SDT rain gear

[Valhalla]

Odd thing to post, but I am in need of new rain gear for dog trials. Something with a waterproof/breathable fabric and not too frumpy looking. I had one from LLBean, but it leaked. I've gotten word about Cabela's and REI, but I don't really like the style of any of the ones they have. Any other good recommendations?

 

Thanks!

[lrayburn]

Patagonia has some absolutely fabulous new shells that have very thin, flexible waterproof zippers instead of the bulky stormflaps. You'll tend to pay a lot more $$ than you would for something from Cabela's or REI, but they have two onsale. Check out www.patagonia.com: click on Shop Patagonia and then Web Specials. The Microburst and Krushell are both softshells and onsale. If $$ were not an issue, I would own the Microburst. This advice is coming from the outdoor gear-freak part of me so it might be a little bit more high-tech than you're looking for but at least you have more options.

[Sue R]

Have you ever checked out Title 9? All women's gear, all well-made, all oriented towards the very active woman.

 

They have great customer service, as well.

 

www.title9sports.com

[toney]

You might try http://www.froggtoggs.com. They make a lightweight breathable rainsuit that competitive fishermen use. It's very popular with those guys. They now have several styles. When I bought mine, they only had one style, which featured pants that had slash pockets with snaps...this tunneled water down the side of your jeans....that's the only problem I ever had with them. I have to replace the pants soon- got them caught on a fence...but they are about four years old.

[SoloRiver]

I have a pair of waterproof pants from REI that are fabulous. The style is called Ventana but because I am very small, I bought the kid size large. I think the adult style is similar. These pants are straight leg, a bit loose and very plain. I actually think mine look OK. The style is like a pair of track pants. There is a velcro tab at the bottom to snug them at the ankles if necessary and also a "powder skirt" on the insides of the legs to keep snow from going up them if you wear them in the winter (when it's really cold I put a pair of fleece leggings under my waterproof pants and then I can stand outside for hours no matter how cold it is).

 

As for waterproof shells, it's really important to me that the thing be breathable too. I have two, a lightweight waterproof/breathable hooded shell from Sierra Designs (that's the orange jacket I was wearing at Keepstone -- it does come in normal colors though -- I just happen to like orange) that is good for warm weather, and a North Face Gore-Tex XCR parka that is heavier and suitable for winter. They can be variously layered with fleeces or down jackets depending on climate and so far have been utterly waterproof.

 

If I were you, I would go online and check out

 

http://www.rei.com

http://www.rei-outlet.com (the sale website for REI)

http://www.sierratradingpost.com (GREAT prices on closeout items)

 

Do a search for waterproof/breathable rain wear. You'll pay more for fabrics like Gore-Tex but I think it's worth it for the light weight and functionality. If there is an REI near you and you order from the website you can have them ship to the local store and pay nothing for shipping.

 

REI has the Marmot Precip jacket on sale (the site says the pants are on sale too, but they seem to be out of stock) right now. I really like this line and it's won multiple awards from outdoor magazines -- might be worth checking out:

 

http://www.rei.com/product/4521520.htm?vca...NS_CLOTHING_TOC

 

These are very similar to the pants I have, but they are the women's style. They run VERY large (which is why I had to buy the kid pants instead).

 

http://www.rei.com/product/47693568.htm?vc...NS_CLOTHING_TOC

 

Sierra Trading Post often has closeout Patagonia items and their prices can't be beat. They have a waterproof soft shell on sale right now:

 

http://www.sierratradingpost.com/xq/asp/ba.../qx/product.htm

 

I also got a $150 pair of Gore-Tex hiking shoes from them for $30 that are totally waterproof and comfortable and (unlike Muck boots) don't make my feet sweat.

[Joan]

Originally posted by Valhalla:

Odd thing to post, but I am in need of new rain gear for dog trials. Something with a waterproof/breathable fabric and not too frumpy looking.

Aw, come on, Christine! Be frumpy with the rest of us! I like my REI stuff, but I look frumpy in everything.

[Herderdog]

I put a vote in for the Frogg Toggs too! A friend recently showed up at a trial with them. I just bought mine.

I had been looking at all the other options and finally decided they would fit what I was looking for. They are really lightweight (less than a pound for the whole suit), completely waterproof and windproof. Comes with a little stuff bag for storage.Seem real good for running after the pups!!

