BlueField Ultra Light Thin Rain Skirt Review

Overview

The BlueField Ultra Light Thin Rain Skirt is a budget-priced rain kilt aimed at hikers who want the ventilation and quick on/off convenience of a skirt without paying $50-70 for a cottage-brand version. It’s built from 15D silicone-coated nylon, weighs a claimed 60g, and packs down to the size of a fist. If you’re on the fence about whether rain skirts are even your thing, this is a cheap way to find out before committing to a pricier option.

Key Specs

Spec	Detail
Brand	BlueField
Material	15D silicone-coated nylon
Weight	60g (2.1 oz)
Waist range	23.6–39.3 in (60–100 cm)
Packed size	13 × 9 cm (5.1 × 3.5 in)
Closure	Hook-and-loop (fastener tape)
Seams	Sealed
Included	Storage pouch
Price	~$13–17

Performance

Rain skirts as a category solve a specific problem: rain pants are hot, and wrestling them on over boots mid-downpour is miserable. A kilt sidesteps both issues — you wrap it around your waist, fasten it, and you’re covered from waist to knee (or a bit lower) in seconds. That basic value proposition holds true for the BlueField version, since the design is functionally identical to pricier competitors: a flat panel of coated nylon that wraps around your waist and closes with hook-and-loop tape.

Where I’d flag caution is coverage length and durability, neither of which I could verify firsthand for this specific SKU since it has no meaningful owner reviews on Walmart’s listing — it’s a newer, low-volume import with an empty ratings section. That’s worth knowing going in: you’re buying largely on spec-sheet trust, not a track record.

Coverage length is a real consideration with any rain kilt, not just this one. One reviewer of a similar rain skirt noted it adds a real layer of protection but wished it were a few inches longer, since at 5’1” the small size only covered the knees rather than mid-calf as expected, leaving legs exposed without rain boots or pants underneath. The BlueField’s listed 72cm skirt length puts it in a similar ballpark — fine for taller users, potentially short for petite ones.

On the “why bother with a skirt at all” question, the category logic is pretty consistent across sources. Ultralight rain kilts, skirts, or wraps are the lightest and most breathable way to stay dry from knees to waist, and pair well with shorts and trail runners rather than pants or boots — wearing one over pants defeats the purpose since lower legs still get wet from wicking, and wearing one over boots doesn’t stop water dripping into the ankle opening. One Backpacking Light forum user summed up the appeal well: a rain skirt offers better ventilation, without getting nearly as sweaty and wet underneath compared to rain pants.

Weight-wise, the BlueField’s claimed 60g is genuinely competitive — lighter, on paper, than well-regarded cottage options like the Zpacks Vertice Rain Kilt, which comes in around 2.4 oz / 68 g. Whether the BlueField’s 15D silicone-coated nylon holds up as well as Zpacks’ Dyneema composite over hundreds of miles is the open question I can’t answer from spec sheets alone — thinner, cheaper coated nylons are typically more prone to pinholing and delamination over time than premium laminates, and at this price point I’d expect the fabric and stitching quality to reflect the $15 price tag rather than the $50+ one.

The hook-and-loop closure is a mixed bag in general for this category: rain wraps go on and off in seconds, have excellent ventilation, and pack down to almost nothing, which is the whole point, but hook-and-loop tape tends to lose grip over time and can snag on itself in a pack. A snap or buckle closure (as found on some pricier alternatives) is generally more secure long-term.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Very light at a claimed 60g — competitive with premium cottage-brand kilts costing 3-4x as much
• Packs to roughly fist-sized, easy to stash in a hip belt pocket
• Adjustable waist range (23.6–39.3 in) fits most body types
• Sealed seams and silicone-coated nylon should shed light-to-moderate rain fine
• Low price makes it a low-risk way to try the rain-skirt concept
• Doubles as an emergency ground cloth or seat in a pinch, per the general category’s common secondary use

Cons

• No meaningful owner reviews yet — you’re trusting the spec sheet, not a track record
• Hook-and-loop closure is less secure and durable long-term than a buckle or snap
• Coverage length may run short for shorter hikers, a common complaint with rain skirts generally
• 15D fabric at this price point is unlikely to match the abrasion resistance of premium laminates
• Only works well paired with shorts and trail runners — not a fit for pants-and-boots hikers

Who Should Buy This

This is a reasonable pick for a budget-conscious hiker who wants to try the rain-skirt concept — day hikers, warm-weather backpackers, or anyone curious whether ditching rain pants for ventilation is worth it — without committing to a $50-70 cottage brand purchase first. It’s not the gear I’d bet a thru-hike on sight-unseen, since there’s no real field-testing track record behind this specific product yet, but as a low-stakes experiment or a backup/loaner piece, the price makes sense.

Verdict

The BlueField Ultra Light Thin Rain Skirt hits the right weight and packed-size numbers on paper, undercutting established cottage-brand rain kilts while claiming similar performance. Whether it holds up over the miles is genuinely unknown — there’s no reviewer track record to lean on yet — so I’d call this a low-risk way to test the rain-skirt concept rather than a confident buy for a big trip. 6/10: promising spec sheet, unproven in the field.