Womens Wind/Rain jacket – Opinions needed

For a windshirt the Patagonia Houdini is in fact the standard that everything is judged to, but they aren’t what they used to be.  The post 2012 models don’t breathe as well as older models.  The Arcteryx Squamish is probably the current gold standard though a bit pricey and heavier than most.

Frog Togs should work ok for rain gear.  I haven’t used FT but I have used Dri Ducks and found the jacket to be waterproof and fairly breathable.  The pants didn’t last long though.   The only knock on Dri Ducks is the poor fit and the lack of durability, but the durability shouldn’t be an issue on an established trail.  They won’t last long in brush however.

Kevin,

My wife has an EMS Excel ultra-pack jacket, which she like a lot.  She used it extensively when we hiked the Dolomites last Sept. It is on sale now as well

Cliff

I was going to give you my opinion but Brad and Clifford are some of the best regarded women hikers on BPL ;)…. I like my old style Houdini, old style Arc’teryx Squamish and my Montbell Tachyon anorak, I recently got as a present a Black Diamond Alpine Start Hoodie that was on clearance at 6pm.com but haven’t had a chance to try it yet. I go with a separate breathable wind jacket and a light weight rain jacket because I get cold easily but I also sweat easily( my father says sweat runs in the family…ha ha)  and I would get overwhelmed in a rain jacket if it were just windy and or chilly and I were hiking in a rain jacket, but everybody is different.

I thru-hiked the CT last summer, and I wore my windshirt every single morning (and sometimes during the day as well)!  A Patagucci Houdini would be fine, but I am a huge fan of the cheapie Chinese windshirts from eBay, because they weigh only about 3 oz, breathe amazingly well, and are remarkably durable.  [http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Women-Girls-Cycling-Coat-Wind-Coat-Rain-Coat-Water-Resistant-Outdoor-Jacket-/161320100242 var=&hash=item258f6d6192:m:mHYfdaqh1CZeNc2XUfz45nA].  I sold my Houdini because I preferred the Chinese ones.

For a rain jacket, you might want to take a look at the new Sierra Designs UL Trench:  9 oz, and the extra length gives more coverage.

Last year was a super el-nino rain year (lucky me <– sarcasm), so nothing was going to keep me perfectly dry all the time.  If I were going again, I would take a backpacking umbrella, because weather on the CT is just SO changeable:  it sprinkles, then stops, then rains, then stops — so you’re constantly putting on/taking off your pack to put on/remove your rain jacket.  Grrrrrrrr.  So annoying.  If I’d brought my umbrella, I could have avoided about 2/3 of that, because you’re always moving, and passing through various weather systems, often without getting hammered.

yes on the umbrella!!!

And one of my female friends used Frogg Toggs on the VERY wet CT with me last summer and she was fine.  Houdini every morning/evening and on passes, and the frogg toggs during all those showers.

Personally I used a Westcomb Crest hoody as my wind shirt (favorite wind shirt so far!) and a Rab Flashpoint rain jacket – with my umbrella.  I was super happy with that combo.  I used the wind shirt every morning, every evening, every pass, and even some times in between.  The Westcomb Crest is water resistant, so with the umbrella I frequently didn’t even have to swap out for the Flashpoint even during some serious deluges.

Thanks for the opinions.
I carry the chrome dome and just ordered 2 more for my mom and daughter. I will look into these choices.

As Valerie mentioned, Sierra Designs AirFlow rain gear is worth a look.

http://sierradesigns.com/womens-apparel/rainwear

I started a thread about the changes to the current men’s version of the cagoule & chaps. Even with the increased ventilation, unless the temperature allowed it, I wouldn’t wear a cagoule as a wind shirt.

https://backpackinglight.com/forums/topic/2016-sierra-designs-elite-cagoule-chaps-overview/

Somewhat biased opinion from my wife: skip the Womens models as they are often designed more for fashion than function, and go for a fairly plain Mens model.

Cheers

I agree with Roger on getting the men’s, women’s are designed for fashion over function. I try to get the men’s version if possible(Montbell tends to run small)but I am a small woman and the smallest men’s version can be huge on me, but a little big is fine and some men’s stuff comes in XS like Patagonia, and the Ebay ones Valerie is referring to run small.

YES on men’s versions of things.  My westcomb crest hoody is a mens and so is the Rab flashpoint.

I generally can’t stand women’s versions of outdoor clothing.  Hot pink in the woods?  Really?

AMEN to that Jennifer!!

Roger, that makes sense, especially with rain gear. It seems the women’s jackets are more form fitting, which likely reduces ventilation.