View Full Version : frogg togg dry duck
mark schofield
01-20-2009, 16:24
I'm going to give frogg toggs a try this year. When people recommend this brand/type, are they generally talking about the "Dry Ducks" that frogg toggs makes? It seems to be the lightest that also has a hood. Time to get rid of the older heavier(13 oz) campmor rain parka. I don't use rain pants or gators so would only use the top. TIA Mark S.
the_black_spot
01-20-2009, 16:44
people are generally talking about a different model than the dry ducks.
i think its the pro action rain suit but i could be wrong.
the dry ducks are good, just a little fragile. i ripped a good hole in my jacket once when i was carrying it in my hand (how ironic) and slipped while walking down a muddy hill and used my hand to break the fall.
All lightweight rain shells are gonna be fragile ... I have the dry ducks, and a merrell sprint shell ... I only use the spring over the frogg toggs because the dri ducks are flimsy and doesn't fit me very well ... the sprint for fit .. is perfect .. only reason ... the frogg toggs work very well tho ... If something were to happen to my sprint shell, i wouldn't think twice about using the dri ducks ...
johnnyblisters
01-20-2009, 19:26
Dri ducks are nice, cheap, light rain gear. I have hiked many miles with my ducks, and they fit the bill for what I was looking for. But now I use the EMS thunderhead and havent looked back. Def pick up a set because they are so darn cheap for what they do and decide for yourself if they fit your needs on the trail. happy trails
optimator
01-24-2009, 23:53
After reading all the posts here I figured I'd try them too. I picked up a pair on Ebay for $12 priority shipped. Just got them yesterday. They do appear fragile, but as long as I'm not bushwacking they should be fine. We'll see!
Homer&Marje
01-25-2009, 08:56
I have a pair of Toggs, the ones with the bib pants and the jacket. Definitely a little fragile but work fantastic. Especially to keep warm as an under layer in the cold.
Anyone know how to get rid of the "Fuzzing" problem I seem to be having with my toggs?
I wonder if you could burn the fuzz without them going up in flames.
Maybe a hot iron and linen cloth, or wax paper?
Mountain Dog
01-29-2009, 16:22
Frogg Toggs, the company, makes a 2 and 3 layer material. The dry ducks brand are the two layer design. They resist water and are lighter than the suits advertised under the Frogg Toggs brand. Although still fragil, the Frogg Togg suits are more durable than the dry ducks. (I did some extensive research a year ago. The jest of what I found is listed above. The layering might have been 4 and 3 but i think it was 3 and 2) If I were riding a motorcycle or walking in open areas, I'd go with Dry Ducks. I'd use Frogg Toggs if I were walking on tight trails
I wouldn't recommend DriDucks but the 3 layer Frogg Toggs. They're much more durable and hold rain, wind better.
I have both the Dry Ducks and the original Frogg Toggs. My vote is the original Frogg Toggs.
Blissful
01-29-2009, 19:18
My son ripped out his Frogg Togg pants (in a seam) after the second day of use. Not sure why that happened. But jacket made it through until summer when he switched to an umbrella. It does pill alot though.
hopefulhiker
01-29-2009, 19:49
The dry Ducks will soak through.. I used the original Frog Toggs, just the jacket and it was great, although I had to replace it about half way thru..
I've had pretty good luck with the dry ducks over about 3 years now. The only problem I had was when I tore the elastic band off of the end of one sleeve when I was trying to take off the jacket after a storm. It's so easy to forget how fragile they are.
We've used the Frogg Toggs ProLite suits for 4 years now, backpacking and ultrarunning in the Pacific NW (and occasional backpack trips on the
AT, most recently MD in Nov 08). They work better than anything else I've tried, including a series of expensive Goretex jackets.
No problems with durability, although we don't abuse them. Just walking and running on fairly clear trails, sometimes with an umbrella. We don't much care about the pilling. The jackets keep us dry.
Love the orange color--we call them our "Hazmat suits". I'm in danger of getting "Hazmat" for a new trail name!
laurielee
02-24-2010, 02:28
I was rummaging through my gear closet today and got to thinking about the WPB material used in my Dry Ducks rain suit (also used in O2 and a thcker version in frogg toggs). Has anybody considered this material for use in a bivy sack? Does anybody know where to get this fabric? I don't know the weight of this fabric, but I do know there aren't many WPB jackets lighter that Dry ducks. Let me know what you guys think about it's application in a bivy.
My friend patches hs dry ducks with clear tape until it's hopeless and then he will make hand mitts out of them. I tried a real "hazmat" suit, actually tyvek coveralls from the hardware store. I don't know if it works or not. Seems to, but I get sweaty inside all rain gear so much I'm not sure what the purpose is.
