UKC

I'm looking to buy a new waterproof jacket I have been looking at the Arcteryx Alpha SV and the North Face guide jacket at around £300 its expensive and I want to make sure I buy the best for the money.

Any suggestions?

In reply to mic_b:

Would be an idea to say what you wanted it for.

In reply to brothersoulshine:
Keep the wind and rain off

All round use both winter and summer with a harness

In reply to mic_b:

Millet K jacket at 270 is very good.

In reply to mic_b:

Hi I've been using a berghaus extrem paclite jacket for the last two seasons.

I don't know what kind of climbing you do but I've used mine all year round in Norway.... Trad,moutains, ridge traverses, WI5,etc and its been great, packs down really small, not much hem lift (i'm 6'4 and use XL) and very light..

Also about 100 quid cheaper than the two you are looing at...

In reply to mic_b:

If you've narrowed it down that far, I'm guessing you've already done a fair bit of research. Try them both on and see which feels the best fit.

In reply to mic_b:

Yeah it's best to try them both and then buy the Arcteryx one if it has to be one of the two.

In reply to mic_b: have you thought about paramo?

matt

In reply to mic_b: first question I would ask is do you need a £300 jacket, regardless of brand. I have been using a MHW Epic for the last 4 years in the Alps and the worst of British weather and although I managed to put a hole in it in Scotland this winter and its starting to look a bit tired, it has been great. Cost about £70.

In reply to mic_b:
I`d strongly recommend Paramo. Robust, Repairable and Excellent condensation control. One thing I would say is that in IMHO that that you cannot really buy a 4 season waterproof. I have an Aspira Smock for Autumn Winter Spring and a NorthFace Paclite for when it gets warmer.
Cheers Beds

In reply to Nick B not logged on:

Agreed. I find it hard to believe something in that price range will be significantly better than a cheaper jacket from a respected manufacturer.
Plus think how upset you'll be when you rip it on your first outing....

In reply to mic_b: If you wanna get the best for your money don't buy TNF for a start!

Arc'teryx is good.

Also depends what you're doing?

In reply to mic_b:
I got a rab one for 150 notes in the sales. It's made of event and is excelent.

In reply to J1234:
The closest you can get to one jacket that does all is 3 layer material. The 3 layer event is pretty good.

In reply to CurlyStevo:
Where did you get it from? So far I've only been looking on the Web I live in Derby and the only good shop is in hathersage 2 hours away on a bad day.

Does anyone know of any decent shops in the midlands so I could try a few on before buying?

In reply to CurlyStevo:

Yes but if it`s good enough for winter by its very nature it`s going to be too warm for summer, and too heavy to live in your sack for 3 or 4 months for the off chance off rain.

In reply to mic_b:
I don`t know if you wear a helmet but if you do, try the jacket on with a helmet to make sure the jacket will take one, in fact even if you don`t wear a helmet make sure the jacket will take one incase you ever take up winter climbing. Do not take the retailers word for it. A very respected independent retailer told me a Velez Smock would take a helmet which was incorrect.

In reply to mic_b:
how does it take 2 hrs to drive 36.6 miles!

In reply to Morgan Woods:

Marie gave him directions..

In reply to J1234:

Mine does - just.

In reply to Morgan Woods:


Drive for 2 hours at a speed of 18.3 mph.

In reply to mic_b:

Having been subjected to the vagaries of the weather in Scotland on Friday, Saturday & Sunday with a bunch of mates wearing a variety of jackets, here are my findings.

On Friday in 60mph gales with gusts of 80mph and absolutely pissing it down, the Paramo wearer got very wet and borderline hypothermic. The rest of us wearing a range of Goretex (North Face & Berghaus), triple point ceramic (Lowe Alpine) and Patagonia Grade VI were damp but OK.

Saturday, rain & gales again. The Paramo wearer went home. The rest of the gear coped.

Sunday, blizzards. Soft shells made an appearance and coped admirably (Patagonia Dimension).

In reply to sandywilson: What was the Paramo user wearing under the jacket?

