Yes, three cheers for Marmot! Jacket and pants.

A friend took my first Marmot PreCip to the Himalayas (Annapurna trek) a decade ago and it worked so well for her she now has several (as do I -- they're like M&Ms...).

The men's pants are presently on sale at REI (33% off)

http://www.rei.com/product/738907

Also a sweet deal on the men's Marmot Precip jacket (39% off!).
http://www.rei.com/product/718330


I also have an LL Bean Gore-Tex shell that dates back to the late-90s and has been terrific. It's most notable success was keeping me dry on a hike during a record-breaking rainfall in New Hampshire in October '05. That was a cold monsoon. That was near Crawford Notch. We wore parkas, rain hats, rain pants, gaiters and Gore-Tex boots. Was up there with a friend from Oregon who is an avid backpacker and didn't shy away from making the best of the bad weather.

I keep that Bean jacket in my teardrop trailer.

If its warm enough the best rain-wear is no rain-wear. Nude if your proud, and the law and/or norms allow. Speedoes if you're forced to to maintain legal minimums but still want to flaunt it. Synthetic shorts if you want to maintain a degree of mystery.

Except for completely impermeable rain-wear, heavily coated material that won't absorb any water, HH and others, just about every sort of rain-wear benefits greatly from the use of a Durable Water Repellent(DWR).

Barrier coated synthetics, with waterproof coating, either breathable or not, on the inside becomes sodden and clammy if the fabric soaks up water. Even if they don't actually leak. Even high-dollar Goretex is pretty miserable if it stops shedding water. IMO if the repellent gives up I'm almost always better off with a fabric with the a completely waterproof coating on the outside.

In fact water repellent is so vital for comfort that highly repellent fabrics are as comfortable and effective as items that have membranes. Or they are as long as the repellent coating keeps working. There are even a few repellents that work on poly fleece well enough to make them effective rain-wear for light and misting rain. At least one brand will do the same thing for cotton. I once treated a tee shirt and it kept light rain off for a couple of washes. A self-defeating item for really cold weather, wet cotton is not your friend, it was an interesting variation for tropical conditions.

Of course how you define "active" makes a lot of difference. Walking with a light pack over flat ground is active. Humping a pack that weighs half your body weight up a steep hill while hacking a path through dense vegetation with a machete is another level of active. I've never seen any breathable membrane that could keep up with the second case if to kept it sealed enough to keep all the rain out.

As someone who grew up in the SE Alaskan rainforest & who currently lives near Seattle, my opinion is that it's not about staying dry so much as it is about staying warm. Aside from getting trenchfoot, having your body get wet is basically an emotional discomfort. Most of the danger from rain is that it makes you cold and decreases the insulative properties of your clothes.

In the short run, most raingear or ponchos will keep you warm & dry if the conditions are right. In the long run, though, you will get soaked from water or sweat no matter what you wear. The best you can do is find the raingear/poncho that will keep you comfortable under most conditions in your climate at your typical activity level.

From what I've seen, most Alaskans swear by Helly Hansen while most Washingtonians prefer Marmot. Personally I find Martmot's Precip to have too many bells & whistles, and for the last 6 years I've been using Cabela's ultralight raingear.

No easy question to answer...

I’m used to do a lot of outdoor activities in different climates here in south America (from Amazon to Patagonia), and I’m a little obsessed with raingear…like some others here are with knifes and flashlights…

I have already tested some configurations, but didn’t found an ideal solution for every situation. So, I carry a little bit more of raingear for each trip. I generally have in my pack:

Goretex or similar Rainjacket
Big garbage bag, space blanket and/or a plastic poncho in one of the jacket pockets, as a last resort, totally impermeable barrier.
Lightweight nylon Poncho
Goretex or similar rainpants
Coolmax underwear
Dry clothes in a plastic bag

During rapid showers with no wind while hiking in the Brazilian central savannas, I most often just throw the poncho over myself, covering also the pack. I think it is the most practical solution in open terrain and no wind.

For sustained wet & cold conditions (Patagonia), I use the coolmax underwear and the goretex jacket and pans (with the poncho over everything, if wind and terrain permits!).

And for sustained activity in wet and hot conditions (Amazon!) I use only the Coolmax t-shirt. I just accept that I’m going to be wet anyway! But I change for dry clothes as soon as I stop the physical activity.

The jacket that I use more often is a Marmot Precipice Jacket (my EDC jacket). I also trust very much the Goretex Packlite Foray Jacket from Outdoor Research. For more demanding situations, like mountaineering, I use a tough Ansilta (Argentina made) Goretex XCR jacket. And I’m also experimenting with the idea of using an impermeable lightweight jacket under a BDU shirt, smock or windbreak, to protect the impermeable barrier from abrasion.

Fabio



No easy question to answer...

I’m used to do a lot of outdoor activities in different climates here in south America (from Patagonia to Amazon), and I’m a little obsessed with raingear…Like some others here are with knifes…

I have already tested some configurations, but didn’t found an ideal solution for every situation. So, I carry a "kit" of raingear for each trip. I generally have in my pack:

Goretex or similar Rainjacket
Big garbage bag, space blanket and/or a plastic poncho in one of the jacket pockets, as a last resort, totally impermeable barrier.
Lightweight nylon Poncho
Goretex or similar rainpants
Coolmax underwear
Dry clothes in a plastic bag

During rapid showers with no wind while hiking in the Brazilian central savannas, I most often just throw the poncho over myself, covering also the pack. I think it is the most practical solution in open terrain and no wind.

