Any New UL Rain Jackets on the Market ?

[Art …]

I am trying to help a friend find a good quality UL rain jacket for a 200 mile race with mandatory gear to be carried.

I own a NF Triumph anorak and a Marmot Essence, but have not looked at raingear for a while.

Are there any new options on the market ?

Is the Anti Gravity rain jacket a true rain jacket ? sealed seams ? breathable ?

p.s.
no ponchos or capes, or wind breakers calling themselves rain jackets, must be a real rain jacket.

---

[Owen McMurrey]

OR's Helium HD(Helium with pit zips and hand pockets) is fairly new. Think it came out last month. I tried a couple on in a store last week. Definitely for the slimmer crowd, but if your friend is doing a 200mile race that probably applies.

[Paul Hatfield]

Well this is just under 10 oz:

Montane Aero eVent Pullover
http://www.montane.co.uk/range/men/shell/aero-event-pullover

There's also a new rain jacket with rain-proof vents on the sides, but I can't remember the manufacturer.

[Bob Gross]

"Is the Anti Gravity rain jacket a true rain jacket ?"

I would call it a true rain parka shell, since it has a hood. I've used one for several years.

"sealed seams ?"

I've never seen any seam sealer in there. Still, I have never sensed that seams were leaking during rain.

"breathable ?"

No. I don't believe that anybody ever claimed that it was breathable. When I am wearing it during rain and I am moving and generating body heat, I just leave the bottom as open as possible. That keeps just enough air moving to make it OK. If I am generating a lot of body heat, I unzip it a bit around the neck as well. I believe that AntiGravity Gear has one model with arm pit zips.

–B.G.–

[Art …]

Paul – looking for sub 7 oz jackets, so 10 oz is a bit heavy, thanks.

Bob – thanks for the Anti Gravity info, so I guess you are saying its more than a wind shirt, just no sealed seams. do you know if the seams are sewn or bonded ?

[Bob Gross]

"Bob – thanks for the Anti Gravity info, so I guess you are saying its more than a wind shirt, just no sealed seams. do you know if the seams are sewn or bonded ?"

I don't think that anybody called it a wind shirt. I know that the seams on mine are neatly sewn. I have no idea what the manufacturer is doing to the current model. Mine weighs 4.45 ounces.

–B.G.–

[Nathan Watts]

Check out offerings from inov-8 and salomon. They typically offer jackets that meet waterproofness and breathability standards for such races. They're not the most practical jackets for most on this board, but they meet race minimums, weigh next to nothing, and pack up nice and small to fit in a running pack.

Edit:
here's a 5.5oz inov-8 jacket:

http://www.inov-8.com/new/global/Product-View-Apparel-Race-Elite-150-Stormshell.html?L=26

And I used to own a sub 6oz salomon shell called the minim ultimate pullover. Waterproof and packed up as small as your average wind shell

[Anonymous]

"Paul – looking for sub 7 oz jackets, so 10 oz is a bit heavy, thanks."

Art,

It's not new, but the Montane Minimus meets your specs for weight and waterproofness.
At 5 oz, it's my go to Sierra rain jacket/wind shirt in one tidy little package. If I were still running, I would not hesitate to use it as my WPB.

[Warren Greer]

Went to look at this jacket. Nice MVTR and HH. However, a medium in this is stated to be approx. 7.4 ounces, so still within the OPs needs, but not 5 ounces either. I was pretty excited about that low weight. But the cost of over $200 is also on the steep side as well.

[Matt Dirksen]

Did you look at Lukes Ultraligt?

If I recall I saw a few different jackets if different materials, all somewhere between 4 and 7oz.

And everything is made to order so every product is essentially "new".

[Art …]

several good possibilities suggested so far.
thanks.
I will look in to them.

[William Chilton]

Perhaps Tom was referring to the Montane Minimus Smock. 148 grams (5.2 ounces) in medium according to UOG, who actually weigh the gear, rather than just using manufacturers specs.

[ed hyatt]

The brand Berghaus has been increasingly moving towards lighter weight gear – this comes in at 110g – just under 4oz

http://store.berghaus.com/p/activity/mens-vapourlight-hyper-smock/421157

[Dave G]

Art,

Just so you're aware, the Berghaus Hyperlite isn't breathable – at all.

Also consider the Inov-8 Race-Elite 150 Stormshell, Rab Pulse Pull-on, and the OMM Aether.

Dave

[ed hyatt]

David – interesting; my mate has one (I'm not a runner just a weight weenie) and thinks it as good as other's in the 'class'.

No real in-depth reviews from others, but some comment.

Philippe Gatta used one on the Great Himalayan Trail – and seemed impressed (he is a Berghaus sponsored athlete and was involved in the design).

http://www.outdoorsmagic.com/product-reviews/review-berghaus-vapourlight-hyper-smock/11976.html

A lot of what else exists is Gear Show stuff.

Have you used one?

I'm interested for the weight saving aspect in areas where it does not rain much myself.

[Nathan Watts]

Ed if you're interested for the weight savings aspect, you should check out jackets made from Gore Windstopper fabric too. The fabric is waterproof but the seams likely won't be taped. For this reason (lack of taped seams) a windstopper jacket probably won't qualify as a waterproof jacket under race rules, but it might work for your needs as an emergency shell for where it doesn't rain much.

For an example of something like this you can find a Gore Running brand one in a for sale thread I have going. It's probably not what you're really after as that one doesn't have a hood. Haglofs might offer some hooded examples too.

[Anonymous]

nm

[William Chilton]

Tom, please forgive me if my post came across as a put down. That certainly wasn't my intention, just the opposite, in fact. My quote of 5.2 oz was meant in support of your 5 oz claim against the 7.4 oz that Warren was saying. I guess my communication skills need a bit of brushing up.
I don't own a Minimus Smock, but I've been considering buying one many times.

[Anonymous]

"Tom, please forgive me if my post came across as a put down. That certainly wasn't my intention, just the opposite, in fact. My quote of 5.2 oz was meant in support of your 5 oz claim against the 7.4 oz that Warren was saying. I guess my communication skills need a bit of brushing up."

I truly appreciate the sentiment, William. It is in short supply in our society in general these days. But, on reflection, I think it is I who should apologize, both to you and the community at large. My response was unjustifiably snarky in a situation where I should have given you the benefit of the doubt and let it pass, particularly given your that your intent turned out to be benign. A classic example of the difficulty of communicating clearly on the Internet and jumping to conclusions when responding. I shall endeavor to do better in the future.

"I don't own a Minimus Smock, but I've been considering buying one many times."

There has been a fair amount written on BPL about the Minimus smock, and the consensus opinion on its major shortcomings seems to be that the WPB membrane is not durable under conditions of high use, nor is it sturdy enough for serious bushwhacking. I suspect those who hold this opinion are correct for those situations, but for occasional use in areas where those conditions do not apply, like the Sierra, I have found it to be a near ideal combination of WPB shell and wind shirt.

[Art …]

thanks for the input on the UL rain coats.

Tom just brought up a good point.
among the sub 7 oz rain jackets, is there one that is more durable than the others ?
I do realize that with UL weight comes some decrease in durability.

[Brad Rogers]

You can get a Gore Tex pack lite jacket in the 7 to 8 oz range. It doesn't berate all that much better then the PU coated jackets but it is much more durable and waterproof long term in my opinion. OR doesn't make the Zealot anymore but you might could find one used. Haglofs has a GT jacket in that range as well as Luke's ultralight. I think marmot also sold one at one time.

For just one race what about Dry ducks? They are waterproof and breathable not to mention cheap and light.

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