I still have not found packable rain gear that is satisfactory. The ideal rain wear would be light weight, breathable, yet durable. I prefer full-zip front on my jacket. Pants should zip up high enough to allow them to be easily put-on/taken-off while wearing boots. The color does not need to be camo, but should not be loud.

What has worked for you?

quote:

Originally posted by Peakebrook:
I still have not found packable rain gear that is satisfactory. The ideal rain wear would be light weight, breathable, yet durable. I prefer full-zip front on my jacket. Pants should zip up high enough to allow them to be easily put-on/taken-off while wearing boots. The color does not need to be camo, but should not be loud.

What has worked for you?

I agree on what rain gear should be but have never seen light breathable raingear that is also waterproof in a deluge. Almost anything will keep a heavy mist off, including good poly, which can be shaken off when it gets damp.

More important is what is on under the rain gear if you want to stay dry and cozy.
Is noise a worry?

I am too cheap to get "good" raingear. I haven't yet been able to make myself buy even a good gore-tex jacket.

I just use the same gear I have used at work for years...Pioneer green nylon stuff. It isn't great, but it works, it folds up relatively small and is light.

Mickey is right that its more important what you wear under the rain gear (well, at least if you cheap out on raingear like I do). I usually stick to clothes that dry quickly (light nylon pants like MEC Rad pants), or in cold weather I wear natural fibres that stay warm when wet with a wicking layer underneath.

Cheers,
Canuck

I still use a heavy ol' Grunden's long raincoat....I use light synthetics underneath as Mickey and Canuck suggested....never so much as had a hole poked through the Grunden even in the thickest alders..absolutely wind and storm proof..it's the only heavy "clothing" I use....with lightweight gaiters and my Koflach boots, I don't need rainpants.

Joe

I got my first Goretex jacket in 1978 or 79 and have had 1/2 dozen since then... it's still the best compromise for me but it is, in fact, still a compromise like most things in life.

For genuinely wet regions like coastal AK I think fully coated, water proof rain gear (with pit zips and various venting options) is best.

Do most of you prefer rain pants or bibs.

quote:

Originally posted by Peakebrook:
I still have not found packable rain gear that is satisfactory. The ideal rain wear would be light weight, breathable, yet durable. I prefer full-zip front on my jacket. Pants should zip up high enough to allow them to be easily put-on/taken-off while wearing boots. The color does not need to be camo, but should not be loud.

What has worked for you?

I do not beleive this exists.

Like most here, I've hunting in extreme conditions for long periods of time for several decades now. In addition, I've worked professionally outdoors in extreme weather conditions in a very athletic job that is brutal on my gear. My employer has gone to great length to always purchase the latest and best in clothing by top manufacturers when outfitting us.

I've come to the conclusion that Gore-Tex and the various knock off membrane/laminates DO NOT WORK for such gear. The membranes WILL eventually delaminate, or become clogged w/ salts from your prespiration, or become overstaruted by a combination of your sweat from the inside and foul weather from the outside. Anything made light and airy will quickly fail w/ hard use and anything that is tough will not breathe.

It is always a give and take situation. For outdoor recreation when I'm living out of my clothing for weeks at a time; I prefer very light wicking layers next to my skin followed by quality synthetic or wool insulating layers as needed for warmth and moisture management. On top I prefer a quality non breathing (material) rain shell that is well designed w/ vents that is a good combination between light weight and toughness. For me this has been Helley Hanson Impertech. When I'm in harsh wet weather for days at a time I expect everything to eventually get wet; but this system manages what moisture I get under the rain gear well, I can easily regulate my insulation and it is brutally tuff, flexible and quiet.

Best of Luck,
Gary

I have some good rain gear and some bad rain gear..some of it is goretex. I'm really thinking about making a custom poncho with a woolen or fleece removable liner. Seems it would breathe well and with some tie straps it might fit well too. The breathable part would be taken care of and I could use it as an emercency sleeping bag.

any thoughts?

The chef

I have had numerous GTX outfits; some very expensive ones. All have had issues of one kind or another such as leaks, wetting out, not real breathable, etc. My current set is one from Cabelas that I had to cut the lining out of and use seam sealer to seal the seams that the tapers missed.

I have several friends that swear by the Impertech and I have come close to purchasing some. But one of those friends was with me on a wet and snowy moose hunt a couple of years ago and kept complaining about being wet. His Impertech was only two seasons old. Toward the end of the hunt, I was looking at the guide jacket and held it up to the sun. Looking at it from the inner side you could see daylight through all of the stress points (pocket corners, etc) and several other spots. These spots were not apparent from the outside until closely examined. I'm certain this is where the moisture was getting thru. Being only two seasons old, I wouldn't call that tuff stuff.

I usually end up wearing my army surplus jacket and pants...about 4 bucks each. They work as well or as poorly as anything out there. One nice thing is the waterproof non-breathable pants when tucked into my drawstring top rubber boots ($15 superstore) are good as waders for quick dunks.

the chef

I recieved a pair of Cabela's Gortex pants for Christmas. I wore them up in the hills last week. It was pouring down rain and wet snow about knee deep. The pants kept me dry and warm.

They are heavy canvas outside with a Goretex lining and then a lininig of fleece. Very warm also. The canvas got soaked but the water never got through. They are stiff and noisy but are new so should get better.