For the price...the best thing going!

I bought from this company http://www.graniteoutdoors.com/

[SoloRiver]

Oh, it just occurred to me, if you don't want frumpy, you might want to check out Isis. It's a woman-specific outdoor brand that has some interesting designs and nice colors. Title 9 carries it.

 

http://www.isisforwomen.com/

 

North Face is also coming out with a bunch of hipper, more "urban" looking clothing. Dunno if any of it is performance wear or waterproof. Altrec.com carries a lot of North Face. I can say that the parka I have, which is part of their mountaineering line (the Mountain Light XCR parka), looks pretty cool (it's purple on purple), has never let me down, and is worth every penny I spent on it (and those were a lot of pennies).

 

Another good site for fashionable-looking outdoor-type clothing is Athleta (I put their Polartec Powerstretch bootleg pants on my Christmas list):

 

http://www.athleta.com

 

Like Lisa, I have a bit of a gear fetish. I too covet the Patagonia soft shells, but I'm gonna have to wait until the stuff I have is worn out to treat myself.

[blackacre]

Mountain HardWear. The best of the best. Expensive as hell but worth it.

I also acquired a pair of Patagonia ski/mountaineering pants that I am most excessively fond of.

A.

[cgt]

I love hearing about all the fancy, expensive stuff you guys wear to trials. But isn't this stuff a little too fancy? I mean, don't you start having to be careful not to ruin your finery? Personally, if I am not willing to wear my gear into a set-out pen after 2 days of rain, I am not going to buy it. This contributes to my lack of visual appeal at trials, of course.

 

charlie

[blackacre]

That's the beauty of the top quality stuff Charlie, it lasts forever and looks good too. The only problem is that as a died in the wool urbanite, I favour black. Sheep don't like black, I was told at a shedding clinic. Eeeeeeeek, major life crisis.

A.

[cgt]

Originally posted by blackacre:

That's the beauty of the top quality stuff Charlie, it lasts forever and looks good too. The only problem is that as a died in the wool urbanite, I favour black. Sheep don't like black, I was told at a shedding clinic. Eeeeeeeek, major life crisis.

A.

If you say so Andrea. Personally, I don't want to be wearing my $200 nanotechnology pants when I have to hop over the barbed wire to retrieve a runaway ewe.

 

As for black.... Now I have an image of you as a goth-shepherd.

 

You know the "sheep don't like black" thing is interesting. Time and time again I've heard this. I guess the standard color of the Border Collie is not an accident, eh?

 

-charlie

[tucknjill]

crap, thanks alot Melanie..went to the site you suggested and bought a damn 200.00 coat. sigh, only hoping it will be waterproof longer than ten minutes...any of you guys had any success with that pour into the washer re waterproofing stuff for gortex?

[blackacre]

As for black.... Now I have an image of you as a goth-shepherd.

 

<<snort>> I couldn't persuade you to go with more of a "Sex in the City" kind of image could I?

 

A.

[cgt]

Sure, but I will need to see some appropriate jpegs.

 

Hmmm... maybe I can put Sam on that job. She seems to enjoy such things.

[SoloRiver]

Sam, always happy to be an enabler! One of my deep dark secrets is that I love to shop -- can't afford to buy most of the time but I even enjoy going to the mall or surfing websites when I don't buy anything at all. This is probably the sign of a true sickness.

 

Charlie, since I'm on a budget I don't spend money on stuff unless it's worth it. My North Face parka was an investment but it's the kind of thing I could climb Everest in. It's taken tons of abuse and still looks presentable enough to wear in front of my students, who are a bunch of truly overprivileged college brats. And it's never leaked.

 

Christine, something else occurred to me. The brands that tend to look less frumpy are the ones that are cut narrower and/or run small -- since I'm tiny I'm hyper-aware of this kind of stuff. That's why I like North Face, Patagonia, and Sierra Designs. Sugoi and Pearl Izumi make mostly cycling wear but some stuff that might be useful and also tends to be cut slim. REI brand, EMS brand, and LL Bean are cut more frumpy in my experience.

