Best ACTUALLY waterproof gear?

[MikeDaily]

Hi All,

I'm moving out to the PNW and would like to get some real deal rain gear. I've had three layer gore-tex gear with sealed seams, pit zips, adjustable hood etc. Never seems to work, either it breathers so poorly I'm soaked even with moderate activity or it leaks and I'm soaked.

What are you experiences with the big three: Sitka, Kuiu, First Lite?

I'm willing to consider other brands too, Patagonia, REI etc.

I just want my legs and torso dry and I'm wiling to spend the money to do it!

(I have treated the gore-tex gear I have with DWR, reapplied it and followed all directions, results are mixed)

 

[zeroforhire]

Best I've used is Arc'teryx. It isn't cheap, but if you don't mind buying used you can find some good deals on eBay or forums.

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[wolf_MT]

Sitka Cloudburst Gore-tex has worked great for me.

 

[MountainTracker]

I live in the PNW, and use Kuiu and Arcteryx. I wear a thin top and keep the pit zips open. I can still wet out from sweat, however it does keep the water out. I’d say the Arcteryx is a little better at pushing moisture out, but it seems way louder then the Kuiu. Because of this I find myself grabbing the Kuiu for most hunts. If I know it’s going to be raining all day the noise doesn’t matter much imo. Oh and if you don’t have gaters get them! Welcome to the wetside.


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[limited686]

Kuiu Yukon all the way. I live in Oregon and hunt the coast range... Yukon line keeps me warm and dry always.

 

[Ryan Avery]

None of the breathable stuff is completely waterproof. Be careful of the heavy face weight like the Yukon or SEAK jackets. They like to wet out over time.

The best rain jacket I have used is the Kryptek Takur

 

[ramses342]

None of the breathable stuff is completely waterproof. Be careful of the heavy face weight like the Yukon or SEAK jackets. They like to wet out over time.

This is 100% right. I personally have the Sitka cloudbursts, my buddy had the first lite SEAK set up before he returned it because he did not feel like it lived up to what was advertised, to their credit they did a refund way past their advertised warranty. Both of these fail up here in SE Alaska when you have hard rain and are moving through wet thick brush. They work alright if the leaves and brush are wet and you are moving through them when it is not actively pouring. The Grundens Neptune line is in my opinion the best for totally waterproof PVC which is lightweight. I use the Neptune bib with my sitka cloudburst most of the time during the rut here when it is not raining because I am hunting in wet swamps and I like to be able to sit down anywhere. I have nik waxed my cloudbursts quite a few times and don't feel like they are close to back to what they were originally. Just about everyone I know up here who comes from down south did what I did, buy a very expensive pair of rain gear from Sitka, First Lite or Kuiu but then just eventually switches more and more to light weight PVC.

 

[Matt Cashell]

None of the breathable stuff is completely waterproof.

The best rain jacket I have used is the Kryptek Takur

Has the Takur leaked for you?

I know you see more frequent rain than I do, but I wore the Takur top and bottom in three consecutive days of absolute soaking downpour this past year without a hint of a leak. It was awesome performance for me. I feel like they could make waders out of that Schoeller fabric, and it breathes way better than most hardshells.

 

[Bubblehide]

I typically get 2 years use from Goretex or Gortex like products before they start leaking on me. The most rain I generally see is pig hunting the coastal mountains here in Ca, which I do a lot of. Like many places, it can come d ok wn in buckets. In short, I agree with the light weight PVC crowd.

 

[LJ Buck]

Kryptek Tukur gets my vote. I have tried most of them and this is the best IMO

 

[Ryan Avery]

Has the Takur leaked for you?

I know you see more frequent rain than I do, but I wore the Takur top and bottom in three consecutive days of absolute soaking downpour this past year without a hint of a leak. It was awesome performance for me. I feel like they could make waders out of that Schoeller fabric, and it breathes way better than most hardshells.

No leaks that I can tell. It does breathe really well, too well almost. You don't want to wait to put on a puffy when you stop to glass. After owning lots of rain jackets from hunting companies and non-hunting companies the Takur is the best breathable rain jacket I have used. I hate the word "best".

 

[Outdoorsman12b]

HH Impertech

 

[Ryan Avery]

HH Impertech

It leaked on me and the zipper sucked, but it’s cheap.


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[Outdoorsman12b]

It leaked on me and the zipper sucked, but it’s cheap.


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Agree Zipper does suck, but I have never wet out in it. Did it leak through the zipper?

 

[twall13]

@Ryan Avery any idea how the Swazi Tahr XP compares to the Kryptek Takur?

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[AK_Skeeter]

I like raingear made by the best waders company (and made in the USA): SIMMS

 

[Ryan Avery]

@Ryan Avery any idea how the Swazi Tahr XP compares to the Kryptek Takur?

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Never used any Swazi products unfortunately.


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[Ryan Avery]

Agree Zipper does suck, but I have never wet out in it. Did it leak through the zipper?

Shoulder area and zipper.

The zipper was terrible had it replaced.


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[tdhanses]

Holy shit balls! At $1000 for top and bottoms that Takur better not leak! I’ll stick with my First Lite stuff but I don’t hunt super wet areas.

 

[Ryan Avery]

Holy shit balls! At $1000 for top and bottoms that Takur better not leak! I’ll stick with my First Lite stuff but I don’t hunt super wet areas.

HAHA! and I paid for mine! The Jacket anyways, rainpants are pointless IMO.