View Full Version : waterproof/breathable hoodless jacket?
does anyone know if one exists on the market? otherwise, does anyone have any ideas about sewing my own --- recommended pattern, fabric, features? i might just cut the hood off my precip jacket though. -- reasons ---- i wear glasses, and a hood doesn't cut it in keeping the water off my glasses, and i just can't see. other reason, i hate the crinkle sound of hood vs. hearing if someone is even walking up behind me. i have a great hat to wear --- some version of a waterproof/breathable outdoor research hat. (sahala?) i have considered using one of the patterns from thru-hiker.com, maybe adding pit zips ..... thank you. d
dp the wonder dog
01-12-2005, 18:32
find a (hooded) jacket you like, then a capable person to do a hood-ectomy on it. Probably more likely to get what you want/need that way.
Youngblood
01-12-2005, 19:05
Denise,
You don't have to use the hood... and there might be times when it is cold and windy where it comes in handy, especially when you wear a ball cap as the cap will keep the rain out of your eyes and force the hood to turn when you turn your head. Hoods also don't blow off in the wind. Why don't you just use what you have for a while and see if it will work okay.
Youngblood
i've used the hood, we've all used the hood. i am capable of cutting it off, making it even 'zip-off' --- it's kinda hard to cut something off an already expensive jacket though :) my hat has a string that will secure it in windy conditons. i will likely have some kind of fleece hat with earflaps too. maybe one of those lt. wt. m.h. 'andinista' (i think) little hats.
i have about 2 months until i hit the trail, and though i've used the hood, i don't like the hood.
The hoods on the Frogg Toggs and O2 jackets are worthless. Worthless things are almost non-existent. Still, I would like to find the same thing as I usually have a hat with me while hiking.
gravityman
01-12-2005, 19:47
The hoods on the Frogg Toggs and O2 jackets are worthless. Worthless things are almost non-existent. Still, I would like to find the same thing as I usually have a hat with me while hiking.
O2 makes a hoodless jacket : http://www.rainshield.com/p_cycling.html
item # 1111
Youngblood
01-12-2005, 20:12
The hoods on the Frogg Toggs and O2 jackets are worthless. Worthless things are almost non-existent. Still, I would like to find the same thing as I usually have a hat with me while hiking.That's a pretty strong opinion Chris. I don't have a problem with the hood on my Frogg Toggs... but, I use a ball cap with mine. I've also heard good things about the O2 hoodless jacket that Gravity Man mentioned.
Youngblood
That's a pretty strong opinion Chris. I don't have a problem with the hood on my Frogg Toggs... but, I use a ball cap with mine. I've also heard good things about the O2 hoodless jacket that Gravity Man mentioned.
Youngblood
Maybe I have a peculiarly long neck and extra large melon. Still, I find it hard to imagine that the hood could actually keep the rain out of a hikers face. It does add some warmth, however, for hikers not carrying a balaclava.
NICKTHEGREEK
01-12-2005, 20:37
I did some shell shopping a few months back and was torn between Moonstone's Storm Flight and Nitro jackets. The former has a smaller stow-away hood (rolls into the collar). I bought the nitro, a bit more feature rich but no stowable collar I used a Marmot precip for the 2 preceeding years, but my son more or less appropriated it. I had the opportunity to do a 2 hr side by side test in some nasty weather to see how they compared. The Moonstone fabric was much more breathable and no part of it wet out even in very heavy rain. The Old Marmot, still beaded rain nicely everywhere but the cuffs, a problem since brand new. Overall the Moonstone jackets were better made and offered some nicer features you find in the ultra high end Arcteryx shells but at a very reasonable price. BTW, I also wear glasses and have found an old ball cap worn under the hood keeps the rain out off my glasses and the hood keeps those pesky drops from running under the collar when it really starts pouring.
grrickar
01-12-2005, 23:48
Check out the REI Ultralight jacket. It has a brimmed hood that zips off if you don't want to use it. http://www.rei.com/online/store/ProductDisplay?storeId=8000&catalogId=40000008000&productId=47592211&parent_category_rn=4501457&vcat=REI_SEARCH
does anyone know if one exists on the market?
Go to any cycling store or online web site. The cheapest lightest is the Rainshield O2 jacket. Pearl Izumi and Gill make hoodless cycling jackets out of eVENT. There are a lot of companies which might hoodless jackets out of Gore-Tex.
--mark
Mountain Dew
01-13-2005, 02:46
Mountainsports.com will have what you are looking for.
tlbj6142
01-13-2005, 16:20
Maybe I have a peculiarly long neck and extra large melon. Still, I find it hard to imagine that the hood could actually keep the rain out of a hikers face. It does add some warmth, however, for hikers not carrying a balaclava.I find the hood on my O2 jacket a bit too short as well. I can wear it without a hat on, but with a hat on it pulls the bill down a bit.
I ain't never not seen a jacket that is actually waterproof/breathable over the course of a long distance hike. Some are better than others though. I use a Patagonia jacket, although I don't recall the actual model. The pit zips help.
By the way, I actually heard someone recently use the triple negative that I opened this post with. Simply amazing!
Youngblood
01-13-2005, 16:50
...By the way, I actually heard someone recently use the triple negative that I opened this post with. Simply amazing!
