Posted: 5/15/2008 5:24:57 AM EDT
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Just returned a Marmot Klamoth that is too bulky. I'm looking for a nice lightweight,packable rain shell. Looking for something with waterproof material rather than a treatment for durability. I know they are usually pretty warm on humid days so anything with underarm zip vents or other venting features would be great. looking for something nice and light but not a cheap poncho. Thanks, Tim |
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Ok ,Did some research and I am leaning towards the Cabelas Goretex Paclite ($80)over the REI Ultralight which uses a coating and is $120.00 and the LL Bean(60.00) which looks a little cheap,not sure what tek2.5 is but looks like a really thin jacket. The Marmot Precip is a coated jacket and costs $100.00. Anyone have the Cabela's Goretex Paclite? |
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Since a LOT of Air Force are changing over to the new ABU there are some good deals on BDU goretex jackets on ebay right now. Quick search brought back this: Ebay I like mine, and it looks kinda similar to the cabela's jacket. (I'm still waiting for them to pull their collective heads out of their asses to bring a summer weight ABU out before I make the switch). |
The blessing there is pit zips. You can open it up and get some air inside. Advertised weight is 13oz. It packs tight. It will let in water if it gets really soaked, but any rain shell that breathes at all will too. So far, I'm really impressed. I wouldn't have paid $100 or whatever the standard retail is for one, but as a sale priced item it works great. I also keep a set of "Frog Toggs" in my truck. They're cheap, take abuse, and work fairly well. I keep them stuffed in a compression sack which works fairly well. I think they're made out of something simliar to Tyvek (that stuff they wrap frame houses in during construction). Not pretty, but functional and (especially if you can catch them on sale as well) you can't beat the price. |
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I just got a North Face Venture Jacket. I had the chance today to use it in a thunderstorm. I was impressed. I wore it in the pouring rain for a solid hour. Stayed dry from the waist up. Pit zips too. I got it on sale for under $60 shipped from Backcountry.com. I'm looking for pants now. Jer |
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I have several rainshells and will share my experiences. Keep in mind that if you are expecting something to be 100% waterproof, you really should be looking at something like Helly Hanson rubber etc. Goretex has failed me on multiple occasions. I own the following and will put them order of best to worst in terms of breathability and waterproofness. Best: eVent 66North Rain Jacket. I bought this on clearance at backcountryoutlet.com for $65! Breathibilty is great and it has never wetted out on me! I have read that eVent does not rely on DWR finishes so it should not require treatment. Very Good: Marmot Oracle. I bought this at an REI clearance sale for $45. This is the updated precip jacket. They use precip plus which is susposed to breath better than precip. Has pit zips. Not as breathable as eVent. Never wetted out on me. Good: Cabelas GoreTex PacLite: Good value. Needs pit zips. Wetted out on me on several occasions. (Very heavy rain over a couple of days) Good: Mt. Hardwear Cohesion: Uses Conduit. Very good value. Another REI clearance find. $50 if I remember correctly. Not as breathable as the previous jackets, but it has never failed me despite very heavy rain. My suggestion would be to buy a pair of Frogg Toggs for now and watch the various websites for sales. I have also read that GoreTex Pro is susposed to be a big improvement over the previous versions. |