Corporation.

Weather in Regina

7. The hottest temperature ever recorded in Regina was 43.3°C on July 5, 1937.

8. Regina usually endures 201 days a year when the minimum temperature is at 0 °C or below. 

9. The length of the day in Regina is highly variable. On the summer solstice Regina gets 16 hours, 27 minutes of daylight. On the shortest day of the year it gets 8 hours of daylight. 

10. In Regina – and all of Saskatchewan daylight savings time is not observed.

11. The earliest sunrise is 4:46 AM on June 17th. The earliest sunset is 4:54 PM on December 12.

12. Canada’s deadliest tornado spinning at a speed of 400 km/hour occurred in Regina on June 30th, 1912. It killed 28 people and destroyed a lot of the town. In fact it took two solid years to make all the repairs but 40 years to pay it off.

RCMP Depot Division

13. Every last one of Canada’s Royal Canadian Mounted Police have undergone a rigorous six-month training program at Regina’s RCMP Depot. They’ve been doing it in Regina since 1885. Take a tour to learn what it takes to become a Mountie.

14. Louis Riel was hanged for treason on November 16, 1885 at the North-West Mounted Police barracks in Regina. 

15. The longest running historical theatre production in North America – the Trial of Louis Riel is reenacted every summer in Regina by local performers. The play, written in 1967, is based on the original transcript from the trial of 1885. 

The not so great Regina History

16. The first Gay Pride Parade in Regina was held in 1990. You could still discriminate against somebody in Canada for their sexuality so parade participants covered their faces with masks to avoid detection.

Saskatchewan Roughriders

17. Regina is synonymous with football. The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a good team but their fans, Rider Nation are tops. In fact of all Canadian sports teams including hockey, the Roughriders have the third highest merchandise sales. At a roughriders football game you can expect to see fans sporting real watermelon helmets and pilsner beer capes.

Wascana Centre

18. Regina’s Wascana Centre, built around Wascana Lake is huge, as in bigger than Vancouver’s Stanley Park and New York City’s Central Park combined.

19. Wascana Lake was created in 1883 by damming Wascana Creek.

20. In 1961, Minoru Yamasaki, the architect who designed the original World Trade Center in New York City, was commissioned to prepare a 100-year master plan for all of Wascana Centre.  

21. At the western edge of Wascana Lake look for Albert Street Memorial Bridge. It’s the longest bridge over the shortest span of water in the world. 

22. Wascana Park provides free grain to feed the birds. Head for the Waterfowl Display Ponds across from the Conexus Arts Centre. Feed Stella the swan along with huge numbers of Canada geese and ducks. You are encouraged to bring leafy greens for the birds but not bread as it isn’t good for them.

23. Wascana Lake beckons outdoorsy types. You can rent kayaks and SUP’s and explore the lake on one of Regina’s numerous sunny days.

The Saskatchewan Legislative Building

24. The beautiful Saskatchewan Legislative Building in Regina cost 1.75 million US dollars to build. It was built in the Beaux Art style over four years beginning in 1908. In 2005 the legislative building and its grounds were designated a National Historic Site of Canada. Tours focusing on the history and architecture of the building take place seven days a week. You can get more information here.

25. Thomas Walter Scott, whose statue is on the grounds, was the first premier of Saskatchewan with his term running from 1905-1916. 

25. The Queen Elizabeth II Gardens offer gorgeous flower displays during the spring and summer. Every year approximately 25,000 annuals are planted in the garden. The rest of the Legislature grounds aren’t forgotten. Another 5,000 flowers are planted throughout the grounds. It’s really a beautiful sight.

The Hotel Saskatchewan in Regina

26. I stayed at the lovely Hotel Saskatchewan on my visit but not in the bullet proof Royal Suite. Famous guests include Queen Elizabeth II, Paul McCartney, Bill Clinton and Jon Bon Jovi.

27. Every day at 5 PM in the well-appointed lobby bar in the Hotel Saskatchewan you can get a taste of what it was like to be naughty back in the time of American Prohibition. Listen for the bell followed by a toast. Then its shots of whiskey all-round. If you order their Prohibition Tea you’ll get a boozy drink that looks like tea served in a proper teacup like your grandmother had. 

