Best Cold Weather Rain Gear?

[Gavin]

Winter Float Trip...4 days every January.

 

[Mitch f]

3 minutes ago, Gavin said:

Winter Float Trip...4 days every January.

 

Gavin, you're the man! I hope the fish were biting! That's a beautiful picture!

[Guest]

I'm torn between the Huk gear (it's on sale) & the Stormr Stryker jacket is on my wish list. It's perfect for cold weather paddling. Neoprene & it floats. Kinda pricey 

[dtrs5kprs]

11 hours ago, TrophyFishR said:

I'm torn between the Huk gear (it's on sale) & the Stormr Stryker jacket is on my wish list. It's perfect for cold weather paddling. Neoprene & it floats. Kinda pricey 

Be careful on the Stormr, try to find one and put it on. Almost like a scuba fit. Also a lot of reviews that say the neoprene absorbs water (makes sense, neoprene gloves do) and takes a day or two to dry out. Would not work for me on a week or two week trip. Would have to carry a backup suit. 

The huk looks cool. There is a new version coming that will run about $300 per piece. Not sure it is cold weather wet gear though.

[Sore Thumbs]

See a lot of pros wearing SIMMS. That stuff is pricey though.

[Quillback]

12 hours ago, TrophyFishR said:

I'm torn between the Huk gear (it's on sale) & the Stormr Stryker jacket is on my wish list. It's perfect for cold weather paddling. Neoprene & it floats. Kinda pricey

If you're looking for active wear stuff, as in paddling down rivers and so on, I would look at lightweight rain gear rather than the 100 MPH stuff.  Layer up, keep it as light as possible, put on the rain gear when you need it.

[ness]

20 hours ago, Gavin said:

Winter Float Trip...4 days every January.

 

Who's driving aluminum?

Mind sharing the roster? The usual suspects?

[Gavin]

Usual suspects were there except Senior resigned this year. He started the trip in 1979 and he thinks he is getting to old. Maybe he is. You have never met the guy with the aluminum boat. Simms makes some great stuff...Its usually a toss up between Simms and Patagonia when it comes to rainwear or a set of waders.

 

 

[Guest]

Simms or huk gear, if its on discount.

Otherwise, I might buy the alaskan crab rain gear.

[Longball22]

I'm curious about the Stormr, because neoprene is notorious for not being breathable.  I suppose it would be warm on a nasty, nasty day, but I would think you'd be sorry on a warmer day.  Maybe they've done something with their neoprene, or there are panels on it that have breathable fabric.

I used to do a lot of backcountry backpacking, and waterproof/breathable was always the name of the game.  After the original Gore-Tex patents expired, the market for this type of product got really muddied up.  2-layer vs. 3-layer, Gore-Tex vs. generic, etc.  A lot of companies have now spun off their own "waterproof/breatheable" membrane, and Cabela's or BPS with Bone Dry or Dry Plus are good examples of such.  The concept is 99% the same, back a fabric with porous Teflon to allow water vapor to escape from the inside, but not penetrate the outside.

First, I am a bit of a brand-whore, but Gore-Tex does one thing these other companies don't.  These companies all independently test their products for water resistance, to varying degrees of diligence.  If you want to have the Gore-Tex name on your product, however, the Gore company does it's own testing on top of the manufacturers to ensure it meets their standards.  They also require that all seams be taped to ensure waterproofing, which some others do not.  Bottom Line: If I'm spending $200 plus on a jacket, I like to know that the waterproofing experts since 1969 have had their hands on my product, and that two companies have tested it prior to market exposure.