Modern rain gear sucks

[ontherocks83]

Originally Posted by jwing

...The price for that set is higher than I paid for my boat!

I'll never be able to afford to be in the cool-kid-sailor club.

That's why when my kids are old enough they will be getting part time jobs at various marine stores. Gotta love those employee discounts.

[barnakiel]

Originally Posted by jwing

...The price for that set is higher than I paid for my boat!

I'll never be able to afford to be in the cool-kid-sailor club.

Then look towards plain rubberized oilies. They are inexpensive, last fine and do not leak.

A way to get into less expensive goretex stuff is sniff around military and outdoor shops. At times you will find very good waterproofs there at way less than what the big makes (M, HL, HH, G, etc.) ask.

b.

[savoir]

Sure you will. Learn to tapdance.

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by barnakiel

A way to get into less expensive goretex stuff is sniff around military and outdoor shops. At times you will find very good waterproofs there at way less than what the big makes (M, HL, HH, G, etc.) ask.

b.

I started out with my old military goretex, felt silly wearing camouflage, but it worked, then someone here sold me a real expensive set of "real" foulies for a fraction of new cost, now I only act silly, but look as though I knew what I was doing

[JPA Cate]

jwing,

Don't know where you're located, but have found that supply places for fishermen often have decent wet weather gear, not so expensive.

Ann

[barnakiel]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

I started out with my old military goretex, felt silly wearing camouflage, but it worked, then someone here sold me a real expensive set of "real" foulies for a fraction of new cost, now I only act silly, but look as though I knew what I was doing

Yes. Military goretex is great value.

Another option is goretex clothing made for road and emergency services. Looks silly flash yellow with retrolex tapes BUT who cares when it rains.

b.

[Steadman Uhlich]

A few anecdotes:

1. I had a $500 Marmot 3layer Goretex jacket (Alpinist) that had ver little wear before the Goretex failed and crumbled (turned to dust like particles). Marmot replaced it free.

2. I had Mountain Hardware rain jacket Where the laminate failed. replaced free by manufacturer.

3. Two years ago bought two sets of rain gear made by Frogg Toggs. One set is low priced, but functional. The second set is their higher priced product line with many more features.

I purchased the Frogg Toggs Firebelly jacket and bibs and recommend it over their lower priced and fewer featured items.

The Firebelly jacket is outstanding! The bibs are great too. It is one of the best outdoor garments I have ever had, with great fit, features, fabric, and great pockets. It also has neoprene cuffs, which are great when in spray or heavy weather and working with hands. Very good hood and very high stand up collar. It is robust material that feels good to the touch and similar to the three layer Marmot Alpinist and very well constructed. I am critical of garments like this, yet this jacket compared very favorably with the $500 marmot Alpinist jacket.

Very impressive fact: the Firebelly cost only $75!!! .

I could not believe such a nice garment that is waterproof could be purchased at such a low price. I was very pleased by the comfort and durability too.

It has an elastic waistband so fits like a bomber jacket.

This can be ordered direct, comes in big sizes too, and in several colors including red.

Frogg Toggs Firebelly Toadz Jacket

That said, it does not have reflective tape or features like most sailing oriented foulies.

[barnakiel]

More anecdotes:

We had a Mammut goretex that saw maybe 10 years of winter / mountain use before we set off. Then it was in rough sea use in the tropics for another 10 years. We got rid of it only because the tapes at the seams went and it started to leak there.

We had Henri Lloyd, Burke and other "marine" stuff obnoard that started to fall apart after a couple of WEEKS of offshore use. Now our Gill jackets are going the same way (I must admit Gill did way better than HL).

b.

[MBWhite]

Originally Posted by Ann T. Cate

jwing,

Don't know where you're located, but have found that supply places for fishermen often have decent wet weather gear, not so expensive.

Ann

+1 for that.

Additionally, Carhartt makes some pretty good and durable PVC coated polyester coats, I've had one for a land-based farm raincoat for a couple years now and it has worked and more important has held up quite well, and it was only ~$40. Not something I think I'd wear ocean racing but for just a simple and durable piece of rainwear I recommend it.

... And here I'll take the opportunity to spam the thread! If anyone is in the market for a good deal on some Gill foulies I have a set in the classifieds here:

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ar-132590.html

/spamoff

[dannc]

I figured I would try again to recoat my 20+ year old Goretex rain coat...

The wife put the raincoat in the clothes washer because it was dirty and that was that. Some of the coat's seam tapes were failing but after the trip into the clothes washer the tapes all ripped out and looked like a ball of spaghetti wrapped around a ball of fabric.