Famous people from Regina

28. Some of the famous people from Regina include Erik Nielsen (lawyer and politician), Ralph Goodale (lawyer and politician), Jordan Eberle (NHL hockey all-star), Julia Voth (actress & model), Justin Warsylewicz )Olympic speed skating silver medalist), Lucas Markian Makowsky (Olympic speed skating gold medalist), Ryan Getzlaf (NHL hockey all-star), Ben Hebert (Olympic curling gold medalist), Atina Ford, Olympic curling gold medalist (born Oct. 12, 1971), Mark McMorris (X-Games snowboarding champion) and Leslie Nielsen (a Canadian- American actor).

Universities in Regina

29. The First Nations University of Canada, specializing in indigenous knowledge is located in Regina. Both Indigenous and non-Indigenous students alike can attend the university.

Other post-secondary institutions include the University of Regina, Graduate School of Public Policy University of Regina, Western Christian College, Campion College and the Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology, Wascana.

Further reading on Canada and Saskatchewan

• 145 Weird, fun and interesting facts about Canada
• 12 Fun and Unique Places to Visit in Saskatchewan
• 25 Fun, Weird and Interesting Facts About Saskatoon
• 6 Fun Things to do in Saskatoon in Summer

Click on the photo to bookmark to your Pinterest boards.

 

The post 29 Fun and Interesting Facts about Regina appeared first on Hike Bike Travel.

Like most of you, I want to be prepared and self-sufficient. I believe my safety is my responsibility. If you rely on someone else, chances are you will be disappointed. 

By J. Bridger, contributing author to SHTFblog and Survival Cache

I like knowing I can step into my vehicle and comfortably get by for a day or two with what I have stowed away. I have toyed with the concept of a truck gun. I like the idea but can’t stomach the thought of someone stealing it and committing a crime. When I have the funds to spend on securing a firearm in my vehicle and live in a less populated area, I will reconsider it. For now, it’s a bad idea for me. Here’s a look at what I keep in my truck/BOV in case I have an emergency away from home. 

In the cab:

Leather gloves

Blaze Defense fire extinguisher 

MTE M3-2I 1200 Lumen Flashlight

Trauma Kit, with spare CAT tourniquet in glove box

I never realized how often vehicles caught fire until I was on the fire department. We had a small stretch of the turnpike in our district, and we received weekly calls for vehicle fires. They were always a total loss. I’m probably biased because of this, but I don’t care. I keep a small BDS40 extinguisher from Blaze Defense Systems in the cab with me. The idea was if my truck caught fire, maybe I could knock it down just a hair so I could get my 10# extinguisher from the toolbox. If I didn’t catch it right away, I’d have no chance. It gives me that warm and fuzzy feeling I like so much.

Also Read: The Individual Trauma Kit/IFAK

The gloves and flashlight speak for themselves. They come in handy all the time. I really like the MTE flashlights. Greg McGee Engineering makes a hell of a product. They’re well made, bright, and aren’t priced sky high. If you need a no bullshit flashlight but don’t want to pay $300 for a name, check these guys out. I have two of their tough-as-nails 1,200 lumen lights. They have a low mode for changing tires, checking your oil, and close up work. They have a medium mode, and a high mode. The high mode throws a good beam, perfect for seeing what the dogs are barking at in the pasture in the middle of the night. They have a strobe and SOS setting, and you have the option of getting rechargeable batteries and a charger. 

In the toolbox:

6L MSR dram

10# Fire extinguisher (I got this for free, or I wouldn’t carry one)

Shovel 

Tow strap

Jumper cables

6×10 tarp

Cheap rope and good rope

Ratcheting straps 

Small tools: pliers, fuses, zip ties, screw drivers, bolt cutters. 

