Rain gear.

jaycee said:
Tried A LOT of name-brand Gore Tex over the years, but didn't have much success until Arc'teryx. Pricey, but cannot be beat.

Like others have said, go with bibs instead of the pants.
Click to expand...

The sitka stuff reminds me a bit of Arc'teryx. I had a zipper repaired last year on an old Arcteryx jacket that is still going strong and the guy I spoke with when I picked it up said that they don't use the fabric in my jacket anymore because it's not environmentally friendly to produce.
There are other companies now using construction techniques that Arc'teryx pioneered.
 
My heaviest gortex which is great, is the Canadian military surplus. Wonderful till up to late fall. My lightweight and amazing gortex gear though a tad pricey is called Swazi. I have the tahr anorak and the fleece liner. It's survived two seasons in the high arctic and three times to Africa. Can't praise the gear enough but it's not cheap. I like the anorak style as it gives good mobility and covers my legs quite a ways. Enjoy and stay dry
 
Dogleg said:
What rain gear do you have luck with. Normally if it rains in a big game season I'm fine with going home, but I do understand that things are different in BC where its either raining or about to rain.

I've got some Cabelas Dry Plus stuff that I've picked up over the last few years and never used. Is it any good? Its pouring fairly good right now I put it all on and stood under a corner of the house where the eves trough runs over; nicely simulating standing under an eves trough. Carefully calculating how long it would take the cops to get there I left and walked around in the rain for awhile trying to get sweated up. That gets boring pretty fast too, so there's got to be a better way.

If any of you wet coast guys have any favorites that stand out from the rest? Ideally something that doesn't cost 1000 bucks. Alternately, if someone wants to stand under my eves trough all day and tell me how it turns out that works too.;)
Click to expand...

That's what you did in that hellacious storm yesterday? I fought my way into the city on 2 and 16 and then home. Stupid day.
 
I've had really good luck with KUIU gear, it's a bit harder to justify buying it right now with the poor dollar and the duty I seem to get dinged with each order. I've had some Sitka stuff, didn't like it as much. Lately I've been getting into the Arcteryx stuff which is also very nice. Check out the KUIU site, like Sitka I always ordered a size up..
 
I've spent a couple thousand bucks on rain gear over the years. Mostly Gore-Tex (XCR, pro-shell, paclite, etc, etc) from various manufactures. In the end, I've never been really impressed with it. It all leaks (think shoulders and elbows) and I sweat a lot in it. I think once you've been through enough brush and out in the rain long enough for the water to over power the DWR coating, the breathability comes to an end. The very best Gore-Tex jacket I had for durability was made by Marmot and at the time I believe it retailed for well over $400. The first year I had it, it never leaked...after that it leaked....it was tough though.

Cabela's Dry Plus stuff kept me dry but was too bulky and I sold it after one season.

HH impertech remains a favourite. Yeah I sweat in it but I sweat in the other stuff too. And at least with this stuff, the water ain't coming in. It's quiet rain gear too if that matters.

Having said that, I still am liking a lightweight Northface Hyvent jacket. It gets sweaty and will eventually leak but it's super light and compact. Taiga Gore-Tex pants are what I pair up with that jacket. They also get hot and will leak in heavy rains and soaked grass/brush.

I have never tried Sitka or Kuiu....I can't like "athletic fit" hunting clothing.
 
Arcteryx. Can't really be beat. Pricey though. I have some LEAF Alpha bibs that I picked up at the factory store. I think they were under $200? Total bargain. I see some LEAF on the EE here, which is obviously from the outlet store selling for a tidy profit. Leaf gear rarely comes in the factory store, but when it does, it's usually at a great price.

I also use the Alpha jacket and Alpha parka regularly during the rainy season. The gortex they use in the LEAF gear is much more heavy duty then the retail stuff they sell.
 
I swear by Viking rain gear. The currently make and industrial heavy duty 420 denier. It is the one to Buy! At about 160$ for a set of bibed pants and a long jacketed with hood. My last set of pants lasted 5 years of very heavy use before leaking. They still look great and only leaked on a 5 hour quad ride in nonstop west coast rain. Held up to salt water well too.....I bought a new set for riding and resealed the old ones for the fish boat so they are still in use.
This gear breaths really well and is not too loud to wear. The material is tough as nails. While not manufactured in Canada the quality is high for the 420D line and the company is based in the Vancouver area.
The the only think is, the rubber viking gear fails quickly and is only entry level gear. Don't confuse the two levels of quality.
You can Google them no problem.
 
I picked up some of the Herters stuff from Cabela's. Good for the price and for where I use it, it's fine. There is a lot better out there and a lot worse, as pointed out, depends on where and what you want to do if the real $$ stuff is worth it to you.
 
Dogleg said:
A friend who happens to be one of those pro-staffing fellers has offered to set me up with Sitka gear, so I guess the problem is solved.
Vancouver Island is wet. I don't think there is any rain gear that will keep you 100% dry when your hiking around. You get wet from the inside out anyway. At least with Sitka gear it is light, quiet, breathable, and packable. I just got Sitka gear myself, can't wait to try it out this coming season.
Click to expand...
 
Somehow, no matter what I'm wearing I'll expect to be wet some or most of the time. I'll be happy to live through it, and get back to my semi-arid desert home turf. I was looking at Kitimat weather history and it seems that they get 8 feet of rain per year. That's unholy and un-natural.
 
I use Whitewater rain gear. Mine are not insulated so I can gear up or down depending on activity, and they are breathable.

www.robinsonoutdoors.com/whitewater/
 
Dogleg said:
Somehow, no matter what I'm wearing I'll expect to be wet some or most of the time. I'll be happy to live through it, and get back to my semi-arid desert home turf. I was looking at Kitimat weather history and it seems that they get 8 feet of rain per year. That's unholy and un-natural.
Click to expand...

Maybe a life jacket would be in order?
 
Back in 1979, I spent the summer working in Prince Rupert, I think I saw the sun maybe 3 days the whole time I was there. If it wasn't raining, which was most of the time, it was socked in with fog. Kitimat isn't far from Rupert, so I can imagine what thats like.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom