Topic
What’s your favorite rain jacket?
Forum Posting
A Membership is required to post in the forums. Login or become a member to post in the member forums!
Home › Forums › Gear Forums › Gear (General) › What’s your favorite rain jacket?
- This topic is empty.
-
AuthorPosts
-
Jan 26, 2010 at 3:24 pm #1254531
I'm considering going from a wind shirt/umbrella to a rain jacket and would like to discuss the pros and cons of both.
I've recently purchased a Driducks jacket and had some success with it, but the cheap fabric and zipper have left me wanting more. I love the simplicity of the Driducks (no zippered pockets, etc), and the weight savings that accompany the lack of features. At 6.25 oz (men's xl), it saves me a whopping 6.05oz over my Golite Chrome Dome umbrella + Golite Ether jacket. What I haven't found is a good quality rain jacket with extremely breathable material that comes anywhere close to the Driducks weight due to the fact that the manufacturers seem to think consumers need lots of heavy features. If I go with the heavier full featured rain jacket, I lose the weight savings, the breath-ability of the wind shirt, and the flexibility of the umbrella.
So…what's your favorite setup and why?
Jan 26, 2010 at 3:37 pm #1566505I mentioned this one recently. Anti Gravity Gear offers a very simple sil-nylon hooded rain jacket. No frills. Very little breathability. I think they claimed 4.6 ounces or something. Mine came a little closer to 4.0 ounces. I think it was only $65+shipping.
As long as I control my underneath layers, I don't sweat it up. I'm happy with it.
–B.G.–Jan 26, 2010 at 4:23 pm #1566519marmot essence for the breath-ability and the weight
Jan 26, 2010 at 4:44 pm #1566531Anybody know of an eVent Rain jacket with only chest pockets, and a helmet compatible hood? (I say helmet, not because I need one, but because I've got huge hair, and normal hoods don't fit me). Pit zips would be nice, but I figure I'll have to do that myself.
Jan 26, 2010 at 5:54 pm #1566569Montane Atomic DT 2.0
10.5 oz
No frills
packs small, size of an orange
Entrant DT is almost as breathable as eVent, yet lighter and more packableJan 26, 2010 at 5:56 pm #1566570Rab Momentum
only chest pockets
helmet compatible hood
no pit zips
12 ozhttp://us.rab.uk.com/clothing/shell/new_momentum_jacket—131/
Jan 26, 2010 at 6:33 pm #1566580I love my GoLite Virga. Very simple, very effective, very inexpensive, & very light at 7 oz.
Jan 27, 2010 at 5:32 am #1566712Norrona Falketind Gore-Tex Pro. Westcomb Mirage SE a close second.
Jan 27, 2010 at 8:16 am #1566745Thanks for all of the feedback.
B.G., the Antigravity jacket looks like the perfect simple design, but since it's made fron Silnylon, I can't imagine hiking in it without being very sweaty.
I've read that some of the WPB fabrics can wet through eventually. Has anyone experienced this and if so, with what fabric?
I'll be doing some comparison shopping and let you know what I decide.
Happy Trails! John :~)>
Jan 27, 2010 at 8:41 am #1566751I don't know if they wet through but the DWR can wear out and without the DWR the fabric can't breathe and you sweat inside so much. I think most people who think they have had a jacket leak, have really just been wet with their own sweat. It is amazing how much you can sweat in a rain jacket and not even know it.
Jan 27, 2010 at 12:20 pm #1566835Ive been happy with my tnf triumph, 5.5oz, find one on sale.
Jan 27, 2010 at 12:50 pm #1566859MH Quark is excellent.
Zips, light, very well made.
A little hard to find (discontinued?) but seems to be on sale when you do.
Jan 27, 2010 at 8:14 pm #1567051Gore-Tex fabrics can eventually lose waterproofing from soiling. Wash your jacket with a detergent-free product (Ivory Flakes, Atsko Sport Wash), dry in the dryer on the highest setting recommended by the manufacturer, and treat with a DWR "restorer." The cleaning and heat drying alone can work wonders.
Jan 27, 2010 at 8:35 pm #1567057I'm not sure how to paste my Excel spreadsheet onto this post…
It seems like TNF Triumph is a good choice, being the lightest WPB fabric at 5.5oz, but there's some controversy on this weight. Can someone confirm the actual weight/size? A bit pricey at $179, and it's a pull-over, meaning if useds as a wind shirt/rain jacket combo, you have limited control of heat.
Driducks is next in weight at 6.25oz (my actual xl version) and $14.79 is by far the least expensive. But, if you do any off trail, this won't work…fabric is very fragile.
Golite Virga weighs in at 7.6 oz for $80 (on sale on their website right now for $56). The "2.5 Layer Waterproof-Breathable Nylon Ripstop Fabric with DWR" fabric has some mixed reviews in breath-ability, which for my purposes as a dual purpose wind shirt/rain jacket, makes me wonder.
