Author Topic: Waterproof jacket for the wife  (Read 1806 times)

NeilC

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Waterproof jacket for the wife
« on: 08:56:54, 02/03/21 »
My wife needs a waterproof shell for general use and some day walks (we're going to do a long distance path over several weekends. She has 200 quid to spend. Any suggestions gratefully received.





Is Goretex Paclite any good? I've seen a couple of jackets using that and I'm not familiar with it mysef.

WhitstableDave

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Re: Waterproof jacket for the wife
« Reply #1 on: 09:09:51, 02/03/21 »
I've got a Berghaus Gore-Tex Paclite jacket. It's light and packs down small enough to carry in case of rain and it does a pretty good job when required, but I wouldn't make it my main waterproof shell. It has just the two hand pockets and can get a little clammy when working hard. My preference is for the Rohan Vertex Jacket which is beautifully made and feels great; lots of well thought-out pockets; more breathable. Also, it's not much heavier, but it does cost £295. However, Rohan sometimes drops the price in their regular sales to your budget or even lower...

Edit: Just seen the women's Vertex for £177! Bargain! https://www.rohan.co.uk/womens-travel-and-outdoor-waterproofs-vertex-jacket-ss19
« Last Edit: 09:35:05, 02/03/21 by WhitstableDave »
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gunwharfman

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Re: Waterproof jacket for the wife
« Reply #2 on: 10:10:42, 02/03/21 »
There is so much choice out there, so for my part, I first bought an expensive Paramo Alta 2 (£250) which I find, too heavy, too hot in the warmer months and I got fed up with the difficulty of folding it down to a reasonable rucksack storage size and for me, its material is just too slippery.

Then I went to the other extreme, I bought a less than £20 Champion waterproof long coat and then a less than £20 Champion waterproof standard length jacket, and in my opinion, both are as good as my Paramo. If they have a fault it's because they would not be seen as stylish and of course, they are cheap! I used both for well over a year and never had any problems in them keeping me dry, their hoods are rather good as well.  The Champions are single skin and their main drawback for me, like the Paramo, is that when exerting myself, they like so many other jackets can suffer from inside perspiration. Easily solved though, I just opened the full zip and the air dries my torso area easily.

I really wanted to buy a long waterproof coat (down to my mid-calf) made of a different waterproof material but I couldn't find anything like this so in the end, I accepted my lot and knew I had to go for a bum length jacket or get nothing at all.

I also owned a Marmot Precip, again a single skin, which I liked a lot but it to when exerting myself could feel damp and clammy against bare skin, like my arms.

Personally, I liked the look of the Alpkit Gravitas, its a 3 layer, not a 2.5 and I read some good write-ups and saw some equally good YouTube videos about it. I didn't buy it in the end, the lure of a Rab bargain swayed me, so I've just bought their Rab Kinetic hoody Version 2.0 at a pleasantly low price. It hasn't experienced rain yet but it feels lovely and cosy to wear, no rustling noises and its light in weight.

I wish you luck.

gunwharfman

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Re: Waterproof jacket for the wife
« Reply #3 on: 15:47:31, 03/03/21 »
I've decided I'm going to have to send my Rab Kinetic jacket back and ask for a replacement. It appears to be just what I want, except for one problem, it's very difficult to make the zip work properly. I'm worried that if I keep applying too much thumb and index finger strength to the bit of the zip that needs to be gripped to pull it up it's soon going to snap off. I've thought it might get easier with use but if I keep trying that it may still snap the zip.

Eyelet

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Re: Waterproof jacket for the wife
« Reply #4 on: 18:53:11, 03/03/21 »
Is Goretex Paclite any good? I've seen a couple of jackets using that and I'm not familiar with it myself.


I agree with WhitstableDave about Paclite. Mrs E and I have had Paclite jackets for a good few years now and take them when we're only expecting showers - they are very packable and are waterproof, but a bit clammy. Mine has two mesh-lined pockets and pit zips, so is better for dumping some excess heat and moisture, but the breathability is definitely not as good as my main Mountain Equipment Gore-tex Pro jacket.

