Recommend me a Waterproof Coat (for walking)

Joe_Rides

Senior Retro Guru
Hi all.

Looking for a new waterproof coat for walking. Any recommendations?

Open to buying 2nd hand if that's the best way to get something of proper quality. I note that you can buy 90's "made in Britain" era Berghaus' on ebay (Goretex), which I believe are better quality than some of their modern offerings.

Any particular brands worth avoiding?

Budget - £150 absolute tops really but would be happier if it was considerably less :D

Joe
 
Personally, I'm a fan of the heavier weight jackets of that era as they don't tear easy. I still have one from the mid 90s that sees at least weekly use. It is pretty knackered looking on the inside (all of the pockets have holes in them, draw cords useless, taped seams going etc) - but still largely water proof. It was pricey back then - around £150. But has been worth it.

If you want very cheap goretex, then military surplus is the way to go. Police (non UK as well as UK) or Royal Navy surplus jackets mean you can avoid the camo look. The main disadvantage is that they tend to come with no or fairly crap hoods.
 
Hi Joe

So much to choose from these days.

I was an outdoor instructor for many years and have been forunate to spend a lot of my life living, walking and climbing in the mountains. I have used most brands and materials so thought i would add a couple of my personal views :)

First thing is what you intend to use the jacket for, i know you said walking but is that in the hills or just the dog? on a regular basis or just now and again, with or without rucksack etc :LOL:

Old style Berghaus jackets can be expensive these days as they are seen as fashionable, they are, like other jackets from that time, fairly robust and i still have my Trango jacket and trousers, which i still use as they are full 3-layer Gortex and the jacket is actually Stormproof Gortex as opposed to normal Waterproof Gortex found in most other jackets. The compromise, and there always is in jackets, is it is not as breathable as other Gortex coats and takes longer to dry when wetted out. The thicker Jackets are designed for abbrasion as well and useful if you climb as rock can damage other jackets very easily, not and issue or needed if you are just walking.

:LOL: I will not keep babbling on as i am kinda going on more about extreme weather and prolonged use in mountain enviroments and probably useless to you if you are just going out for a stroll on the weekend :facepalm: :)

Let us know what type of walking and we will go from there :)

Mark
 
I use Pack lite gore tex jackets from Berghaus Extrem ,and Mountain Equipment
Single layer some come with stuff bags ,And are handy to have in rucksack .
Alpkit are doing some ok waterproof shells too
I do have a mammut 3 layer alpine gore-tex jacket for sale if your interested.
used once its the tetra model size large in blue ,RRp £335.00
im after £120.00
pm me for photos etc
 
Re:

Wow thanks both for the information - I had a feeling there might be quite a few stipulations required!

It will mainly be for walking on the moors near me, West Pennines is my usual haunt. Very often wet, not too cold. I do wear a small rucksack quite often but not loaded with camping gear, just a bottle of water, some butties and my binoculars.

Edit - mainly weekends - won't be worn every day.

I tend to run pretty cold so often have lots of layers on - so I'm not fussed about it being a WARM coat. It's keeping the rain out that I'm most concerned, although if it happens to be windproof also, wonderful!

I'm also in the market for new walking boots as I've proofed, polished and sika-flex'd :LOL: my old ones up but they're past their best by about 3 years (cheap leather Karimoor jobbies from sports direct). My brother has Meindl's which look aweseome. Might need another thread for walking boots though.............!!!
 
fiendish feet":804txadp said:
I do have a mammut 3 layer alpine gore-tex jacket for sale if your interested.
used once its the tetra model size large in blue ,RRp £335.00
im after £120.00
pm me for photos etc

Oooh possibly yes although I'd like to hear mkone's advise first if that's ok.
 
Ok, great info thanks.

There are plenty of options available to you for what you need. My first option would be as above, a Berghaus Paclite jacket, ripstop and waterproof enough for what you need. Very light jacket, the only thing is the sizing, i cant remember if they come up small or large, but deffinatly not same as other sizes. Size is something you need to think about with layers though.

My personal choice and one which has never failed in any jacket regardless of material is Mountain Equipment, best fit and best fitting hoods. They do some none Gortex material jackets, cant remember the name now which are fine too.