I have a lot of rain gear and this includes a set of Improtech, a set of Cabela's Kool Dri, a set of River's West, a Black's of Greenock Cagoule with Sierra Designs chaps, a full-length Aussie waxed coat with hat and a set of Gore-Tex from Jack Wolfskin. I have owned/used a number of other G/T parkas and both a Black's and a Synergy Works ventile parka, plus working w/p suits from Pioneer, Lawron and others, these were in various materials, coated nylon and cottons with various treatments.

B.C. has the highest incidental rainfall of anywhere in North America and I used to work in the "weeds" in forestry, so, raingear was pretty important. I agree with some of the other guys, nothing is really perfect and I have about given up on G/T. If, it is really pissing down, you are going to get wet and that's that.

Overall, I prefer the Cabela's Kool Dri in Trebark Camo, this is a full zip parka with bibs. Fairly light, so I backpack it and it holds up well in rough conditions. I wear light woolen tops and synthetic bottoms under it in cold fall rain and it works pretty well.

I am thinking of getting a Sylnylon poncho from I.D. and Kifaru makes them as well, this over my layered merino wool hunting clothing would protect me in all but the worst downpours and is super light. This is why I recently spent a whack of loot on a Kifaru tipi with stove; I can dry out my elderly carcass as perfect rain gear just ain't out there.

I find the waxed cotton and Rivers West to be totally waterproof, but, it's too hot and heavy for hiking/packing. This is one area where more product development is required, IMO.

quote:

Synergy Works ventile parka

Kutenay, there are probably only two guys on this entire forum who know what a Synergy Works Ventile Parka is and those two are you and me, without doubt!

I never thought they worked all that well despite great workmanship!

Ventile has been around for many years and it's been replaced by better more reliable materials, IMO....ventile was good for arctic conditions but not as a material for heavy rain in coastal BC or SE AK.

Joe

quote:

Originally posted by Brad:

quote:

Synergy Works ventile parka

Kutenay, there are probably only two guys on this entire forum who know what a Synergy Works Ventile Parka is and those two are you and me, without doubt!

I never thought they worked all that well despite great workmanship!

I'm old enough to have a Ventile Parka from Willis and Gieger.

You can still get Ventile clothing from certain British firms and Orvis, I think; it is just ungodly expensive and cannot be kept dry in the conditions that Joe and I mention. But, for temps from +15F down to whatever, I found mine far better than any of the high-end G/T parkas I owned at the same time.

I used to be a "keeper" for the Canadian Coast Guard and often went out alone on Georgia Strait in the 14ft. open "station boat" during the winter of '86-87. I usually wore the S.W. ventile parka, which was very well worn by this time and it actually did quite well. I wish I could get another one, with pit zips and that they also were available with an extra ventile layer like a cape over the shoulders, upper chest/arms area, this would do me for a lot of stuff.

I just find that every G/T parka I get is fine in snow camping, but, not too great in rain and they need to be babied too much. But, I guess that we should be grateful for the wealth of gear we now have to choose from. Now, if it would EVER stop raining in B.C., the avalanche hazard might drop to where I want it to be as it is TIME for winter camping!!!

As Kutenay said, Ventile is a known qualntity and still available... Synergy Works was a small Co that made "technical" shells and backpacks for a small period of time in the lated 70's... an inovative little company that went the way of the dodo bird...

From what I heard, their demise was due to an attempt to expand too quickly and I was sorry to see them go. I had two of their "expedition" packs and actually wore the suspension out on my second one; the full length bag is patched, but, still in use on my Bullpac. This is for packing "dirty" loads instead of getting my MR BDSB grubby with lamp oil, soot, saw gas or whatever as a BDSB with Long pockets costs $1100.00 CDN delivered in Vancouver...fucking Canadian gov't. TAXES!

I was NOT a fan of the packs and supplemented mine with a number of other packs until '93, when I bought the real Dana Terraplane O.K. that was stolen from me here in East Van. But, I think that their parkas were better, overall, than anything else I have yet owned; my bargain deal Jack Wolfskin is next, surprisingly enough.

I think that, if Daniel Sherman came back into the business, with just the parkas, mitts and maybe matching pants, in ventile and G/T, he might make it.

I found that the ventile parka was much more versatile and far more comfortable than any G/T rig I have had, so, I would live with the weight difference. I frequently wore mine at -20F with just merino wool longjohns, a light woolen top and a down vest from Marmot Mtn. (the real MM) and was perfectly comfortable, even on the shore of Kootenay Lake, where I lived. Pretty good stuff.

Brad and Kute: I have a Synergy Works Goretex parka and a Gortex Bivy. Great workmanahip as you have bith said but the first generation breathables were not as good as the present ones, with all their short comings.

Around here, gortex seems to work best when you don't really need it. I've been using some dancing Light rain gear lately that's made out of silnylon. It's really light and compact, very waterproof but dosen't breathe at all. It doesn't wet out at all and dries really quickly, so I feel it's worth the tradeoffs. I don't know if it would stand up to the kind of brushbusting you guys are talking about though. It is great for high altitude backpacking...Rusty.

Rusty Hook, you're number three (grin). I too had first generation Goretex and you're right that it didn't breathe as well as current GT. I had an early Synergy Works pack (1978) that was built on their "X" frame... a little better than the externals of the day but not much! Man have internals become amazing these days or what?

I'm still looking for the "perfect" rain gear...