Packable Rain/Wind Jacket (Hunting/Backpacking)

Joined
Sep 1, 2021
Messages
16
Location
ONT, CA
Hey everyone,

Still new to rokslide and outdoor activities... I was looking for a good breathable rain/wind jacket that is fairly waterproof as well as packable, also one that could fit over my First Lite Uncompahgre 2.0 jacket and can act as a outer layer. The Uncompahgre is out of season right now and I won't be wearing it until the later season where I am in south Ontario, Canada... But, I am still looking for a good jacket I can take and use throughout the whole year. I would appreciate any and all suggestions but I am kind of looking for a budget option/reasonable price if possible.

Thanks again for the help,

- WJ
 
Welcome.

what kind of weather do you hit and do you bust a lot of brush?

for nasty weather and brush busting 3 layer goretex or similar is great. Heavy. Not as packable but dry and durable. Best budget option IMO is the army stuff. The ACU sets are $100-150 each and you can get Multcam. Probably a Canadian equivalent.

for hunting brands, my 1st gen first lite rain gear got chewed up my first time out. Tears on some modest brush. I still have it, but don’t trust it for real weather. I assume they have improved the designs since then but don’t know for sure. I have a set of dew points from Sitka. Great. Packable. $$$. I have a sitka storefront jacket too. It is bombproof but I honestly don’t find myself wearing it much.

my go to when I am hiking (not hunting) and not expecting rain, is an OR helium or foray jacket. Neither will handle a ton of brush but they are light and packable And fairly cheap.
 
Welcome.

what kind of weather do you hit and do you bust a lot of brush?

for nasty weather and brush busting 3 layer goretex or similar is great. Heavy. Not as packable but dry and durable. Best budget option IMO is the army stuff. The ACU sets are $100-150 each and you can get Multcam. Probably a Canadian equivalent.

for hunting brands, my 1st gen first lite rain gear got chewed up my first time out. Tears on some modest brush. I still have it, but don’t trust it for real weather. I assume they have improved the designs since then but don’t know for sure. I have a set of dew points from Sitka. Great. Packable. $$$. I have a sitka storefront jacket too. It is bombproof but I honestly don’t find myself wearing it much.

my go to when I am hiking (not hunting) and not expecting rain, is an OR helium or foray jacket. Neither will handle a ton of brush but they are light and packable And fairly cheap.
Thank you for the reply!

I would occasionally go through little to none-light brush, eventually I'd like to expand and challenge myself by going through some thicker brush in the future for my trips.

The weather I usually hit is around 0-10 Celsius (32-50 F) during the early spring with rain fall, which can consist of downpours to light mist and everything in between. During the late spring/summer its usually just a consistent light rain mixed in with the heat.

I will check out the suggestions you gave and see what I can come up with.

Thanks again!

- WJ
 
for the price i've had pretty good luck with some kings rain gear i bought several years ago (probably not as good as kuiu or sitka) and i really like my kuiu guide jacket.
 
There really are no rain jackets that are breathable, it's fallacy- to stop rain that is longer duration and/or heavy the fabrics aren't going to breathe very much at all.

Unless rain is very unlikely, stick with 3 layer jackets/pants. For hunting you'll want higher denier (more durable) fabric vs a jacket that might be used for strictly trails in a non-hunting backpacking scenario. Having features like pit zips (because of the lack of breathability) are important.

My choice for backpack hunting are the Sitka Dewpoint (jacket and pants)- decently robust fabric, 3 layer Goretex, pits zips (and full zip on the pants)- still decently light- 12 oz for the jacket and 10 oz for the pants.

A pretty good compromise between weight, performance and durability.
 
I have the cabelas dryplus packable and it has always done me ok. Not the best but certainly not the worst I have ever used.
 
I pickedbup a Black Diamond Stormline stretch rain shell for my September hunt in Colorado. It was recommended by another Rokslider.

Sent from my SM-G996U using Tapatalk
 
Helly Hansen Impertech. However, the three most recent and highly functional storm jackets/coats I bought were at Uni Qlo. Excellent rain/storm gear. They also sell top-quality long underwear.
 
It's not the most breathable out there, but I've had good luck with the TNF Venture 2 - it packs down to a reasonable size, the pit zips are a godsend, and the price is super reasonable.
 
There really are no rain jackets that are breathable, it's fallacy- to stop rain that is longer duration and/or heavy the fabrics aren't going to breathe very much at all.

Unless rain is very unlikely, stick with 3 layer jackets/pants. For hunting you'll want higher denier (more durable) fabric vs a jacket that might be used for strictly trails in a non-hunting backpacking scenario. Having features like pit zips (because of the lack of breathability) are important.

My choice for backpack hunting are the Sitka Dewpoint (jacket and pants)- decently robust fabric, 3 layer Goretex, pits zips (and full zip on the pants)- still decently light- 12 oz for the jacket and 10 oz for the pants.

A pretty good compromise between weight, performance and durability.
Is the dewpoint still your go to?
 
Yup. Th only caveat is if it's a really low chance of rain I'll bring the Sitka Flash jacket in lieu of a "real" rain jacket to save some weight
Have you ever had issue with the dewpoint wetting out at all? My pnuma is starting to wet out badly, and with it not fitting as well now due to some weight loss im thinking the dewpoint might be my best fit since I have a kryptek koldo thats my heavy duty rain gear, but it just doesn't pack down
 
Some minor wetting out in very heavy, sustained rains.

I think the only rain gear to withstand that kind of rain is heavy rubber and then you’re as wet on the inside as the outside. Fine for fishing/boating, not so fine if you’re moving (or have to carry it on your back).
 
I have the cabelas dryplus packable and it has always done me ok. Not the best but certainly not the worst I have ever used.
I have these also, ok, especially for the price, better than frog togs or something like that
 
Not gonna lie, the Forloh All-clima soft shell has surprised me with its breathability and water proofing. It is a very comfortable jacket to wear and handled mild brush when i wore it shed hinting earlier this year.

It can be picked up on sale at reasonable price, similar to dewpoint. I wore it on a damp drizzly rainy day in march and temps were mid 40’s for shed hunting. Wore a base shirt and under armor dry fit type second layer and was never cold. I can not talk to its packability since it is designed to be worn as a jacket and not a rain shell, but it isnt heavy and isnt bulky like a typical soft shell.
 
Back
Top