Quiet, Neutral Colored Rain Gear?

[cowboyarcher]

Hi All!

Sorry if this has been covered already, but who make some very quiet absolutely waterproof (edit: something sufficiently waterproof for SE WY) rain gear? I want then in a neutral solid color as well. A very tough material would be a great feature as well for used on a snowmobile.

I was walking around the wet wilderness this week in my Kings rain pant and realized just how noisy they are.

Can anyone help with some suggestions?

Thanks all and God bless you!

Adam

 

[colonel00]

Absolutely waterproof? Check out Helly Hansen's Impertech. I have a set in brown and they are great for ocean fishing. However, I don't think I would wear them on a hunt there I was doing any moving at all. They don't breathe so they will get hot and hold internal moisture.

Honestly, you list three attributes that may be difficult to find all in one solution. Quiet, absolutely waterproof and very tough are all great features but kind of cancel each other out when looking for clothing.

 

[cowboyarcher]

Absolutely waterproof? Check out Helly Hansen's Impertech. I have a set in brown and they are great for ocean fishing. However, I don't think I would wear them on a hunt there I was doing any moving at all. They don't breathe so they will get hot and hold internal moisture.

Honestly, you list three attributes that may be difficult to find all in one solution. Quiet, absolutely waterproof and very tough are all great features but kind of cancel each other out when looking for clothing.

Perhaps absolutely waterproof is a bit of an overstatement. I just live in WY, so at worst we might get 4-5 of heavier rain.

 

[Kotaman]

"Quiet" and "Absolutely Waterproof Rain Gear" do not exist together. Problem is, the properties that make a garmet "quiet" retains water. A truely waterproof garmet is never completely quiet. Sitka has some great solid colors in their rain gear but you just aren't going to get away from the noise and be waterproof. Sitkas Downpour pant (camo) is a brushed fleece and is fairly quiet, but not nearly as waterproof as their other rain gear offerings. (ie - Dew Point, Cloudburst, Stormfront or Cold Front)

 

[RamDreamer]

I'll throw in another opinion on this topic. I agree what you are asking for seems to be beyond the moon currently. A lot of the quieter systems that will eventually hold water on the material made to keep it quiet are primarily for stand or still hunting ( or at least minimal movement). By you mentioning the wilderness I am believing that you are moving around a bit. The HH stuff is amazing and will handle any amount of rain and water you can through at it, but then again it will not breath one bit. Basically you are going to have to find a happy median. I currently use Sitka's Dew Point and think for the weight, breathability, and being waterproof it is the best I have used to date. With that said I hear that the First Lite set is amazing as well, but I just haven't had a chance to use that yet.

 

[colonel00]

As an example, I currently have 3+ sets of rain gear that I use for different situations. I used my recent trip to AK to test them out in rainy coastal situations.

First I have a set of Kryptek Poseidon raingear. This stuff is lightweight but still fairly durable. It doesn't have many "frills" like pit zips although the pants have full length zippers. This is the rain gear I will carry in my pack for hunts where I don't expect a lot of rain but I want to be prepared so I can sit for a day in a fairly solid rain.

Second is the aforementioned HH Impertechs. These things are great for the super wet and as mentioned, I wear them more for ocean fishing but I did give them a go while hunting bear in AK since we were just sitting on salmon streams and not doing much actual physical exertion.

Those two sets are at the extreme opposite ends of what I use. The Poseidons are ultralight and packable while the Impertechs are truly waterproof and durable. In the middle I currently have a Kryptek Koldo jacket and a pair of waterproof pants. These are solid colors for both hunting and more recreational use. I would still like to upgrade this set probably to FL or KUIU at some point but for now it works well.

 

[cowboyarcher]

How quite/tough are the Koldos? I've been looking at their charcoal bottoms and they might be just what I'm looking for...

 

[Becca]

How quite/tough are the Koldos? I've been looking at their charcoal bottoms and they might be just what I'm looking for...

I have the first gen Koldo top and bottom in charcoal, and have been very happy with them. They are slightly brushed fabric, so they are little quieter than the average rain gear, but don't seem to hold too much water. The full zips on the pants make them easy to get on and off over boots. They are heavy though, so I most often use them for boat or atv based hunts where I don't have to carry them for a week or more (my lighter weight eVent gear gets the nod for backpacking trips most often). I have had no issues with durability in the 3+ years I have used it....aside from a few burn holes I got from embers on them a couple seasons back, which isn't the fault of the fabric. Let's just say Aron and Ryan don't kid around when they build a "warming" fire....

 

[Qfrog]

Kuiu Yukon is great but I don't know about solid colors. Quietest rain gear I own and bomb proof

 

[Superdeuce]

Suggest checking out the newer "hybrid softshells" on the market using Polartec Neoshell. My favorite for timber hunts is the Marmot Nabu I picked up last year... but for sledding and such you might want to look at it's burlier cousin the Marmot Zion.

 

[trevore]

Find something with a brushed face. Like the Sitka Downpour. Treat the shell with a good DWR. It should have one but you can coat it anyway. A lot of times the brushed fabrics wet out due to a poor coating of repellant. When that happens they stop breathing and then you get soaked from sweat.