Wood deck vs concrete patio for my 12x16 in Nashville, and I went with pavers instead
Everybody I asked split hard: wood guys said composite is worth the $6k extra, concrete guys said stamped is half the upkeep. I ended up going pavers at about $4,200 and now I'm second guessing it every time it rains, so tell me I'm not crazy.
I used to be all in on wood, like I would have bet money on it, because my dad built ours when I was a kid and it lasted forever. Then I watched two neighbors deal with boards warping and nails popping after our humid summers, and one of them had to replace a whole section after rot set in near the stairs. Pavers don't soak up water or feed termites like a deck frame can, so the rain thing you're worried about is kind of the whole point. Water just runs off and dries out, it doesn't sit there softening up the wood. Yeah a deck feels nicer on bare feet, but you're not going to be pulling up boards in eight years either. Stick with it.