Rain Jacket

[demiman]

Hey All
I have an old set of Red Lodge rain gear. It worked great for summer camp-esc stuff, but it does not work for the kind of backpacking I'm getting into. What would you lovely campers/backpackers/hikers suggest?

Im looking for
-breathability
-rain-proof
-packable
-ultralight

Thanks all

[Logtec]

Re: Rain Jacket

"The north face" has a great selection of rain gear with everything you are looking for in rain gear, actually they are great for any/all outdoor clothing. You will pay a more for their gear but the quality is worth the extra cost.
The only draw back is their "name brand" has become very trendy in the last few years, so prices have gone up, if you so shop around, or look for "last years styles/models" you can save some money.

[Logtec]

Re: Rain Jacket

I usually wear shorts while BPing(unless it's winter/cold then I wear NF ski pants, which have zippered vents, and very warm -they are great!), rarely do I wear my rain pants, I find I sweat too much wearing them, esp if I have pants on under them- and at that point I'm getting wet under my cloths which defeats the point of wearing rain pants! Wearing shorts works for me- wet skin dries quickly, and alil rain can be refreshing.
Save the money and maybe buy better rain coat.

[ppine]

Re: Rain Jacket

Even at the upper end of the price range it is hard to find waterproof and breathable. Check out the Alaska Outdoor Forum for a good discussion.

I have worked in places like SE Alaska and found that Goretex is over-rated. You are going to get wet. I like Helly Hansen's latest fabric.

[RJ Cooper]

Re: Rain Jacket

Helly Hansen here. I also have Grundens for the salt.

[terasec]

Re: Rain Jacket

I tend to prefer a poncho over rain suit.
Rain here usually come and go. And its very easy to put on/take off a poncho multiple times during a hike. For leg protection I wear gators for keeping dry in wet grass.

[ppine]

Re: Rain Jacket

Cooper,
Grundens is a magic name among professional ocean fishermen.

[hwc1954]

Re: Rain Jacket

For something that won't completely break the bank, the Marmot PreCip jackets and pants are really popular. They are relatively lightweight ripstop nylon. Durable. Pit zips for ventilation. I'd say that half the people I saw donning jackets against the wind on Mt. Eisenhower last week were sporting PreCip Jackets.

Pants available in short, regular, or long lengths (a big deal if you need a non-standard length). Pants are available in standard style or with full-length zippers up the outside of the legs. Basic polyurethane coating. 100% waterproof, seam taped. They claim it's breathable, but no raingear is really breathable. If you shop around the sales at the outdoor stores, you can get big discounts on the Precip stuff. If you get their mailing list discount offers (extra 35% off on $100 purchase this week), you can pick up the jacket for $49 and the pants for $37 right now at Sierra Trading Post. Sunnysports always has the PreCip stuff on sale. They've got jackets in all colors for $60 to $67 and pants in all the lengths for $52.

http://marmot.com/products/precip_jacket
http://marmot.com/products/precip_pant
http://marmot.com/products/precip_full_zip_pant

I stumbled onto a deal that was too good to pass up. A Marmot Essence jacket. Crazy ultra-light, 100% waterproof, seam taped shell. 6 ounces. IMO, you would have to have rocks in your head to pay $190 for a rain jacket, but when I saw one in last year's color for $59 at TJ MAXX, I couldn't resist. It is to die for. It's so light that it's almost tolerable to wear in a summer rain on a hot day. Packs up to nothing. Feels great. I liked it so much that I shopped around and found a big discount on the Essence pants. This pair is now my standard 3-season rain combo in the bottom of my pack. 11 ounces for the pair. They claim it breaths a lot better than the PreCip coating. Probably does...but, like I say, none of this stuff REALLY breathes when you are sweating up a mountain.

http://marmot.com/products/essence_jacket
http://marmot.com/products/essence_pant

[Oldcoyote]

Re: Rain Jacket

Helly Hansen which I was advised to buy for hunting in rainy southeastern Alaska.