View Full Version : AntiGravityGear Silnylon UL rain jacket
This jacket is being talked about in another thread with other rain gear but I want to start a new thread on this jacket specifically. I'm seriously thinking about getting it to but just wonder how well it would work during a period of extended bad weather.
I know that "when it rains you're going to get wet no matter what you're wearing" but there's a difference between getting wet and getting soaked. This summer I walked through rain for several days with my O2 rainwear jacket and at least my shirt stayed semi-dry and dried much more quickly than it would have had it been soaked which would be pretty important if the temps were below 50ish.
My major concern with a silnylon rain jacket is that it would soon get soaked and be like a wet tent - wet on the inside, and wet on the outside which would make this a poor choice for wearing during a period of extended bad weather. Or at least make it a better choice for warm weather and not so much during winter/cold weather.
I'd love to hear from someone who has one.
Stir Fry
09-26-2010, 17:18
Sil rain jackets work ok, but do not breath at all. If you are hiking you will get soaked inside. I have a home made one, pit vents and I still get soaked from sweet, unless I walk with the jacket unzipped. Im not sure why but it seems to take forever to dry too. You have to dry one side then turn it inside out and dry that side.
I now have a Marmot for the rain. It works better at keeping me dry inside the jacket. At 4 1/2 oz I still carry the Sil jacket as a wind breaker, or for around camp.
This jacket is being talked about in another thread with other rain gear but I want to start a new thread on this jacket specifically. I'm seriously thinking about getting it to but just wonder how well it would work during a period of extended bad weather.
I know that "when it rains you're going to get wet no matter what you're wearing" but there's a difference between getting wet and getting soaked. This summer I walked through rain for several days with my O2 rainwear jacket and at least my shirt stayed semi-dry and dried much more quickly than it would have had it been soaked which would be pretty important if the temps were below 50ish.
My major concern with a silnylon rain jacket is that it would soon get soaked and be like a wet tent - wet on the inside, and wet on the outside which would make this a poor choice for wearing during a period of extended bad weather. Or at least make it a better choice for warm weather and not so much during winter/cold weather.
I'd love to hear from someone who has one.
You should buy one and do a review. :D I wonder how it will perform without sealed seams.
My biggest concern is one Stir Fry mentioned... When silnylon gets a good soaking it gets as wet on the inside as it does the outside and takes a good amount of time to dry - like a wet tent.
yup. i agree with the advice that you're better off getting wet without a rain jacket at all when it is warmer than, say 55 degrees or so. for those times i really like a frogg togg poncho -- since it does breath well enough to wear when walking, say up to around 60 degrees, and i like to use the poncho with a jrb mod for my hammock. I've found that tucking the poncho under my pack waist belt is an easy way to keep it under control. the real question, i think, is what do you wear when hiking in the rain from 30 to 55 degrees, and then what do you wear when in camp when raining from 30 to 75 degrees. In the winter I find myself using a frogg togg jacket and pants -- when it is cold enough i can walk in them and not sweat... but even at 35 or 40 degrees, I can't walk wearing an unvented rain jacket without drowning. and i find it difficult to justify carrying an unvented jacket for camp use and a breathable jacket for walking. i'm struggling with this issue myself, and keep on coming back to frogg toggs as the best solution for walking AND camping. oh... and hello 10K!!! Hey, go with Luddite's advice and let me know!!!
I think the performance of a rain shell depends alot on the clothing that is being worn underneath. Knit wool sweaters works great underneath just about anything, so for people that like wool sweaters the 5oz AGG rain shell would be great. Wearing rain jackets loose helps alot also. I am curious about the length, and if it has a drawstring at the bottom that you can tighten or loosen.
I got one last year, and it did OK walking through a steady rain for a couple of hours one day this summer. Didn't soak through but I was already drenched from sweat anyway.
It does not have a drawstring at the bottom. Velcro at the wrists; both zipper and velcro for front; hood w/ drawstring; the back lenght is 30".
kayak karl
09-26-2010, 20:29
why wear a wool sweater under rain gear like this. how cold is it where u r. JAK
Chance09
09-30-2010, 17:12
I only wear a raincoat when it's under 50 or 60 degrees otherwise I just get wet. So the sweating isn't an issue. I'd love to hear about some long term cold weather use before I get one of these for the CDT next year
why wear a wool sweater under rain gear like this. how cold is it where u r. JAKFair question.
