Columbia Jacket with Hood and Fleece Lining

Gear Review By Gina B. Fairchild For the fall and winter I prefer my Columbia brand jacket with hood and fleece lining. The jacket is very weather resistant and stands up to snow as well as rain. The hood, wrist area and bottom seam all have adjustable pulls or Velcro to ensure that the wind and the rain remain on the outside of the jacket.          RainyDayTraveler.com accepts sample travel...

Totes Rain Slicker

Gear Review By Gina B. Fairchild I also travel with a Totes brand rain slicker. They come in several colors, but since I like to stand out, I chose the bright yellow with a hood and an acetate lining of lemons. This jacket is more for a spring or summer rain. There are ventilation holes in the armpit area to help ensure that you do not have the sauna effect that is common in some rain...

Automatic Umbrella by Totes

Gear Review By Gina B. Fairchild The rainy day item I can’t live without is the Totes brand automatic umbrella with the auto up AND down option. There is nothing worse than trying to quickly get into a car or through a doorway while you’re struggling with a manual umbrella that takes two hands and still doesn’t want to close. The ability of the umbrella to collapse at the touch of a button helps...

Mycra Pac Reversible Raincoat

Gear Review By Deborah Johnson After years of keeping a practical trench coat with a zip out lining in my closet, I finally started looking for new rain gear. Although the trench cost was a lovely lavender, it was busy and fussy and the wool lining itched. I never wore it. Rain wear has become particularly important as I had started traveling to the East Coast quite a bit for business. I needed something that would...

Camera “Rain Coat” from FotoSharp

Gear Review by Kayte Deioma It rained on my recent visit to Bandelier National Monument in New Mexico with a group of photographers and writers. It was a perfect opportunity to try out my new Camera “Rain Coat” from FotoSharp in Seattle. Made of silicon-impregnated ripstop nylon, the camera cover is basically a tube that is open at both ends. An adjustable cord at each end allows you to fit one end...

RM Williams Raincoat

Gear Review by Patricia Herbig What do you wear in a place where the weather can go through four seasons in a day? The rain blows side-ways – or even up! Everyone has an opinion about the best rain coats, hats and umbrellas. Some pick Burberry rain coats with their distinctive designs. I love my RM Williams waxed raincoat with a hood. Imported from Australia, it’s long and warm; it has kept out the rain...

Megellan’s Rain Poncho

Gear Review By Kayte Deioma For when you need your hands for something besides carrying an umbrella, the Waterproof Rain Poncho did a pretty good job of keeping me dry all over. I didn’t challenge it with gale-force winds, just a steady urban downpour. The peaked and adjustable hood did a good job of keeping the rain off my face unless I was walking directly into it. There are snaps under each arm that will...

Magellan’s WindProŽ Flatwear™ Vented Auto Umbrella

Gear Review By Kayte Deioma At 11 inches, The WindProŽ Flatwear™ Vented Auto Umbrella is a little large for a purse or pocket, but fits easily in a briefcase, backpack or tote. It feels much sturdier when open than the Short Stuff. The vents do a pretty good job of allowing wind to blow through rather than lift the umbrella out of your hands or turn it inside out. It is still possible for it to be turned...

Magellan’s Short Stuff Umbrella

Gear Review By Kayte Deioma I have been testing out a few rain products from Magellans.com suppliers of all things travel-related. Their Short Stuff five-inch umbrella has become my everyday purse or backpack umbrella for the simple reason that it is so small I forget it’s there. It also fits easily into the pocket of my rain jacket. It opens to a 42 inch arc, which is wider than most compact umbrellas and...