Can anyone suggest good rain gear to carry with me on a Baltic cruise? Hopefully not too big and of good quality.
Lots of people recommend Marmot Precip jackets -- we use rain jackets from Costco which were $19.99 each several years ago. Roll up and stash in the bottom of a day bag.
I use a rain poncho because it covers me to the knees and my day bag (usually a backpack). Folds up flat to very little. Mine's held up well for several years (bought it either at R.E.I. or Amazon).
I used the Marmot Precip for several years but decided it was not cut roomy enough to zip up over a small purse so I went to a Cabelas XPG waterproof. It is slightly too big to fit in my purse but at least I can keep my small crossbody wallet from getting wet.
I used a "32 Degrees Cool" hooded rain jacket in Prague last week - three days of moderate rain. Sizes S to XXL in both men's and women's sizes. Completely waterproof. Absolutely no insulation - it will keep you dry but not warm. The jacket rolls up into the enclosed waterproof zippered bag measuring 11" x 5" x 4" - weighs under a pound. I bought mine at Costco. Around $20. Recommended.
Another vote for the Marmot waterproof jackets, I layer them with a good fleece jacket underneath and have been good down to the low 40's F.
Go online to REI and take a look. They have many offerings, including the Marmot precip and the Patagonia Torrential.
Patagonia is one of my my go-to brands for outdoor gear, especially jackets. Their products are of the highest quality, the company stands behinds what they produce and seems like all items last almost forever. Visit or talk to the folks at REI.
I looked at Patagonia and a couple of other high-end brands, but ultimately bought the Colombia Glennacker Lake rain jacket, about $40 at Bass Pro. It's light and fairly roomy (I found Patagonia ran small) and packs up in its own pouch. It's also not insulated, so you'd want a warm layer underneath if the weather's cool. If I'm caught in a long shower on a hot day, I know the jacket will be hot and sweaty. We had a very rainy stretch recently here in central Illinois, so the jacket got a good test. I can verify that it is, indeed, waterproof, not just water-resistant.
If I was confident I'd often be traveling to rainy climes, I'd definitely spend more, but at this point I chose simple rain protection for the occasional Italian shower next month.
I'm fussy with my rain gear as I'll use it for multi-day treks in the back country when I'm on travel.
The absolute best rain pants I've used are the Versalite pants by Montbell. I used them for a multi day trek to Machu Picchu over 15,000 foot mountain passes. It rained every.single.day. We were camping next to glaciers. The pants kept me dry and they breathed well. I had almost no condensation.
https://www.montbell.us/products/disp.php?catid=25045&pid=2328277
These pants weigh less than 4 oz in their storage bag and roll up to about 1/2 the diameter of a soda can (2" diameter by 5"'long). They are tiny and light! The legs are wide enough to pull over a full sized hiking boot. The waist has a drawstring adjustment.
Montbell also makes an ultralight Versalite rain jacket. It weighs a mere 6 oz:
https://www.montbell.us/products/disp.php?catid=25013&pid=2328167
The jacket and pants combined weigh 11 oz.
I prefer a stylish jacket for city wear so I used an REI Kyoto jacket instead of the Versalite jacket. I wear a sweater or my puff jacket under it when it gets cold.
https://www.rei.com/product/892150/rei-co-op-kyoto-trench-coat-womens