I have an earlier version of the Seattle Sombrero, made of heavier fabric. It has worked better for me in rain, and I love the ventilation it provides. If the wind is up and moving rain sideways, nothing is going to keep you dry.

I always like to have a set of clothing reserved for wearing in my dry area- the tent interior or the cabin. I also keep a set reserved for walking in the rain; that set gets wet and stays wet, but if you are moving it is no problem.

Avoid cotton in damp conditions; it is worse than useless.

Hiking in the rain can be extremely interesting. Familiar landscapes look entirely different.

I haven't camped when it's rained for days and hope to never have that experience.

When backpacking in Colorado mainly I just sleep thru it in my tent if it's afternoon showers or even 6 hrs of showers.

Picking up and moving in the rain would be the pits.

I have been known to put my poncho over some low tree limbs and make a rainfly for cooking if needed.

If you haven't already next time you're at your local library get a copy of "Eiger Dreams" from the shelf and read the story called "On being tentbound".

Not technical advice but I think you'll enjoy it.

As for technical advice, I think Lono handled it pretty nicely. When car camping I've gone so far as to use a bivy sack inside a tent.

I'll second what Lono said. Some great tips there.

I grew up in Florida and the bulk of my camping experience is there. Needless to say, if you want to camp in Florida, you're going to get wet and believe it or not, Florida winters can be very wet and very cold - it can be tougher than snow camping when the ground is 40F but the air is 10F and everything is soaking wet - At least up north, the ground is frozen too.

Since the bulk of my camping is in the rain, I have lots of tips!!!

• A golf umbrella is a great addition to your gear. Get a big umbrella and it can double as a walking stick. Most generic cheap golf umbrellas let through a lot of light. The best umbrellas I've found have a silvery lining that also blocks 100% of the sun but I don't know of any brands in particular and they seem to be hard to find.
• I prefer a rain suit with Gortex instead of a poncho. For all day wear, a breathable rainsuit makes all the difference. In a humid environment, a poncho is useless after 8 hours of constant rain. In the heat of the summer, I just strip down to a bathing suit and no shirt or a tshirt and get wet and enjoy the rain.
• I like to wear wool clothing in cold wet weather because it keeps you warm when wet.
• I wear a leather cowboy style hat that I oil occasionally. This makes it waterproof. A wide brim hat that repels water is a good addition to your kit and I think it has a positive psychological factor as well as being practical.
• Buy a high quality tent that has sealed seams and is impregnated with silicone or polyurethane and keeps rain out. Nothing worse than waking up in a soggy tent.
• Learn how to control condensation in your tent by venting air overnight. As others have said, a vestibule is a great feature to have. Use a folding stool and you can sit in your vestibule to take off your boots in a dry area before climbing into the tent. A stool makes it so you don't have to deal with shoes and socks while standing or sitting on the ground. I also carry a piece of indoor outdoor carpet for my vestibule when car camping but you can improvise some sticks and pine needles to keep your vestibule mud free if you are backpacking.
• A lightweight silnylon tarp can be setup between two trees in about 5 minutes or less and you can cook under it and take a break from the rain while on a hike and you won't have to hold your umbrella while you boil water. I carry a 10x12, but a 10x10 would be ok too. Learn some good knots and the setup is super fast. If you are car camping, then use as many tarps as you can - tarps over your tent, tarps over your kitchen, lots of tarps!
• When you arrive at a area you want to camp, walk around and try to find high ground and areas protected from wind. Don't pitch your tent in low spots or under tree limbs that look like they may break in a storm.
• I also like to trench my tent if necessary. You only need to make a small 1"x1" trench in most cases and you don't have to trench all four sides of your tent - usually just trenching around the uphill side is enough. A thick layer of pine needles (minus the cones) is a good way to raise your tent floor just a bit above the mud. You can also use sticks and pine needles to cover paths between your tent and kitchen and keep the mud down to a minimum.
• Wear waterproof boots and carry extra dry socks and take care of your feet if cold camping. If tropical camping, wear sandals so you can air dry quickly. - sandals are a touchy topic for some hikers but I like having some - at least for lounging around a wet campsite while my boots dry.
• Carry a hatchet or large knife so you can split wood to get to the dry parts. This is essential if backpacking. If car camping, then carry some liquid fuel like charcoal lighter. You also need an extensive firemaking kit with lots of dry tinder.
• Use dry bags within your pack to keep contents separated and dry. Then if you pack gets soaked, you still have dry gear. If car camping, use tote boxes like ActionPackers that are rain resistant. You can also pack little items in ziplocks and trash bags.
• Carry high quality paper towels instead of toilet paper and tear off small pieces of paper towel as needed. Toilet paper disintegrates in the rain but paper towels hold up very well.
• Know your gear's water resistance. Don't carry those $800 binoculars if you aren't sure they are waterproof.
• Beware of flash floods. If you have any doubts about what a flash flood can do, then google "albert pike campground flood" for an eye opener. Remember that a flash flood can be caused by a rainstorm many miles away and you may not get rained on at all before the flood and remember they call them "flash" floods for a reason.
• Beware of creepy crawlies after a rainstorm. I was once on a trip where a friend was stung by a poisonous caterpillar that had crawled under some gear to stay dry in a storm and he later picked up the gear and got stung on the hand and had to be evac'd. Spiders are notorious for this too. Check your boots!
• Disassemble all your gear after your trip and dry every little part. This especially goes for things like lanterns and stoves that will otherwise rust quickly. Check and dry all the little hardware on your pack too.
• Know how to deal with lightning when in a forest. Read this site from the Forest Service http://www.fs.fed.us/recreation/safety/safety.shtml#lightning
• I carry a barometer built in to my wristwatch. A barometer can alert you to an impending storm long before you see the black clouds or hear the thunder. The bigger the incoming storm, the better the barometer is at alerting you which makes it an essential piece of kit for me.
• Embrace the rain and enjoy it!

What Nugget said. Wow! Great advice.

This is such an appropriate thread. We are in the midst of a good downpour right now. Just had to go out in it to accomplish some "honey dos"

three thoughts:

Dry socks
dining fly
pack towel or shamwow ( x2)

Set up camp before the rain.

Clear plastic drop cloths are cheap and very useful.

Tarps.

A campfire is a great motivator and helps you dry out.

GREAT advice. Taking down in the rain is twice as much work because you have to unpack and dry out later. Setting up in the just sucks the life out of me.

Tarps can make a big difference. The bigger, the better, within reason. It's like having a large porch.

Has anyone ever worn a souwester hat? I've seen them in photos for years, but have never seen one up close or tried them on.

Sue