The Marmot Nano in GORE-TEX®Paclite® 100% Nylon Ripstop 2.2 oz/yd claims to weigh in at 8oz. This seems like a good choice, but costs $250 (found on sale for $175 at rockcreek.com – never purchased from this co)
From there, the weight jumps up to 10oz and above, which isn't an option for me.
Side note…Richard, $400-500 jackets? You must be much more well-off or dedicated than me :~)>
Thoughts or other suggestions?
Jan 27, 2010 at 8:46 pm #1567064Marmot Mica is a good option for relative featureless simplicity and low weight. Nice hood, adjustable cuffs, better cut and fit than the Driducks. No pit zips, just 2 zippered hand pockets which are kinda worthless under a belt though. The weight is a mere 7 oz. and you can find the jacket for around $100-$130 depending on you luck with the online retailers and discounts.
Jan 27, 2010 at 9:06 pm #1567073AnonymousInactivePatagonia Specter
Jan 27, 2010 at 9:53 pm #1567090Eugene,
The Marmot Mica looks like a great choice. I found a BPL post here http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=17722
Also the Marmot Essence looks very similar…somehow I missed Weiyi Wang's earlier suggestion.
Both are similar in weight, breath-ability, and features. The Essence has a chest pocket and is made of 1.9oz/yd material vs. the Mica with the hand pockets (I assume that means 2 vs 1) and 2.2oz material…
Marmot claims the Mica as 7oz, but doesn't show the weight of the Essence. Since the Essence has only 1 vs 2 pockets, and is made with 1.9 oz/yd material vs. the 2.2 oz/yd material of the Mica, I would assume the Essence would weigh a but less. Can someone confirm this?
Thanks for all the help with this complicated subject :~)>
Jan 27, 2010 at 10:31 pm #1567094.
Jan 28, 2010 at 7:58 am #1567163My Men's Medium Essence weighs 6.4oz.
Jan 28, 2010 at 8:27 pm #1567483Here's what I've gathered so far (thanks Greg23)
Jan 28, 2010 at 8:56 pm #1567488Nice, John!
Jan 30, 2010 at 1:58 pm #1567963I decided to try the Marmot Essence. We just picked one up on clearance at REI for my wife for $94.93. I ordered one for myself at REI outlet as well.
Her size L jacket (a bit large for her, but will fit nicely over her Montbell U.L. Down Inner Parka), weighs in at 6.45oz (exactly 3oz more than her GoLite Ether wind shirt. This saved her 4.70oz off of her wind shirt/umbrella combo. She's going to try it out on a 15 mile day hike at Red Rock tomorrow. The nice thing about REI, if she decides it doesn't breath well enough to wear as a wind shirt, we can return it with no questions asked.
I'm also trying another method…I purchased a can of Tectron water repellent spray that I am applying to my GoLite Ether jacket (2 coats). This should make it mostly water proof (seems not taped), and keep the weight down to the current 4.65oz total. I plan to also test this during our hike tomorrow. If this works well enough to use in a rain storm, I'll probably return the Essence to save the additional weight (and cost).
Jan 31, 2010 at 7:05 am #1568150Roleigh MartinBPL Member@marti124
Locale: Founder & Lead Moderator, https://www.facebook.com/groups/SierraNorthPCThikersJohn, what about this one, REI OXT Airflyte Running Jacket, made of eVent Fabric. http://www.rei.com/product/786903
According to Backpacker.com's review, it is 11 oz. REI does not publish the weight. It lacks a hood but it is so breathable. Very affordable for eVent, $160. I worry about the underarm area — I think perhaps a strong rain, one would get wet there.
Anyone experience with it?
Jan 31, 2010 at 6:19 pm #1568356Just got my essence for 50 bucks on STP. Haven't had any rain that I wanted to go out in yet (did a 4 mile hike and caught a clear hour and a half pocket last weekend!)
Just checked, too bad they are out now.
Feb 1, 2010 at 3:21 pm #1568656I've been using an OR Zealot jacket (paclite gortex) since 2006. It's very minimalist in its features, but a size L is only 7.8oz which is the main reason I bought it. It keeps me dry, it isn't very heavy so I always carry it. What more do I need? Since I do most of my backpacking in the higher elevations out west or in cool weather when I encounter a need to use it, I don't feel the need for all those extra venting options of heavier jackets as I rarely feel hot inside it. Someone who hikes in different conditions might feel differently.
-
AuthorPosts
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
Forum Posting
A Membership is required to post in the forums. Login or become a member to post in the member forums!
Our Community Posts are Moderated
Backpacking Light community posts are moderated and here to foster helpful and positive discussions about lightweight backpacking. Please be mindful of our values and boundaries and review our Community Guidelines prior to posting.
Get the Newsletter
Gear Research & Discovery Tools
- Browse our curated Gear Shop
- See the latest Gear Deals and Sales
- Our Recommendations
- Search for Gear on Sale with the Gear Finder
- Used Gear Swap
- Member Gear Reviews and BPL Gear Review Articles
- Browse by Gear Type or Brand.