I keep an MSR 6 Liter dram in the tool box, since I call the desert home now. I’ve been glad I had it on several overnight trips where I misjudged how much water I would need. The 6L MSR dromedary bag is tough, and I like the different options you have on the cap. The tarp, cheap rope, and ratcheting straps I keep for securing loads of furniture, branches, or whatever else I happen to be moving. I keep jumper cables, tow strap, and a shovel to get me out of jams. I used to have a chain, but damn, it was heavy. The tow strap is longer, lighter, and is rated at a higher breaking strength (to my surprise). You should always have a spare tire and a decent jack. I wanted an off-road high-lift jack, but there didn’t seem to be any good lift points I could get to on my truck. A small gas can, and a quart of oil would be handy. I keep bolt cutters for obvious reasons. Next time you’re on a turnpike or interstate highway, look for an emergency path off the pavement. I bet you will find that you are fenced in. 

Listen! The Survival Cache Podcast – Flashlights

In the Get Home Bag: 

GoRuck Rucker

Therm-A-Rest Z-lite, Poncho liner, Hennessy tarp

2 pairs wool socks, Dragonwear beanie, Mechanix gloves

Compression Bandage, CAT TQ, H&H Z-fold gauze, moleskin

Morakniv, multitool

Nalgene, water tabs, Sawyer Mini water filter, steel cup, electrolyte tablets

Emergency food bar

Matches, SOL bivyy, paracord, signal mirror

Surefire, batteries

Spork, Bic lighter

Contractor bag

RSDL sponge, KI tablets, RAD dosimeter 

 

When I upgraded my hiking kit to lighter and better gear, a lot of it went here. The mindset for this bag is I may need to spend a night or two near my truck and take the Chevro-legs home. It’s not set up for super cold weather, but it’ll get me by in the springtime or early fall. I keep it in a GoRuck Rucker. There are better bags, certainly for the money. This bag was expensive as shit, but it’s tough and I like the size. It won’t go belly up on me when I need it. It fits perfectly behind a truck seat or under a plane seat. A light and warm sleeping pad, poncho liner, SOL bivvy, and tarp will keep me protected enough from the elements. Without a sleeping pad, the ground sucks the heat out of you. A contractor bag will keep my kit (or me!) dry in a rainstorm, should I be caught with my pants down. I have the tools I need to collect and treat water and enough calories to get me by. I’ve got the bare minimum medical equipment, and some moleskin to treat blisters. I come from a farming community with a lot of organophosphate use, so I pack an RSDL sponge. (You know the signs and symptoms of organophosphate or nerve gas poisoning, don’t you? It overwhelms your parasympathetic (Rest and Digest) nervous system. SLUDGEM: Salivation, Lacrimation (tearing), Urination, Defecation, GI distress, Emesis (Vomiting), and Miosis (pinpoint pupils)).  I keep KI tablets and a wallet dosimeter just in case Fukushima 2.0 happens. It’s cheap insurance.

 

I struggle to straddle the line between prepared and hopeful hoarding. I can’t stand clutter and extra crap I don’t use. This kit changes all the time. If you have any ideas or advice, let me know! What’s in your Vehicle EDC? 

My trip through Germany started at Perl where I had already passed through on my previous European traverse. But this time all the supermarkets were closed … Next morning brought me to the famous Saar Bow, a 180 degree turn in the river – a spectacular view and therefore incredibly crowded with tourists. But as soon as I hiked on I was almost alone again in the forest – at least until arriving in Mettlach with the famous porcelain factory of Villeroy & Boch. I could not resist and visited the museum and showroom. Being an ultralight hiker I was at least not tempted to buy anything …

Camping turned into a bit of a problem that night
because the only small forest was located on a hill too steep for camping. And right on top were there was supposed to be a look out tower according to my map there was now cell phone tower with fences around the whole area. Luckily I found a flat spot right before sunset which was fairly quiet – until I realised that I was camped just a couple of hundred metres away from the church tower with the clock striking every quarter hour until 10 pm. And of course I was woken up in the morning with church bells as well. But the day took a very nice turn because my next rest day was coming up and I had been invited to stay with a fan of my books in Dillingen.

Getting there took me to Litermont mountain with a wonderful view. I could even see the smoke stacks of the steel works in the distance. Dillingen was not directly on my route and therefore I took the bus to get to my host. As she was working in the afternoon I used the spare time to visit an old steel work in Völklingen which had been turned into a UNESCO world heritage site. The area was huge and I could have spent an entire day there taking pictures, learning about steel making and seeing all the art and photography exhibitions. My host even picked me up by car. I did not see much of Dillingen because I was so happy to just lie in bed the entire day and use the internet!