[Pipedream Farm]

Pssssst,

 

when it's raining, guys are not looking to see who's wearing frumpy clothes; we're just looking to get the job at hand done so we can go back inside.

 

Mark

[Valhalla]

Thanks to all for the great suggestions. I have been doing a lot of web surfing.

[Pearse]

Here's my 2 cents worth based on many years hiking and climbing in coastal British Columbia (ie rainforest).

 

There is no breathable garment on the planet that will keep you bone dry if you are setting sheep all day at a trial where prizes are given for "Best 200m Backstroke Crossdrive". For that you need raingear of the rubberized or polyurethane variety. Usually comes in stylish duck-bill yellow, army green, or urban-shepherd black and at $50 - $80 (for the good stuff) won't make you cry when you catch it on the barbed wire cgt-style.

 

The breathable gear works great in snow and light to moderate rain and it's really worth it to spend the extra money for the stuff designed for technical outdoors activity (alpine climbing, skiing, hiking) rather than the lighter wieght keep-you-dry-going-for-a-latte-in-Seattle stuff. The technical gear usually has heavier abrasion-resistant outer shell, three-ply construction with taped-seams (really important). Gore is putting an "Engineered for Extreme Wet Weather" stamp on stuff made using Gore-Tex or Gore-Tex XCR.

 

Sam, the pour in the washer stuff doesn't work as well as the spray on stuff but the key to long life is keeping it clean. Wash often with really mild detergent. The "Nikwax" line is good for both washing and post-wasing treatment of breathable gear.

 

I get most of my stuff from either Mtn Equipment Co-Op

(MEC) or Taiga Works in Vancouver. Taiga doesn't do web orders unfortunately, so every trip home involves stops at both places. The first jacket I had from Taiga lasted me over ten years of almost daily use before leaking but Mountain HardWare makes good stuff and the technical lne of North Face is good (but overpriced IMHO).

 

Pearse

[tucknjill]

Thanks Pearse, that is exactly what I needed!

[blackacre]

Which brings to mind foul weather gear from the world o' sailing, Pearse. In my previous life as foredeck on various 1/4 ton racing machines, I had a kick ass suit made by Helly Hanson or Mustang or something in blaze yellow that was awesome. Hmmm, wonder where that went?

A.

[Lucy Goosey]

Yes, it's true. Breathable fabrics are nice for light rain, but the only thing that will keep you really dry if it's really wet is a rubber suit. Blech. But if you want to stay dry.....

[tucknjill]

ewwwwwwwww if you figure it out, let me know..like Charlie, fraid I dont care what it looks like, but damn I hate being cold and I hate being wet. Both make me very very grouchy, and for any of you that know me, a grouchy sam isnt a good thing. Also like Charlie, I dont want to worry about getting it muddy and torn while working (occasionally I do actually do some work.)

[SoloRiver]

I dunno, Pearse -- you obviously know your gear -- but I've spent hours standing around in pouring rain (at an agility trial -- so sue me) with no shelter (because they don't provide handlers' tents) in my Gore-Tex XCR jacket and my waterproof/breathable pants (I don't know what the material is) and didn't get wet at all except at my wrists and pants cuffs. I agree though, I wouldn't expect my lightweight jacket to keep me totally dry in that kind of situation.

 

EMS end of season and clearance prices can often be excellent. I got my North Face parka for about half price. I wouldn't have been able to afford the full price for it, which I think was almost $400! Still painful to pay $200 but since I only own a couple of jackets at all it's paid for itself by now.

[lrayburn]

I have to take a stand for breathable fabrics. My previous Moonstone Gore-Tex parka and my current Lowe Alpine Triple-Point Ceramic jacket both kept me dry in total downpours (we're talking backpacking, rockclimbing, setting safety for whitewater races - no sheep involved though!). I find that rubberized jackets will keep the rain off but you will sweat yourself soggy from the inside if there is any sort of physical activity or warmth involved. A nice jacket with pit zips is invaluable if you will actually be engaged in physical activity in the rain.

 

As another poster already said: if you buy a nice waterproof/breathable, use the specialty Nik-Wax cleanser designed for that purpose and dry in the dryer. Don't use regular detergent and try not to get anything greasy on the material. I have used the spray-on and the wash-in waterproofers and have had mediocre success with both. At that point, I'll replace the jacket.