DawnTreader
02-24-2010, 10:08
Dri ducks are nice, cheap, light rain gear. I have hiked many miles with my ducks, and they fit the bill for what I was looking for. But now I use the EMS thunderhead and havent looked back. Def pick up a set because they are so darn cheap for what they do and decide for yourself if they fit your needs on the trail. happy trails
Thunderhead's cheap?? Where are you shopping?? I got my dri duc set for like 30 bucks... Anywhere I've seen a thunderhead set its been for like 150$!!!! IMO.. Anything more than a Frog Togg/Dri-Duc top (I leave the pants behind.) is overkill for the AT.. Maybe the thunderheads suits the needs of other activities?
mweinstone
02-24-2010, 10:15
when you compare my mountain hardwear quark and my golite reed pants to anything else, its like,....hi, im wearing 300 dollars worth of raingear and im dry and comfy and warm and light and durable and cool looking. and you in your shopping bag fashioned rain bags are like noisy and silly and wet and weird looking.
just dad
02-24-2010, 20:14
The real issue is what kind of conditions you will be hiking in. Hiking in Virginia in the summer does not require high end rain gear. Hiking in Georgia during March or the presidential range at any time requires better gear. I use rainshield (www.rainshield.com (http://www.rainshield.com)) jacket and pants, but I do not expect them to keep me dry during a day long downpour. But I have found nothing lighter (about 1/2 the weight of frogg toggs) and they are adequate for the conditions I'm hiking in.
frisbeefreek
02-25-2010, 02:15
I've been through blizzards with my Driduck jacket. Highly recommend. Well over a 1000 miles of thru on them.
As a hint, get 99cents of velcro tabs to secure the rain flap on the zipper.
I'm going to give frogg toggs a try this year. When people recommend this brand/type, are they generally talking about the "Dry Ducks" that frogg toggs makes?
I've thought about the same thing and I think I can provide you and everyone else an answer.
Frogg Toggs seems to be the company that produces many different rain gear products. Very popular with motorcyclist, apparantley good for fishing and very adequate for hiking/camping or just being in the wetness.
Dri Ducks is a product that Frogg Toggs makes wich is the lightest of their gear, and also the least durable. So in other words absoultley perfect for long distance hiking. They even mention "thru-hiking" in product descriptions. So since your question is on the UL forum I think it is safe to say that yes, when people reccomend frogg toggs or dri ducks or what ever that wierd word was that they said, they meant dri ducks made by frogg toggs. Not to be confused with the "Dri Ducks" company that manufactures "outerwear". Dead serious. The Dri Ducks outwear company provides nothing a Hiker would ever use, and I think that may have stunted the dri ducks (frogg togg product) popularity.
I love dri ducks and they are cheap enough to replace every year or two.
Everyone layers diffently and for my 3-season hiking, I find a dri ducks jacket and an insulating layer ( down or fleece for me) is all I ever need to survive in even the wetest, coldest, and windiest of the condtions hike. I do carry more but that is for comfort, hygene, and social reasons.
It has been commented in this thread that there are problems with "fuzzing". I have experienced fuzzing and its not a big deal. I have also experienced complete soak thoughs and its not a huge deal, although it does suck. But the Dri ducks product by frogg toggs company is the piece of rain gear that I have seen, read, and heard through second hand experience, and through 27 of 30 days of rain, personal experience, creates the least problems. Its made out of something very similar if not identical to Tyvek house wrap. It is one of those things in my kit that when I try to cut weight, I don't try to loose or replace it, but see what other "jobs" it could do and what other things I can cut.
Oh another comment mentions a "son" ripping the seems to his pants. Well I am a son and I did the exact same thing, but soon after I realized thats because the pants are built uhhh...old school and are meant to sit up just beneath the chest. Incedently this also keeps out more water, and keeps in more sweat.
My conclusion: the pants could be useful for some people in their conditions when worn correctly, but in my use, I just tossed 'em. Although I have hypotisized many times about incorporating the pants into a theorhetical 4-season kit.
Rocketman
03-23-2010, 21:33
Oh another comment mentions a "son" ripping the seems to his pants. Well I am a son and I did the exact same thing, but soon after I realized thats because the pants are built uhhh...old school and are meant to sit up just beneath the chest. Incedently this also keeps out more water, and keeps in more sweat.
My conclusion: the pants could be useful for some people in their conditions when worn correctly, but in my use, I just tossed 'em. Although I have hypotisized many times about incorporating the pants into a theorhetical 4-season kit.
Thanks for the insight.
It strikes me that one could just "roll down the top waist part" and end up with rain pants with the waist in a modern lower position with the crotch area elevated to where the "Old School" crotch would have been.
An equipment "hack" without a hack.
Zach Denton
04-30-2010, 04:01
Dri ducks are nice, cheap, light rain gear. I have hiked many miles with my ducks, and they fit the bill for what I was looking for. But now I use the EMS thunderhead and havent looked back. Def pick up a set because they are so darn cheap for what they do and decide for yourself if they fit your needs on the trail. happy trails
That's interesting, I'm planning on switching from the Thunderhead to the dri-ducks. Any particular reason you are switching? The thunderhead weighs considerably more.
I have both DriDucks (which I've seam sealed BTW) and Montbell rain gear (the jacket has pit zips) and use the DriDucks in all but the very coldest/wettest/most windy weather.
longhiker
05-06-2010, 02:37
interesting that you mentioned tyvek because i was trying to decide between tyvek pants ($2 - 3 at usplastics) and these... heard about tyvek at bpl. would anyone be able to compare durability or rainproof performance?
frisbeefreek
05-06-2010, 08:23
I'm a 1000 miles up the AT with my DriDucks jacket ($10 from Dicks Sporting Goods) and it's holding up well. Just make sure it doesn't snag on a branch, blow-down, or thorny bush. I have a large, and it weighs 6oz.
--Dylan
longhiker
05-06-2010, 13:52
Do any Dri Duck-like outfits come with boot covers made of the same material? I'm trying to decide between Tyvek and Dri Ducks and there exist tyvek boot covers.. these are quite useful around camp and for small stream crossings..