Frogg Toggs DriDucks weight & impressions?

Does anyone have a weight on the Rain Pants and Hooded Jacket? I'd be "large" size.

I travel via kayak so would use these only at camp in light rain (in heavy rain, I'd be under a tree or in my tent). We don't do much around camp other than sit around or perform light duties so I'm not overly concerned with duribility. I'd also be interested in using this suit as a vapor barrier liner in my sleeping bag.

At $15, these things seem like they'd fit my needs perfectly.

Thoughts and or general impressions?

They won't work as a vapor barrier because they don't trap vapor.

The DriDucks I have weigh 9.8 oz in large. They are breathable and comfortable but fragile. The large is larger than a lot of other large size stuff I have gotten but I don't worry about them fitting over other clothes if necessary.

I think they might be the ticket for your purposes. I found they kept me dry, but was always paranoid that they'd tear on something. They don't hold sweat, though, so I'd count them out as a vapor barrier; they breathe very well.

My set ran very large. A size large made me feel like a kid trying on his dad's suit, and I'm 5'9", 155 lb.

Frogg Toggs are heavier and more expensive than DriDucks, but are more durable. Both are far more breathable than any other rain gear I have rbrt tried. They are definitely not a vapor barrier; goretex and its imitators are definitely less breathable than either Frogg Toggs or DriDucks. (No experience with eVent here.) If you want ta vapor barrier, you'll have to get (or make) non-breathable rain gear out of silnylon.

Thanks for the replies, guys!

I overlooked their breathability. I'll find something else for a vapor barrier liner (VBL) which, brings me to this question. Is there a non-breathable rain suit out there that is as light and inexpensive as DriDucks?

Also, Pika. I assume the 9.8 oz is the combined weight (jacket & pants), correct?

Oregonmouse. I was under the impression that Frogg Toggs was the company name and DriDucks was one of their products. http://www.froggtoggs.com/store/index.asp Am I missing something?

I believe they're both made by the same company, but they are different! As I mentioned, DriDucks are lighter, cheaper and more fragile. I once had a set of each, but the DriDucks pants split from stem to stern, as it were, the second time I sat down in them. That was caused by my ample (!) hips. I still have the jacket; I keep it in the car for emergencies.

Brawny Gear used to make silnylon rain jackets (4.4 oz.) and rain pants (3.2 oz.), sold first by AntiGravity Gear and later by Backpacking Light, but they have gone out of business. AntiGravity Gear has a good-looking silnylon rain jacket, maybe half an ounce heavier but an improvement over the Brawny Gear jacket in that it has a full zippered front, but no rain pants the last time I looked. Silnylon rain pants might be a good MYOG (make your own gear) project. I personally prefer non-breathable rain gear, because I get just as wet inside (from perspiration) breathable gear as I do the non-breathable. In warm rain I leave off the rain gear, hike in shirtsleeves and either just get wet or, at most, wear a wind shirt. If it's cold and windy, I don't sweat any more inside non-breathable rain gear than breathable. I do like having the vapor barrier for frosty nights (very common in the high Rockies). This is contrary to most people's experience, but it's why I bought the silnylon rain gear. I do like the very breathable Frogg Toggs, but IMHO they're too fragile for clambering over deadfall and other such common activities. I still have the ones I bought in early 1996 and wore for two summer hiking seasons, but they have half a dozen duct tape patches in the seat and legs and one in the shoulder thanks to a spark from a campfire.

DryDucks are fine and confortable, but I find them very "rubbery" and fragile so I have made cagoule-type rain gear out of silnylon remnants that weight less than 6 oz, come down under my knees, is wide enough to accommodate a small pack and be reasonably ventilated. I can tuck my legs underneath and be totally protected, when seated...Love that, resting and waiting till the rain stops !
It's something between a poncho and a normal jacket, packs very small, but I have to be careful in forest or bushes. Anyway the "slickness" of silnylon avoids a lot of snagging...Design comes from a "larger than large" Kinsman pullover pattern, with a hood.
Quite easy, if you have silnylon leftovers and a sewing machine...

