Lightweight rainjacket?
Looking for a new lightweight rain jacket. My old one has been through heck and back. Any ideas?
Anti Gravity Gear
http://www.antigravitygear.com/rain-gear.html
not for a new jacket, but when mine is whopped, I plan on using the material to sew a couple water proof over mittens.Originally Posted by JackJack96
Marmot mica.
Love my Arcteryx Visio FL. $$$ but light and comfortable. No hood, I use a hat when I need extra protection
http://www.arcteryx.com/product.aspx...isio-FL-Jacket
I looked at that one.
The mica, that is.
it was my most valuable piece of gear during my section from springer to damascus this spring. its very light,packs tiny, and the most breathable jkt ive ever had.in downpours , yes it would wet out, but kept me warm, would literally dry in minutes.made a perfect windbreaker, wore it over a t shirt on chilly mornings, has high armholes, so that you can actually layer it under a puffy.a bit pricy, but its my favorite piece of gear.
You can go to Luke's ultralight gear. He has a silnylon rain jacket that weighs in at 4.6oz w/o pitzips and a bit more then that if you add them in. Not bad for $84.00 shipped.
+1 Marmot Mica--+
I wouldnt trade my Visio for anything, but I absolutely agree that having a rain jacket you love is wonderful -- definitely a place where, IMO, it's worth spending $$$ to get what you want.
Check out this review of the Montane Minimus.
Too bad Mountain Hardware doesn't offer it's Quark II anymore. I love mine. I wonder what replaced it.
perrito
684.4 down, 1507.6 to go.
"If a man speaks in the woods, and there is no woman there to hear, is he still wrong?"
The Marmot mica looks like a good option. 7 oz. and you can find it for $100 to $120 at online stores. I also like that it comes in orange, which will double as my blaze for hunting season.
I'm leaving for my SOBO thru-hike in six weeks and have yet to purchase my rain gear. The Mica is at the top of my list, but what about your pack? Is a liner good enough, or should you get a cover for your pack too? If you need to get a coat and pack cover, would it be better to get a ZPacks Poncho or The Packa? There's also the $5, 2oz. DriDuck.
The raingear options have been driving me crazy for the last week.
I looked at the Poncho and the Driducks, the Packa looks like the best option Andrew.
i use a compactor bag and a sea to summit silnylon pack coverdoesnt weigh much and i prefer the additional protection. i have an osprey atmos50,and it fits just right. i know a few people who had the packa who loved it, except when it was time for a snack. not to mention doesnt do a good job in the wind. the mica can be my camp jkt as well on cool nights.
i believe in covers. you're pack will get wet no matter what if it rains for a few days, but when its just showery or just for a few hours, itll keep your pack dry and you wont be carrying 2lbs of water weight.still use a compactor bag for my sleeping bag and clothes no matter what.
Similar to to the Mica, I like that the Sea to Summit sil-nylon pack covers come in orange. If you were looking for a lighter option, there's ZPacks cuben fiber pack covers. I also did a Google search for "ultralight orange blaze" and ran into Elemental Horizons pack cover. It's lighter than Sea to Summit's and comes in blaze orange. So, I can use the orange Mica, the blaze orange Elemental Horizon pack cover, and an orange bandana for hunting season. I love when gear is multi-purpose
I went to my local outfitter after work to see if they had any gear I still needed. While they didn't have a Marmot Mica, they did have one remaining Marmot Essence on sale for $110 (retail $185), in my size, and orange! I decided to purchase this and think it over later. Well, it's later
It does seem the Mica has more praise on WhiteBlaze, but there is still a lot of positives for the Essence jacket. The Essence is 1 oz. less, because it uses 1.6oz/yard MemBrain Strata vs. 2.2oz/yard in the Mica. I assume this makes the Mica slightly more durable (resistant to tears). I find it strange that the lighter fabric makes the Essence cost $40 more; maybe the technology to get the fabric that light costs more?
I think I'm going to keep the Essence unless anyone has any convincing last words
I use a Brooks running jacket. Use it for running mostly, it just happens to double as a hiking jacket.
Can't tell you which one exactly - it doesn't say inside - but I think it's their "Essential Jacket". And I've had it for about a year. Was about $30 on sale, weighs 240g (~8.5 oz).
If you splurge for the "Nighttime" version - reflective for running at night - it comes in dayglo yellow and dayglo/blaze orange too.
I have Brooks Nightlife Jacket III and it weighs 4.3 oz. Unfortunately, the running jackets are only water repellent. There are many posts that say water repellent is not enough. I really wanted to bring this jacket, but the posts discouraged me, which got me looking into a rain jacket.
I used an Essence and it worked well for me.
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