Well, I TRIED to save some money....

I had already picked out a Carhartt rain coat that was on sale for $90ish so I pushed the buy button and the package arrived today. The coat is VERY nice and well made. MUCH better made than my 20+ year old $300 jacket. Lots of pockets and zippers with plenty of length in the coat. Some of the Carhartt rain jackets are shorter than the coats which does not make sense to me. The only nit is that the coat is heavier than my old rain jacket and the hood snaps on which is good and bad. I would rather have an integrated hood.

While the coat is heavier than my old rain jacket, it did not feel warm at all while I was walking around the house pretending to be a green jacketed zombie looking to scare one of the kids. I did not my green zombie impression did not scare as I had intended.

I might actually wear this jacket more than my old rain jacket. I usually just wear a regular jacket when it is raining since I won't be in the rain for long.

The Carhartt coat and jackets deserve a look especially if they are on sale.

Later,
Dan

[hellosailor]

Greg-
I could rashly assume you just put a set of store-bought insoles into those boots. But you never know, they may be proud of their reputation for quality and if you enquire about buying a new set of insoles, they may just ask you where they can ship them to. A lot of high-end manufacturers go the extra mile, it tends to keep their name on the right short lists.

a64-
Just make sure to thoroughly clean all the fabric before you start using the 303. Fabric protector is as good at keeping the dirt IN as it is for keeping new dirt OUT. And a carpet steamer, $25/half day from the supermarket or rental store, pulls out way more dirt than you thought was in there. Forgive me if that's old news.
WRT Camo? I got a steal on lightly insulated GoreTex bib pants in a RealTree pattern. Brought 'em out one nasty fall weekend and got some queer looks, so I just said "What, I shouldn't go duck hunting while we're out there?"
I believe "gentlemen" neither sail upwind nor in foul weather, so plan and dress accordingly.

Dan-
You never know. As I said about the short list...if the garment had taped seams and was GoreTex, contact the maker and tell them you were trying to clean it when the seam tape disintegrated and fubared the whole jacket. And if they don't make you an offer, then contact Gore. Seam tape is supposed to be fused, not sewn. And it should not come off in the first place.

Hey, my spelling checker doesn't like any past tense for "fubar", go figure!

[ontherocks83]

I will definitely second the Surplus military goretex. Good quality for short money and if you damage them you dont get all that upset about it. Have always kept extra sets on board for myself or guests. As far as getting strange looks for wearing camo. F'em if they can't take a joke. In my previous line of work function was fashion. Didn't care how they looked as long as they worked.

Besides there's no down side to camo. If you live down south you fit in and people welcome you because you're one of them. If you live up north people tend to leave you alone and not bother you because they think you are unstable

[Blue Stocking]

A $1 Disneyworld pancho goes on first, and then the expensive porous rain gear. The only way to stay dry.

[CarinaPDX]

hellosailor- I misstated. It was not the insole, but rather the top part of the outsole (midsole?). On my duBarrys the sturdy bottom of the outsole is bonded to foam rubber (for flexibility and shock absorption?), and the entirety is sewn to the leather upper on the inside. The foam literally turned to powder, creating an awful mess. I used a screwdriver to scrape out the remnants (leaving the stitching) and then pumped Sikaflex into the gap, which has worked remarkably well if unattractive. Unfortunately the bottom of the outsole hardened at the same time as the foam disintegrated, so they no longer grip - they are actually quite dangerous on slippery surfaces (like docks and decks). (As I wrote earlier they use different materials now so there is cause for some optimism that newer boots will hold up better.)

When I was in the Med 6 years ago I asked a duBarry dealer about it and I got the brushoff. He thought it absurd that I thought seaboots should last ten years (even though not used during the last 5). Perhaps the factory would feel differently, but at this point I doubt they would feel obligated, particularly now that I am back in the US. In any event the outsoles were stitched through the inside of the leather shell, and thus cannot be replaced: the only cure is to buy new boots.

Greg

[barnakiel]

Originally Posted by CarinaPDX

(...)

On my duBarrys the sturdy bottom of the outsole is bonded to foam rubber (for flexibility and shock absorption?), and the entirety is sewn to the leather upper on the inside. The foam literally turned to powder, creating an awful mess.

(...)

Identical damage to our trekking HanWags when we walked Adolphus Island. (Pretty bad location to lose your hardware - next shop some 2k miles away).

Must be some problem with this type of foam + humidity + heat/age.

Similarly, the maker did not even ping back when we told them of our horrible experience in an email. And that's how they lost a once devoted and zealous client.

Cheers,
b.