Hiking on I realised that this was not exactly the most scenic part of Saarland. The trail was ok but I was always close to civilisation and continously trying to find a campsite that was out of earshot of the various motorways. One evening I was so happy to find a spot out of sight that it took my a while to figure out that I was trying to camp on top of an old bunker! It was impossible to get my tent pegs in because underneath a very thin layer of earth I hit concrete. It felt a bit bizarre to camp so close to a WW II site but I had no other choice – and I slept well.The Saar-Mosel-Weg even took me right through a university campus where I used the change to charge up my cell phone.

I must say that Saarland was a bit of a disappointment although I had probably just chosen the wrong trail that led my through a very populated area.

Sandbags. One tool that is indispensable for dealing with rising water, be it from a river that has crested its banks or a biblical deluge that is turning a once dry suburb into a drowned wasteland. Sandbags are laborious to fill and take time to emplace, but there is little that can do what they do for preventing and mitigating damage caused by water. Everyone knows about that use of sandbags…

Source

Hello Pack, the fall chill has arrived here in my neck of the woods. I am not one to like it when the temperature gets below 80, but I loathe fall far less since moving onto your dream land. On the up side, our creek actually looks like a creek again and not dry – nor have we had any major flooding yet. We have not yet been reduced to using the hay we baled for our herds.

Source

Who is around me and what are they doing? – Tom Givens

What are you capable of? – Ken Hackathorn

What’s the object of the exercise? – the Tactical Professor

What is the best use of my time right now? – Alan Lakein

METT-TC is a well developed structure for asking questions when developing plans for Personal Protection.

• Mission
• Enemy
• Terrain and Weather
• Troops and Support Available
• Time Available
• Civil (Legal and moral) Considerations

SALUTE is a good structure for gathering information in the moment.

• Size
• Activity
• Location (proximity)
• Unit
• Time
• Equipment

When we are children, we are constantly asking questions. As adults, we usually get in the habit of providing opinions, experiences, and self-promotion instead of asking question. Information gathering is a vital skill in Personal Protection. Putting ourselves back into the question asking mode requires a shift in our thinking patterns that requires practice.

My thanks to John Correia of Active Self Protection for stimulating my thinking about the topic.

My Patreon page is where I go into more depth on Personal Protection topics. https://www.patreon.com/TacticalProfessor

While you weren’t looking (or perhaps while your eyes were recovering from debris damage), sunglasses have quietly evolved from simple “shades” to keep the sun’s glare from your eyes into a full-on vision-enhancing system that offers protection of the ballistic and UV sorts. Lots of companies have popped up offering superior sunglasses, but recently, a small, rowdy, upstart company you’ve probably never heard of – Magpul – introduced the production of sunglasses made with their interpretation of what sunglasses should be. Not only did they hit the mark, but they slid into the crowded arena, bowled over the competition, then promptly dropped the mic. BOOM.

By Drew, contributing author to Survival Cache and SHTFblog

I recently introduced a pair of Magpul Terrain Polarized sunglasses to my face. This is my story.

Magpul Terrain Sunglasses

For years, Wiley X sunglasses have nose-perched on my face whenever any eye-shading duties have presented themselves – shooting included. However, when I noticed that the mighty Magpul design team had furrowed their collective brows and dedicated themselves to producing sunglasses, I simply had to try them. Magpul – in my experience so far – just doesn’t do anything they put their minds to in a half-assed manner. 

Navigating my way to the Magpul website to peruse their eyewear selections, the Terrain series of sunglasses struck my fancy; it seems Magpul designed this series of shaded specs to not only enhance the user’s day-to-day mundane life, but also to provide unparallelled field of view and comfort while wearing hats and hearing protection. Also drawing my attention was the fact that the Terrain was designed for larger faces, which would likely play nicely with my planet-on-a-stick head size.

The frames of the Magul Terrain sunglasses are made of TR90 NZZ, a lightweight polyamide material that has been specifically engineered to provide not only shatter resistance when bent or deflected, but also boasting superior impact strength – important for those of us who prefer our eyewear to be able to resist coming apart at the range if we’re unfortunate enough to catch a wayward bullet splatter or ricochet impact.