Oregonmouse,

I wonder if something has changed? There's the Froggtoggs.com website and within that, they have a bunch of different models with Dri Ducks being one. I see no specific suit named Frogg Toggs. Not disputing you but rather trying to figure out what I could possibly be looking at, comparing and purchasing.

Thanks for the heads-up on that AntiGravity Gear jacket. It's nice. If only it were 1/4 the price....

Frenchie,

Your get-up is intriguing. I have both a sewing machine and left over sil-nylon scraps too but, I'm missing the time to do it:(

Thanks.

Yes, try Walmart and buy a PVC suit. Silnylon is more durable though.

Dri-ducks is made by Frogg-Toggs. Basically, if it doesn't say Dri-Ducks and Frogg-Toggs made it, then it is a Frogg-Togg jacket. The difference is that the dri-ducks are lighter and more flimsy. But, the frogg-toggs are still pretty light. Both are made from Polypropylene.

That's right, pants plus jacket are 9.8 oz.

General impressions: I have used DriDucks successfully on AT thruhikes where they served both as wind gear in zero-degree weather and as rain gear. Never had a failure.

I turned the jacket into a cagoule by taping a pleated skirt on it using DriDucks fabric scavanged from a poncho. With pleats the skirt does not interfere with leg movement. DriDucks ponchos are so cheap it doesn't hurt to tear them up for scrap. I have used this set of DriDucks subsequently while doing trail work. The jacket has acquired a small tear, repaired with duct tape. No problem.

DriDucks breathes so well that I put it on to keep the mosquitoes and black flies off - even in hot weather.

Hey Spock. Have you tried the 02 rainwear?

I have driducks and 02. To me the 02 rainwear breathes even better.

-Barry

O2 rainwear? Can you be more specific so I can find it on the web, or whoever makes it? Thanks.

I've heard of O2, but have not tried it. don't even know where to find it. So....

Frogg Toggs is the company. At one time, all their rain gear were just called Frog Toggs, but time marched on, and they expanded and bought up other businesses.

Older folks, or "experienced folks" may remember mostly "Frogg Toggs", especially if they bought some of the original stock, and many are still using it quite a few years later.

On their web site, there are (in the online store) Dri Ducks and Rain Toggs and a total of over a half dozen models of rain gear products.

Dri Ducks may be a firm that they purchased. Backpackinglight.com used to carry the Dri Ducks rain gear.

Frogg Toggs are great rain suits but... they are not as durable as even my Cabela's GTX PacLite suit of Taslanized nylon.

Yes, the PacLite suit, at just under $100. is much more expensive than Frogg Toggs, even the Frogg Toggs motorcycle suits, but it packs VERY small and will last a long time. The Cabela's Rainy River PacLite parka (in size Large, Tall) weighs just under 1 lb. at 15.8 oz. Not too bad for the $89. price I paid two years ago for each piece.

Eric

Sorry, I misspelled it. It’s O2; not 02.

You can find them in bicycle shops and sometimes Kmart.
I’ve been using O2 rainwear for about 5 years. I have gone through a few sets. Adventure Allen http://www.adventurealan.com/2-4_index.htm used it as part of his 2.4 lb base weight pack. It weighs 4.7oz w/ the hood.

Some other sights:
http://www.rainshield.com/p_multi.html
http://www.coolraingear.com/


-Barry

Looks like a similar product. Adventure Allen said it was made from propore, which is the same stuff dri-ducks are made of. However, rainshield didn't specify what it is made of. If I see it, I might give it a try.

“…made from propore, which is the same stuff dri-ducks are made of.”

Yes, they’re both made from propore. But they have a different weave to them. I sweated more in dri-ducks. And the O2 is slightly lighter.
My avatar shows me wearing it.

I vary between Rainshield and a $1 poncho (usually taking both). The poncho does a nice job of keeping my pack dry. I sweat more in the poncho so I reserve it for hard rain in cool days.

-Barry

Thanks for the info, everyone! For the price, it looks like the DriDucks are the ticket for my purposes. Before I buy though, I'm going to look a bit more for an equally light suit that could double as a vapor barrier liner in my sleeping bag. So far, the only thing I've seen are vinyl suits for weight loss in Walmart. However, they felt to weigh a pound or more. If anyone knows of a similarly cheap suit, that could be used a VBL and is as light as the DriDucks, please post.

