Backcountry Forum
Backpacking & Hiking Gear

Backcountry Forum
Our long-time Sponsor - the leading source for ultralite/lightweight outdoor gear
 
 
 

Amazon.com
Backpacking Forums
---- Our Gear Store ----
The Lightweight Gear Store
 
 WINTER CAMPING 

Shelters
Bivy Bags
Sleeping Bags
Sleeping Pads
Snow Sports
Winter Kitchen

 SNOWSPORTS 

Snowshoes
Avalanche Gear
Skins
Hats, Gloves, & Gaiters
Accessories

 ULTRA-LIGHT 

Ultralight Backpacks
Ultralight Bivy Sacks
Ultralight Shelters
Ultralight Tarps
Ultralight Tents
Ultralight Raingear
Ultralight Stoves & Cookware
Ultralight Down Sleeping Bags
Ultralight Synthetic Sleep Bags
Ultralight Apparel


the Titanium Page
WM Extremelite Sleeping Bags

 CAMPING & HIKING 

Backpacks
Tents
Sleeping Bags
Hydration
Kitchen
Accessories

 CLIMBING 

Ropes & Cordage
Protection & Hardware
Carabiners & Quickdraws
Climbing Packs & Bags
Big Wall
Rescue & Industrial

 MEN'S APPAREL 

Jackets
Shirts
Baselayer
Headwear
Gloves
Accessories

 WOMEN'S APPAREL 

Jackets
Shirts
Baselayer
Headwear
Gloves
Accessories

 FOOTWEAR 

Men's Footwear
Women's Footwear

 CLEARANCE 

Backpacks
Mens Apparel
Womens Apparel
Climbing
Footwear
Accessories

 BRANDS 

Black Diamond
Granite Gear
La Sportiva
Osprey
Smartwool

 WAYS TO SHOP 

Sale
Clearance
Top Brands
All Brands

 Backpacking Equipment 

Shelters
BackPacks
Sleeping Bags
Water Treatment
Kitchen
Hydration
Climbing


 Backcountry Gear Clearance

Topic Options
Rate This Topic
#187192 - 09/27/14 11:12 AM Best UL Rain Shell...
rabbitearscarver Offline
member

Registered: 06/10/11
Posts: 27
Loc: Steamboat Springs, CO
What's your fave rain shell? I don't want a poncho-style unit. I've seen some good ones as light as 6 oz.
Thanks!
_________________________
I before E except after C....Weird!

Top
#187470 - 10/22/14 08:52 PM Re: Best UL Rain Shell... [Re: rabbitearscarver]
topshot Offline
member

Registered: 04/28/09
Posts: 242
Loc: Midwest
DriDucks or what Frogg Toggs now calls the Ultralight Rainsuit

Top
#187473 - 10/22/14 09:49 PM Re: Best UL Rain Shell... [Re: rabbitearscarver]
Glenn Roberts Online   content
Moderator

Registered: 12/23/08
Posts: 2208
Loc: Southwest Ohio
Define "good."

Top
#187869 - 12/01/14 02:56 PM Re: Best UL Rain Shell... [Re: rabbitearscarver]
Lucky Man Offline
newbie

Registered: 12/01/14
Posts: 10
Loc: Florida
Patagonia Torrentshell failed miserably last May in Smokies (Patagonia was very nice about it and took it right back, unlike Steripen which wouldn't take back its failed gadget), and I had great difficulty finding a replacement. Every time I found a rave review of a jacket, I'd find other reports that it was no good. Frogg Toggs seemed to have the best feedback, so I sent in my $20 and that UL suit still works fine 500 miles later.

