Ireland in June, waterproof jacket and pants required ?

A jacket that will properly shed rain is a great complement to your gear. I'd toss in a very lightweight wool sweater if you have such. Down...when wet = worthless and could be damaged.

I'm sure you'll get conflicting reports from others, but I never travel with rain gear at all. I live in the Seattle area and it's just a fact of life that sometimes I'm going to get wet, but it's no big deal. I remember once in Italy that I got just inundated in Parma and broke down and bought an umbrella but that's the extent of my rain planning.

I travel extremely light and the only outerwear I bring is a polar fleece jacket, which doubles as my pillow on the airplane. If you really want to bring something along, I'd go with a cheap little jacket and forget the pants.

I do own an REI little water resistant shell I bought for a trip to Costa Rica, which was supposed to be quite rainy, and that thing just gathers dust in my closet.

We toured Ireland in July many moons ago and it was cold and damp. We had umbrellas and got soaked because the umbrellas were useless in the wind. I would suggest a rain poncho which is about $30 - $35. They are small, lightweight and packable. You can wear one around your waist like a fanny pack and put it on when needed. And it will probably fit over your down jacket. Ours have come in handy several times on various trips to Europe. A warm sweater is also a good idea. Buy one in Ireland. They wear like iron. Have a great time.

To Bruce, Valerie & Mary. Thank you. This is my first time posting on RS's travel forum and I am
touched that you would take the time to weigh in and help me with my dilemma. Your comments
have been invaluable. Thank you so much, Una.

I carry a water resistant nylon windbreaker with a roll-up hood in the collar, nothing else. On a previous trip to Ireland, in April one year, I took an actual raincoat with a hood, but I only wore it one day. I have never felt the need to have it again, and certainly not in June.

We went to Ireland last July and glad we had a waterproof jacket. The west coast often has rain squalls come in for a few hours each day. Its not usually heavy rain, but it is more like a heavy shower that will get you quite wet with the wind. I was glad to have a pair of North face waterproof shoes with me. I also took a couple of pairs of water resistant light-weight hiking pants to wear during the day and Jeans for night time in the pubs. An umbrella is sometimes useless because of the wind near the coast, but I would probably put in a very light-weight umbrella. We also took some smart wool socks. I am from England, and found Ireland to be a lot wetter and colder than I excepted for that time of year. Enjoy your trip, its is a beautiful and fun place and the rain just is part of the experience.

I own a lightweight rain jacket from EMS. LL Bean, REI, Eddie Bauer should have something similar. Look for a model that has underarm vents or zippers. It's a less expensive jacket and I've used it in non-rain windy conditions or just for layering. It's also very packable/crushable. A jacket like this will last you for years. I wouldn't view it as a one-trip investment but something great to have on hand.

You can never tell what the weather will be in Ireland. The summer before we visited Ireland it was sunny and in the 90's or so we were told. We had a lot of rain when we were there and it was cold (and I'm from New England so I'm hardly a softy when it comes to bad weather). There was a gale when we visited the Cliffs of Moher and heavy rain and wind in Cashel. We got muddy, soaked and chilled to the bone. But then we had gorgeous blue sky weather on the Dingle peninsula. It's better to be prepared.

When I toured Ireland on a RS tour in July it was sunny and comfortable the entire time. The tour right before us and right after us were rained on every day. When I did the Scandinavian RS tour also in July, it rained so hard on us in Copenhagen with a wicked wind that the water was running down the inside of my waterproof Goretex. So you never know. :-)

Having a good water proof rain jacket is a good investment especially if you plan on doing more travel in the future. Pants might be good too, but in most situations I have run into would not be necessary.

...waterproof jacket and pants.... I need them ?

You are not likely to die on a guided RS tour in June. Daytime temperatures should be generally comfortable and if your down jacket is filled with hydrophobic down, you are not likely to die of hypothermia. That said, a waterproof/windproofshell (uninsulated) jacket can be very packable and light weight. Given the cost of a 14 day RS tour and airfare, $100-$200 for a weather shell would add to comfort while touring the outdoors.

While I would (and do) carry rain paints on a walking holiday trip, having fast drying pants (i.e. not heavy cotton jeans) would cover you on a guided tour with a coach around the corner.

I always take a rain poncho when there's a chance of rain. It's easy to carry around, fits over my clothes and day pack, keeping them dry, and usually dries quickly. Have a plastic bag if you need to fold it up wet and carry it around. I was in Ireland in August and most days, the high temps were 60s to low 70s. And when you're out along the coast (and you will be), it can be very windy. Invest in a sturdy poncho, as someone said, around $30-35. R.E.I. has them, so does amazon.

Chani's suggestion of: "Have a plastic bag..." is a good one for an emergency/low cost rain sack. A heavy duty 30 gallon garbage bag is a cheap emergency bivouac sack (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bivouac_sack). To deploy just cut a head hole in the bottom. Arm holes are optional.

I've used plastic garbage bag trick on summer bike rides when hit by afternoon thunderstorms. (Arm holes mandatory, not optional when operating a bike.) Not pretty but it works.

I always pack a waterproof rain jacket. After my first RS tour to Italy in May 2013 when it poured in Florence I got a Marmot Precip similar to what the RS guide had. It folds up small enough to go in my purse in a ziplock bag. I took it to Ireland for the RS tour in 2014 but we hit a stretch of warm, fair weather that June and only needed it a couple of times. I like the Marmot because it also is useful to block wind. With the Marmot, a polarfleece vest and Smartwool glove liners I can tolerate a wide range of temperatures. In fact this winter (not a cold one in N. Idaho) I didn't really use a winter coat, just used this combo.

So...I would get a waterPROOF rain jacket but would skip the pants.

Plus, welcome to the forum. We all have our opinions on what works for us so you'll have to base your decision on that. If you have an REI store near you, you can go look at the different waterproof fabrics.

PS. Have a great time on this tour!

May 2015 Ireland. Wore a mid thigh length waterproof, breathable, hooded Columbia raincoat at least part of nearly every day we were there. Only 3 out of 15 totally rain free days, some days rainy all day, others just showers here and there. Used as a windbreaker as well because it was windy virtually everywhere we went. In Dublin for about 2 hours on our last day was the only time I took my jacket off. We took waterproof pants and didn't use them but really wished we had taken them out of the trunk at Giants Causeway for the drenching hailstorm. :) Wear light layers, some days I wore 2 jackets plus the raincoat. Make the investment in a waterproof AND breathable outer layer. You can use it for years to come.