Not everyone realizes it, but in Northern California we have warm sunny summers but cool wet winters.
I started commuting this year by bike, and needed to pick up some foul weather wear to make the trip bearable in the rain. It’s getting close to rainy season again, which means it’s time to break out my wet weather gear.
Backpack
First thing I needed was a backpack that was waterproof and/or had a rain flap, to protect my laptop.
I picked up this Novara Commuter Backpack backpack from REI. It’s bright, watertight, and has reflective areas. It also has a pull-out rain flap for when it’s really storming. It’s big enough for my 15” laptop, a sweater, and some accessories.
Overall a pretty good backpack for commuting, recommended.
Jacket
This Novara Statos Bike Jacket is also from REI. It’s waterproof (not just water resistant) and gives good wind protection. Wearing this jacket and a sweater keeps me warm enough while biking. It’s got a breast pocket which is handy for carrying keys, 3G wireless USB card and so on.
Nice jacket, recommended.
Pants
These Novara Stratos Pants (REI yet again) are waterproof and warm. As such, they are mostly suitable for cold rainy weather. I only put them on when it’s raining.
My two complaints with these pants are that they’re relatively hard to put on over shoes (handy when weather changes on you quickly), and that they’re not a bright color. I probably would have been satisfied with a cheaper pair of thin waterproof slipover pants.
If you want waterproof and warm, these are good though.
Helmet Cover
I also got one of these illumiNITE Waterproof Helmet Covers from Performance Bicycle, to keep the rain off my head.
When the rain is pouring, it’s an essential item to help keep relatively dry.
(Thanks for reading – Steve Klinkner)