UKC

I’m after a lightweight waterproof jacket. Initially it’ll be used for backpacking but when I return I’ll no doubt use it for hiking, biking and general wear. Must be very compact as it’ll be sitting in my backpack most of the time. Breathable too as I’ll be wearing it in the rainy season in hot, humid Asian countries. I don’t want to spend much more than about £50-70 but may go up a bit if it’s necessary to get a decent product. So which do I get?

I’m verging on getting a Marmot Precip. It’s pretty light (~300g), people on this forum seem to like it and it’s on sale for £43.49 posted from planetfear. http://planetfear.com/product_detail.asp?d_id=2&c_id=71&s_id=30&...
I can’t find anywhere in York that has it though so I can’t try it on. I may buy it on spec and send it back if I don’t like it. I’m 5ft 7in - will I need a small or medium? I’m normally between the two.

The Marmot Oracle is like a posher version of the Precip, with more breathable material (Precip Plus), better fitting, more bells n whistles (vent zips, pockets, stretchy stuff), and greater durability. But it’s also heavier (>500g), bulkier and more expensive (>£90). Is it worth it?
http://www.blacks.co.uk/blacks.storefront/EN/Product/04106923

The Montane 180 seems good too – extremely light (180g) and packable. But presumably less durable, less ‘casual’ looking (?) and more expensive (>£75). And the nearest shop that has it is in Beverley, over an hour’s drive away.

Other options include Berghaus Paclite (~£100), Montane Superfly (~£100), Rab Latok Alpine (>£150), and Marmot Essence (£100; 200g).

If anyone has any experience of these, or can recommend a different one that’d be suitable for me, or is selling one, then get typing.

Cheers.

In reply to Judderman: Own a paclite smock for really dire weather on the hills and on the bike. Been okay and reasonably good value.

Iain

In reply to Judderman: have a look at the berghaus paclite alpine pro, all the benifits of the normal paclite but theve added tougher material in the wear places so it doesnt disolve on contact with rock

In reply to Judderman:

In a humid environment you will be sweaty in any waterproof. eVent fabric will minimise this (its MUCH better than Gore, H2No etc). On that basis I'd get the Superfly at £100.

But id cost is the biggest factor, get the cheapest. Which'd be the Planetfear Precip (small I'd guess).

It's not IMNSHO worth paying the extra for the Oracle. You're just buying gimmicks really. And we had more Oracle returns than Precips (that was a few years ago so may now be out of date).

In reply to Dave Hunter, Rock + Run:

I have Precip gear which I use on long trips in the US back country where weight is a premium. While it is good and light it isn't 100% waterproof and have got pretty wet in prolonged thunderstorms. I have paclite O/T which are brill. Generally these light weight jackets are to be expected to be that - light does not equal durable. In my book the weight savings are worth mor ethan the cost savings

In reply to nz Cragrat:

Um, precip is waterproof. Otherwise it couldn't be sold as waterproof. I've used a Precip (only in storms) for a few years and its been fine. Maybe yours was dodgy fabric or worn out?

eVent jackets are more durable than Pac'lites' and tend to come in at about 400-450g. compared to 380-650 for pac'lites'.

In reply to Judderman:
I've been looking at the women's one.... is it worth paying out the extra for the new, improved version?

In reply to Dave Hunter, Rock + Run:

Cheers for the advice Dave. Do you know anywhere near York that has Superflys? Or for that matter, Precips or any of the other ones. Quality outlets are a bit thin on the ground round here (not having a Rock n Run an all...). We've got Blacks, Nevisport, Millets and Mountain Warehouse, none of which seems to have the Precip (I asked) and i don't recall seeing any of the others mentioned above. Might be able to make it to Leeds if required.

Ref size - so you reckon I'm a small? Someone said he had a medium and he was 5' 8, so if it came down to buying on spec I was gonna get a med. I tried some North Face jackets on in Blacks and the small was just a bit small but, inevitably, the medium was just a bit big. Does Marmot/Montane fit roughly the same as NF? (I have the same problem with shoes - right between 8 and 9.)

Cragrat - I'm surprised to hear that. I've seen plenty of user reviews and most if not all have been good and not reported any probs with 'proofness. (The only problem I've heard about is finicky zips - and that was just from one guy.) Are you sure it wasn't just your perspiration making you wet?