Hoods are pretty important and vary loads from make to make, ME as above are one of the best, avoid mountain jackets as most have helmet compatable hoods which can be reduced but can still fill with air on a windy day. Berghaus jackets have proper Helmet hoods, great if you are actually wearing one, North Face are another one with the worst hoods, the peaks are mostly not wired and therefore useless.

Alternative style jackets could be an option for you. If i am only out for the day walking or even in the mountains i will just take a softshell nowadays, as opposed to a hardshell. They are perfect for our climate, more breathable and a lot of them are water ressistant enough to withstand the rain if it decides too. The advantage apart from being more breathable is you dont have to keep taking it on and off and they are a lot more comfortable. If i was setting off in the rain and i knew it was going to rain all day without stopping i would wear a hardshell though. If the rain was stop and start all day i would take the softshell everytime!

Another alternative is a pertex and pile jacket. Again, a lot more breathable, you can keep it on all day and they are great in our climate. Some have thick linnings though, which means you dont need as many layers, they are the same as wearing either a jumper and hardshell or the thicker ones a fleece jacket and hardshell. Thats just reminded me, Rab jackets are also very good, the Vapour rise jacket is probably the best jacket i have ever owned.

Jeez, i could go on for ages :LOL: Lowe Alpine make great jackets too, they make a very good lightweight jacket like the Paclite but they are often cheaper to buy. Remember Berghaus atract high street wearers as well as outdoor users. Their mountain jackets use Triple Point which is awesome but requires reproofing to make it waterproof.

Another thing about Gortex or other waterproof jackets is the thinner ones have no linning so wear from the inside out, if buying secondhand, which is the best option really, always check the inside for wear as clothes wear away the coating. 2 layer jackets have the mesh inside to stop the water proof layer getting worn. 3 layer have another layer on the inside so the waterproof layer is sandwiched between the outer and inner.

Just seen the above reply from FF. Mammut jackets are great jackets, they tend to use fabrics before others and have their own specs for the Gortex and other materials when they get them produced.. For that reason they tend to be more expensive than other brands. I am not familier with the Tetra model, i know the Teton 3 layer jacket and its a good jacket. Like i said before, i have a 3 layer and they do offer the most protection and durability from within. It would not be my first choice for hillwalking though or even for single days in the mountains.

Another note and not intended against the above is Mammut clothing is probably the second most faked after The North Face so really have to be careful if buying anything of theirs.

Nothing definative i know, sorry. I guess for your situation the best choice would be either something lightweight like the paclite mentioned above, even better, a softshell jacket and a paclite, both of which you could get for less than you stated, for the pair that is. You will hardly, if ever, have to use the paclite but its so small that you might as well carry it anyway. The softshell can just be warn all the time and will become your favourite jacket :)

Need a drink now :LOL: ah, boots, Meindl's are great boots and i would recommend them for walking, one of the best made but they can be dear, even secondhand, but they are worth it. I never treat any of my boots, they seem to last a lot longer if you just leave them and clean them now and again ;)
 
A note about running cold as you say.

It is only the air that is cold, in that if you wear a fully windproof top, not all are, some are only rated to certain windspeeds, then you will not feel the cold on your body, so not so many layers :)
 
Joe_Rides":2h29cnup said:
fiendish feet":2h29cnup said:
I do have a mammut 3 layer alpine gore-tex jacket for sale if your interested.
used once its the tetra model size large in blue ,RRp £335.00
im after £120.00
pm me for photos etc

Oooh possibly yes although I'd like to hear mkone's advise first if that's ok.

Marks post is good insightful stuff
My Jacket is a Mammut Teton Hardshell Blue 2tone
3 layer Gore c-knit it is an alpine jacket so the hood is suited to
helmets , i bought it for bike packing the Trans-Cambrian Way ,
but ended up elsewhere and haven't used it..
Its overkill for me really as i use the Pac-lite jacket mostly.
So probably overkill for you too
Never go to Rock+Snow for Hiking Boots with a grand in your pocket.
lesson learned there.
As i've been landscaper for years ,and work in all weathers
you cant beat the cheap plastic water proofs from tool station.
cheap and cheerful
Here a flick of the jacket
[url=https://flic.kr/p/2b5AbKA][img...r.com/1947/44684196184_05fb7982a7_k.jpg[/img]Mammut Teton Goretex by Wholly Spokes, on Flickr[/url]


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