Edward1953

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Re: Waterproof jacket for the wife
« Reply #5 on: 13:24:53, 04/03/21 »
Then I went to the other extreme, I bought a less than £20 Champion waterproof long coat and then a less than £20 Champion waterproof standard length jacket, and in my opinion, both are as good as my Paramo. If they have a fault it's because they would not be seen as stylish and of course, they are cheap! I used both for well over a year and never had any problems in them keeping me dry, their hoods are rather good as well.  The Champions are single skin and their main drawback for me, like the Paramo, is that when exerting myself, they like so many other jackets can suffer from inside perspiration. Easily solved though, I just opened the full zip and the air dries my torso area easily.

I really wanted to buy a long waterproof coat (down to my mid-calf) made of a different waterproof material but I couldn't find anything like this.....

 I was wondering if anyone knew of a good full-length waterproof as I've also been using a Champion for the past several years and thought there must surely be something better out there, but maybe there isn't! After about 5 years my first one wore out - obviously this wasn't 5 years of continual wear as it didn't rain every time I went out, but it did take a few hammerings and of course being rolled up tightly in a pack doesn't help. I am usually an XL but got an XXL for my second one, as I've found that it only keeps out sustained rain for about an hour and you need the backup of a jacket underneath. I seem to remember my previous one performing better than that, so either the quality has dropped or my memory's at fault. I don't suppose this would do for Snowdonia or the Cairngorms but I seldom do more than 12 miles and the hills round here are pretty gentle, so it's adequate for me. S'pose I'll carry on using it.... :)
 

watershed

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Re: Waterproof jacket for the wife
« Reply #6 on: 13:40:20, 04/03/21 »
My wife needs a waterproof shell for general use and some day walks (we're going to do a long distance path over several weekends. She has 200 quid to spend. Any suggestions gratefully received.





Is Goretex Paclite any good? I've seen a couple of jackets using that and I'm not familiar with it mysef.




Outdoor research Aspire seems to do well in reviews.
Outdoor Research Women’s Aspire Review [Mar 2021 Guide] (camparest.com)

 Seems to be under £200
https://www.ultralightoutdoorgear.co.uk/womens-clothing-c2/womens-waterproofs-c92/womens-aspire-gore-tex-jacket-p12547

gunwharfman

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Re: Waterproof jacket for the wife
« Reply #7 on: 13:51:27, 04/03/21 »
I too looked for something 'better' and wanted a long coat rather than an ordinary jacket but I gave up in the end, just nothing out there, well I never found it anyway. When I looked at my £20 Champion jacket the next tier of pricing which I personally would judge as 'better' was the Marmot Precip level of cost, the other jackets below the Marmot just seemed to be more expensive versions (and different colours) of my Champion so for me wasn't worth the outlay.

I've moved in the direction of realising in terms of the hiking that I like to do, more than 7 days at a time and in a tent, I want to be more in control of the various weathers that I might encounter. So I personally feel the need for a two-layer system, With rain, for example, I want a jacket that will keep me dry until I make the assessment that I now need a further layer to really keep me dry, which in my case is a full front zip poncho. I layer with other weathers (eg. cold and/or windy) as a routine, so I've concluded I need to do this with rain as well.

NeilC

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Re: Waterproof jacket for the wife
« Reply #8 on: 16:11:44, 05/03/21 »
Thanks for the suggestions chaps.

Eyelet

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Re: Waterproof jacket for the wife
« Reply #9 on: 18:42:21, 05/03/21 »
Was just on the Cotswold Outdoor website and they have this Montane Gore-tex Pro women's Alpine Resolve jacket at £216 (if Mrs C can live with the orange colour) which is an amazing price for a jacket made from this material: https://www.cotswoldoutdoor.com/p/montane-womens-alpine-resolve-jacket-A4116417.html?colour=133

gunwharfman

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Re: Waterproof jacket for the wife
« Reply #10 on: 16:02:07, 08/03/21 »
I'm looking forward to tomorrow because it's supposed to rain, I hope to test my Rab Kinetic to see if it measures up to the marketing information put out by them?

