View Full Version : What to wear over down?
What do most folks use that choose down jackets over top of them when it rains?
Is synthetic really the way to go?
I've have a Montbell UL Down jacket, but I was in sprinkling rain the other day, and it got wet, really fast.
Also wondering if anybody has used any kind of treatment spray on down jackets, bags etc. to make them more waterproof? :)
Appalachian Tater
12-19-2007, 23:23
I wore my Patagonia down sweater in sprinkling to light rain today and it got wet on the outside (only) but dried quickly, within three hours, probably sooner, but I didn't check. The material seems not to soak up water.
Definitely get a good-quality spray and treat it.
But would you have been wearing the down if you had actually been hiking?
take-a-knee
12-19-2007, 23:27
A good roof.
Nothing waterproof. A spray treatment is all I can recommend. Anything else will trap your body's moisture and let it get into the down. Wet weather? Go synthetic. Below freezing, down is fine. (Actually fine anytime in a tent or under a tarp).
hopefulhiker
12-20-2007, 00:05
I tried to save my down sweater for in camp use....
I tried to save my down sweater for in camp use....
Seriously.... down and rain don't mix.
envirodiver
12-20-2007, 01:18
Primaloft is the best synthetic insulator. It has many of the best properties of down: that it lofts well, is very compressible and doesn't lose it's insulating ability when wet. You can also use a DWR spray to make the nylon shell more water resistant, but it's not waterproof.
Best thing is to layer a light waterproof shell over the down jacket.
The shell of my down jacket is DWR, so it takes quite a bit of rain to get through it. If it is raining though, then it isnit cold enough for me to use the down. Then I just wear thermals and a rain jacket. If I had to put something over the jacket, I would wear my rain jacket over it. Fortunately I sweat very little, so I'm not too concerned about soaking the down form the inside.
88BlueGT
12-20-2007, 02:57
I couldnt imagine wearing a down jacket while hiking. I guess I sweat alot because I cant even think about wearing anything more than an insulated under-armor and something else light on top of it. Those under-armors really hold in the heat though.
NICKTHEGREEK
12-20-2007, 06:51
If it is raining it just may be too warm for feathers. I do down when the temps are in the teens.
I use a tent or shelter roof over my down. I hike in wool and rain gear when it is raining.
Egads
I will put all of my down in my sleeping bag, when I can afford some.
maxNcathy
12-20-2007, 09:05
Last spring one morning it was 15F and very windy so I wore my patagonia down sweater for a while while hiking slowly on the slippery trail.Otherwise used down when not hiking if it is cold and as a footwarmer on cold nights.
I would like to make an ultralight down long coat some day.
I could use it as an overquilt and for long slow trudges in extreme cold, like you say.
if it's warm enough to be raining you shouldn't be hiking in down.
If it's cold enough that you want a base layer, a down layer AND something else....well, you're in the world of mountaineering, not hiking.
Appalachian Tater
12-20-2007, 20:22
I will put all of my down in my sleeping bag, when I can afford some.
You could probably afford it now if you bought it from a U.S. company. The U.S. dollar is at approximate parity with the Canadian dollar.
Blissful
12-20-2007, 20:41
I really didn't have to worry about that on my hike. But I was prepared to wear my precip over my down jacket if need be. I went with the Montbell jacket for later in the hike.
You could probably afford it now if you bought it from a U.S. company. The U.S. dollar is at approximate parity with the Canadian dollar.Good point. Heading into Maine over the holidays. :banana
WILLIAM HAYES
12-20-2007, 22:17
try the monbell thermawrap jacket I would not carry any down clothing