Practicalcat - by the new improved version do you mean the Oracle or just the new version of the original Precip? Dave cert seems to think the Oracle's not worth the extra, esp if u can get the precip for cheap. Don't know what the diff is between old and new versions of the precip. (Is the planetfear sale for old ones?) Maybe Dave can enlighten us...

In reply to Judderman:

New Precip is a bit better than the old (marginally more abrasion resistant- jackets wear out throuh rubbing against your clothing, NOT rocks). Mine's an old and I've been happy with it (within its limits).

Maybe go for medium then, too big is better than too small. I'm surprised Blacks don't have the Precip but they probably figure that the extra bells and whistles of the Oracle is 'more appealing to the consumer'.

Sadly my knowledge of shops in York is limited to bookshops.

In reply to practicalcat:

I have the Lowe Alpine Rush jacket which you can currently get for the bargain price of £45.00 from CCC in Sheffield;
http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/search.asp?searchbox3=Lowe%20Alpine&subcati...

It is an ultralightweight high performance jacket which I bought mainly to do the mountain marathons this year. Why pay more?!

In reply to Judderman:
I read somewhere that the new precip is 50% more waterproof (??how can you be MORE waterproof? not sure about that one...) and 30% more breathable.... but the new price is £100 compared to £40 for the older version. I bought a heavily reduced waterproof off the internet on the sales last year, but don't like it as it is too short; am being more careful not to just rush for a bargain this time.

In reply to practicalcat:

I vaguely remember reading an american user review saying the back on the precip is a bit short too, leading to wet bummage when sitting/biking...but also another one saying he uses it for biking and it's fine.

I wouldn't pay £60 more just for the the sake of having the new version; if i were going to pay that much I'd go for a Superfly or a Paclite.

Dikypen - the Rush seems quite nice for the price. The linked page doesn't actually say it's waterproof but i assume it is. Do you, or anyone else, know how breathable/durable its Triplepoint Mica Nylon Ripstop material is compared to Gore/eVent/old Precip?

In reply to Dave Hunter, Rock + Run:

Aye, we do have some decent bookshops, what with Borders being open till 9pm most nights (you'll often find me in there using it like a library...). Bookshops and pubs - that's about all York's good for.

In reply to Judderman:

Have you tried Cotswold in Harrogate?

In reply to 2pints:

I looked on their website but they don't seem to have any bargains.

In reply to Judderman: have you been to the lowe alpine factory outlet at cass, cheep as chips

In reply to simmo:

Hadn't heard bout that. A bit far to pop into but i may email/call em to see what they've got in. Ta for t'lead.

btw, if you're small and like bright orange ('Burnt') you can get the precip for £28 plus postage from Snow n Rock.

http://www.snowandrock.com/shop%5Cdepartment%5Cclothing%5Cjackets/products/...

Maybe someone can tell me what 'smoke' and 'lava/fog' look like. The various sites i've seen em on seem to show significantly variation, presumably due to the limitations of computer rendering of real colours. Is Smoke darker than Fog/Lava? What colour is the bloke wearing in the planetfear pic?

http://planetfear.com/product_detail.asp?d_id=2&c_id=71&s_id=30&...

It looks kinda silvery but i think it may be fog/lava.

In reply to Judderman:
S&R have only reduced the men's, grrrr! am off to see if a small man's will be small enough for me....

In reply to Dave Hunter, Rock + Run:

Have a look out for Integral Designs eVent jackets
(made in Calgary), these weigh in at c250grammes for a jacket. Gravity Gear in Jasper (Patricia St) had jackets:- relatively short cut, one single chest pocket, and the hood was very simple. For lightweight alpine use these do seem very interesting....

Reference www.integraldesigns.com/product_detail.cfm?id=763

It's OK all - I decided not to get any of the above after seeing two great jackets in Millets today. The only question now is: do I get the 'Jack in a Pack' or the 'Kag in a Bag'?

In reply to Judderman:

Decent sales on at the moment.

Berghaus paclite for 90 quid. Ambleside.
http://www.gaynors.co.uk/shop/13/221/336/index.htm

I got a fully featured lowe paclite in buxton and girlfriend a lightweight ME one, both half price, 85 and 80 quid.

In reply to Matt:
Peakstore, bridge street bakewell, actually not buxton. But the guy said they only had 50% sale for 2 weeks.

In reply to Judderman:

You're right, nothing going in York. Best alternative locations are Cotswold in Harrogate or Ultimate Outdoors in Skipton. The latter has a good selection of Rab gear and is normally a bit cheaper than otehr places.