Suggestions for Rain Gear

Since I lost all of my rain gear in my house fire I’m in the market for new stuff. So what are folks using? Here in the NE when I need it’s usually chilly so something that is a little thicker/heavier then just a shell would be good. If I could remember the make of the coat I had I would include that but don’t and know it wasn’t made anymore. Not trying to break the bank but definitely want something that will stand up to a lot of use. Many thanks for any suggestions.



dougd

Bathing suit and Makers Mark
cuz sometimes you gotta tell the world to go ahead and piss away

bathing suit is a luxury
A few shots will take care of that, and you don’t have to wash the shots afterward.

dougd, I have a bunch of “breathable”
paddling rain wear, but I don’t much trust it. And it doesn’t breathe that well either. None of it, not even true Goretex.



Except for whitewater and heavy water, you might just go for cheap Lifa or polypropylene garments that have no water affinity and that drip out super fast; and true water proof coated overgarments that are not sealed everywhere, but allow places at waist, chest, neck, and wrists for you to breathe.



I started out like that back in the 70s, and it worked quite well.

I’ve been using the old-fashioned kind
Lightweight rain gear I’ve had didn’t last that long before water started seeping through in a lot of places, though it’s fine during the time that it still works. For the last several years I’ve been using basic rubberized rain gear from Columbia. It’s lighter and better-fitting than standard yellow utility rain gear, but a whole lot tougher than the stuff sold to backpackers. I wear it a lot, often more for protection from wind than from rain, and finally, after using it for about ten years I got a little wet wearing it last summer. However, that was after spending almost a whole day paddling in frequent heavy rain, and I don’t know for sure that it was actually leaking instead of water getting past the collar or into the pants-pocket flaps. Anyway, 10 years of service is pretty good (if it’s even done yet. Still seems fine in average rainy weather).

Outdoor Research
Has all the fancy breathable membranes, but comes in less expensive than the fancy stuff. And the sizing works for average sized people - for ex Marmot has the most interesting concept of the size of a woman’s shoulders… too tiny for me though.

sierra designs (features)
hurricane model, I think. I’ve had the pants and jacket for so long that the logo is obsolete.



I like the jacket because it has full-length vents on the underside of the sleeves. Inside pockets are vented to the outside if you open them up. So, even though it’s nylon it can breathe pretty well. Unless it’s a heavy rain you can have everything vented.

Cabela’s
has the cheapest Gore-Tex I know of. They almost always have something on sale or discontinued. Example: http://www.cabelas.com/product/Clothing/Mens-Casual-Clothing/Mens-Rainwear/Mens-Rainwear-Jackets-Parkas%7C/pc/104797080/c/104746680/sc/104522580/i/104091480/Cabelas-GORE-TEXreg-PacLitereg-Rainy-Riverreg-Parka-Regular/1318375.uts?destination=%2Fcategory%2FMens-Rainwear-Jackets-Parkas%2F104091480.uts

I’m still using a SD down jacket bought
in 1970. Can’t get the grime out of the shell, but the seams and down are OK.

pictures don’t match description
the above mentioned Gore-Tex jacket from Cabelas seems to lack seam sealing in the image provided but it says so in the description of the garment: “Gore-seam-taped seams keep you dry”

Sealed seam translates to dry garment when raining, not sealed seams means leaks after a short shower.

On the other hand there are tons of offerings in the “outlet” section of many online vendors, some incredibly cheap just because of discontinued model/color.

REI.com and Backcountry.com come to mind…

Bottom line for me is
that if I am out in rain paddling all day I get wet. Doesn’t matter what I wear or how much I spend. If it were up to me I would enjoy the day from under the tarp with a small fire and wait it out. But - I generally get out voted because everyone seems to be in a hurry for some unknown reason.

Got Something
I wanted something that had some kind of liner for the cooler/winter weather. Found a North Face Triclimate that seems to fit the bill. The only gortex that was available(at LL Beans as well) was a shell which I did not want and was about a 100$ more than what I wanted to spend. The liner zips out so I can be comfortable in warmer weather.



Both stores are in Concord and I needed something ASAP due to the weather so went this route.



I gotta say this shopping stuff really sucks! I am not good at this! I am missing my old gear which I’ve had for a long time!



Thanks for the advice and help.



dougd