Raingear

KuRUpTD

KuRUpTD

Joined
Aug 5, 2008
Messages
20,082
What do you all use when you're in the great outdoors and mother nature isn't cooperating ? Do you prefer good ole ponchos , a lightweight- breathable "water-repellent" shell or a gore-tex lined jacket (pricey) ?

Or something else not mentioned ..it's no fun huddling under a tarp for hours.

Thanks
 
If I know its gonna rain I use a full rain suit. Jacket pants combo. I always have a poncho in my pack as well.
 
If it's cold with threat of rain, I really like my ventile jacket. Way more breathable than most 'breathable' membranes and looks proper outdoorsey too!

If it's definitely going to cats-and-dogs it, then paramo is better because it doesn't get stiffer and heavier like the ventile does in a persistent downpour. It's also more breathable than goretex and feels a lot nicer to wear (softer, quieter)

I really dislike stiff, plastic, rustley so-called breathable goretex stuff. I like to move through the trees like a silent ninja, except without a sword, not dressed in black or wearing tabi, no shuriken... in fact nothing like a ninja really.
 
Last edited:
Nikwax soaked Pertex, a bunch of different Gortex stuff, some of Karrimor's own stuff, and some of Sprayway's own stuff.
 
I see Paramo getting a mention. Great kit. I don't have any here at the moment 'cos an amigo has abducted it over to Ireland. I'll likely get some more when they invite me to the next sale. Their HQ is well worth a drive out to for me.
 
Stearns packable top and Mil surplus bottoms. Doesn't match but it is waterproof and inexpensive. Works well as long as you adjust activity level or keep it vented.

J.
 
If it is rainning like there is no tomorrow and I was planning to do something below snow line, I stay put at home. No need to get soaked and not able to do anything due to high temps, unstable ice formations and stuff. If it is rainning but I plan to be avobe snow line, a shoftshell should do it (Schoeller and alike for jacket and pants). If I have no idea or we are planning a multy day route/climb, any kind of hardshell (pants and jacket). I have tried GoreTex and a few brands like Decathlon. I sweat like a pig so no matter what I wear, I always get soaked in my own perspiration. That is why I try to avoid hard shell as much as I can.

Ponchos don't work for me. When in rocky terrain or scrambling among boulders you need to see your fit and ponchos get on the way.

Mikel
 
I can't stand ponchos. They flap and snag and cause me tons of grief. Perhaps it's the thick eastern forests I hike in, but they don't work for me.

I've got a Marmot Precip top and bottom set. Not terribly expensive, light and it keeps me dry in cooler weather. In hot weather, I sweat buckets and get soaked from the inside out. I've found that most breatheable/waterproof stuff doesn't work like microscopic sponges gently soaking up my sweat. They are a bit better than the old rubberized stuff I had in boy scouts, but I find that pit zips help more.
 
I prefer layers. I use a Columbia shell jacket and pants. If its cold out I will through a fleece jacket on underneath.

I plan to try a poncho sometime but I'm not sure if I will like the "flap" hanging from my arms.
 
If it's raining hard then I'll use goretex, if it's a light rain a soft shell will usually be enough.

I guess I'm one of the lucky ones as I've never soaked myself inside of a goretex shell.
 
Climate and activities have everything to do with answering this question properly.

If I am hunting in the forest I am wearing heavy wool bib overalls and a thick wool jacket. Those will be good for the day as long as I don't sit down and it isn't a downpour.

If I am going to be working hard in the outdoors and know it will be raining it is Filson Tin pants and either a flannel shirt or a light rainjacket.

If it is downpouring, or I am out in the open such as in a boat, it is the Grunden's rain gear.

s7_921267_imageset_01
 
It depends where you are and what you are doing.

A trail walk in the woods, then a poncho and rain chaps works very well. The ponch covers your pack as well.
Hiking in the mountains above the timberline with the wind blowing rain at you, then a gortex top and bottom. And a waterproof pack cover.
Working in the rain, I have a heavy nylon top and bottom.

I have a stout umbrella that I use as a walking stick and is great in light rain and drizzle :)
 
hiking-Duluth trading packable rain jacket and pants.
working in railyard-carhartt breathable jacket and waist overall.
working on ship in alaska-grundens all the way....I like orange.
 
Poncho in the pack. For light rains, a softshell is fine.

Need to save up some dough, and get me one of them Silponchos....
 
after spending a pretty wet weekend camping with a couple of the guys i immediatly went out and bought a rain suit...

i found a nice one made from tyvek at Dick's for $15. it is the brand name dri-ducks, but one of the tags attached was marked frogtogs, which is a brand i have heard before.

i wear these biking now too, so that i can stay dry.

they work well for me, even though i bought about 3 sizes too big for me. it just means that i can wear them over anything, including a non-waterproof layer when in the snow.
 
I've got an REI Elements jacket and a pair of full-zip Red Ledge rain pants.

Both are breathable, and both have served me well.
 
Oftentimes if I'm on a lightweight trek then its my poncho, which is none too pleasnt in a breeze. I am ordering a set of frogtogs soon as I've heard nothing but good about their product.
 
I've got a 3-ply gortex suit that I like, but it is a bit sweaty. I also have a columbia omni-tex or something like that, that is packable. The columbia suit is small enough that it is easy to pack both pants and jacket in the pack and always have a suit it it comes to it, but in a downpour it really doesn't work that well. I don't get wet per se, but I get cold in it. I think it is because it is so light weight that it really mats down on your skin or shirt and becomes really effective at whisking away heat. So when I know its going cats and dogs, the proper gortex comes out.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top