For sustained wet & cold conditions (Patagonia), I use the coolmax underwear and the goretex jacket and pans (with the poncho over everything, if wind and terrain permits!).

And for sustained activity in wet and hot conditions (Amazon!) I use only the Coolmax t-shirt. I just accept that I’m going to be wet anyway! But I change for dry clothes as soon as I stop the physical activity.

The jacket that I use more often is a Marmot PreCip Jacket. It is my EDC jacket, that lives im my day bag.

I also trust very much my Foray Jacket from Outdoor Research.The Goretex Packlite is outstanding during storms! On the other hand, I don't think the side "poncho transformer" zippers are realy practical.

For more demanding situations, like mountaineering, I use a tough Ansilta (Argentina made) Goretex XCR jacket. And I’m also experimenting with the idea of using an impermeable lightweight jacket under a BDU shirt, smock or windbreak, to protect the impermeable barrier from abrasion.

In general, I'm quite satisfied with PreCip, Goretex Packlite and even with the older Goretex XCR.

Fabio

I have not found a happy medium. Either you get wet from lack of venting (personal wet) or the garment leaks and you get wet (environmental wet).

I admit some personal vanity in saying when I lived in the PNW I did best with a small ruck (or no ruck) wearing basic waterproof pants (Sierra Design, et al) and a G.I. rubber poncho or similar model. Pants kept me warm, poncho let the upper body vent. Stayed dry all over. A decent poncho requires a lack of vanity/ego that I in a crowd did not have. Because you look like a dork.

Today I have less ego so would wear that get up in a group setting but find that technology allows me to stay dry through proper layering and a light loose shell. I currently like Frogg Toggs gear. It waterproof and very light and can be very cheap (about $60 a set of top/bottom). But it can tear easy if your sliding a lot. I carry Tenacious Tape, which IMO is better than Duct Tape for outerwear fixes. At the price of that gear I own multiple sets and sizes for people in a hurry.

I love hiking in the rain, which is why I love winter. Never had a true Goretex jacket "wet out" as they say, but some other, thinner coats have like my Marmot Oracle I've had for years. I love Marmot Precip as well, but when its colder than usual I go with a full Helley Hansen rain suit. Total cost under $100 bucks and they're very durable. BTW, I was under the impression your average Goretex jacket will not soak through even if the DWR finish has worn off. Anyone comment on this?

My understanding is that the vapor transport really doesn't work that well when the supposedly DWR-coated outer layer is soaking wet. As a result, you get condensation on the inside - but the membrane itself is totally water proof (assuming no punctures due to wear and tear). The net result: You get wet and blame the goretex membrane for not working anymore.

Re-impregnate with DWR and you can revitalize a lot of the original functionality.


IMO, there is no perfect solution for staying dry. You have to live with a decent compromise (such as only reasonably damp or just a little wet after prolonged rain). Even the most breathable fabric won't breathe well enough to avoid moisture buildup and condensation, which will degrade the insulating properties of most materials. Give a bit of wear and tear, and neither zippers nor that fancy membrane will be 100% water proof. This is the main reason why I love wool... Given enough time, you will get a little wet or at least damp.

This is a Brit Solution:
http://www.paramo.co.uk/en-gb/index.php

I use it. It's bomb proof, very well made, field repairable and it's the only stuff that I would trust to keep me alive on Dartmore at it's nastist. That means 1 - 5 Celcius, gale and raining upwards.

This stuff is still rocking when Gore-tex et al have quite and run off crying for their Mommy's.



No, I don't work for them, pity because I'd get it cheap.

Along with Paramo, Keela perhaps should also get a mention with their Munro Jacket. It all pretty good stuff along with Goretex (the best known) eVent and Triple Point Ceramic etc.

http://www.keela.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=65_72&products_id=180

I wouldn't have a problem using any of these fabrics in the worst of conditions.

For high workout i.e. climbing the side of a mountain or cycling then there are some pretty good soft shell materials available as well such as Epic Soft shell. Although not completely waterproof, products like this EDZ Epic Sierra Cagoule might be worth a look.

http://www.thermalshop.co.uk/product/epic_sierra_jacket_with_hood

Hard to explain exactly how water repellent coating failing makes the jacket less comfortable if you haven't experienced it. No, generally that is, Goretex, as long as the membrane remains intact, seams sealed, and clean doesn't leak. But when/if the repellent gives up the entire exterior becomes saturated and clingy. It feels like, I don't know exactly, perhaps like wearing a wet tee-shirt over a plastic bag.

It is a good news/bad news situation. Good news is that there are good DWR, durable water repellent, treatments out there and if a Goretex jacket just doesn't seem to work as well as it once did it might just be partial failure of the repellent that is the problem. Retreating with DWR may restore an old friend to health for a few more years, or extended second-line service.

The bad news is that Gortex, and similar, don't always take well to cleaning and retreament with a DWR finish. I've had people tell me that beyond hosing off with potable water and dabbing off spills they never wash their Goretex. Once it soaks up a certain amount of human grease, salt and dirt it will leak and no amount of washing and retreatment will restore it. That your best option is replacement. And these are people who spend hundreds of dollars buying a single jacket that lasts them a couple of years hard camping use, or one long third-world trip. One quipped that hiking in South America in the 90s he could buy your typical mountain village for the price of his $1200 rain ensemble.

Of course, since then, prices have come down and Goretex, and other membrane products, have gotten better.