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Rab Boreas at EMS for 44 bucks
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Home › Forums › Commerce › Gear Deals › Rab Boreas at EMS for 44 bucks
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Aug 23, 2012 at 4:50 pm #1293286
Most sizes (mens) in either rust orange (which I quite like), or apple (which isn't as obnoxious in person as it looks online.
Aug 24, 2012 at 9:40 am #1905632Dave,
How does the boreas rate in your opinion after using it for a while now. Still not using windshirts anymore? I looked at it a fair bit after your review but was never sure it would work for me most of the year in the humid south. What kind of temps are you comfortable wearing it in?
Aug 24, 2012 at 10:02 am #1905644looks like I'll pick up another. I have found this to be a fantastic pullover. Great for summer hikes where you want to keep the sun off you, and protect from bugs, but not get too warm. Very breathable. Not too warm, but very versatile. If you get cold, pull on a puffy over this.
Don't forget that you can get 8% more off the price if you use mr. rebates. PM me if you want instructions on how to use the site.
Aug 28, 2012 at 9:56 am #1906849Tyler, I continue to enjoy the Boreas, a lot. It is a substitute for a "traditional" windshirt in many circumstances, but not all, and is efficacious in a number of circumstances where a hardshell windshirt is largely useless. So consider this a preview of the (delayed, weather has been too good the last six weeks) second part of the Windshirt SOTMR.
Performance wise, the Boreas is a true jack-of-all-trades. It cuts a bit of wind, resists a bit of precip, breathes decently, and adds a bit of warmth. After lots of testing I am comfortable calling it bugproof. That it is more wearable in hot weather, and has a hood which seals well with a headnet, makes it a very attractive option when the mosquitoes are really awful. The fabric is impressively abrasion resistant, and deals with things like chimneying up sharp rock much better than fabrics like Pertex Quantum.
Whether all these compromises suit you and a given environment is another matter. It is heavier, and does soak up more water and takes longer to dry, though for me it is an acceptable performer in all these respects.
When the weather is colder, the wind stronger, and the precip thicker, but still not hardshell territory, a traditional windshirt is still my choice.
Horses for courses.
Aug 28, 2012 at 11:34 am #1906879Thanks Dave,
sounds like a good buy. I was hoping to get one for shoulder season stuff as an extra layer (been looking at light hoodies for a while) as well as for the sierras on my PCT thru this summer.
Too bad theyre out of my size now!
Aug 29, 2012 at 11:58 am #1907267One thing I like about the Boreas, judging from the text at EMS, is that the hood is not designed to fit "over" a helmet, which usually, IMHO, results in a hood which is way too large and floppy for me, since I'm never in a situation that calls for a helmet.
Oct 2, 2012 at 12:35 pm #1917547Just took the Boreas on a 9 day trip in Sequoia-Kings Canyon area, and liked it a lot. Wore it every day, slept in it when I didn't have time to bathe (wore rain gear over it to increase warmth and protect sleeping bag from funkification). Had a wide temp range, I liked the high SPF, the snug fit was great under a backpack but never limiting, it cut the wind well, and seemed to wick moisture away well and cool me when exertion/temp got high.
Normally would have used a thin, fine weave, non-lycra shirt, Adventure Racing or the BPL shirt, both lighter, but in this environment–high altitude, potential for cold & wind–the Boreas meant I rarely had to layer anything over it. Seemed to handle sweat better than the fine-weaves, which can feel a bit sticky. In any kind of breeze, the Boreas dried very quickly, and was cooling.
I wouldn't choose it, though, where temp/exertion was always going to be high, and the russet color left a bit of stain on my cuben fiber backpack, no big deal.
In fall or spring, this will be what I wear in the High Sierras.
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