Thanks!

“If anyone knows of a similarly cheap suit, that could be used a VBL and is as light as the DriDucks, please post.”

I doubt propore stuff (like driducks) makes a good VBL.
If you truly want a VBL, you need something that won’t breath. Here’s some lightweight ideas that I know doesn’t breath:
1. Tyvek sportshell http://www.sportshell.com/ . I have the jacket and pants. They only show the rip-away pants but they also sell the regular pants.
2. Lawn & Leaf bag. I just saw one of our scouts use this in a hail storm in one of our bpack trips this past weekend. He looked funny and it came down to his shoes. But it appeared to keep him dry. It was a little cool so he didn’t sweat too much inside. I was just thinking you could use this as a VBL.
3. Adventure Medical Thermolite Bivy http://www.backcountry.com/store/AMK0061/Adventure-Medical-Thermo-Lite-20-Bivvy-Sack.html $24 6.5oz. I know this doesn’t breath if you seal up the vents (has Velcro). BTW, it makes a poor stand-alone sleeping bag because of claminess.
4. And the lightest and most expensive VBL ($90, 4.5oz) is the MW VBL http://www.westernmountaineering.com/ind...mp;ContentId=44

IMHO, VBL’s are an art. They’re good for temperatures <10F. It takes a lot of practice getting to know what your body does in different circumstances that warrants a VBL.

Good luck.


-Barry

Tyvek will breath, just not as good as propore.

After seeing this thread a while back I went and looked at the local Bass Pro Shop. The large jacket and pants is 10.0oz on my scale too (5.9oz jacket and 4.1oz pants). Yes it does seem fragile, but it also seems very repairable with duct tape. Besides, I picked them up for $10 total - actually free with my Bass Pro points. My main source of joy came from the fact that this new full zip jacket is saving me so much weight. (I've been in the "use what you've got" mode for rain gear for some time. Which, in my case, was a heavy North Face gortex jacket.) I'm so excited about this, I don't know what to do! Oh, yes I do... hike!

The most common frogg toggs suit is the "pro action" it is light and fuzzy. If you want to bushwack, you can still find a slick nylon coated motorcycle jacket for about 20$ at auction. They are only slightly heavier but a lot lighter than a north face guide.

Ive ben wearing frogtogs for just over a year now. and have only gotton wet on a serious downpoor once now. I just throw my poncho over the frog togs in serious storms concidering I still carry it ocasionally when heavy rain is to be expected helps keep pack contents and myself that much more dry. As far a a vapour barrier layer inside of a bag. ? when did we stop using trashbags for everything? In the summer months frogtogs stay at home i just pack a extra microfiber towel for drying the stuf that got wet under my poncho before climbling into my bag.

After much deliberation, I have decided the Driducks will fit my needs best (I'll try a large trash bag as my VBL. Thanks, Barry!)

Question regarding Driducks sizing. In looking more closely at their size chart, looks like I could go with either Med or Large. I'm a lanky 6' and 150 lbs (have lost weight but may gain 5 or so lbs back). I'd typically wear the Driducks over one thin microfleece but might throw it on over a Western Mountaineering down Flash jacket on rare occasions.

Anyone similar to my size who could advise here?

Thanks!

If dri-ducks sizing follows Frogg Toggs, "M" stands for "monstrous".

Amen!

I just see them as shelters, not garments.

Yeah, me too. Actually, they can be hard to find, but there is a footprint, poles and stakes option for the medium-size DriDucks. You have to furnish your own tie outs though. I have heard that condensation can be a problem with this setup though.

Ok, I think that settles it, guys. Medium it is. Thanks!

DriDuck breath well enough that I have never had a problem with condensation.

You guys may have been joking, but I carry a poncho to cover my quilt when desert hiking. I put in two stakes at the foot and if it rains I pull it over myself and anchor with rocks. A shelter for $13 is a good value.

http://www.jacksrbetter.com/DriDucksPoncho.htm