Rain skirt is one of the easiest pieces of hiking and backpacking gear to make yourself. An ultra-light rain skirt is handy to pack in your pocket and pull over your hiking pants when it starts raining.

Ultralight rain skirt made of Ripstop Nylon, weights only 36 g (1.27 oz), and is great for lightweight hiking and backpacking. It takes only a couple of hours to sew a rain skirt from start to finish.

Here are the instructions to succeed in this DIY project!

Rain skirt fabric and other supplies

I chose a waterproof and durable Ripstop Nylon 20den fabric for the skirt, which weighs only 36 grams/square meter. Also known as "silnylon", the fabric is suitable for rainwear as well as tents and tarps. Ripstop Nylon is a cheap ultralight material.

I ordered the fabric from the German online store extremtextil.de. I also plan to sew a small ultra-light tarp from the same fabric, so I bought more fabric at once for the price of one postage.

The price of the rain skirt was really cheap. I used less than a meter of fabric, and the price of the piece was about 10 euros. I had the other supplies, such as sharp scissors, sewing machine needles, elastic band, thread, a marking pen, etc., already in my hobby room.

• Ultralight fabric requires very sharp scissors or a cutting blade so that the cutting surface is not frayed.
• You should also change a thin and sharp micro needle in the sewing machine, which will pierce the fabric cleanly and leave the smallest possible hole.
• Any synthetic sewing thread (polyester) will do, do not use cotton.
• The elastic band should be firm but really elastic.

Rain skirt pattern and cutting

At its simplest, a rain skirt is made from a rectangular piece.

• Fabric width: Measure your widest point from the waist down (most likely hip circumference). Add about 40 cm (15 3/4 in) to this. The measure includes movement allowance and seam allowances
• Fabric height: Measure the distance from the waist to below the calf. Add about 10 cm (3 15/16 in) to this.
• For a looser fit: add centimeters to the width. With these dimensions and similar fabric, the rain skirt will be nice and loose but not a sack.
• For a longer fit: a rectangular rain skirt doesn't work well at ankle length – you need to cut the hem wider or make a slit. (Or make a sack)

Measure the required piece of fabric. Draw the marks directly onto the fabric with chalk or a disappearing (magic) marker, for example. The chalk comes off with wiping. Sewing supply stores also sell markers that do not leave permanent marks.

Avoid attaching patterns with pins to ultralight fabric, as they leave unnecessary holes. Cut with sharp scissors on a flat surface so that the fabric stays in place.

Sewing a rain skirt

Sewing a rectangle into a skirt is simple. Only a side seam, folding the hem, and a top channel for elastic are needed.

Side seam

I started with sewing the side seam. I forgot to buy seam tape, so I stitched the seam allowances.

First, I sewed the side seam with the right sides of the fabric facing together. Then I turned the seam allowances on the wrong side flat and stitched them narrowly onto the skirt.

Even a small needle leaves tiny holes, so seam tape is the only way to get completely waterproof seams.

Hem

I folded the hem twice and stitched it narrowly.

Top edge

Making the elastic channel in the following order is easy. First, I folded 4 cm (1 37/64 in) from the top edge of the skirt inwards. Then I turned about a centimeter of the fold from the bottom under the fold, so that the edge became stronger and neater.

I stitched the bottom edge of the fold and left a gap of a couple of centimeters at the side seam for inserting the elastic bands.

Next, I made channels for the elastic bands (2 pcs) by sewing halfway through the fold. This created two channels for the elastic bands. I left a gap at the side seam.

One elastic band is enough. Two parallel elastic bands will make the fabric fold more evenly, and the skirt looks nicer. You can also use the other elastic band in an emergency to fix something and the rain skirt will still stay on you with just one elastic band.

Measure the length of the elastic band so that you first put on your hiking pants (or the gear you plan to wear the rain skirt over). Make a loop from the elastic band (do not cut it yet) and test the appropriate length.

When you can pull the loop over up to your waist while stretched so that it passes smoothly over the widest part of your body and sits comfortably on your waist, you have found the right length. Add 10 cm (3 15/16 in) to this. Cut two pieces of the same length.

A thin and round elastic band can be easily inserted into the channel with a small safety pin. Tip: keep mini safety pins from new clothes tags. The easiest way to make a thin elastic band into a loop is simply to tie the ends tightly.

Done! I tested the rain skirt first on my hikes in Abisko in Sweden, then in Lapland, in Tuntsa wilderness and on hikes in Salla.

Rain skirt - my experiences

The rain skirt was a great success in terms of sewing, but there are three major problems with it.

Rain skirt material

The fabric does not breathe, and it gets condensation a lot. Even though the rain skirt is on, the 100% humidity on a rainy day condenses on the inside of the rain skirt. The result is a damp bottom in hiking tights.

If the water had come in through the side seam, the wetting should have been more one-sided. But it may have been due to the lack of tape.

Rain skirt length

I think I carefully measured the length of the rain skirt so that it would reach lower. Either I measured it wrong, or the hem rises just to the calf when walking. As a result, all the water flowing from the outside of the rain skirt runs straight down the hiking tights from the knee down.

Adding gaiters to the equation would ruin the whole idea of the rain skirt's ease and lightness. I can't wear any uncomfortable water-resistant hiking pants, so that doesn't solve the problem either.

Rain skirt vs. rain pants

I love rain pants! Rain pants (especially the OMM rain pants made of a flexible ultralight material that went to pieces on the Sarek adventure in Swedish Lapland) work much better than a rain skirt.

When wading, the trouser legs can be tied to the hiking boots, the skirt is no use at all. The same goes for scrambling through bushes, the skirt doesn't protect against wet willow bushes and heather.

I haven't thrown in the towel yet, except that number 3 is quite critical.

Next, I will sew another rain skirt from a slightly different fabric and make it a little longer and slightly wider at the hem. I will use seam tape. I might try a wrap-around model.

A slightly heavier or stiffer fabric might not rise so easily when walking and in the wind, which could reduce the wetting of the legs.

After that, I will probably try to patch my rain pants!

Read also: What is lightweight backpacking? Gear list and 10 tips to go light!