Keep everything dry!

Stay dry from head to toe with these waterproof layers and accessories for you, your rucksack and everything in it.

Dry bags for your kit, plus phone cases, trousers, socks, map covers...

Trousers Quickly unpacked from the bottom of your rucksack when it dawns upon you that a sudden wet squall is setting in, a reliable pair of waterproof overtrousers covers yours legs against everything from puddle splashing to rain run-off from your jacket. And like a good jacket, a decent pair of overtrousers doesn’t have to cost the earth.

Made from a robust, ‘ripstop’ fabric, Mountain Warehouse’s

Downpour Trousers 1 are affordably priced at £30 (reduced from £60, www. mountainwarehouse.com). Fully waterproof, with taped seams, they feature a half-leg zip up each leg, which is covered by a popper-sealed storm flap.

A longer zip or opening makes a pair of overtrousers easier to get on and off over a pair of bulky boots. Exhibiting this smart but simple design trait, Berghaus’ Hillwalker Pants

3 also boast a Gore-Tex lining. But lighter fabrics and highspec membranes come at a cost – £110 in this case ( www.berghaus.com).

If the fiddly faff of donning overtrousers sends you into a panic, then go for a pair of walking trousers that are ready for rain from the outset. Sprayway’s All-Day Rainpant

2 (£80, www.sprayway.com) combine a durable outer fabric with a laminate-backed soft liner to offer versatile weather protection.