That's one way of looking at it and if you do it can get confusing because two negatives make a positive and three negatives make a negative... the other way to look at it is that it is really really negative. :rolleyes:
triple hoodless event what? negative shell?
oldfivetango
01-14-2005, 09:52
i've used the hood, we've all used the hood. i am capable of cutting it off, making it even 'zip-off' --- it's kinda hard to cut something off an already expensive jacket though :) my hat has a string that will secure it in windy conditons. i will likely have some kind of fleece hat with earflaps too. maybe one of those lt. wt. m.h. 'andinista' (i think) little hats.
i have about 2 months until i hit the trail, and though i've used the hood, i don't like the hood. Hey folks-here's an old person's perspective.I hate the hood also.I will
NOT wear a hood without a cap underneath it.As others have stated it
makes the hood "behave" and turn and protects eyes and lenses from the
moisture.Old guys like me won't go outside without something on the head
to protect from either rain or worse-the sun.
That said- I second the motion to consider a real honest to goodness hat.
Suntamer makes one out of pvc that is totally waterproof and one size
fits all,too.Probably wont work for us external frame types but if you are
a "withit" young person with an internal that doesnt come up over the
back of your head then you could make do nicely.I can use my external
and still wear a real hat so long as the brim is no more than 21/2 inches.
The really great thing about a hat is that you can spray 100% DEET all
over the underside of the brim and waterproofing on top of the brim and
you got bug and weather protection going on simultaneously without putting that Darn Deet stuff on your skin.(i ruined a perfectly good leather
recliner with deet before i realized that stuff would eat not only leather but
also plastic.)After that the DEET goes only on hats and socks etc.
Fleece ear protection is availble for caps from Cabelas.It can be worn with
or without any cap and/or under a hat as well.
Cheers to all.
Oldfivetango:bse
Youngblood
01-14-2005, 10:30
oldfivetango,
Permithrin is what is recommended for clothing and DEET is what is recommended for skin. I have a OR Goretex rain hat but found that is was pretty warm when I was hiking. 'Breathable' is a relative term and the waterproof/breathable stuff isn't all that breathable when you are generating a lot of heat... but if it works for you, that is what counts.
Youngblood
tlbj6142
01-14-2005, 14:42
'Breathable' is a relative term and the waterproof/breathable stuff isn't all that breathable when you are generating a lot of heat... but if it works for you, that is what counts.Breathable is a marketing term for water transport. Gore and othere WP/B grear typically does a good job moving water inside to out, but the fact that you have sealed yourself in wind-less bag is what makes them so hot. Unfortunatley, the marketing folks did a great job selecting the term "breathable" as many folks incorrectly think it means "comfortable". As "breathable" sort of implies some type of air movment.
This is the reason why pitzips help (despite what Jardine says) as they ecourage air movement and thus convectional heat loss (something Jardine must have never heard of). This is also the reason why a 3oz windshirt does a great job and keeping you "warm" (which Jardine seems to understand, go figure).
DangerPea
01-14-2005, 15:28
Although not hoodless, the Integral designs eVent jacket is awesome. It is HIGHLY breathable & at least in the shower :p , very water proof. Now, like I said it does have a hood, and I wear mine with a visor which works great. But, I have found that you don't need the visor, though it helps. Plus, it is only 8 oz!!! Pretty good for a full zip waterproof breathable jacket. I love mine especially compared to my old precip. There really is no comparison, the eVent is so much better all around. Just my thoughts. We did a lot of research & this seems to be a fabulous ultra light yet highly functional & performing option.
sleeveless
01-14-2005, 15:57
Dangerpea is right. I walked this morning in the rain in my event and it worked just fine. No water on the seams etc. but best of all was the hood. I hate hoods. I never can get one to fit right but this hood worked great. I had a beanie (no brim) under it but I think it would have been fine even without the hat. So far, this jacket is living up to all my expectations.
Sleeveless
Starting AT NOBO 3/10/05
tlbj6142
01-14-2005, 16:31
eVent is more than twice as breathable as XCR. And, it will transport the same volume of water vapor regarless of humidity level on the inside. Gore's products products don't start moving vapor until the humidity level reaches 50-60%.
IOW, eVent gets to work much sooner than Gore. And moves twice as much vapor per sq in of material.
NICKTHEGREEK
01-14-2005, 18:22
oldfivetango,
'Breathable' is a relative term and the waterproof/breathable stuff isn't all that breathable when you are generating a lot of heat... but if it works for you, that is what counts.
Youngblood
Marmot made a Precip ball cap about 2 yrs ago and I stupidly bought one for $17.00 thinking that my precip jacket worked pretty good so the hat's gotta be ok. I slipped it over the old bald pate, and off I went in a light drizzle on a 50 degree afternoon. After about 1 hour of mild exertion I was a bit hot headed and doffing said cap released about a pint of sweat. Completely wiped the dwr out even after washing it twice per Marmot's instructions. The hat does have a nice bill, maybe I'll just cut a big hole in it and make it a visor of sorts and wear it under the hood of my new Moonstone shell.
i cut it off! i saved the elastic cord and sewed a casing along the neck opening to use the cord there, to cinch up the neck. it looks/fits great. no more ear crinkles when walking.
thanks for all the ideas on this thread. i did check out the rei elements jacket. i liked the zip off hood, but i didn't like the fit of the jacket overall. i can fit some puffy layers under my precip jacket.