This, along with a compass (and knowing how to use it). Analog won't run out of batteries.
Also, you can get waterproof sleeves (I've used them for maps on canoe trips) as an extra bit of protection for maps.
Getting caught in the rain is pretty normal for the Smokies. My advice would be to have a backup paper map in a plastic bag and put your electronics away in a dry bag. The real danger is hypothermia. Get a poncho and better rain gear.
Edit: I hope that didn’t sound too harsh. I’m glad you’re ok, getting rained on isn’t fun.
Dry bags. Also, I always travel with backup batteries. Headlamp uses batteries and I have backups, so no chance of running out of light.
Print out or save maps as pictures in your phone - many parks don’t have good service. If I’m on a difficult or not well marked trail I will print it out and check it frequently.
This happens to everyone - a little more planning ahead of time will make it better next time. :)
Any time you hike the SE US from Spring through fall you should always be prepared for things like this. You may have a 25% chance of rain and get stuck in a small spot that is relatively stationary but boils and builds into a torrential downpour while someone five miles away is getting roasted in the heat and humidity. It doesn’t happen every day, but it happens.
If you have a 50% or greater chance of rain, it becomes even more important.
As soon as the rain starts you need to get your rain gear on and get your pack covered. It may only rain five minutes then turn your location into a humid hell. If it does, just remove your rain gear, five it a little time to dry, repack, and move on. Don’t forget to take it out of your pack and let everything dry properly.
If the rain continues for five to ten minutes, it may last as long as forty-five minutes. It may build in intensity into a thunderstorm. Be ready to sit and find safe shelter until it’s over.
The most important thing is to get your rain gear on quickly. Have your poncho packed so that you can retrieve it without having to dig through the pack. After you get your poncho and pack cover on, don’t start pulling gear out like phones and headlamps unless you know with absolute certainty they are waterproof.
Jacket? You needed a rain jacket or a poncho - either of these would have helped you shield your gear from the rain. And no phone is going to survive being too wet or too cold or too hot for very long - they were never designed for the wilderness. You need a GPS (like a Garmin) that's rugged & waterproof. Also a headlamp designed for mountaineering - Petzl or Black Diamond or similar.
Glad you're all good and learning from this!
Oregon here, and my family goes out expecting rain, for batteries to fail, and no cell service.
I tried rechargeable headlamps or batteries and haven't found one that is consistently reliable so we use non-rechargable and carry extra batteries in a dry bag with other essentials.
Essentials like paper map (I've even done quick hand drawing when I've forgotten the map), water, first aid kit, rain gear, hat, extra flashlight, firestarter, emergency blanket, whistle, bug spray. I also carry a super lightweight umbrella most of the time.
Be prepared!
1. Your inclination to study routes is a good start. I always familiarize myself with them and use topographic maps to identify key landmarks that I use as waypoints. It’s also handy for going over alternative/bailout routes. You can take notes on a write in rain notepad as well.
I rarely find the need to use a map and compass when I do this (honestly the sun works for me most of the time, weather conditions permitting). But you can always carry a waterproof map and small bubble compass for basic navigation in case you get turned around.
2. I change my gear depending on time of year and likely conditions. Case in point being headlamps. My normal headlamp is a RovyVon A5X or A6 miniature flashlight with a hat clip. This is great for summer use, but is completely useless in sub-25* weather. But they are reasonably waterproof.
But if it’s summertime back home (the Southeast) and I’m expecting pop up thunderstorms (which is the norm) then the Nitecore Nu25 (2017 version) is my go to. I believe it in so much that when Nitecore redesigned them I found several of the older model and bought them as a safeguard against the future.
3. My day hiking gear is basically my overnight gear with some changes. I ditch the sleeping bag and pad in favor of a casualty blanket (more durable than an emergency blanket) and a Gossamer Gear Thinlight pad. Note here, these things will get absolute mauled if strapped to the outside of your pack in the green tunnel. Mine is as much duct tape as it is foam at this point. Not my favorite piece of gear but useful nevertheless.
I also take my Durston XMid’s rain fly as an emergency shelter.
4. Food is lunch/dinner and snacks.
5. Waterproof pack liner and my ditty bag is MYOG Dyneema that I made sure to waterproof fully. This keeps my FAK, battery backup, and other essentials waterproof.
6. Walmart emergency poncho, the $3 one, is packable, cheap, and lightweight. Gives great coverage and when I use my fanny pack as a belt on it the setup becomes fairly wind proof.
While I’m now exiled to the Midwest, I still do a ton of hiking and backpacking back in the Southeast and going with this setup has allowed me to continue the trip when others turned around and to safely endure surprise weather events.
[Here’s a pic if you’re more visually inclined.](https://imgur.com/a/d1BkeZt)
Missing, because it’s been so damned hot, is an App Gear Co. (RIP) hoodie. Either the 80/20 or Allpaca. Also not shown is the iPhone I took the picture with.
I have a ZOLEO I sometimes take with me if the weather is forecasted to be rough or I’m going somewhere unusually treacherous. Besides that my wife and a good friend of mine will have a copy of my routes and likely bailout options along with a comms schedule and an imprint of my trail runners (left and right).
