• it was such a great day for testing when i finished my first loop i changed into a new set of clothes and boots to do a second one.  total time was about six hours on the trail and it didn't let up except for one brief period up near the top.
• my first trip was with under armour boxer briefs, a patagonia capilene 1 zip t-neck, lorpen socks, propper APCU level V soft shell pants, wilderness instructor belt, danner santiam boots, sitka gear stormfront lite jacket, hardcore outdoor cap, hanz gloves and my trusty black diamond trekking pole.
• the propper pants (with nanosphere dwr) as you can see shed water pretty well for a while but eventually they soak through.
• the stormfront lite jacket is a nice rain jacket but it needs a double front zipper for active ventilation and some water collected in the right side napoleon pocket.  couldn't tell if it was sweat from the inside or the exterior seam at the bottom of the pocket leaked.  i think it was water because i was really trying to limit my exertion to keep the sweat down, the stormfront lite does not have pit zips, and the rain was driving into me from that side.
• stormfront lite jacket appears to have very little if any dwr because it didn't bead much water at all.  the exterior fabric becomes saturated.  it doesn't leak to the interior but it also doesn't pass any vapor when it the exterior fabric is soaked.
• really like the danner santiam boots and was pissed when i found out that night that it had been discontinued.  great boot for late season, cold weather deer and elk.  all leather, American made, insulated with 400 gr of thinsulate and a gore-tex liner.  not much else fits that bill and it will be tough to replace it on my "keepers" list.  damn danner.  that is another in a string of bad signs coming out of portland. 
• like dad says, if you like something, buy three of it because sure as shootin' they will stop making it.  i think he went a little overboard with that philosophy though.  just one of a couple hundred examples is that he still has coaching shorts new in the wrapper from the mid 70's.  Come on dad, ebay.
• love stormy weather.  when finally i bite it i want my sorry ass burned down to the ashes and half taken up to sunflower where we did the boy scout rescue and dumped into the creek during a big storm.  have scham take the other half to coronado and dump 'em in the ocean in front of the shores while he is naked night body surfing then have a big slow burn (malibu and coke) in my honor.
• people think my jacket sleeves are too long because they extend past my hands.  nope.  as dale stewart taught me years ago, that is how they are supposed to fit.  that way the jacket will accommodate an insulation layer without compressing it too much and when you are humping hard up a hill in the rain the air belows in and out with your strides through the open cuffs.  chimney effect.  active ventilation.  cool fresh air in, hot moist air out.  helps the sweat evaporate which keeps you dry and warm.  plus your hands stay dry.  looks a little funny but at this point in my life i am more concerned about effective performance than looking cool unless we are talking elmer fudd stormy kromer hats.  oh, the horror.
• does somebody make polartec power stretch boxers?

    

round 2