Top
#187877 - 12/01/14 11:05 PM Re: Best UL Rain Shell... [Re: rabbitearscarver]
shua Offline
member

Registered: 11/16/14
Posts: 26
Loc: North Dakota
I will 2nd the frog togs I have 3 sets and love them for keeping dry, I got one in my fishing bag, one in my hiking bag, and one in my truck... Some say they tear to easily but, as long as your not excessively abusive you won't ruin them or tear then, just take care when putting them on and taking them off and they last forever

Top
#187922 - 12/07/14 01:50 AM Re: Best UL Rain Shell... [Re: shua]
ndwoods Offline
member

Registered: 01/26/02
Posts: 572
Loc: Santa Cruz CA, Sierra Hiker
My Driducks failed this year...seam ripped out and they weren't too tight. I guess the material just deteriorated. I had to carry something much heavier so I too am on the hunt for next year...anybody try anything with Cuben fiber?
_________________________
http://ndeewoods.com/ and http://wilderstatepark.com/

Top
#187937 - 12/08/14 10:57 AM Re: Best UL Rain Shell... [Re: ndwoods]
4evrplan Offline
member

Registered: 01/16/13
Posts: 913
Loc: Nacogdoches, TX, USA
Originally Posted By ndwoods
My Driducks failed this year...seam ripped out and they weren't too tight. I guess the material just deteriorated. I had to carry something much heavier so I too am on the hunt for next year...anybody try anything with Cuben fiber?


Do you have experience with Cuben? I don't, but from what I've read, I'd question that it'll be any more durable than Driducks, especially with the constant movement/abrasion of a rain jacket.
_________________________
The journey is more important than the destination.

Top
#188204 - 12/23/14 04:36 AM Re: Best UL Rain Shell... [Re: 4evrplan]
ndwoods Offline
member

Registered: 01/26/02
Posts: 572
Loc: Santa Cruz CA, Sierra Hiker
No. I've not tried anything with cuben fiber....and I was thinking it didn't sound too durable either. Even my north face jacket wore thru at the seams...below the seal strips! Sheesh....
_________________________
http://ndeewoods.com/ and http://wilderstatepark.com/

Top
#188209 - 12/23/14 11:37 AM Re: Best UL Rain Shell... [Re: ndwoods]
OregonMouse Online   content
member

Registered: 02/03/06
Posts: 6799
Loc: Gateway to Columbia Gorge
Cuben is somewhat vulnerable to abrasion and punctures. It's fine for tents and tarps (especially the latter) if you can afford the price. For rain pants, especially, you're going to be vulnerable to snags every time you have to crawl over a deadfall. The hybrid cuben that ZPacks uses is definitely less vulnerable (I have a couple of pouches made out of it), but it's pricey.

Frog Toggs rain pants are fragile and DriDucks (cheaper version of the same fabric) even more so. My Frogg Toggs pants sprouted a lot of duct tape patches and became too abraded in the knees and seat after half a dozen trips. I've seen a lot of reports of DriDucks pants splitting from stem to stern. Since breathability is not all that important in rain pants, I'd suggest silnylon.

On the other hand, my Frogg Toggs jacket combined more breathability with more waterproofness than any other "breathable" materials I've tried. Admittedly, my experience with it was 8 years ago. The jacket lasted three years (including a lot of around town use) with only one duct tape patch (and that was for a hole from a bonfire spark). By that time it was abraded enough to let in heavy rain. Frogg Toggs are low enough in price that you can buy several sets for the price of one pricey "breathable" jacket. Just ditch the pants which, as mentioned, don't hold up.

My experience with the expensive "breathable" fabrics such as Goretex and eVent is that, at least for me, they aren't all that breathable. I get just as sweaty inside them, if not more so, as I do with a loosely cut rain jacket of just plain silnylon for less than half the price. Your Mileage, of course, May Vary.

My latest experience with "breathable" fabrics was a Marmot Precip jacket that "wet out" after a year. It continued to do so even after I did all the recommended things to restore it. It's fine for walking from car to store through the parking lot, but for even half an hour's hiking in the rain, forget it.