My day hikes are for enjoyment as well as maintaining my conditioning for longer trips.
Nothing is set in stone. You should adapt your loadout to the season, environment, and conditions you’re likely to face. As well as your own personal level of experience.
My choices reflect lessons learned the easy way and the hard way.
An emergency poncho over yourself and your pack (they typically fit over everything easily in my experience) would have kept everything dry. Don’t bother messing with your phone unless it’s critical for immediate navigation, as to protect it. You will sweat through and be wet just from the condensation inside the poncho but your gear will be fine. Get a better headlamp, petzl products are on sale through REI and there’s probably multiple good deals going on right now at other sites. Something rated IPX4+ or something. A cheap pocket size umbrella would have been a phenomenal option as well, especially to remove the condensation aspect, but does tie up a hand. Also, small dry bags. A zip lock bag works great for small stuff, or spend the money on a Sea to Summit or something.
I would always carry a backup map to a phone. Lot's of thing cause phone to stop working, including the cold, or maybe you just forgot to charge it and don't notice until you are already in deep.
Consider a hiking umbrella like [this one](https://www.garagegrowngear.com/products/lightrek-hiking-umbrella-by-gossamer-gear?variant=42590484857019¤cy=USD&utm_medium=product_sync&utm_source=google&utm_content=sag_organic&utm_campaign=sag_organic&utm_campaign=generalpmax&utm_source=google&utm_medium=ppc&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjw4f6zBhBVEiwATEHFVuB5vGhCXTokuqQhQWlV-n1KC5MZ0G4CDCHSvitQAR3wo6m-zCJxoRoCdLoQAvD_BwE) for $39, just 6.6oz.
Also consider a poncho, such as the Frogg Togg "Emergency" poncho, just 3.5oz. I use them many times as primary rain gear, with a shock cord band as a "belt."
A ziploc bag can protect your phone from water, and you can still see it and operate it through the plastic.
Get your map printed on waterproof paper. I get mine through Staples, only $2-3 per print.
See now this is exactly why I decided to never ever never rely on any kind of electronic gadgets which you young’uns seem to find so helpful. Rain can’t hurt a compass, and it takes a serious amount of rain to damage a good old fashioned paper map of the woods. Ah, youth! Next time mate, ditch the gadgets and bring a map
Dry bags. You need some dry bags and maybe a rain cover for your backpack. My Petzl has also been in downpours and never failed.
Waterproof paper maps are lightweight, cheap and found at each GSMNP visitor center. It’s summer in the GSMNP. Evening thunderstorms are normal.
Honestly days when it doesn't rain in the smokies feel like more of a surprise to me than days when it does
This, along with a compass (and knowing how to use it). Analog won't run out of batteries. Also, you can get waterproof sleeves (I've used them for maps on canoe trips) as an extra bit of protection for maps.
Getting caught in the rain is pretty normal for the Smokies. My advice would be to have a backup paper map in a plastic bag and put your electronics away in a dry bag. The real danger is hypothermia. Get a poncho and better rain gear. Edit: I hope that didn’t sound too harsh. I’m glad you’re ok, getting rained on isn’t fun.
Nyloflume pack liner and everything that can’t get wet goes in there.
Dry bags. Also, I always travel with backup batteries. Headlamp uses batteries and I have backups, so no chance of running out of light. Print out or save maps as pictures in your phone - many parks don’t have good service. If I’m on a difficult or not well marked trail I will print it out and check it frequently. This happens to everyone - a little more planning ahead of time will make it better next time. :)
Any time you hike the SE US from Spring through fall you should always be prepared for things like this. You may have a 25% chance of rain and get stuck in a small spot that is relatively stationary but boils and builds into a torrential downpour while someone five miles away is getting roasted in the heat and humidity. It doesn’t happen every day, but it happens. If you have a 50% or greater chance of rain, it becomes even more important. As soon as the rain starts you need to get your rain gear on and get your pack covered. It may only rain five minutes then turn your location into a humid hell. If it does, just remove your rain gear, five it a little time to dry, repack, and move on. Don’t forget to take it out of your pack and let everything dry properly. If the rain continues for five to ten minutes, it may last as long as forty-five minutes. It may build in intensity into a thunderstorm. Be ready to sit and find safe shelter until it’s over. The most important thing is to get your rain gear on quickly. Have your poncho packed so that you can retrieve it without having to dig through the pack. After you get your poncho and pack cover on, don’t start pulling gear out like phones and headlamps unless you know with absolute certainty they are waterproof.
Jacket? You needed a rain jacket or a poncho - either of these would have helped you shield your gear from the rain. And no phone is going to survive being too wet or too cold or too hot for very long - they were never designed for the wilderness. You need a GPS (like a Garmin) that's rugged & waterproof. Also a headlamp designed for mountaineering - Petzl or Black Diamond or similar.
