Poncho plus windshirt?

The vast majority of my hiking has been in Colorado, which is generally dry, even when it snows (champagne powder anyone?). Rain is typically sporadic, so when solid rain is not in the forecast, I bring a poncho as raingear and shelter.

I'm also a big fan of wind shirts, because CO is also windy. So a windshirt always comes with me, rain or shine.

My question today is; does anyone else wear a windshirt underneath a poncho when it's raining?
I've done this a few times, since my ponchos don't cover my arms and I definitely want to use poles when it's raining and slippery. After a few minutes, the arms wet through and get cold.

I'm considering spraying a heavy layer of DWR onto the sleeves of the windshirt to see if that will mitigate the wet-through, but leave the torso area breathable.

These days I take an OR Helium rain jacket and pants but they almost never are actually worn, very little rain here but never left behind for safety purposes. Can’t do without my old Patagonia Houdini which is a MARS edition and super breathable but not water resistant. I wear the Houdini as a wind shirt most winter mornings but never tried it with the OR rainwear.

If you want a very good poncho that does cover your arms take a look at the Snugpak Patrol poncho. I really like mine. It is more protective than any other poncho I’ve tried. It doesn’t morph into a stand alone shelter though and is only for wearing. It doesn’t flap in the wind while wearing and your arms will stay completely dry. It covers me down to my knees.

Windshirts can be waterproof for the first few weeks but always lose that ability fast and I’ve never had luck with additional treatments of DWR. They are only comfortable for heavy exertion in cold or windy conditions but I need dedicated rain gear for a wet storm.

I have a Helium, which is great as a rain jacket. Just not breathable or packable enough for me to use as a wind shirt.

I unstow/don/doff/stow my wind shirt pretty often so it needs to be very stuff-able and ready at a moment's notice. Usually, I've got it in a pocket that I can reach without taking off the pack. In fact, one of my winter-time sale purchases was a wind shirt that has no back. It pulls out of a waist pack and is built to be put on over the pack straps and around the waist. That's the one I was thinking of trying extra DWR on.

It sure doesn’t hurt to try and it just might work okay. You just never know till you give it a try. Eventually we all find the layers that work if we persist. Good luck with your experiment.

Which DWR spray have you used? Has it worked well on anything you've tried?

The last thing I used may have been the Scotch Guard that I sprayed on my blue jeans when I tried skiing in the 80's. Or maybe something from the shoe store I tried on some waffle-stompers...

The most recent was not so recent. In 2006 my eVent rain jacket wetted out at the shoulders but didn’t penetrate. This can still make it colder in that area. I tried Nikwax TX Direct and followed instructions but it didn’t work for that jacket, nothing changed.

Previously I tried to give an older Houdini a DWR refresh but don’t remember the brand. It was a spray bottle and whatever it was didn’t make much difference at all.

Perhaps in the ensuing decade and a half things have improved but I’ve never tried it again.

Sctch guard works well for my Tilley hat if applied regularly. Never tried it on a jacket

Wow, I guess ScotchGuard still exists. I grew up with the old commercials where the kid would spill on the scratchy, rust-colored couch and mom would make the "Oh, no!" face, but then the sorry child would just wipe up the soda and everyone would smile.

Since that looks like it's more for actual waterproofing than DWR, I may try some. I don't sweat much from my forearms, so losing some breathability there should be tolerable.

I actually have not used Sctchguard for many years either and don’t have any on hand now. It was the only waterproofing product I used to use that did a good job of beading water. I believe they found it was bad for humans and the environment but don’t know the exact details

Now I just let my hat work without it. It’s not waterproof but managers sweat better along with my buff system