In point of fact, the frames are so lightweight and flexible that the most common first impression I got when showing the Terrains was, “these are from Magpul? They feel flimsy!” However, a few minutes of twisting and turning the sunglasses frames resulted in 100% first impression turnarounds – these sunglasses can’t be turned into pretzels or seriously damaged without ridiculous effort.

The lenses of the Magpul Terrain sunglasses are available in either polarized or non-polarized configurations. However, either option comes standard with anti-reflective (AR) treatments on the inside of the lenses to minimize distracting mirror-like reflections on the interior surface of the glasses. The lenses also boast oleophobic coatings that keep liquids – rain, chemicals, gasoline, blood, et al – from building up on the lenses, and promote runoff and/or beading up of these liquids, maintaining clear, usable vision for longer periods of time.

The entire Terrain glasses envelope meets not only the US civilian ANSI Z87+ high-impact standard test rating for safety, but also the military NATO standard MIL-PRF 32432 for ballistic protection of eyewear. These military standards mean that not only do the glasses pass tests for optical clarity, environmental stability (won’t expand/contract/quit working with temperature or moisture extremes), and UV ray protection, but the glasses also meet the protection requirements against a 0.15 caliber projectile travelling at 640-660 feet per second. As a frame of reference here – if Ralphie in A Christmas Story had been wearing Magpul Terrain sunglasses while fighting off Bad Bart’s wayward gang, he wouldn’t have been reduced to a whiny casualty when his trusty Red Ryder 200-shot carbine ricocheted.

Changing Your View Of The World

Donning the Magpul Terrains after wearing my old Wiley X P-17 glasses is akin to sipping a glass of refreshing, ice-cold fresh squeezed lemonade on a 100 degree day – when the only other thing you have to drink is room-temperature Guinness. The Terrains are stunningly lightweight, and the points of contact to your body – the nose pieces and temple arms – are overmolded rubber and integrate seamlessly with your face. The next thing you notice is the stunning clarity of the lenses – the polarized bronze gold mirror lenses of my Magpul Terrains let an incredible amount of undistorted, tinted light to my eyes while still providing enough glare reduction to be comfortable in bright sunlight. 

At the range, the Terrains slipped comfortably underneath my Howard Leight Impact Sport hearing protection, and allowed a full seal, letting the earmuffs perform their job admirably with a minimum of hassle. The lens frames have been somehow magically designed to let the wearer see without the encumbrance of framing in the field of view, yet not bump into the buttstock of a rifle when snuggling up into a proper cheek weld. Red dot and holographic sights performed wonderfully through the polarized lenses with zero silliness or added reticle flare  – something I can’t say for other makes of eye pro I’ve worn – even clear with clear lenses.

Also read: Survival Gear Review: Magpul M-LOK Tripod Adaptor

While I didn’t shoot at the Magpul Terrain sunglasses to prove their ballistic worthiness – I did put them through the “Blowback Test”. Explanation: my Windham Weaponry 9mm carbine is a blowback rifle, meaning it uses direct gas to blow the bolt backwards – not a DI system of a standard AR. As a blowback design, the 9mm carbine expels an inordinate amount of hot gasses around the bolt, and directly back into the shooter’s eye around the charging handle. The experienced effect is similar to having someone aim a hair dryer on “High hot” directly at your eyeball while you’re attempting to control a firearm and provide good hits. It’s disconcerting to say the least. These gases occasionally do make it around eye protection if the design is poor. I’m terribly happy to report that the Magpul Terrain passed the Blowback Test with flying colors, and I received nary a puff of hot air or unburnt powder flakes in my peepers.  The Magpul Terrain setup is an absolutely superb eye protection system for the range.

Magpul Terrain in Daily Use

Admittedly, some of the readers won’t be using these Terrains at the range; it’s not their thing. These readers will be pleased to know that while the Magpul Terrains do feature a bit of an “Operator” look, they are not over-the-top designed to round out a full-blown tactical tuxedo and look pleasantly right at home on the nine-to-fivers piloting their daily drivers to work or home or the grocery store. Ultimately, the Magpul Terrains have absolutely updated my daily life with their light weight and stellar field of view. Driving with the Terrains on is far superior to other sunglasses designs, as there is no heavy framing or temple arm to obstruct peripheral vision.