Edited by OregonMouse (12/23/14 11:46 AM)
_________________________
May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view--E. Abbey

Top
#188212 - 12/23/14 12:01 PM Re: Best UL Rain Shell... [Re: OregonMouse]
wandering_daisy Offline
member

Registered: 01/11/06
Posts: 2865
Loc: California
I have had the same experience with Marmot Precip. Totally worthless jacket. My current jacket is not UL, probably not even light. It is a Montbelle, 11 oz (woman's large). It was $100 (no discount or sale). Not cheap but not as expensive as many other "breathables". I wore it this summer in two days of rain, where we hiked in the rain for about 4 hours each day. It worked pretty good. My size is really woman's small, but I buy my rain jackets very over-sized. This seems to reduce the sweating problems.

Unless you are going to be above timber or in really windy conditions, a totally waterproof poncho may work better than a jacket.

And in wet-warm conditions (coastal) I just hike in a very light wool layer under a really minimal rain jacket and pants which actually act as a wet suit. As long as I move I stay warm. I wring out the wool each night and put in a plastic bag and put the wet clothes back on in the morning just before starting out. I have a totally different change of dry clothes, kept in a waterproof stuff sack that I only use in the tent or when it is not raining in camp.

I did 8 days on the Lost Coast this way. No matter what, after about 3 days everything was damp. But the temperature only varied from 55-60 degrees day or night. It rained 4 inches on night! Two days of solid rain. So much dew that even when it did not rain, 10 minutes of walking through waist high grass I was totally soaked. Probably had about 10 minute of sunshine. The thing about the coast, is that it is windy, so you need the rain clothes more as wind protection.

Bottom line: different clothes and different methods for different conditions.


Top
#189712 - 03/17/15 04:28 PM Re: Best UL Rain Shell... [Re: rabbitearscarver]
PurpleHaze Offline
member

Registered: 02/04/15
Posts: 31
Loc: Fairbanks, AK
Hey everyone! Wanted to try and help someone out. I've been looking at the Marmot Nano AS jacket for awhile but wooooah 285 is steep. The time is here the jacket is on sale for 185 and even 135 if you can see yourself in lime green. I have read many reviews and it looks very promising and worth every dollar. Cheers everyone. http://www.rei.com/product/863399/marmot-nano-as-jacket-mens

Top
#189758 - 03/19/15 10:54 PM Re: Best UL Rain Shell... [Re: PurpleHaze]
OregonMouse Online   content
member

Registered: 02/03/06
Posts: 6799
Loc: Gateway to Columbia Gorge
After my experience with the Marmot Precip, I will never look at another Marmot jacket. Your Mileage, of course, May Vary.

Were I replacing my present pullover silnylon anorak (no longer made; it was one of the last Brawny Gear items on the market), I'd look at the silnylon jacket with front zipper and pit zips made by Antigravity Gear. I would of course get it in a larger size for more ventilation. However, I've had my present jacket for 6 years and it still looks and works as good as when it was new, so I doubt that I will be buying another for some years to come.

I've had no luck with so-called "waterproof/breathable" fabrics, dating back to fairly early Goretex. I've come to the conclusion that a fabric is either waterproof or breathable, but never both. I will no longer shell out the big bucks for something that claims to be both. I'll stick with the waterproof. If it's warm enough that I sweat inside, I'll just leave it off and get wet.

Again, YMMV!

_________________________
May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view--E. Abbey

Top
#189761 - 03/20/15 12:39 PM Re: Best UL Rain Shell... [Re: OregonMouse]
PurpleHaze Offline
member

Registered: 02/04/15
Posts: 31
Loc: Fairbanks, AK
Hey thank you for the reply. This is the last piece of gear I need and I'm having a lot of trouble. Something I was told in another thread was you will either being buying a truly waterproofed jacket or a breathable jacket... but not both. Which is fine! Every time I look at reviews though for ANY jacket there is always 50/50 answers. 1 guy says, "It's great never leaks and I have had it for years." next guys says " Only had it for a few months and have not damaged it in any way but I get wet in heavy rain." So I just don't know where to invest my money. There has to be a jacket that doesn't leak!


