Best rain jacket that works??

[Jmhunt_13]

Rain gear should have a time limit rating for how long you can be in the elements until it's soaked though. "Breathable rain gear" is a conundrum. I've tried a couple of the main brands (kuiu/stone glacier) and have been disappointed. Does anyone have a rain jacket they'd truly recommend to stay dry? I only wash them once a year and use nikwax. Thanks for your input.


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[Quandary]

Grundéns Neptune Jacket Refraction Camo

Full-zippered hooded jacket made from medium-weight polyurethane-coated polyester fabric provides 100% waterproof protection and the comfort and ease of movement active fishermen need. An athletic cut and underarm gussets deliver protection without restricting fishing action.

grundens.com

 

[Macintosh]

I've tried a couple of the main brands (kuiu/stone glacier) and have been disappointed. Does anyone have a rain jacket they'd truly recommend to stay dry?

You cannot choose by brand, you have to choose by fabric and laminate. Nearly every company is going to have multiple products that use different fabrics that perform very differently. Not always, but most of the time when people complain about leaking they also have an issue with perspiration getting them wet from the inside, as well as inner garments wicking water into the jacket. The only truly waterproof jacket for mega wet conditions is a rubberized or coated jacket…that doesnt breathe at all. Depending in conditions and how you use it that may or may not be “better”.

I only wash them once a year and use nikwax.

Waterproof breatheable fabrics rely heavily on the dwr coating to bead-off water without wetting-out the fabric. Dirt in the surface structure of the fabric usually causes them to wet-out faster. You may need to wash it more frequently.

The best-performing dwr’s have all been discontinued because they are banned in most markets due to the production of them being a significant environmental problem. Im a few years out of that industry, but my experience is that the newer dwr’s are inferior, and friends who work at some of the fabric manufacturers confirm this. It may take a few years for the newer dwr’s to reach the performance they used to have, and its possible they never catch up.

 

[Q_Sertorius]

You cannot choose by brand, you have to choose by fabric and laminate. Nearly every company is going to have multiple products that use different fabrics that perform very differently. Not always, but most of the time when people complain about leaking they also have an issue with perspiration getting them wet from the inside, as well as inner garments wicking water into the jacket. The only truly waterproof jacket for mega wet conditions is a rubberized or coated jacket…that doesnt breathe at all. Depending in conditions and how you use it that may or may not be “better”.

Waterproof breatheable fabrics rely heavily on the dwr coating to bead-off water without wetting-out the fabric. Dirt in the surface structure of the fabric usually causes them to wet-out faster. You may need to wash it more frequently.

So, what jacket do you recommend for spring through fall wear? Something light enough for a summer hike… I feel a bit silly wearing my Austrian surplus poncho to my daughter’s bus stop, but it’s all I have right now.

I had one I was forced to buy in the gift shop of my hotel near Grand Teton back in 2009, but after a decade of excellent performance it finally fell apart and I never noted the brand.

 

[Macintosh]

Scandinavian or Brit brands (ie places where it rains a lot, similar to se AK) work wear or top of the line rain gear. Grundens, helly hansen make coated stuff. Rab and some of the brit /scandi brands make good rain wear. Im sure there are others. Sitka is owned by gore and that’ll be as good as anything. Look at the water-column rating for breatheable stuff, you need a minimum of a 20,000mm water column. A harder face fabric (ie loud/no stretch) will bead off water significantly better.

 

[Wrench]

Take a cotton shirt and breathe through the fabric. It is easy to do so....now, get it wet and try again. You can barely do it and that's with positive pressure.

Vapor permeable fabrics require the outer most surface to be able to get rid of the moisture.

The best I've used for myself is cabelas berber fleece with windstopper. The windstopper did a great job of breathing and the berber was porous enough to not hydro lock the water in. Windstopper was adequate for rain but the zippers sucked and the garment would get very heavy and bulky....but I could sweat like a pig in a rain storm and actually dry out.

I've been happy with the schoeller fabric that kryptek used in the bora and takur series but it does require dwr treatments to stay effective.

A simple shell like a marmot precip and well thought out moisture moving layering system would work as well as any $500 jacket on the market....but we want all in one performance and expect quiet and durable, which is basically a unicorn if you add in much life expectancy without maintenance.

 

[dgfavor]

I feel a bit silly wearing my Austrian surplus poncho

I am 100% on the poncho train. With typical hunter rain gear, for me anyway, YMMV, it's a choice of wetting out from rain from outside or getting wet from sweat on the inside...or both at the same time. A truly waterproof poncho that breathes great by mechanical design vs hi-tech fabric has been $$$. I use the Ferrino Trekker that goes on right over my pack. Paired with tall waterproof gaiters I'm a comfortable happy dude. Some light waterproof chaps and poncho would be good combo also IMO for big, sweaty sasquatch types like myself.
Ferrino Trekker

 

[cuerro viejo]

Won’t wet out, but not the lightest jacket, nor most breathable but lighter and more breathable then gruden’s rubber wear

https://www.columbia.com/p/mens-whistler-peak-shell-jacket-2126251.html?color=397

 

[Macintosh]

A simple shell like a marmot precip and well thought out moisture moving layering system would work as well as any $500 jacket on the market

Are you in Eastern Washington? This definitely does not match my experience. The precip is a great inexpensive shell, but with a 10,000mm water column—the absolute minimum to be considered a shell at all—it has less than half of the true waterproof performance of the better waterproof breatheable fabrics, and it doesn't breathe nearly as well either, so youre more likely to be wet from perspiration in addition. My personal experience mirrors this spec.

