would like some feed back from owners.
thanks.
Very effective in storms
good for traffic cone impersonation
other than that I have yet to actually use it. It is in my hatch though…
Useful and handy
I’ve used mine a few times both on land and at sea. Celia even used it as a tuliq when she had forgotten her sprayskirt.
looks
like a really nice peice of gear.
Good piece of kit
I like mine. On longer trips space is always at a premium so I am always looking for gear that will serve multiple purposes.
It does work well for pulling on over while paddling.
Great for pulling on to cut the wind if you are getting chilled.
It also works well as raingear on the ferry, on the shore around camp, etc.
It zips into itself and makes a nice little fuzzy pillow for your head.
Good piece of kit.
Jon
good
My wife and I each have one and use them on numerous occasions. Useful not only as rain gear but also to warm up during breaks etc.
High visibility color…
tropos or goretex?
Can those of you who own them recommend which material you prefer? I wouldn’t think that breathability would be too important for something like this. How about packability? Is one better than the other?
have the tropos version
I find it a nice addition to my kit and has kept me from the shivers a number of times during off-the-water breaks in rainy/drizzly weather. Have also used it on the water in a couple instances.
Packs very compactly and fits easily into my day hatch even with a bunch of other stuff in there.
Breathability seems ok, although I’ve only used it on cooler days (i.e. below 80), so I’m not sure how comfortable it would be on a really hot day. Also, I’ve never tried the gore-tex version, so I can’t speak to the differences.
yikes
– Last Updated: Jun-28-10 3:34 PM EST –
I had no idea there were so many versions.
We have the ones that work. My wife says we paid about $300 ea for them . Think we got them in 2008
Looked all over for a name tag to tell me what version and found none . Let me know how you can tell one from the other and I'll be able to give a better answer.
Hope folks realize that wearing Gortex or any of the "breathables" you are still going to sweat if your paddling hard on a wet clammy day.
They come into their own on how fast they dry out, but much of the other stuff is just marketing.
For example none of it is going to breathe if you're submerged. On a day of high humidity or down right rain the "breathing" factor has to be taken with a "grain of salt"....as they say.
hehe
"cooler days (below 80)"
I had to chuckle at that. 
Days in the high 70s are about the most we hope for up here. If it hits 85 people start fainting in the streets. Not pretty.
price
Looks like $300 buys you the gore tex version, while the Tropos cag is a bit under $200.
Tropos Version
Has worked well for me over my Gortex drysuit for breaks out of the boat, as well as for the occasional “epic” paddle early season(i.e. April)and late season (i.e. November into December) on large Adirondack Lakes (e.g. Cranberry Lake), St. Lawrence River and Lake Ontario.
Packs down into a small drybag.
Mike
Kokatat Storm Cag
I love mine – it’s great when you get off the water and need to retain heat before the “post-paddling chills” set in. It also makes a good rain parka. Mine is Gore Tex, but for my uses, simple coated nylon would be fine. I put this on when I’m cold and take it off afterward. It lives in my day hatch on expeditions. I rarely use it on the water, but I like to have that flexibility.
The fit is big enough that it’s a mini-bivy bag… you can pull it over your knees and be quite comfortable in the elements.
I have only used it once in Florida but used it daily in Iceland and Newfoundland on my circumnavigations.
Greg Stamer
Cheap alternative
I have a cheap cag from Campmor - roughly the same size (I believe - it’s been a while since I compared)but just simple coated nylon. Not breathable, but about 1/5 the cost. My rationale was that in most uses when you’re trying to retain heat, breathability is a very minor issue.
before the kokatat there
was the rasdek storm cag and it’s is ALWAYS the last piece of gear in the day hatch. it’s just so handy to have along if you or someone else is getting cold - out it comes, it goes on OVER all the other gear and voila…warmth. throw a hat in the front hand pocket and you fix most “cold” problems on the water before they get severe…always easier to stay warm than to get warm.
it’s pretty much a no brainer piece of very useful kit.
To breathe or not
I currently have a model that does not breathe and that was supposed to be a good thing to retain heat. Used it in Alaska during a trip while the weather was drizzly and ended up warm, all right, but also wetter inside than out. Next time I’m going gore tex- could have left my rain parka at home if I had done that. Great piece of gear overall- first thing out of my day hatch during lunch breaks in exposed conditions. The traffic cone analogy I like. I just know that I can whip that storm cag on, and, like Mr. BB sez- the chill is gone!
On the beach traffic cone photo
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/O5i41fYDsNkLdsch68TBpg?feat=directlink
Get one that breathes
One of the complaints about the previous (not Kokatat) ones that were made of silcloth is that, because they didn’t breathe, no one could stand wearing them for very long. We paddled with at least a couple of people who had them and saw exactly that happen. They’d put them on because they needed extra warmth, and 15 minutes later they’d be off because they were too hot.
When we got ours we got the GoreTex Paklite ones from Kokatat, and they are warm but quite wearable over a longer time period. I went ahead and used it the way it was supposed to be used, over the skirt, and popped a couple of rolls last week to see how it behaved. It worked really well - I got extra buoyancy from the air it trapped but it still didn’t get in the way of the roll.