Durable Rain Jacket

[Benjblt]

Hey guys. I'm looking for suggestions on durable rain jackets (not for backpacking so much) that have worked well for you. Durability and waterproofness are paramount to breathability and light weight. 3 layer jackets would probably be preferred but as long as it's durable that is what I'm after. I'm not so interested in Sitka, Kuiu, and First Lite. I'm looking for some other options. Non-camo would be great. Thanks!

 

[accountantsanonymous]

Arcteryx makes great rain gear that is durable, albeit on the expensive side. Worth taking a look.

 

[zeroforhire]

Yep. Arcteryx is the best.

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[Benjblt]

Arcteryx makes great rain gear that is durable, albeit on the expensive side. Worth taking a look.

Good suggestions. . the down side is how expensive they are and they fit me rather big.

 

[Upcountry]

Sounds like you're not looking for ultralight or camo necessarily... So my recommendations would be to look at a couple of Patagonia's options. You can find past season's stuff lightly used for pretty cheap. I'd opt for either the Refugitive on the lighter end, with a 3L goretex and cknit backer, or the Galvanized jacket. The galvanized is intended for ice climbing, and therefore super durable, has some stretch, and also waterproof with H2No 3 layer fabric(at one time it was goretex originally). Beyond that, if you're looking for a truly waterproof jacket that you could walk through the jungle in and not worry about tearing, they do offer a 4 layer goretex option in their wading jackets.

 

[22lr]

I'm cheap, so I like using my issued gear. I have had tremendous luck with my issued ECWCS Gen III Gortex jacket and pants. I've had 1 set for 7 years now, and just starting on my next set (thanks DoD for changing camo patterns and making me rebuy all my nice gear). I try not to be outside in torrential downpours, but they have done the trick as a super nice outer layer and just by themselves as a rain jacket. You can get good deals on the ABU and ACU patterns right now but OCP stuff is going to be a bit pricey for what it is... They are the best sub $100 jacket you can buy, and while they are not a good $300 rain jacket, they can be had for $70 and below so...mDon't mess with Gen I or II stuff, you want the double layer Gortex Gen III, level 6 stuff. Coupled with the fleece and a base layers it's also a dang good cold weather system. Sadly you won't really find them in non-military camo, and running around in an ACU or ABU rain parka isn't exactly a fashion statement.

There are some lightweight options out there (called APECS), while they will look somewhat similar in pictures they are much lighter and more designed for warm weather wear (IMO). I have a set as well, they are good for rain but I much prefer the ECWCS shell for colder weather. That said, the APECS is quieter, but also more expensive and harder to find in the mil-surp stores. To me, the ECWCS seems more durable to me as well. I can't say I've worn out an APECs set or anything, but the ECWCS sets are pretty bullet proof and just overall heavier duty.

 

[Florida Bow Hunter]

Rain gear I think is the most over priced garnet us hunters buy. They are more expensive than sub zero gear. I think it’s crazy.

I bought what I was told was a great for the money rain gear a few years ago. Cabelas MTO50. While it’s good gear, quiet, doesn’t leak or get me wet, for some reason, if I don’t take time to dry it, it stinks like all heck. The only rain gear I have that does this. It’s so bad, I don’t use it anymore in the hot weather.

I’m in south Florida mainly. Sub tropics, so we get monstrous showers and flash flooding type rain. So rain gear I might have 10-12 different jackets and certainly 5-6 pants/sets.

So I’ll save the MTO50 for when I take a hunt up north. For down here in Florida, I scavenge close out sales from the various outlets and buy whatever. That’s why I have so many. They all have kept me dry in Florida. Some material is quieter than others. Gore Tex I prefer. PVC lined, not so much.

So for me, I don’t see the advantages to a $600 set of high end rain gear. All materials rip. I can rip a $600 set just as easy as I can a $29 close out. I can buy 20 closeout’s for 1 high end. I can buy 2 Cabelas MTO50 for the price of 1 high end. I have not seen a difference in performance. Dry is dry. They all don’t take too much a beating thru briars and sharp objects. They’re all basically the same materials, how can they be dramatically different ?

People might argue over this and I’m not a guy looking to save pennies all the time if I get performance I want. I consistently paid the extra money for Carbon over metal bows because I fell the performance was worth it all around. Same with German Kinetic Silver Flame broadheads, I see the performance value.

I don’t with rain gear. Keep me dry, cool and dry out quick. That’s all I need. I know crawling on my knees thru mud hurts rain gear.


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[Benjblt]

"

So for me, I don’t see the advantages to a $600 set of high end rain gear. All materials rip. I can rip a $600 set just as easy as I can a $29 close out. I can buy 20 closeout’s for 1 high end. I can buy 2 Cabelas MTO50 for the price of 1 high end. I have not seen a difference in performance. Dry is dry. They all don’t take too much a beating thru briars and sharp objects. They’re all basically the same materials, how can they be dramatically different ?

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I'm starting to feel this way myself. I think that the membrane and especially the seam taping can be a lot different. . . But if you can by 10 for the price of one I can just replace once it fails. You can usually get a $250 dollar jacket for about $130-$150 and that's the direction I think I'm going to go. I ordered a the Marmot Minimalist and the Outdoor Research Foray on sale so I'm going to try those.