London - raingear and footwear question
 

We are going to London in late March 2007 and assume that it will be wet or a very good chance of rain.

What is your favorite rain gear or do you just use an umbrella?

As to shoes what does everyone like that is water resistant? Or do you just take two pairs in case one gets wet?

Thank you all for your patience with all of my questions

You must have an umbrella at all times and two pair of waterproof walking shoes.

For that time of year I would use a raincoat with a lining for everyday wear - it's unlikely it will be cold enough that you'll need more than that.

Separately - I never know what people mean by "rain gear". Until I started looking at this board I had never heard that expression.

I mean, it rains everywhere - unless you live in the Sahara - so why would you have special gear for it that you travel with - why not just use whatever you wear when it rains at home?

"I mean, it rains everywhere - unless you live in the Sahara - so why would you have special gear for it that you travel with - why not just use whatever you wear when it rains at home?"

The reason I ask is because when at home we don't normally plan on spending hours walking around in the rain. Other then just a light jacket and umbrella we don't normally need more then that since we are just running in and out of wherever we are going. Since we will probably be spending more time outdoors in the rain then we would at home I think that we would need more then what we use at home.

What type of waterproof shoes does everyone like or use? Again we don't usually wear waterproof shoes at home when it rains

We were in London in early March this year, and it was FREEZING and also very wet. Things were a bit complicated by the cold, and thus the need to stay dry and warm at the same time. We had an umbrella each, and we also brought our goretex rain shells. One day we all wore our cloth winter coats and carried umbrellas and the next we all wore layers (fleeces) and our rain shells with the hoods up. After that the experiment was over. My husband refused to carry an umbrella and my daughter refused to wear the rain shell. I, of course, wavered a bit between the two.

If we were on an outdoors/hiking trip, the rain shells (and even rain legs) would be a no brainer. In London, however, I felt a bit odd (conspicuous? underdressed?) with the goretex (mine is very bright). Most of the Londoners had the umbrellas, I'd say. What I would have preferred is a nice black rain shell and an umbrella tucked in my pocket or bag.

As for shoes, put waterproofing on your leather walking shoes, and alternate them - 2 pairs are a must. Your slacks will also get wet no matter what, so you you'll be needing to let those dry as well.

Hey, you may end up lucky and have sunshine the whole time!

Sometimes when it is raining and there is a strong wind umbrellas can be a nuisance - in that case coats/jackets with hoods are the way to go.

We've been to London a few times in March and found it cold to cool. We've found taking an umbrella (fold up kind, of course) and light raincoat (no liner) works fine. We layer clothing under the raincoat depending on how cool it is. Two pair of good walking shoes? Definitely - we do that anyway. It's also good insurance in case one pair gets wet.

ga9497 -

Sorry - still don;t understand - unless you simply never go outdoors if it's raining. Even if you're just going to the mall or doing errands or going to work you still have to walk a block or two in the rain from the car to where you're going. If shoes are water-resistant enough for that they're good enough for walking in rain in a city (unless you're going wading in a stream trout fishing.)

Just have 2 pairs of shoes so you can wear the second while the first dries out from the damp.

We used to have a British guy at our law firm, and when it was rainy (or looked rainy) he'd put his "rubbers" on his shoes...you know, the stretchy things one puts over shoes to keep them dry. I don't know where one buys them (and I don't need any comments about condoms).

Totes makes those "rubbers". My husband wears them, lol. But since he pays a small fortune for his leather shoes, I don't laugh when he wears them, only when he calls them "rubbers" :D :-]

Aquatalia makes comfortable, stylish (and some not so stylish) waterproof boots. (check out zappos.com) And living in Chicago, I will stress that there is a HUGE difference between water resistant and waterproof shoes/boots. If I'm site-seeing and walking around outside all day in wet weather, anything less than waterproof would be miserable.

Water-resistant shoes allows water to seep inside at the seams, meaning wet socks and toes. And you don't need to be standing in a river for this to happen ( I also happen to do this too, in which case, waders are a must...)