Author Topic: What's the least hot, most breathable waterproof jacket  (Read 7248 times)

Rob Goes Walking

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Sorry for making another which jacket shall I get thread but I don't know how to research this. I'm days away from fitting in some XXL coats if the tape measure is to be believed.

What's the most breathable, least hot waterproof jacket I can get? Now I'm back out there I want to do all weathers walking and stay out there but my current jacket would make this a hot, sweaty and uncomfortable experience. I don't mind the kind of hot and sweaty you get when exposed to air but I detest it wrapped up in a my current waterproof it's so uncomfortable.

Please save me from being a fair weather walker!

I looked at the Mountain Equipment Lhoste Richard favours but suspect this might be hot?

Cost is semi-important. I can't really afford a Lhoste but I sort of could. Comfort matters more in this case.

Maybe I should nit off the Gore-Tex and go for a gunwharfman solution?

Owen

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Re: What's the least hot, most breathable waterproof jacket
« Reply #1 on: 18:56:51, 03/08/19 »
Very hard to answer that one, the way I look at it is that there's a sliding scale from breathable and a bit waterproof on one hand. mainly the kind of thing fell runners wear. To very waterproof and a bit breathable on the other. These would be the sort of jackets winter mountaineers would wear. Things like breathability and thickness of the material would effect how hot a jacket feels. But, so will other things such as how hard your working and how much insulation you have. Not to exclude the ambient temperature and humidity. On top of that, what is comfortable to one person is unbearably clammy to someone else. So, there's no real answer to your question, sorry.

Rob Goes Walking

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Re: What's the least hot, most breathable waterproof jacket
« Reply #2 on: 19:02:58, 03/08/19 »
You've actually pretty much answered my question I think - I should probably be looking at the kind of thing fell runners wear.

Although I'll edit this because I don't mind getting wet anywhere near as much as getting hot - clammy wouldn't bother me so much though I question the point if you're going to be wet sweat is only preferable to rain for me below about 7 degrees C in moderate wind.

And I'll edit it again as I'm not built like a fell runner so they might not fit...
« Last Edit: 19:07:26, 03/08/19 by Rob Goes Walking »

archaeoroutes

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Re: What's the least hot, most breathable waterproof jacket
« Reply #3 on: 19:19:45, 03/08/19 »
Following your thinking, perhaps look at some of the 2.5 layer stuff now available. It is lighter, cooler and more breathable but sacrifices some waterproofness and durability.

Inov-8 does good stuff for a relatively low price point if you are going down the fellrunning kit route - I can certainly attest to them coping with running level sweat in modest rain but haven't yet tested in full mountain downpour and wind.

However, there is now walking kit being made by the usual companies to the 2.5 layer specification that is pretty decent. I've tested the ME Zeno, for instance. It goes up to 48" chest, 38" waist.
Should stand up to most summer conditions. It won't be as rugged or bombproof as a new Goretex XCR or Pro jacket, but you've kind of ruled them out already.
« Last Edit: 19:26:31, 03/08/19 by archaeoroutes »
Walking routes visiting ancient sites in Britain's uplands: http://www.archaeoroutes.co.uk

Rob Goes Walking

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Re: What's the least hot, most breathable waterproof jacket
« Reply #4 on: 19:32:10, 03/08/19 »
Thanks archaeoroutes. I was just looking into the Inov-8 Stormshell 150 but I'll have to lose a bit more weight to fit into that as their largest size is XL. This could take a month or two, I'd favour something in XXL. I'm not sure how to conduct a search for 2.5 layer jackets, but I could try asking shops.
« Last Edit: 15:28:04, 04/08/19 by Rob Goes Walking »

archaeoroutes

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Re: What's the least hot, most breathable waterproof jacket
« Reply #5 on: 19:44:37, 03/08/19 »
ME Zeno, Rab Downpour and MH Exposure 2 go to XL.
Interestingly, MH size chart lists up to XXXL but I don't know what they do in that size.
« Last Edit: 19:55:49, 03/08/19 by archaeoroutes »
Walking routes visiting ancient sites in Britain's uplands: http://www.archaeoroutes.co.uk

richardh1905

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Re: What's the least hot, most breathable waterproof jacket
« Reply #6 on: 19:45:59, 03/08/19 »

I'm not going to bang on about how wonderful the Lhotse is yet again - but I will emphasise that I too 'run hot', and that I have even worn the Lhotse whilst running.


...and good to see you active on the forum again Rob. :)
WildAboutWalking - Join me on my walks through the wilder parts of Britain

archaeoroutes

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Re: What's the least hot, most breathable waterproof jacket
« Reply #7 on: 20:01:28, 03/08/19 »
I'm not going to bang on about how wonderful the Lhotse is yet again
It IS a good jacket. Of the Mountain Equipment jackets I've used I preferred the Kongur MRT, but the Lhotse came up well. Definitely still in the full mountain jacket category, though, and to me as sweaty as most middle-range Goretex.
Walking routes visiting ancient sites in Britain's uplands: http://www.archaeoroutes.co.uk

Rob Goes Walking

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Re: What's the least hot, most breathable waterproof jacket
« Reply #8 on: 20:18:26, 03/08/19 »
Thanks archaeoroutes I will look into these too.