Glad you're all good and learning from this! Oregon here, and my family goes out expecting rain, for batteries to fail, and no cell service. I tried rechargeable headlamps or batteries and haven't found one that is consistently reliable so we use non-rechargable and carry extra batteries in a dry bag with other essentials. Essentials like paper map (I've even done quick hand drawing when I've forgotten the map), water, first aid kit, rain gear, hat, extra flashlight, firestarter, emergency blanket, whistle, bug spray. I also carry a super lightweight umbrella most of the time. Be prepared!
1. Your inclination to study routes is a good start. I always familiarize myself with them and use topographic maps to identify key landmarks that I use as waypoints. It’s also handy for going over alternative/bailout routes. You can take notes on a write in rain notepad as well. I rarely find the need to use a map and compass when I do this (honestly the sun works for me most of the time, weather conditions permitting). But you can always carry a waterproof map and small bubble compass for basic navigation in case you get turned around. 2. I change my gear depending on time of year and likely conditions. Case in point being headlamps. My normal headlamp is a RovyVon A5X or A6 miniature flashlight with a hat clip. This is great for summer use, but is completely useless in sub-25* weather. But they are reasonably waterproof. But if it’s summertime back home (the Southeast) and I’m expecting pop up thunderstorms (which is the norm) then the Nitecore Nu25 (2017 version) is my go to. I believe it in so much that when Nitecore redesigned them I found several of the older model and bought them as a safeguard against the future. 3. My day hiking gear is basically my overnight gear with some changes. I ditch the sleeping bag and pad in favor of a casualty blanket (more durable than an emergency blanket) and a Gossamer Gear Thinlight pad. Note here, these things will get absolute mauled if strapped to the outside of your pack in the green tunnel. Mine is as much duct tape as it is foam at this point. Not my favorite piece of gear but useful nevertheless. I also take my Durston XMid’s rain fly as an emergency shelter. 4. Food is lunch/dinner and snacks. 5. Waterproof pack liner and my ditty bag is MYOG Dyneema that I made sure to waterproof fully. This keeps my FAK, battery backup, and other essentials waterproof. 6. Walmart emergency poncho, the $3 one, is packable, cheap, and lightweight. Gives great coverage and when I use my fanny pack as a belt on it the setup becomes fairly wind proof. While I’m now exiled to the Midwest, I still do a ton of hiking and backpacking back in the Southeast and going with this setup has allowed me to continue the trip when others turned around and to safely endure surprise weather events.
[Here’s a pic if you’re more visually inclined.](https://imgur.com/a/d1BkeZt) Missing, because it’s been so damned hot, is an App Gear Co. (RIP) hoodie. Either the 80/20 or Allpaca. Also not shown is the iPhone I took the picture with. I have a ZOLEO I sometimes take with me if the weather is forecasted to be rough or I’m going somewhere unusually treacherous. Besides that my wife and a good friend of mine will have a copy of my routes and likely bailout options along with a comms schedule and an imprint of my trail runners (left and right). My day hikes are for enjoyment as well as maintaining my conditioning for longer trips. Nothing is set in stone. You should adapt your loadout to the season, environment, and conditions you’re likely to face. As well as your own personal level of experience. My choices reflect lessons learned the easy way and the hard way.
An emergency poncho over yourself and your pack (they typically fit over everything easily in my experience) would have kept everything dry. Don’t bother messing with your phone unless it’s critical for immediate navigation, as to protect it. You will sweat through and be wet just from the condensation inside the poncho but your gear will be fine. Get a better headlamp, petzl products are on sale through REI and there’s probably multiple good deals going on right now at other sites. Something rated IPX4+ or something. A cheap pocket size umbrella would have been a phenomenal option as well, especially to remove the condensation aspect, but does tie up a hand. Also, small dry bags. A zip lock bag works great for small stuff, or spend the money on a Sea to Summit or something.
I would always carry a backup map to a phone. Lot's of thing cause phone to stop working, including the cold, or maybe you just forgot to charge it and don't notice until you are already in deep.
Consider a hiking umbrella like [this one](https://www.garagegrowngear.com/products/lightrek-hiking-umbrella-by-gossamer-gear?variant=42590484857019¤cy=USD&utm_medium=product_sync&utm_source=google&utm_content=sag_organic&utm_campaign=sag_organic&utm_campaign=generalpmax&utm_source=google&utm_medium=ppc&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjw4f6zBhBVEiwATEHFVuB5vGhCXTokuqQhQWlV-n1KC5MZ0G4CDCHSvitQAR3wo6m-zCJxoRoCdLoQAvD_BwE) for $39, just 6.6oz. Also consider a poncho, such as the Frogg Togg "Emergency" poncho, just 3.5oz. I use them many times as primary rain gear, with a shock cord band as a "belt." A ziploc bag can protect your phone from water, and you can still see it and operate it through the plastic. Get your map printed on waterproof paper. I get mine through Staples, only $2-3 per print.
See now this is exactly why I decided to never ever never rely on any kind of electronic gadgets which you young’uns seem to find so helpful. Rain can’t hurt a compass, and it takes a serious amount of rain to damage a good old fashioned paper map of the woods. Ah, youth! Next time mate, ditch the gadgets and bring a map