Rain Skirt Dyneema (DCF) Ritsem | Sarek Gear

Light, robust, big and completely watertight. What could be better. The Rain skirt is built with the active hiker in mind, hiking in the wilds of northern Sweden. It’s not unusual for the weather to be highly unpredictable, from sunny to rain and back to sun on and off during a days hike. The skirt can easily be put on and taken off without having to remove shoes or take off backpack or anything else normally associated with rain pants.

So small and so light, there is no excuse not to bring the rain skirt and give yourself that extra added warmth and comfort during a hike. Made with .51oz Dyneema the Rain skirt is 100% watertight and will never break down. If it gets a hole in it, easy to repair with tape.

Medium
Weight: 38 grams
Length: 71cm
Waist: 26-44

Large:
Weight: 42 grams
Length: 90cm
Waist: 26-44

About Dyneema:
0.51 oz/yd ² Dyneema® Composite Fabric (formerlyCuben Fiber). DCFis a patented, ultra-lightweight fabric made of flexible non-woven composite laminates which are reinforced with Dyneema ® fibers.

This fabric is costly and for good reason. It’s 15x strong than steel and provides the highest tear and tensile strength of any competing fabric on a weight-by-weight and thickness basis. Use only for projects that demand high-performance and the absolute best in ultra-lightweight, waterproof fabric.

Made in Umeå, Sweden

Our thoughts

I have been using rain skirts for a few years now, and for the most part, for three season hiking skirts are my favorite form of rain gear. They offer great protection from endless rain, while still allowing you to stay mobile. When the rain stops, they are easy to pull on and off without having to remove shoes or even backpack. On top of that, rain skirts offer great airflow through legs, so no over heating, while keeping you warm enough, by keeping you dry. Full disclose, I designed the Sarek gear rain skirt.

The Ritsem rain skirt is a bit of a strange product – what I mean by that is that, as most people say, “it looks like a trash bag”. Of course, a rather expensive trash bag, and very robust, completely watertight, and extremely minimalistic trash bag. The Sarek gear skirt is a perfect example of UL uniqueness – not that it’s expensive – that is just the cost of Dyneema and production using non-slave labour workforce (built in Umeå, Sweden). But rather, the Skirt is so minimalistic, lightweight and highly functional. It does exactly as advertised and nothing more. There is nothing that can break or wear out, and it’s something that is so light there is literally no reason not to bring it along on every adventure.

With that said, the Skirt does have some drawbacks – it’s not great for late fall hiking when the temperature starts to drop considerably and the extra warmth pants can offer is to be preferred. Some people have complained about using it in high winds – I personally haven’t experienced any major issues with regards to that as I always turn the flat part of the skirt towards the wind. So that the skirt blows onto my legs rather than the wind blowing up the skirt. I’m also not a huge fan of the see-throughness of the skirt – as sometimes when I am in camp I like to wash the clothes I am hiking in and walk around in the skirt for camp. Fine when I’m by myself, but probably not a great look when I’m hiking with others. Might as well be naked.

Plus

• Ultralight – 40 grams
• Great fit
• Easy to pull on and off
• Great protection for most 3-season hikes
• Minimalistic excellence

Minus

• Not a great city look
• Perhaps too minimalistic – doesn’t look “mainstream”
• Can be issues in heavy winds
• Doesn’t offer “total” protection as bottom part of legs are exposed

Review by Kenneth Shaw