Competition Rain Gear

[TSparger]

So what is everyone's favorite stuff for keeping you and your gear dry during a match where it's raining? Shot in the Gap Grind a couple of years ago and it rained constantly and everything was soaking wet so as I approach shooting more matches this year I would like to keep my gun and my body dryer so please offer up what you all use.

 

[kthomas]

My rain jacket is an Arc'teryx LEAF Alpha LT, but there's a lot of options for rain jackets that work well. Just get a decent one (you don't need to spend Arc'teryx money), but cheap rain gear sucks. For rain pants I use some Otte Gear ones I got a while ago. The nice things about the ones I have is that there's dual zippers that run along the length of both pant legs, so you can configure them to easily put them on in the middle of a match without having to take your shoes/boots off. For boots I use Lowa GTX Zephyr's, they are gore-tex and do a good job keeping the rain out.

Your rifle is going to get wet. Some people use rain covers over their scopes and rifles - you can do this, but you need to take off the cover your rifle with enough time before you're up to shoot a stage to prevent any fogging. Most importantly, you will want to remove any trapped moisture at the end of the day from your rifle from rusting. I made the mistake of not doing so recently, and ended up having to replace some of the hardware on my chassis'. Get a scope cleaning kit or at least a bulb (looks like a turkey baster) to blow moisture off of your scope lens during the match.

I don't shoot much matches these days, so others with more recent experience can chime in and provide what works well for them.

 

[Sheldon N]

I live in the Pacific NW and have shot many very wet matches. Stuff I like:

Mountain Hardwear goretex rain shell and lightweight rain pants that can be pulled on/off over my regular match pants and boots. All very lightweight packable stuff but a good outer layer for rain and wind.

Goretex boots - have had both Salomons and La Sportiva.

If you are dealing with COLD rain then fishing gloves like neoprene wetsuit material.

I run ammo in a Magpul Daka pouch, waterpoof. Make sure you're keeping the ammo shielded when loading mags.

Sunrise tactical scope and action cover keeps blowing rain from going up into the action and chamber.

Blower bulb to clean off binos and scope lenses.

 

[Mormegil87]

For rain gear, something light and easy to pack like Kuiu is a good choice. Otherwise, a set designed for back packing like Mountain Hardware would work well.

As far as rifle covers go. I have found the Weibad rifle caddie to be the most handy. It protects the action and scope and is easy to slip on and off as needed. The AG Trojan is similar bit doesn't have any padding. I have 2 of the Cole Tac full rifle covers they work but aren't super easy to put on and take off. Especially if you are forced to stage rifles in an area with limited space. I have also found that eventually water seeps through.

Edit: As mentioned above, dry off your rifle at the end of each day. A side benefit I found to shooting a Foundation; minimal fasteners and screws.

 

[Rob01]

Been using this rifle cover for over 15 years and still works great.

Rifle Cover

Protect your rifle from the elements. Whether you are carrying your rifle in the field or it's sitting on the line with the bipod legs down. Dirt, mud, grass, dust, water, or sunlight cannot reach your rifle when a TAB Rifle cover is protecting it. Made from 1000 Denier Cordura Nylon Webbing is...

www.tabgear.com

 

[KnowNothing256]

I come to this question from mountaineering and backpacking, rather than "tactical," and I do think the outdoor community has a lot more mileage answering the question of "How can I successfully stay out in garbage weather?"

I have arrived at basically two different options: GoreTEX Pro (I actually do recommend Arc'teryx, it's more durable than anything else I've tried and their CS is excellent also) for really heavy conditions, and a simple non-breathable lightweight option for mild to moderate precip/wind. You can get breathable lightweight shells, but they're expensive and not very durable, and "breathable" is always a bit of a euphemism when it's raining.

You do want a hard shell; softshell won't cut it, no matter how "extra extra extra water resistant" they say it is. I also like user-friendly pockets and a hood for the jacket, and I totally agree with those above regarding pants with either full-length side zippers or snaps to get on/off over your existing pants and boots. Zippers will be far more waterproof.

 

[nickw]

I have a Kuiu set I bought for an Elk hunt. Not cheap but have served me well on both the hunt (got 18” of snow the night I killed my Elk) and many wet matches.

 

[GeoDude]

If you don’t wanna spend a lot of coin. You can always go to eBay or army surplus store and buy army goretex top/bottoms.

 

[db2000]

I’m w/ KT. Rain gear is no place to skimp. Similarly w/ glass. Gore-Tex Pro and know. All the other proprietary this and that I wouldn’t trust. Not saying some of it isn’t good but not trying to find out. I’m in the camp of more being out hunting or outdoors activities and not competing but all the same.