I ask location because in a drier area like eastern side of the cascades (relative to a wet area where days-long soaking rain is the norm) the weather is just more forgiving. If the guy already had a problem, Im not sure something like this is a good solution.

Agree 100% on the moisture moving layer though. It makes a difference.

 

[Kooziehiker]

I have used my rivers west jackets (two different ones) for 15+ years. Work great, highly recommend I've been pleased with my XD gear as well, and mountain hardwear. I've worn my XD/mountain hardwear both for hunting and hiking, sometimes for many hours in the pouring rain, keeps the rain out - did ok with breathability.

I have also used old school like a cowboy slicker coat - very effective, but heavy, not very useful unless you are mostly sitting/standing. Oilskin type fabric.

 

[wowzers]

They have gotten a little more expensive (used to be $65 now $154) but Watershed Nitrished jackets are waterproof. I used to spend hundred of days a year in the rain in the PNW and breathable rain gear just doesn't work in my experience.

 

[mtnbound]

Rain gear should have a time limit rating for how long you can be in the elements until it's soaked though. "Breathable rain gear" is a conundrum. I've tried a couple of the main brands (kuiu/stone glacier) and have been disappointed. Does anyone have a rain jacket they'd truly recommend to stay dry? I only wash them once a year and use nikwax. Thanks for your input.


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Everything works right up to the point it stops. I have had great success with Kuiu Chugach, but I still have had times where water worked its way through the zippers.

I have used various breathable fabrics and most don’t work that great especially if you have too many layers on underneath and are sweating.

The non breathable fabrics are even more dependent on proper layer control to keep body temps from getting too high and if you are one of the types that run warm anyways then non breathable ones suck even if you are naked underneath.

Ventile fabric is pretty amazing and it’s breathability is great compared to other fabrics. I would recommend using a double layer product for maximum protection but still if it’s gonna be a constant downpour, I would put a shell over the top but a double layer Ventile jacket can take a lot of water. When wet they do get heavy and are probably the most expensive product out there.

 

[ccsumner78]

I had great luck with the Sitka rain gear
pricey but if you are law enforcement discounts are available

 

[Hunterscamera]

Anybody have experience with these? Can't see the material it's made from on the page.

MT. REYNOLDS RAIN JACKET - OLIVE

DROPS 2.24.26 @ NOON MST Mt. Reynolds sits at 9,125 feet in the heart of Glacier National Park. The weather up there keeps you on your toes. We named this jacket after that peak for a reason. The Mt. Reynolds Rain Jacket is built for those warm days when the decides it needs a little mid-day...

www.montanaknifecompany.com

 

[Thegman]

This and gaiters that are high enough to reach the bottom of the poncho are my go to. If I'm hunting with other guys, when we meet up at the end of the day, I'm the driest.

Amazon.com

 

[Jmhunt_13]

Scandinavian or Brit brands (ie places where it rains a lot, similar to se AK) work wear or top of the line rain gear. Grundens, helly hansen make coated stuff. Rab and some of the brit /scandi brands make good rain wear. Im sure there are others. Sitka is owned by gore and that’ll be as good as anything. Look at the water-column rating for breatheable stuff, you need a minimum of a 20,000mm water column. A harder face fabric (ie loud/no stretch) will bead off water significantly better.

Thank you for the insight. Never even considered looking for a water-column rating. And I will have to try treating more often.


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[Jmhunt_13]

Thank you all for the replies. A lot of good points to consider.


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[medvedyt]

helly hansenalways worked for me but i choose to be wet on both side but rain is not getting in ...

 

[duchntr]

My opinion is based upon continuous use in wet environments.

The reality is that breathable textiles don't last forever, and they should be viewed as disposable items.

The market has pushed "breathable" rain gear for a long time. I personally don't believe breathable shells are the answer for everyone.

For a certain use cases, (active-unsupported back pack hunting) I have been content in using kuius chugach line. Knowing I will get a few seasons out of each garment before performance falls below a serviceable standard and will need to be replaced.

 

[kylem]

I got away from breathable rain gear the last few years after using HH Impertech on a backpack hunt in AK. Now if I’m expecting real rain where I hunt in Idaho that I’m going to be moving around in I’ll take the heavy stuff that I know will keep me dry and just layer and move at an appropriate speed so I don’t overheat too bad.

If I’m not expecting much rain I’ll take a light breathable rain jacket that generally turns into more of a wind break, but it works ok for a sprinkle here and there. That being said if I wear it in any kind of real rain it will soak through and if I wear it hiking hard I will sweat a bunch anyway just not quite as much as in non breathable rain gear.