The only day-to-day weirdness I experienced with the Terrains was due to the polarized lenses – and it is a malady any sunglasses with polarized lenses will suffer. Using a cellphone with the Magpul Terrains on was a little wonky, since both smartphone screens and polarized sunglasses incorporate polarized glare-reducing coatings that block light waves travelling in certain directions and frequencies – vertical or horizontal (hence, “polarized”). While these coatings reduce glare and protect your eyes from both UVA and UVB waves, it also means that looking at a polarized surface through a polarized surface may have the resulting filtered light waves produced by an LCD screen not run in the same direction as the polarized filters on your face, resulting in diminished smartphone screen visibility. Though your mileage may vary, this can often be negated by simply looking at your cellphone horizontally instead of vertically – this changes the lightwave direction by aligning polarization filters with the directional light waves, and allows you to look at a smartphone screen through polarized lenses. You’re welcome.

The other issue I found with the Terrains came from their light weight and larger lens size – on a grouse hunting trip in northern Maine this past week, I would often perch the glasses up on top of the bill of my baseball cap when pushing through heavy brush or dark woods. More than once, I found myself with the glasses missing – pulled off my head by a wayward branch or heavy brush. A backtrack would in in order to find the glasses – and it’s hard to hunt while looking for glasses. An integral retention system similar to my Wiley X P-17s would be hugely welcome – a way to utilize or quickly remove a strap/cord system would be a Godsend in heavy brush, while fishing, or roughhousing with the kids. Whaddaya think, Magpul? You guys are kind known for your ingenuity and all….

Wrapping it Up

Sunglasses ain’t just for keeping the sun out of your eyes anymore. Magpul has upped the shades game with the introduction of the Terrain, a platform that incorporates UV protection, glare reduction, chemical/dust/hot air defense, and ballistic protection into an extremely lightweight, immensely high-quality product that absolutely enhances your interface with the outside world. Available through Magpul’s website at $109 for the non-polarized variety, and a well-worth-it additional $40 for polarized lenses, you can pick and choose your favorite flavor combination of frames and lens colors/mirrors.

It seems Magpul has once again improved our lives by taking the mundane and accepted and completely revamping with a fresh outlook based on performance and experience. But really, did you expect anything less from a product with the Magpul logo on it?

 

The post Survival Gear Review: Magpul Terrain Sunglasses appeared first on Survival Cache.

Windbreakers have become increasingly popular in the last years and many hikers have switched from rain jackets to these minimalistic shell layers. Windbreakers are lighter and pack smaller than rain jackets and are thus perfect for lightweight hiking. Nevertheless, it’s important to know that a windbreaker performs quite differently than a rain jacket. A rain jacket is, as the name suggests, primarily intended for protection against the rain, but it also provides good protection against the wind. Windbreakers, on the other hand, provide very little protection against the rain, but efficiently block the wind. I have a windbreaker (Salomon S/LAB) as well as a rain jacket (Montane Minimus), and I always decide which one to wear/carry in my backpack after checking the weather forecast and conditions on the trail in question. In the following I will explain the differences between windbreaker jackets and rain jackets to help you choose the right garment for your needs.

Fleece vs Synthetic Fill Jackets:

• Air permeability
• Weight and packability
• Comfort
• Protection against the precipitation
• Durability and price
• Conclusion

Air permeability

Air permeability (better known as breathability) is important when it comes to hiking, backpacking and sports apparel in general because you will sweat extensively throughout the activity if your clothes are not air permeable. Rain jackets are typically made of multiple thin material layers and have a membrane or a coating to prevent rain drops from penetrating the garment. This material structure significantly reduces the air permeability and therefore rain jackets are known to be the least breathable activewear, although breathability can vary hugely between high-quality rain jackets and cheap ones. You can read more about this in our article Rainwear: Hydrostatic Head and Breathability. Windbreakers typically provide better air permeability because they are made of a single layer of tightly woven synthetic fabric which blocks the wind – but not the rain (at least not for long). As such, windbreakers are perfect for highly aerobic activities like running, fast alpine ascents etc. Air permeability can also vary hugely between high- and low-quality windbreakers.

