[Mariner_9]

Rab Latok 3L e-Vent jacket, “The ultimate waterproof”: soaked through within 2-3 hours of heavy rain while hiking. My gf’s 2L Goretex Mountain Equipment (UK, not MEC) jacket also got soaked through.

Burton AK 3L Goretex jacket, “Built guide-tough”: soaked through within a few hours of boarding in heavy, wet PNW snow.

Is this just par for the course if the conditions are sufficiently bad? And is what I mentioned above really that bad, i.e. PNW rain/snow? The Rab jacket is old (2012) but in good condition and I treat it with DWR after every wash. The Burton and Mountain Equipment jackets are both 2016 models that have seen days rather than weeks of use.

Topic

[James H]

James H on October 31, 2018 at 8:13 am #14205

if your out in wet conditions long enough you’re going to get wet to some degree either from sweat or precip. Andy Kirkpatrick has a few good articles on his site about keeping emphasising comfort over waterpoofness. In wet conditions I like pile or micro-gtid material next to skin with a wind shell over. something like patagonia r1 + houdini combination or rab vaporize if you prefer integrated. Then simple srain shell over that. the pile/wind shell combo stops condensation from rain jacket from chilling you and provides warmth when damp.

[hafjell]

hafjell on October 31, 2018 at 8:26 am #14207

James H, interesting. What simple rain jacket are you using with the R1+ Houdini combo?

[James H]

James H on October 31, 2018 at 10:02 am #14211

a light one by Outdoor Research can’t remember tthe model name. if I were doing more technical winter climbing I’d go for something more robust.
I think the fleece (or grid fleece style baselayer) + wind shell works really well. Just layer over at rest breaks or belays or if conditions really turn worse.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous on October 31, 2018 at 11:26 am #14214

I don’t think there’s any such thing as waterproof clothing. There’s is snow-proof, drizzle-proof, etc, but full-on waterproof? It’s only a matter of time (in full-on rain or meltwater) before the wet gets in.

[allan.xperia]

allan.xperia on October 31, 2018 at 11:35 am #14216

There is such a thing as waterproof clothing. My Gore-Tex dry-suit is waterproof. I can be submerged in water, and no water will leak in.

But I have often been wondering if this Gore-Tex fabric has anything in common with the Gore-Tex fabric used for over-the-water clothing, except the name.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous on October 31, 2018 at 11:40 am #14217

Ha, ha! True. I’ve never worn one, but I imagine a dry suit is… dry.

I don’t know anything about the material, but I suspect that dry suit material would be too heavy or clammy to use in mountain endurance sports?

[Mariner_9]

Mariner_9 on November 1, 2018 at 12:40 pm #14235

Thank you all for your comments. Dry suit it is! On a more serious note, I will “embrace the suck” and simply accept that I’ll get wet. And I’ll check out Andy Kirkpatrick’s site – I found it useful for crampon info.

[Steve House]

Steve House on November 6, 2018 at 9:43 am #14303

Umbrella. Best waterproof and most breathable. Anyone who has trekked to BC through a late monsoon will agree. Bigger the better.