what is a good raincoat to buy?

[Autumnslight]

Our first trip, it rained a lot. We had brought those disposable ponchos, but they were like wearing a plastic bag. They were super hot, would cling and stick to us all over, and the hoods didn't stay up. After two days, we went and bought the Totes ponchos. Those were better, but still really, really hot, and a pain to deal with once they were wet.

This time, we have thin little rain coats that fold into a pouch. Mine is Totes brand, and the kids' are from Land's End. I'm not going to bother trying to stay too dry though. Being wet is better than boiling and sweating in a poncho! We'll wear or bring flip flops for everyone to change into, to keep sneakers from getting wet, and then just go back to the resort to change if we get too soaked!

 

[thisismyusername]

Since we seem to have a knack for showing up in Florida at the start of a tropical storm (3x now--lucky us!), we have done umbrellas, ponchos and rain jackets. Depending on the strength of the rain, all are about equal in terms of how dry they'll keep you. Expect to be wet below wherever the jacket/poncho ends. If using an umbrella, expect to be wet possibly as high as your elbows if you're using a compact (very small) umbrella, or dryer than you might be if using a poncho if there's no wind and the rain is light. An umbrella is the comfiest option as you don't need to be taking it on/off like you ponchos/rainjackets as you get on rides, and it's not like wearing a garbage bag in a steam room, but umbrellas are not necessarily easy to tote since you really need a golf-sized one to stay dry, and very hard to carry around the park open since you need to be mindful of guests.

We wear flip-flops to the parks, and when it rains, the rain puddles that I walk through often "flip" up on the back of my thighs/butt while I'm walking, so if there's a lot of rain in the forecast, I recommend a quick-drying sandal that has a back strap. You'll stay a lot drier.