You could do all sorts of things. Because you聮ll likely be wearing a rain jacket most often when sitting around camp or in a raft, you don聮t really need a high-tech breathable piece. You聮d do just fine with a completely waterproof and non-breathable piece such as the Helly Hansen Essential Jacket ($55; hellyhansen.com). You could sit in the rain for a month in this thing and not a drop would get through.
Westcomb Mirage Jacket
Mirage JacketBut then you聮d decide to take a walk, and it wouldn聮t be long before steam would be coming out of your collar. So if you plan on doing some hiking along the canyons, perhaps something else would be more appropriate. One good choice would be ($199; rei.com), a nicely designed, well-made piece that uses REI聮s proprietary waterproof-breathable fabric to keep the rain out, while stretch pieces and vents make it a good choice for active use. It聮s seam-sealed and has a hood聴a very functional piece. Mountain Hardwear聮s Cohesion ($140; mountainhardwear.com) doesn聮t have the stretch panels, but it deploys Mountain Hardwear聮s own waterproof-breathable membrane in a well-priced, waterproof jacket.
But you can always can spend more. At the high end you聮ll fine Arc聮teryx聮s Beta AR Jacket ($399; arcteryx.com), which uses three-ply Gore XCR fabric. It聮s sturdy, reasonably light, waterproof, and breathable. Good stuff. Or, while you聮re contemplating loosening your grip on four C notes, take a look at Westcomb聮s Mirage Jacket ($375; westcomb.com). It has a clean, minimalist design coupled with thoughtful touches such as a zipper that curves away from your chin so the zippers don聮t stack up when you聮re layering. Plus it聮s made with eVent, which is my preferred waterproof-breathable material.
You also can spend $99 and toss in a Marmot PreCip (marmot.com), a perfectly serviceable all-around rain jacket. You could get that AND the Essential, for $155, and use the Marmot jacket when hiking around. No reason rain gear has to be expensive聟
The Gear Guy reports from , the bi-annual gearapalooza in Salt Lake City. Check out his top picks for gear to watch in 2007.