What to Wear Running in the Rain
We asked Laura, the top dog at Bog Dog, what she'd recommend. Here's her insider knowledge on what best to wear in the rain.
When it's chucking it down, that's not a reason to skip the run. It is a reason to think a bit harder about what goes on over the top, and about what happens to your shoes when you get home.
Here's what we sell most of, what Laura would put you in at every price, and what she wears herself.
Before any brand name: waterproof is not water-resistant
This is the distinction that costs people the most money. Water-resistant will not keep you dry in real rain. It doesn't have to be Gore-Tex, plenty of excellent membranes aren't, but it does have to be genuinely waterproof. Check the label, not the marketing photo.
The second thing, and it's the one everybody skips: the hood. Look for an adjustable, tapered hood with a drawcord at the back or the side. Cinch it in and it holds the shape of your face, so you keep your peripheral vision instead of running down Broad Street looking through a letterbox. The Stormshell and the Minimus are both very good at this job.
The jackets
Inov8 Stormshell FZ V2 — £160
One of our bestsellers, and it comes in proper men's and women's fits rather than a compromised unisex cut. Several colourways, including a limey green. Super light, and packable enough that it genuinely balls up into your fist — a permanent kit-bag piece.
Montane Minimus Lite — from £175
"An oldie but a goodie", and it has earned that. Same story on weight and packability as the Stormshell. It also has a small internal button, so you can run with it partly open on a milder wet day without the front flapping about.
Men's Minimus Lite Stretch Ultra, £175 · Women's Minimus Lite, £185
Ronhill Tech All Terrain — £75
The friendlier price point, and "a bit of a bargain" in Laura's words. Lighter than the Stormshell or the Minimus, packing down to about the size of your thumb.
Ronhill's all-weather jackets carry more reflective detail, which starts to matter once the clocks go back. The Ronhill Tech Reflect (£80) is the one to look at.
Men's All Terrain · Women's All Terrain · Men's Tech Reflect · Women's Tech Reflect
OMM Kamleika — £210. The king of the jackets.
£210 makes people wince, but "the best jacket I've probably owned", says Laura. Slightly thicker than the Minimus, and about as breathable as a waterproof is capable of being. It's cut specifically for runners, so it moves with you instead of flapping.
If you're out in weather often and for a long time, this is the one that stops being an expense and starts being equipment.
A note on gilets
Sleeveless pieces are not waterproof. They're a wind-resistant core layer for when it's a bit chilly rather than a bit wet. Useful — but a different job, and worth not confusing at the point of purchase.
Socks — arguably more important than the jacket
If you don't like your feet getting wet, a Sealskinz waterproof sock is a better answer than a Gore-Tex trainer. It keeps your feet dry, and it works with whatever you already run in.
The honest version, in her words: unless you're going out in the elements for more than an hour, you don't really need them. You're not going to get trench foot.
Wretham, £28 · Mautby ankle, £32 · Bircham ankle, £33 · Holverstone ankle, £35
Caps
A peak keeps rain out of your eyes, which sounds trivial until you've run without one.
The Sealskinz Wymondham (£35) is the best of these and has been very popular — it folds flat, lives in a pocket, and comes back out none the worse. The OMM Kamleika cap (£30) is the stretch alternative.
Ronhill's are a little heavier and the peak doesn't fold, but they carry more reflective detail. Ask in store.
Sealskinz Wymondham, £35 · OMM Kamleika cap, £30
Legs
Nothing to overthink. Normal shorts are fine, they get wet, they dry.
Winter tights are too warm until it properly turns. Save them.
What Laura actually runs in
"I would run in my normal shorts, my normal socks, my normal shoes, but I would wear the OMM Kamleika jacket or my Minimus Stretch."
That's the whole answer. The kit that matters in the rain is the layer that keeps the rain off — everything underneath can carry on as usual.
Drying your shoes out properly
This is the bit most people get wrong.
Sidas cedar-wood dryer bags. Wood-chip inserts that go straight into the shoe and draw the moisture out. Overnight is all it takes. If it's cold, leave the shoes near a radiator or by the wood burner — but they'll do the job perfectly well just sitting in the house. In the morning, take the inserts out, hang them up to dry, and reuse them next time, over and over.
An electric shoe dryer. Rechargeable, sits inside the shoe and warms it as it dries — evaporation, water vapour, warm air. Built for ski boots too, so it will handle anything you own.
The dryer bags go quickly once the weather turns. If they're out of stock, follow the link to be told when the next lot lands, or ask us in the shop.
Come and try it on
We're at 42 Broad Street, Stamford, seven days a week. A rain jacket is one of the things genuinely worth trying on rather than ordering. Fit, hood, and the way it sits when you're actually moving are hard to judge from a photo.
And if winter shoes are on the list, book a gait analysis while you're here. It's £40 for 45 minutes on the treadmill, and you get £20 of that back against any shoes you buy in the session.