My rule of thumb is to always wear a wool sweater when hiking, and for it to be as heavy as possible, but no heavier than that which can be comfortably worn when wearing only the sweater and shorts, on the warmest day expected. So in summer it is rather light indeed, some thrift merino, and I might shorten the arms. I still wear it loose though, just touching the skin, not stretched on. If I didn't hike mostly in shade along the Fundy Coast I suppose there would be days where even this would have to come off. In Early Spring/Late Fall, it can be a medium hand-knit sweater of some british wool. It could be two lighter sweaters, perhaps one short sleeved, but I like British type wool for our wet climate, and I like to switch up to something hand knit as soon as possible and light sweaters would be WAY too expensive to hand knit. Winter can be quite a range of sweaters, covering different temperature ranges from cold and wet, to colder but dryer. I have some Alpaca sweaters which might be better in cold and dry, but I still like british wool when wet conditions are likely. They are generally more durable also.
Anyhow. If it is just heavy enough to be not too heavy when worn just with shorts on the warmer days, it is generally not too heavy when worn under my rain poncho or this UL rain shell on a day when it is raining, be it summer, or spring or fall or winter. When it rains, it generally cools down a bit. If it is a light rain, at least in summer, I am more apt to leave the shell off than to take the sweater off. The summer sweater is so light anyway, even if it became saturated it would be easy enough to squeeze dry and put the rain or wind shell over it if it suddenly turned cold, which often happens with cold fronts, or fog or breezes coming in from the cold waters of the Bay.
In general, if the sweater is just light enough to wear with shorts on nice days, then it is just the right weight for that trip, and can be left on and mixed and matched with any other layers for that trip, including rain shells.
Today I am wearing a shetland wool, somewhere in weight between light and medium. It is a better wool than merino for damp conditions, and almost as light for its warmth in dry conditions. It is machine knit and was $5 at a thrift store. It is warm inside in the wool pants I am wearing, but not too warm, and I could wear it comfortable on the walk up this morning and for the walk back home tonight. I don't have my rain or wind shell with me because I am a little disorganized lately and I have lost track of some of that stuff and need to dig it out. Misplaced my alpaca hat also. Anyhow, the wool will be comfortable inside or out, night or day, over quite a range in temperature, even saturating rain if I have to run home, and I will be warm enough even in a cold rain as long as I get there before I have to stop. But its only supposed to go down to 64F tonight, and just foggy drizzle not cold rain, so I could walk for hours in that without a rain shell if I really wanted to. You would just have to squeeze it out now and then if it becomes heavy and saturated. People often seem to forget they have that option. :)
:)
I've been using a Brawny Gear silnylon rain jacket for a couple of years now. I'm very happy with it. Yes, you will get wet from sweat if you're active, but as long as you wear a layer that dries quickly once you are in camp, it's not a problem. In three season weather I wear something synthetic, in winter, wool.
I stay reasonable comfortable in all-day rain and snow. Does keep you amazingly warm in cold weather. If you get too hot in summer, you probably don't really need the rain jacket at all. I pair this with a ULA Rainwrap. This system is about 5 or 6 oz total. Plus the Rainwrap is multi-function.
I used to use a generic FroggTogg type rain suit. It worked well, but this current set-up is much lighter and MUCH more compact.
Meant to add, if you wear a light layer underneath the silnylon you do not get a terribly unpleasant "wet" sensation. I used this set-up hiking all day in a Boundary Waters (northern Minnesota) early May snow and wind storm and was quite comfortable with a light wool and light synthetic shirt underneath. I did carry a dry set of silk base layers for camp/sleeping (also very light and compact, amazingly comfortable).
I would guess that the rain gear and extra silk base layer was still less weight and bulk than any other rain gear I've used.
Im not sure why but it seems to take forever to dry too. You have to dry one side then turn it inside out and dry that side.
Not my experience at all. I find the silnylon dries very quickly, even on a damp night hanging in a shelter. Shake out the bulk of the droplets, hang, and it's relatively dry by morning. If there is a breeze and/or sun, it dries within a half hour.
Wet silnylon sticks to wet skin because the nylon is so supple. I prefer jackets with a stiffer fabric. My poncho is silnylon and I wouldn't carry it for rainwear if it didn't double as a tarp (or an extension on another tarp, groundsheet, etc. - ponchos are very multi-use. They make great rain catchers, too, which means you have to filter less in rainy weather. Of course you can't wear it and capture water at the same time..........
Chance09
10-03-2010, 13:15
I've been using a Brawny Gear silnylon rain jacket for a couple of years now.
Lyle question for you.
On the BPL website it mentions that the jacket is large so that you can fit a small backpack underneath it. Would that be a small daypack or a semi UL thruhikers backpack?
Lyle question for you.
On the BPL website it mentions that the jacket is large so that you can fit a small backpack underneath it. Would that be a small daypack or a semi UL thruhikers backpack?
I don't believe my particular jacket is produced any more. It certainly would not be large enough for anything other than a VERY small pack underneath it.