Best rain all day Rain Jacket?

[Riverwalker]

Other than rubber any that have really kept the rain out?

 

[justinspicher]

My FL rain jacket did a great job here in Washington State.

 

[PJG]

Mountain Hardwear Dry Q Elite

 

[LaHunter]

check out the article reviewing the top rain jackets.

 

[BroodBuster]

Sitka Cloudburst. Mine has held up for two spring steel head seasons on rain forest rivers. No tougher test than sitting in a boat for 8 hours on the Olympic Peninsula.

 

[SHTF]

Sitka Stormfront is what I went with. I spent 5 hours in it the other day in a steady downpour. Stayed cool and dry. Ive done tons of research on the High end Rain coat market. It appears that the following are my list of favorites based on my own research and reviews Ive read. I currently use and went with the Sitka stormfront though.

No particular order:
Sitka (Ive heard mixed reviews on the Stormfront Lite stuff I use the Standard Stormfront)
First Lite Boundry (Would of bought this but they didnt have the CB coat like I wanted)
Arctery'x ( have used and is great quality this is my backpacking coat for rain)
Kuiu Chug or Chug NX (Never used but you can find all kinds of good reviews on it)
Kryptek Koldo (stay away from the Posieden no ventilation at all) I use the Koldo Pants. So far so good but havent used in heavy heavy rain.

There maybe more then this that Ive missed but these are the ones that I had on my research list. By no means am I saying these are the end all be all. Just what I researched when I was looking for better rain gear.

Something Ive found with high end rain gear is the build quality and material is super important. Cocona or Goretex are the materials that seem to have the best reviews out there for waterproofness and breathability.

Have to be seam sealed and have high end waterproof zippers.

Another aspect is ventilation. All of the above listed brands all seem to have very good vents i.e. Pit zips shock cords around the waist and how the sleeves cinch down. All very important aspects. Hood fit is also another one that I have read alot about. Appears some hoods are better then others. But the ones that let you cinch down around the face and actually have shock cord for around the head area to form to your head all seem to get good reviews.

This is by no means a professional opinion but just some info I have learned on doing my own research. So take it for what its worth. If you have any additional questions about my post see below. =-)

But I put my money into the Sitka gear and Arctery'x based on some fantastic reviews and the fact that every time I saw a review on Sitka it was based on a trip to Alaska or the Yukon. I know that Luke and Becca use the Kryptek Koldo and they love it. I almost went with it also but I took into account weight, my use for me personally and the place I spend the most time at, here in Colorado backpacking and hunting here.

There some really good budget rain gear out there also but they arnt going to breath as well as some of these Ive listed (Some say non breath at all) and they dont have alot of the features or the proven track record. But if your in a quick 20 min rain storm, will get you by without issues.

One Id like to see is the new cabelas line of back country rain gear. Appears to be alot like the coats listed above. 3 layer goretex breathable material. But Im good on gear now so really no reason to research it other then seeing it online. Im sure I will check it out once I go to Cabelas again.

Hope that helps.

 

[rodney482]

I love my North face venture rain gear

 

[Matt W.]

I've tested a lot of rain over the last year or so. It caused me to switch things around based on how and where I hunt. As of now my go to rain gear is either by Sitka or First Lite, depending on the trip. I've been really impressed with the Dewpoint line as a no nonsense minimalistic set up. The Stormfront is heavier, more durable, and has more features, but is still one heck of a performer. The FL Stormtight is a great middle spot between the two (in terms of weight) and priced very well. If you are sticking with hunting brand companies its hard to beat those three, especially if you can find a good sale.

I've also spent quite a bit of time in the KUIU Chugach & Yukon. The Chugach and the FL Stormtight perform very similar to me. The Yukon is tougher than the Chugach per se, but the fit finish and quality did not seem quite on the same level as the Stormfront. However, the price is considerably different and makes the Yukon a pretty good value for one looking for a heavier duty set of rain gear that is still breathable.

The follow up article to my article from last fall was submitted to Rokslide and should be published soon. In that one I tested the Sitka Stormfront, Sitka Coldfront, KUIU Yukon, and the Kryptek Koldo.

Here is the original article:
http://www.rokslide.com/2012-01-09-...let-it-rain-light-weight-rain-jacket-shootout

Looking back it it, I wish I would have tested a few more, but it is what it is...

 

[Tony Trietch]

My Kuiu Yukon kept mr dry last year.
It rained often and hard.

 

[yhudson]

I have two jackets that I love. My KUIU Chugach when I need something small to pack and my Patagonia Piolet when weight and space are not an issue.

 

[Riverwalker]

Thanks for all the replies and ideas guys much appreciated

 

[Clarktar]

Sitka Cloudburst. Mine has held up for two spring steel head seasons on rain forest rivers. No tougher test than sitting in a boat for 8 hours on the Olympic Peninsula.

I have never used this jacket, but I completely agree in regards to the testing environment.

 

[luke moffat]

I have tried Kuiu, Sitka, Arcteryx and more. I find I fair prefer eVent. My second favorite is Kuiu Chugach line but thats just me and I haven't tried each of the offerings from Sitka. That said Westcomb eVent is super breathable, light, that I went back to it this year. Super comfy to wear and the Speter LT hoody is just 11 oz and has held up well to the brush busting on Kodiak and several trips wearing it all day every day this summer due to less than ideal weather in the interior this year.

Climbhigh currently has all their westcomb stuff at 50% off right now. If you don't need camo its a good chance to buy some quality rain gear no doubt!




Becca has had her Westcomb Jacket since 2010 and it has held up remarkably well for how much she has worn it.


http://climbhigh.com/index.php/catalogsearch/result/?q=westcomb

 

[cq0302]

Kuiu chugach gets my vote

 

[ikesnipecity]

Kuiu Yukon

 

[Davyalabama]

Nothing on USA Forloh?

 

[jaybee129]

I would definitely recommend looking for jackets with extra ventilation and good hoods and cinches, if you expect to need to wear it all day continuously through tasks of varying effort. Being able to keep pit zips open or modify the hood to jusssttt barely cover the rain on your face while still maximizing airflow out the top is important.

 

[Tbone26]

Another vote for Kuiu Yukon