Edited by PurpleHaze (03/20/15 12:40 PM)

Top
#190248 - 04/17/15 04:13 PM Re: Best UL Rain Shell... [Re: rabbitearscarver]
Rick_D Offline
member

Registered: 01/06/02
Posts: 2939
Loc: NorCal
Resurrecting thread to add I just took delivery of a Patagonia Alpine Houdini (finally able to get one at a price I was willing to pay).

Since the predicted high today is [checks] 86 I won't be testing its waterproof-breathenicity at the moment. (Waterproof, yes; breathable, who knows?) I can still verify it's as light and compact as they claim (spec says 6.6 oz) and roomy enough to layer atop insulation.

Having owned two-pound rain shells, this is quite another thing entirely. At last I have a rain jacket I can always keep in an outside pack pocket without taking up all the space.

Cheers,
_________________________
--Rick

Top
#190251 - 04/17/15 07:09 PM Re: Best UL Rain Shell... [Re: Rick_D]
BrianLe Offline
member

Registered: 02/26/07
Posts: 1149
Loc: Washington State, King County
While I'm reasonably happy with my OR branded light jacket, it's definitely a great windshirt, but does wet-out faster than I prefer, especially at the shoulders after I've backpacked with it some (regardless of re-treating with the appropriate stuff).

I'm getting tempted by the extra long version of the Zpacks cuben jacket: http://www.zpacks.com/accessories/wpb_jacket.shtml

Would be nice to hear about long-term durability from anyone who uses this on a reasonably long distance hike, particularly shoulder-area under pack straps, and how well the zipper(s) hold(s) up.
_________________________
Brian Lewis
http://postholer.com/brianle

Top
#191156 - 06/28/15 04:09 AM Re: Best UL Rain Shell... [Re: rabbitearscarver]
apex Offline
newbie

Registered: 06/27/15
Posts: 10
Loc: IL
cuben dude!
water proof is a hard thing to understand in the gear world. what's water proof when you buy it may not be water proof a few months of use. what are our options?
cuben stays water proof, it's like polyurethane weave with dynemma and carbon fiber (varies from manucaturer or order) then melted flat just enough, finally coated with some patented coating by northsail. this stays water proof for a long time

nylon + coatings
polyurethane- better than silicone but doesn't addd strength to the fabric and in some instances makes it weaker
silicone - awsome and not expensive and make nylon stronger but leaks after being exposed to abbrasion, dirt, oil.
pvc - stong durable, but heavey
do you think their gortex membrane is just a mix of sil and pu and pvc, either way it looks heavy



Edited by apex (06/28/15 04:12 AM)

Top

Shout Box

Highest Quality Lightweight Down Sleeping Bags
 
Western Mountaineering Sleeping Bags
 
Lite Gear Talk - Featured Topics
Backcountry Discussion - Featured Topics
Make Your Own Gear - Featured Topics
Featured Photos
Spiderco Chaparral Pocketknife
David & Goliath
Also Testing
Trip Report with Photos
Seven Devils, Idaho
Oat Hill Mine Trail 2012
Dark Canyon - Utah
Who's Online
0 registered (), 209 Guests and 0 Spiders online.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Newest Members
Noodles, McCrary, DanyBacky, Rashy Willia, WanderBison
13240 Registered Users
Forum Links
Disclaimer
Policies
Site Links
Backpacking.net
Lightweight Gear Store
Backpacking Book Store
Lightweight Zone
Hiking Essentials

Our long-time Sponsor, BackcountryGear.com - The leading source for ultralite/lightweight outdoor gear:

Backcountry Forum
 

Affiliate Disclaimer: This forum is an affiliate of BackcountryGear.com, Amazon.com, R.E.I. and others. The product links herein are linked to their sites. If you follow these links to make a purchase, we may get a small commission. This is our only source of support for these forums. Thanks.!
 
 

Since 1996 - the Original Backcountry Forum
Copyright © The Lightweight Backpacker & BackcountryForum