As an avid back country trekker, I found passing rain showers to be major annoyances. Not only did you never know how hard it would rain but also how long it would last. Do you stop and dig your rain coat out of your pack the moment you feel a rain drop or do you wait until the rain is really coming down before you bother? How long after the rain stops before you decide to put away your rain coat, or do you just keep wearing it until the next rain shower which might never come, sweating the entire time? How many times on one hike will you have to endure this maddening cycle of indecision and interruption?

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I set about developing a workable solution while living in Sequim, WA, a small town nestled between the Juan de Fuca Strait and the Olympic Mountains, but my idea was conceived in the Tetons of Idaho and Wyoming. There, fast moving cold fronts with frequent rain and snow squalls characterize the late spring/early summer mountain weather. Much of my adult life has been spent living in or near the mountains, from the Green Mountains of Vermont and the Tetons of Idaho and Wyoming, to the Olympics of Washington.

 

As a U.S. Forest Service wildlife biologist and part time wild land firefighter, I had the pleasure of working and playing outdoors in nearly all weather conditions. These experiences along with serving in the U.S. Marine Corps, gave me insight into the physical and mental challenges one faces and the gear that is required to thrive in back country conditions.