I was going to send it back but Rab has persuaded me to keep using the zip, they claim it will ease with use and if it does fail they will replace it. I hope I'm doing the right thing? I'm keeping the to and fro emails between us until further notice.

pauldawes

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Re: Waterproof jacket for the wife
« Reply #11 on: 17:00:31, 08/03/21 »
I'm looking forward to tomorrow because it's supposed to rain, I hope to test my Rab Kinetic to see if it measures up to the marketing information put out by them?

I was going to send it back but Rab has persuaded me to keep using the zip, they claim it will ease with use and if it does fail they will replace it. I hope I'm doing the right thing? I'm keeping the to and fro emails between us until further notice.


I’ve got a pair of the Rab Kinetic trousers, and they have performed well so far in prolonged rain...so hopefully jacket. I’ll do well for you.

gunwharfman

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Re: Waterproof jacket for the wife
« Reply #12 on: 19:27:28, 10/03/21 »
I actually looked forward to the rain this morning. It was cold, windy, and raining from hard to medium (subjective) so I decided to run in my new Rab Kinetic jacket. I ran 4.5 km and it worked very well and it rained all of the time. The fabric is soft, doesn't make any noise, doesn't weigh much, and as far as I could tell it was waterproof. At the end of my run, I did not feel any perspiration wetness on the inside. If I'd used my Paramo Alta 2 jacket to run 4.5 km the inside would have been wet through!

I write 'as far as I could tell because I failed to understand how to bring the hood tightly around my face. There's a drawstring at the rear of the hood and I felt two spring-loaded (I think they are spring-loaded?) round flat buttons, totally enclosed in the hood material on either side at the top of the zip. The sleeve endings are good, they are not elasticated (I'm not keen on elastic) but they can be tightened around my wrist by velcro straps. The velcro straps I think will hold well but it's not an aggressive hold. As it was raining I didn't bother tightening them at all, the sleeves are fairly long (which I like) and so my hands hardly got wet, just fingers.

When I got home had a look at the hood mechanism and as far as I can tell I just have to pull and pull the cord on the rear of the hood until it's secure all around my face? I could be wrong though and I'm worried that if I keep pulling and pulling I might damage something? Any Rab owners on the Forum? Do you know how the hood works?

The zip is tight and until it's halfway up it's a bit of a pull. I've already written to the company and they suggest using it a few times and it will become smoother in operation. I hope so, my worry is I'm going to snap the zip puller off.

Edward1953

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Re: Waterproof jacket for the wife
« Reply #13 on: 21:00:09, 10/03/21 »
The zip is tight and until it's halfway up it's a bit of a pull. I've already written to the company and they suggest using it a few times and it will become smoother in operation. I hope so, my worry is I'm going to snap the zip puller off.
A spot of boot wax strategically dabbed into the slider will often sort out a stiff zip.

richardh1905

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Re: Waterproof jacket for the wife
« Reply #14 on: 22:20:21, 10/03/21 »

I write 'as far as I could tell because I failed to understand how to bring the hood tightly around my face. There's a drawstring at the rear of the hood and I felt two spring-loaded (I think they are spring-loaded?) round flat buttons, totally enclosed in the hood material on either side at the top of the zip....

When I got home had a look at the hood mechanism and as far as I can tell I just have to pull and pull the cord on the rear of the hood until it's secure all around my face? I could be wrong though and I'm worried that if I keep pulling and pulling I might damage something? Any Rab owners on the Forum? Do you know how the hood works?


I have a similar system on the hoods of my Mountain Equipment jackets - the 'buttons' that you describe are flat spring loaded cord grips - if you squeeze them between your fingers, they will release the cord thereby loosening the hood. Better than having one of those spring loaded toggles flapping in your face in a gale!
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