Early Retirement Extreme Forums

I just finished the book (which was awesome).
When I got to the section about walking keeping one drier than running in the rain, it triggered a memory of having seen a Mythbusters episode about it. They have proven that running does indeed keep one drier, for the simple reason that you are in the rain for less time.
http://mythbustersresults.com/episode38

I noted this too. It's also pretty easy to show mathematically. However, a simplified model would not account for distribution of wetness (on pants, head, etc.) and I think part of Jacob's point was that you should walk given a goal of minimizing rain on your lower body.

In most cases you are probably right, but also the situation influences the results.

- When you are walking/running too close to the road when a truck passes by.. it usually doesn't make much of a difference.. you get wet!

- While walking you have more time to scout the places where there is the least water on the ground (in case the surface is not flat) and/or adjust the length of your steps to avoid the deepest points. While running, you are probably looking somewhat further away with the chance that you miss some of the deepest spots.. resulting in the lower part of your pants getting extremely wet!
Walking/running in the rain with a decent coat helps a lot.. then it really doesn't matter how much rain is falling from the sky. You might even enjoy walking in the rain! The air gets fresh and you smell nature!

@Sven and if you are city folk, walking in the rain with an umbrella is second nature. It's harder to keep dry with an umbrella while running, for the reasons you list above.
(Just got the book, still didn't hit this section yet.)