Paramo Bora Fleece & Windproof Smock Combo

[Stephanie Jordan]

Companion forum thread to:

Paramo Bora Fleece & Windproof Smock Combo

[Stephen M]

Dont have time to read this as just heading to work, I am the happy
owner of a VAL Smock and Cascada Trousers and they are the best ever.

[Owain Williams]

Nice, I've been using a Paramo Quito for paragliding for a couple of summers. Works very well.

[Ryan Smith]

Really great write up. I've seen Paramo mentioned several times by our international contingent here, but never really knew how it worked. I wonder what a company could do with the idea if they truly wanted to make an UL/minimalist piece.

Ryan

[Stephen M]

Hi Ryan,

The point of Paramo is you are wearing all the time (as I do) it then saves the weight of carrying waterproofs in your pack.
I have two Michigan winters in mine and don't recall having to take off the smock at all due to the fantastic venting.

I use mine if going to be below 25f or so.

[Rick M]

del

[Stephen M]

The fit and colour can be a bit mental Rick, I was lucky enough to find a decent fit and colour in a UK shop.
It is indeed very good stuff, to be fair though I only use it in winter.

[Dale Wambaugh]

I've wondered about Paramo products and appreciate this review. This looks like a good system for the Pacific NW, where the weather can be similar to Great Britain.

I wonder about your UV concerns. UV exposure increases about 10% per 1000m. How high are you flying?

[Matthew Pullan]

The local site is about 1450m. Flying cross country you can climb to over 3000m; 4000m on a good day. Maximum height gain in South Africa is over 6000m (oxygen recommended). Perhaps of more significance is the fact that we tend to fly when the sun is very intense, whereas, wind and waterproofs tend to be worn in dull conditions normally. When I said high uv environment, I was thinking of regular activity in the high alps over 3000m, for which Paramo gear is well suited. The Viento zip offs are about 7 years old and have about 230 hours flying time plus plenty of use walking on them. I might post a picture of my Zephyr jacket if I can get the lighting right.
Matt

[Ryan Smith]

Stephen,

True, there will be some weight savings due to the multi purpose aspect of it. I would still rather carry 14oz of Paramo than 24oz.

Ryan

[Lars Laird Iversen]

I've tried Paramo for a while now. I really want it to work! I bought mine cheap from the Paramo 2nds store, but they promised me that it was fully functional.

I've used mine a lot! It really is comfortable, breathable, non-crinckly and – most of the time – keeps me dry. I use it around town, and i use it for day trips in the forest if it isn't too warm. (Here in Norway, that gives it a season of about 10 months…). It's versatility means that could replace several items in a normal system. It's great to walk

But I've also just bought a RAB Newton. Why? Because on two or three occasions, the paramo-piece has failed properly, leaving me absolutely soaked. Now, apparently the reason for this might be that I haven't been careful enough in my tech-washing and re-proofing. But I've tried my best, washed out the soap in the dispenser and all. I figure that if that effort isn't enough, then it is too sensitive for my needs. I'm not going to buy a new washing machine or anything.

Which leaves me with the conclusion that I can't really trust it for serious backpacking. Sad, really. It is so close to being the perfect shoulder season gear!

[Tjaard Breeuwer]

I have been using regular, one piece Nikwax Analogy custom garments by CIOCH Direct for a while now.

For backpacking I think the separate layers are the way to go;

-It eliminates the age old BPL debate; "windshirt and WPB or just WPB"
-It would also allow you to use a much lighter windshell instead of the Paramo one, saving weight and possibly money
-as mentioned, durability and repairs are easier with the separate layers
-Where I think it realy helps is that if you bring a regular attached Analogy garment and expect to wear it as both rainwear and insulation, you are stuck with a soaking wet garment at night in your shelter, so you get very little benefit wearing it, and certainly can't wear it to bed. With the separate layers, you can ditch the shell, as you would with any rain jacket and wear just the much drier liner, vastly increasing the amount of time you can use the insulation in camp.

I have never had any issues with getting wet inside mine.
It is indeed as breathable as wearing a thin fleece and plain windshell combo, and as soft and quiet.

Here are the previous articles I remember from BPL;
Chris Townsend's initial overview

and
Chris Wallace's Vista jacket review

[Lars Laird Iversen]

I'm uncertain about how specific a windlayer would have to be to work with the pump liner (ie the fleece, in this case.) I own a RAB boreas not-quite-windjacket-not-quite-softshell which is large enough to fit over warmer layers. Would that work in combo with the bora fleece?

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