Thanks for the welcome back Richard. I got sucked into a world where all I did was diet, exercise, read about nutrition and talk about dieting. I missed walking and the forum and am pleased both appear to be making a comeback in my life. It was especially sad as I began my weight loss journey for the sake of walking!

gunwharfman

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Re: What's the least hot, most breathable waterproof jacket
« Reply #9 on: 10:41:40, 04/08/19 »
The problem for me with this subject is to buy the best, easiest and cheapest method to stay dry. As I've experienced rain over the past 10 years or so, it can range from heavy downpours to fine drizzle, long or short in duration and is often intermittent, with or without different types of wind. My experience is that rain periods, light, heavy, with wind or not, tend to be far less in duration than dry periods.

I use one of two options, the first is to wear my b*m length, single skin full-zip jacket, (a Marmot Precip, about £60 brand new I think?) a rain skirt, and my gaiters and the second option is to use my long length, single skin full-zip coat, (made by Champion, £15) and gaiters. The gaiters are essential wear in both instances. The long coat works best on undulating landscapes, the short jacket and rain skirt tends to work better in the mountains. The difference tends to be about stride length, on undulating hikes, my stride length is more or less the same, in mountains getting across rocky landscapes often involves longer strides when clambering over rocks and other obstacles.

With both jackets, I don't really worry about being hot, when there's a lull in the weather I just unzip the jacket or coat and let the circulating air cool and dry me off. Obviously given an ideal, I don't want to get hot in the first place, but in my experience, a waterproof and cool jacket does not really exist, no matter what the adverts say!




Rob Goes Walking

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Re: What's the least hot, most breathable waterproof jacket
« Reply #10 on: 11:44:03, 04/08/19 »
Thanks gwm, you're probably righy there's no waterproof and cool jacket but I kinda cook in my current one, it's not painful but very uncomfortable to the point I take it off in the rain sometimes, it has pit zips which is an improvement on my last jacket but it's far away from pleasurable.

I think I must run extremely hot, I don't get cold when it's not wet without a coat when it's snowing sometimes. Strangely, I'm also more comfortable than most on a hot day outside. People complain about the heat and I don't know what the problem is.

But wrap me in a water logged waterproof that's no longer breathing and within seconds I start to overheat.

I thought about doing some exercise outside a shop that sells coats so I'm warm then trying on a few but my jacket performs OK until it gets wet.

Richard intrigues me by saying the Lhoste doesn't cook you when wet, yet I wonder about archaeoroutes' recommending the ME Zeno and it's 2.5 layer...

The Marmot Precip is well regarded and also 2.5 layer, I'll have to consider that too.

This is going to be a tough one I think without taking the jackets for a test drive.
« Last Edit: 12:00:20, 04/08/19 by Rob Goes Walking »

archaeoroutes

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Re: What's the least hot, most breathable waterproof jacket
« Reply #11 on: 13:21:42, 04/08/19 »
As with all kit recommendations, we can only say what does and doesn't work for us. You have to test and try for yourself.


I'm lucky in that manufacturers give me stuff to trash in the hills and I keep them if I like them. I also get big discounts from retailers and manufacturers and can claim some things through work, so that helps me have a wider experience of kit.
Most people have to try in the shop and hope it translates to the hill. However, do see what you can do through warranties and trades descriptions if something is totally useless or has obvious fault once you've used it.
Walking routes visiting ancient sites in Britain's uplands: http://www.archaeoroutes.co.uk

Rob Goes Walking

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Re: What's the least hot, most breathable waterproof jacket
« Reply #12 on: 14:16:47, 04/08/19 »
Deleted post as I somehow missed something (or it was an edit).
« Last Edit: 15:36:55, 04/08/19 by Rob Goes Walking »

Rob Goes Walking

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Re: What's the least hot, most breathable waterproof jacket
« Reply #13 on: 15:42:56, 04/08/19 »
Weird that the Zeno has a waist size, most jackets just have a chest size. I probably won't be a 38 waist until next year but I'm very nearly a 48 chest/belly (when you're fat you go by the chest size being your belly size although there's no longer much difference between the two). Are you sure the waist size wasn't just for their trousers on the size guide or is it something about the fit?

Rob Goes Walking

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Re: What's the least hot, most breathable waterproof jacket
« Reply #14 on: 16:23:37, 04/08/19 »
Well I hope the waist size was for trousers as I've ordered the Zeno! A lot cheaper than the Lhotse and I'll probably be too small for it within 6 months. If it really needs a 38" waist I'll have to send it back.

 

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