Rain Gear Woes

[RiverOtter]

That's actually a good point with wearing minimal gear under your rain gear. I work outside 365 and try to underdress for the temps, with the goal being "Comfortable at Operating Speed". Always carry spare warm/dry stuff in my pack to either trade wet for dry or just add layers if I'm already dry but getting cold.

[Useyourfeet]

Impertech top and bottom for me. I've come to the conclusion that if I'm hiking or moving I will build more moisture than any breathable can pass. Every single water proof breathable has always let me down in day after day rain. I would rather know I can stay dry when I have too. If moving in the rain you just have to figure out what works best. If you are not coming back to a base camp I find just wearing minimal clothes under my impertech keeps me warm but damp due to sweat. Once camp is set I can bail into the tent and put the dry clothes on and get the rain gear inside out for awhile. If I'm close to a base camp of the truck I may forgo wearing the rain gear in anything other than a sedentary or emergency situation and let the fleece or wool do what it does best. I'm not coughing up 500 bucks for an over marketed under performing Shell ever again. Do some research on the US military training on this to, you'll see a similar thinking. Rain gear is only for sedentary times or a wind break. If you're active you wear fleece and accept you will be damp but warm.

[RiverOtter]

I've seen me rock a black hefty bag with only a head hole in sedentary situations to keep my rain gear dry in my pack. Prime example would be a short alpine rain storm. When the storm passes, bag gets a couple swift shakes, rolled and attached to pack or stuffed in a pocket. Garbage bags can also double as a ground sheet or roof for a crude lean to. A little bit of a derail, but still worth mentioning as gb's weigh almost nothing, yet have tonnes of practical uses.

[noth615]

I was doing a little reading on the science behind making rain gear waterproof and breathable,

Water resistance is measured by pressure of water that can be kept out of the fabric for a 24 hour period time frame, fabrics rated at least 20,000mm/24hour time period are considered waterproof.

few examples of products and there ratings at mm/24 hour

eVent 30,000
Gore-Tex pro-shell 3 layer 28,000
Marmot precip plus 25,000
Kuiu's toray Dermizax 20,000
Mountain Hard wear conduit 20,000
Marmot precip 15,000

Depending on what product of Marmot rain jacket you were sold, say the precip regular material is not considered waterproof by industries standards.

[RiverOtter]

Interesting list. I actually own a MH Conduit jacket and it MIGHT have kept water out for part of one season, I consider it absolute junk.

[noth615]

Yeah interesting list for sure, I wonder what mm/24 hour is accurately waterproof? Or rating for fabrics like Impertech, that's been suggested a couple times on this thread.

[brian]

Sounds like we have the same internal furnace

Me too, I burn hot and sweat a lot. I have never found any rain gear that works for me if I have to actually move around. Either I am wet from the outside or wet from the inside. So for day hunts I almost always forgo rain gear and wear melton wool. It gets wet but is hard as hell to wet out, its quiet, and even warmish when wet. I would still bring my rain gear for a week long trip where drying wool out at night would be a real problem... but I don't think I used real rain gear at all last season.

[Timberjack]

Agreed on the points made above, and I quite like the hh rain gear for wet coastal hunts, but I have learned that a gt shell is far superior to raingear for an extended glassing session on an alpine ridge when the wind is howling. A couple hours doing that in rain gear and I find myself quite damp even when just sitting.

Another thought is that we all understand that we're gonna get wet when it's wet out, so ditch the raincoat, put on an under armour compression top, get soaked, and you'll stay warm as long as you're moving... Then when you stop put on a dry top under a shell or jacket and be warm and happy. Works in many situations...

TJ

[David]

Arc'teryx gear... stupidly expensive and not always the features you want all packaged together (I wish they did a better job sealing their wrists), but one of the few that in my mind "rate" their gear properly.
Leaf SV (for severe) is good if you want camo... but like everywhere you pay a premium for camo.
If you can get into their "pro" program, their patrol and guide lines are amazing - but again you pay a premium.

Sometimes you can find some of the Leaf SV and patrol gear at their clearance store for 20% off - but sizing and product lines are hit and miss.

After that I go with sailing gear e.g. Helly Hansen of a specific type. After that I'll look at Mountaineering/Climbing gear from European manufacturers (Fjallraven)

The hunting gear I've seen in stores (Cabelas, Wholesale, etc.) has quite frankly seemed of poor value for the money compared to what else is out there, so I've never bought any to field trial.

Lately I've found that I don't really pack any pure waterproof items as the new technology in "quick drying" materials has worked really well for me.