From personal experience, it's possible that their base layers were soaking up the moisture - bit of fine tuning with layers solves the problem - 'cos with Paramo because the shell isn't 'waterproof' it allows moisture out and in; what is worn underneath mustn't absorb moisture, especially with rain driven by strong winds. Avoid merino wool, for example.

In reply to Dee:
He was wearing a non-wool baselayer. The force of the wind was blowing water through the fabric, so much that he had water running over his skin.

In reply to sandywilson and JIB:

Interesting stuff, as I've found Paramo to be very good in typical wet and windy conditions. Only problem is I don't think something like a Velez has enough protection around the zips to stop water ingress. What jacket did your mate have?

In reply to sandywilson: No consolation but in those conditions I've found that a micropile/pertex top(Driclime or Vapour-rise) works brilliantly, as does using a thin pertex with the base layer, to give a comfort layer.

A few years ago, I got 'chilled' - like the Paramo user - in similar conditions in Scotland. I had chosen a base layer which soaked up water... I'm more careful now when I'm choosing kit to use with the Paramo.

In reply to J1234:

Errr no, the way I see it is an outer water proof shell layer can be used in summer or winter. Unlike the paramo system which has the warmth built in 3 layer gortex/event does not.

I've tried the soft shell thing and to be honest it has it's place but for me that is on the crisp sunny days with no spin drift. I don't like soft shells when there is spin drift about as I end up damp. I also don't like systems where by the outer layer is insulating as I can't regulate my warmth/coolness effectively.

Stevo

In reply to CurlyStevo:
We`ll have to agree to disagree on this one. My choices were,
Rab Latock
A Top end goretex
Aspira
and they would all stop at home in summer

In reply to J1234:
Is the northface pack lite realy much cooler than a 3 layer event?

I doubt there is much in it.

In reply to mic_b:
I got a rab latok alpine for 760 notes at the rab facotry outlet. IT is only at alfreton so is about 20 minutes down the a38 for you

In reply to thomaspassmore:

Did you mean £76?

In reply to mic_b:
No - not 76
I meant 70
but i was wrong wither way

In reply to CurlyStevo:
In summer a waterproof will just live in your sack, its the space and weight thats the issue, when camping this could be the difference between 4 cans of beer and 3.

In reply to J1234:

Which is why I went for the Patagonia Grade VI when R&R were doing them really cheap. I've not regretted it at all. It's very light, packs small & keeps the weather out (eg. last Friday & Saturday). My only complaint is that it could do with a wire visor.

In reply to mic_b:

If you want something bombproof, MacPac Prophet is great, circa £300.

In reply to mic_b: How about the M E ogre jkt. great fit and perfect hood at only 600gram? paid 130 for mine. . .

In reply to sandywilson: Also what state was the jacket in? Performance does drop if the outer doesn't bead the water. Having said that I still haven't got seriously wet through a Paramo jacket in any conditions. (including driving rain on a motorbike!) I've got a mate that was scared of washing his smock for some reason but a quick launder and reproof sorted it out.

My jacket and trousers out-performed friends goretex equivalents and dried out much quicker ovenight in similar conditions last year.

In the summer I just use a paramo windproof most of the time, its as shower proof as pertex and as long as I'm not cold thats fine.

Hope your friend is ok.

Steve D

In reply to SteveD:

I think the problem was due to the force of the wind and weight of rain falling. Whether the DWR was working or not didn't make any difference, the wind was driving the water through the Paramo fabric. I got damp in my hard shell Patagonia Grade VI but as it was more wind resistant, I didn't get soaked.

I was surprised that the Paramo failed so spectacularly, but I had made a conscious decision not to wear a softshell that day because of the conditions.

In reply to mic_b:

Whatever you go for, try to get eVent instead of GoreTex. I would say after £250 it is diminishing returns.
(I have a Rab Latok)
PeterM

In reply to mic_b: Have you seen the new Rab SuperDru? www.towerridge.co.uk - 165GBP and looks like the macdaddy to me- a bit more featured than the latok alpine but the same weight!

if your gonna spend 300 on a top of the range arcteryx jacket or similar i would wait till autumn winter if you can . arcteryx will have there new range out using the new gore tex proshell . and the old xcr jackets will be in the sale