Weight and packability

Windbreakers almost always pack smaller and weigh less then rain jackets. Therefore, they are very popular among lightweight hikers. Everybody should indeed use lightweight gear for hiking because lightweight gear reduces discomfort and strain on the body. You can read more about this in my article Why hike lightweight. So, how big is the difference in weight? A windbreaker for men can weigh as little as 80 grams (3 oz.) while it’s hard to find a rain jacket that weighs less than 200 grams (7 oz.). As for the packability, windbreakers obviously pack smaller than rain jackets. My Salomon S/LAB jacket for example packs so small that I avoid putting it in the main compartment of my backpack because I have trouble finding it if I need it later. In terms of packed size, a high-quality rain jacket typically has the size of a big apple while a top-tier windbreaker has the size of a small mandarin. The difference is not that big, but if you are, for example, going climbing and you want your shell layer attached to the climbing harness, a windbreaker will be less bulky.

Comfort

Rain jackets belong in the category of hardshells, which – as the name suggests – are somewhat stiff garments.  Therefore, they are not the most comfortable apparel to wear. Nevertheless, there are exceptions such as rain jackets made of Polartec NeoShell fabric which are known to be very stretchy. However, these jackets are also very expensive. Windbreaker jackets on the other hand provide much better stretch than most rain jackets and thus greater freedom of movement. They are also less bulky and less noisy (stiff waterproof fabrics tend to rustle when you move). All in all, windbreakers are a better choice in terms of comfort. However, they provide nowhere near as good protection against precipitation as rain jackets.

Protection against the precipitation

The primary function of any rain jacket is to keep you dry in (heavy) rain. Nevertheless, as rain jackets are made of relatively impermeable materials, they also block wind quite efficiently. Therefore, a rain jacket is a great option when you can’t rely on weather forecast (for example for long backpacking trips) and you need a versatile protection against all the elements. Windbreakers do provide some protection against the rain, but they will for sure not keep you dry for long. Unlike rain jackets, they don’t utilize membranes/coatings for weather protection, but merely a tightly woven fabric treated with DWR. However, windbreakers provide excellent protection against the wind. As such, they are perfect for short adventures (day hikes, trail running etc.) in dry but windy weather.

Durability and price

Windbreakers are more delicate than rain jackets because they are typically made of thinner fabrics. Nevertheless, many top-tier rain jackets are also quite fragile; the material simply can’t be robust and lightweight at the same time, and thus more or less all high-quality rain jackets are lightweight rather than heavy and robust. Therefore you should be careful not to get whichever garment you choose to wear caught on rocks, thorns, branches etc. because it will tear. Windbreakers are, however, easier to repair because the fabric can be sewn by hand or machine without affecting performance. Mended tears might block wind less efficiently, but the garment should still preserve its functionality. It’s harder to sew a rain jacket and preserve its performance because you will obviously make holes into the membrane or coating, through which precipitation can enter and spread.

When it comes to price, rain jackets are in general more expensive – at least if we are comparing products of the same quality. Nevertheless, high-quality and super lightweight windbreakers can also be very expensive. Some windbreakers from brands such as Salomon and Black Diamond cost more than $150 which is indeed a lot for such a minimalistic garment.

Conclusion

So, should you buy a windbreaker or a rain jacket? If you mostly hike in dry weather, a windbreaker is the obvious choice because it provides good breathability and is lighter and more packable than a rain jacket. You can also use it for running and other highly aerobic activities which is indeed a benefit. Now, if you often hike in rainy weather, in areas with unstable weather (for example at high altitudes) or do long backpacking trips where you can’t rely on the weather forecast, a rain jacket is a better option. For such conditions a windbreaker doesn’t provide appropriate protection against the elements.

I typically use my Salomon S/LAB windbreaker jacket for day hikes and fast alpine ascents in the Alps in dry weather. For all other trips I use my Montane Minimus rain jacket because it’s more versatile – it provides protection against the wind as well as protection against the rain.

I’d love to hear about your thoughts on windbreakers and rain jackets. Write them in the comments section below.

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