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10-K
02-24-2010, 11:25
Speaking of Frogg Togs and Dri Ducks....

Has anyone tried O2 rainwear? I picked up a rain jacket and it's pretty light and packs small. They feel like a handiwipe.....

The jacket appears to be more durable than dri-ducks which I've had a few problems with in the past.

burger
02-24-2010, 12:05
I used an O2 Rainshield jacket for my entire PCT hike--I love it. Light, super breathable, and durable enough as long as you don't do any crazy bushwacking in it. Mine got a few small tears in the outer layer, but the inner layer never tore through, and it stayed waterproof the entire way. Now I just need to decide what to do with the $250 I'm going to save not having to buy an eVent jacket...

More good reviews here: http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/reviews/display_reviews?forum_thread_id=5159&cat=Clothing%20-%20Raingear&cid=46

Don H
02-24-2010, 12:19
How are the sizes as compared to Dri-Ducks? Suggestions on where to buy them?
I have Dri-Ducks but I'd like to go with something that breathes better.

10-K
02-24-2010, 12:34
How are the sizes as compared to Dri-Ducks? Suggestions on where to buy them?
I have Dri-Ducks but I'd like to go with something that breathes better.

Sized much closer to actual than dri ducks which are humongus IMO.

The O2 rain jacket I bought is an XL and it fits like I'd expect an XL to fit on me - a bit big, but not obviously too big.

An XL dri-duck (pants and jacket) is more like I'd expect an XXXL to be.

FWIW, the O2 jacket feels more durable than a dri-duck - it doesn't have that paper feeling and I'm pretty sure it wouldn't tear as easily - and if it did it might only go through a layer leaving you some protection as burger mentioned.

I've had mixed experiences with dri-ducks and was/am looking for something lighter and more durable and the O2 looks pretty good.

burger
02-24-2010, 12:49
I've had mixed experiences with dri-ducks and was/am looking for something lighter and more durable and the O2 looks pretty good.

And at $25 or so, who really cares if it's durable? Any small tears you can fix with duct tape. Anything bigger, just replace it. I don't understand why people bother with non-breathable jackets like the precip or breathable but super-expensive eVent jackets and the like.

Don H
02-24-2010, 14:27
Suggestions on where to buy them?

10-K
02-24-2010, 14:39
Suggestions on where to buy them?


I got mine at coolraingear.com.

RayBan
02-24-2010, 19:12
My new suit wetted out in both the pants and jacket during a 4 hour walk in rain that wasn't driving or a deluge but merely steady. I did a subsquent indoor test of the jacket suspending it with water in a bunched portion of it (outside of jacket "inside", holding the water of course) and there was water penetration after roughly the same amount of time.

Rocketman
02-24-2010, 21:23
I bought a set of the O2 raingear for bicycle camping in about 2003. A few months after I got them, there was a torrential rain of short duration here. I ignored the pleas to stay inside, and suited up and went outdoors.

Back then, and maybe now, the O2 garments were assembled by sewing. I had water leaks in the neck area where the hood attached. They covered easily with Seam Seal.

A few months later came the test in a prolonged rain. I overnighted in a campground on my return trip still about 30 miles from home. The morning of the last day opened with the look of rain. I packed and got underway, but within maybe 15 minutes, the rain started. Never heavy. More than a drizzle.

I stayed dry. I didn't get sweaty wet because it was cool and I wasn't pushing hard. I was pulling a loaded trailer and probably moving at less than 10 MPH.

I pulled into a town about 15 miles from home and stopped at a Pizza Hut with a buffet. I really wanted something like a hamburger rather than a pizza but they sadly declared that they didn't have anything like that. So, I wolfed down pizza and salad and bread. When I went to pay the bill, I was told "no charge!" They saw that I was riding a bike and knew where I had come from and could guess that I was still a long way from home. They felt sorry for me having to ride in the rain, and this was their way to make my day better.

I had a good ride the rest of the way home, and remained basically dry.

Once, I was caught in a rainstorm and the raingear that I had was a Columbia "Titanium" jacket with pit zips. I was sweated out in just a mile or so.

I still carry, and occasionally use, the )2 gear, but I do try to avoid rain. For backpacking I carry the O2 top and an umbrella with a strap so I can mostly not have to hold the bumbershoot. Actually, it is just shoving the staff down into my sternum strap.

johnson_sb
02-24-2010, 22:17
I don't understand why people bother with non-breathable jackets like the precip...

I thought Precip was supposed to be breathable. They claim "Waterproof/Breathable" on their site.

burger
02-24-2010, 22:27
I thought Precip was supposed to be breathable. They claim "Waterproof/Breathable" on their site.
Breathable is a relative term, and since every jacket maker claims that their fabric is "breathable," it's become sort of meaningless. But there are big differences between jackets, and the O2 Rainshield (and DriDucks and FroggToggs and the eVent jackets) let a lot more sweat out than a precip will.

If you really want to learn about different kinds of waterproof/breathable fabrics, there's a bunch of good articles at backpackinglight.com (mostly members only).

johnson_sb
02-24-2010, 22:39
I'll read up. Thanks for the tip.

RedBeerd
03-15-2014, 16:06
I wanted to resurrect this old thread because there have been a lot of gear questions lately as people are starting their thru hikes.

Looking for a lightweight replacement rain jacket instead of my heavier "breathable" rain jacket from REI I decided to try these out. I ordered two from amazon and the total came to $45 (free shipping). I got a size Large and it weighs 6.6oz on my scale. Better than my 13oz REI jacket. 6.4oz savings for 22.50 seems pretty good to me.

The fitment isn't THAT terrible. And a Large fits me with room for a puffy underneath (I usually wear L-XL). They aren't sized that huge and the jacket material doesn't seem to have potential for clamminess.

That's all.

10-K
03-15-2014, 17:04
Just so happens I got a new one in December myself. Still have the one I finished the AT with, patched with McNeil's Tenacious tape. Nice piece of lightweight gear IMO.