A reader asked: "I am in search of the perfect hooded rain slicker... would you be kind enough suggest something appropriate."
For me, Patagonia has been my default company. I have several Men's Patagonia Storm Jackets and, even though I am not fond of the black shoulders and arms in my current jacket and not many of their current colors, they do a great job at keeping me dry. My husband always travels with a putty-colored storm jacket as well.
I put the question to our hard-core sailing friend, who competes in (and wins) so many of the big races, about his choice for a recent event. His reply was:
I wore my Grundens, but I was probably the only person of about a thousand sailors in the race who did. Most wore Henri Lloyd, Gill, and Musto. Those three are the best brands, and they are all comparable. They all are made of Gore-Tex and "breathe" which is their claim to fame. But, when the frigid water had been pounding for five days and nearly everyone was soaked to the bone, I asked the boys, "how's that breathing working out for you?" Needless to say, I was the only person on our boat (or any other boat that I heard of) who slept on deck in the icy spray - warm and dry.
So I will be checking out his references. The search goes on.
17 comments:
Thank you for the rain slicker post...I still am continuing my search.. but now I have a few good ideas thanks to you!
PS you look great there by the waves in your jacket!!!
Muffy----have you tried the revamped Atlantis gear? I was wearing it today up here in Marblehead, lovely December rain. My husband does a lot of off-shore races and he swears by this stuff.
Your reader can look to Cabela's catalogue for some excellent rain gear...both insulated and not...reasonable prices too...
I'm in search of rain, where can I find that? Sorry, just a little humor.
If Colorado doesn't receive a decent ammount of snow this winter, I think we will be forced back into a drought.
As for the rain slicker, I love the good ol' Insulated H2Off DX from L.L. Bean. It is insulated and available in two different lengths, but I don't know how much insulation and how much H20 proof is needed. What works for us here in Colorado, may not be sufficient in the Eastern states.
As of right now, I'm quite warm in a barn jacket paired with a cotton sweater.
Muffy, do you live close enough to the ocean that you can do this every day?
I, too, am from Marblehead and second Cate's recommendation of Atlantis.
The company is owned and operated by friends of ours, who are all experienced racers
@Kentucky Kameleon - This is what I hoped would happen - that people would chime in with their recommendations.
@Cate - I haven't but will now. Thank you and I've put in the link. LOVE Marblehead!
@Main Line Sportsman - I have looked at their offerings and wondered. Nice to have someone such as yourself vouch for it.
@Susan - Seems to be no shortage of precipitation here. Thanks for the recommendation. As with MLS, I have looked at these also and wondered.
@Kathie - Indeed I do and always have. Can't get enough of the salt.
@Patsy - I love the inside recommendation and look forward to getting to know Atlantis better.
You should check out Henri Lloyd; their Atmosphere jacket is terrific and appears close to what you're considering. The folks at Landfall Navigation are very customer focused.
Love my Patagonia gear! Simple not complicated! Always looks good.
I just went thru a similar search, perhaps caused by, even for Oregon weather, the amount of rainfall we've had this fall. Although I already have Barbour, Loro Piana storm system, and Paul and Shark Typhoon, I was looking for something a little more utilitarian and waterproof. I looked at a number of jackets and although Arcteryx was highly recommended, I decided on and have ordered the LLBean Ascent jacket gore tex pro shell (the same material as Arcteryx-the highest level gore tex makes). I think Arcteryx is a more technical and lighter waterproof jacket (often used by mtn climbers) but the Bean is similar and hundreds less.
jrandyv
Portland Oregon
Love your new pic....navy is your color...
:)
Barbour Summer Beaufort jacket works well. It's about the same weight as a rain slicker and is made of light waxed cotton. Won't keep you warm, but will keep you dry.
@Sartre - Thank you! Here's the link.
@j.mosby - Ahhh...that seems to be where I keep ending up.
@jrandyv - Love the specificity! I see that it got enthusiastic customer reviews. Thank you and here's the link.
@TP&G - I never tire of navy. I remember your post a while back where you spoke of your fondness for the the navy/pink and navy/kelly combinations.and I couldn't agree more.
@Birddog - One would assume with all the time I spend on Barbour's site, I could have come up with this one! Excellent suggestion.
FYI,
The light weight Barbour Beaufort that I owned was a waterproof cotton material that wasn't waxed cotton, you could throw it in the washing machine for a quick clean after your lab has just jumped all over you. Then again knowing Barbour there could many variations of the Beaufort jacket. If it's a Barbour, they're all nice!
Recently I visited a local commercial marine supply store and browsed the rainwear. I recalled your mention of Grundens and paid particular attention to their products. Besides their heavy-duty PVC models that one really wouldn't wear casually because they don't breathe, I noticed a packable breathable jacket called Weather Watch. It's like a more durable version of the rain jackets you see from "civilian" hiking gear companies. The exterior looks like ballistic nylon rather than common rip-stop and the liner seems to be thicker than typical. Nonetheless, it easily folds and stuffs into a Bean Boat & Tote along with a small laptop. Mine is in navy which I find similar to Bean's Bright Navy. They are inexpensive. You can get them for about $50 online including shipping.
@Fraser Tartan - This is wonderfully helpful, thank you! Bright Navy is my favorite Navy from Bean's. Here is a link.
Another idea: I have very satisfied with the Marmont Precip:
http://marmot.com/products/precip_jacket?p=216,303,188&ft=188
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