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School me on rain gear

If it’s not extremely cold or only possible rain I will just take my packable rain jacket and paints from Cabelas. They do a sufficient job and only allow minimal moisture in over a long period of time. If it’s going to be much more rain for that I’m grabbing my new high dollar rain shell from black Diamond.

So I recently took a back packing trip in Spain where we expected a lot of rain. I bought my wife and I both the most expensive pieces of clothing I’ve ever purchased. We were being raining on 70% of our walk and never got wet from the waist up. We didn’t hike in rain pants.
I got the Black Diamond Highline 3 layer water proof, stretchable yada yada and it served me very well. I was not damp or wet inside. I got my wife an Arcteryx 3 layer goretex jacket and she also did not get wet whatsoever. These both featured 3 layer waterproof layers with double taped seams. The temps caried from 40s up to 60s so we layered or opened pit zips accordingly. The difference is we were moving so we did not need much for warmth. I only wore a merino top and the rain jacket most days. The jacket really isn’t noisy, it’s very light weight, flexible, and fits well but with room to layer like I normal

Everything I read leading up to our trip said that if your rain she’ll has less than 3 layers you will be mostly dry but it will get damp after time. If I was going to drop the cash for such expensive pierces of clothing I wanted to make sure I was staying bone dry, and we did! I’m not rain jacket expert and I can’t speak to the long term quality of this gear, but I was very impressed and glad I bought foot stuff. We both ski out in oregon where it can be super wet and slushy rain at times so a good rain shell like these are a necessity.We didn’t have them last year andwhen it’s 30 deg and wet snowing and all your clothes are getting soaked it makes for a miserable wet and cold day. 59D2BCF2-6FFC-4296-B4D8-ED4BE91E3AA6.jpeg

My only complaint, which I shared in another thread, is that my chest pocket wasn’t taped seam and so the inside of that pocket got a little wet, but not internally where the jacket touched my body, just the pocket. I spoke with black Diamond and they said that it should be taped and I should return it. 0DB4D2E3-B012-40CC-9DED-CFC46F1BA22B.jpeg
 
NMSbowhunter said:
Ok, so hunting in the rain is one area I need to improve on. Generally speaking, around here if it is raining it means the temperatures are in that 40 to 60 range late season and can be much warmer early season. I want this for bowhunting and I want waterproof, not water resistant. However, being damp will make things feel colder.

I picked up a light weight moss green Rivers West jacket the other day at a great price (hope it gets here today) so I will have that for warm days if it works well. One set I am looking at seriously is the Rivers West Ambush jacket and pants set and a Columbia hat with a long back brim. I'm just a bit concerned it will be too heavyweight and warm for conditions here when it is raining. I am strongly considering this set due to the rain gear video John Eberhart did.

I've also looked at some of the First Lite raingear. Jason Samkowiak did a video a while back on their lightweight set. That set seems a whole lot lighter weight than the Ambush.

I really want to get a good set so I can dive (pun intended) into hunting in the rain. What do you guys use and recommend?
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I have kuiu and really like it. But my other kuiu is highly rain resistant. I could hunt all day in a drizzle and not get wet inside. So I don't use my rain gear to hunt a lot. As in a shower the blood trail is quickly gone.
 
That said, I don’t really prefer to sit in the cold rain but I don’t have many days to hunt so I’m asking myself what I’m going to do Saturday because it’s suppose to be raining all day.
 
gcr0003 said:
That said, I don’t really prefer to sit in the cold rain but I don’t have many days to hunt so I’m asking myself what I’m going to do Saturday because it’s suppose to be raining all day.
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Here you go...

 
I think Eberhart oversells a lot of things, but Rivers West raingear is hands-down the best hunting raingear I've used. My dad and I both have some of their stuff and it's quite waterproof.

Anything with a membrane "should" be similar. I've found that eventually it may leak at the seams. Anything with a "coating" or "treatment" will be decently waterproof for a season and then make you very upset.
 
gcr0003 said:
If it’s not extremely cold or only possible rain I will just take my packable rain jacket and paints from Cabelas. They do a sufficient job and only allow minimal moisture in over a long period of time. If it’s going to be much more rain for that I’m grabbing my new high dollar rain shell from black Diamond.

So I recently took a back packing trip in Spain where we expected a lot of rain. I bought my wife and I both the most expensive pieces of clothing I’ve ever purchased. We were being raining on 70% of our walk and never got wet from the waist up. We didn’t hike in rain pants.
I got the Black Diamond Highline 3 layer water proof, stretchable yada yada and it served me very well. I was not damp or wet inside. I got my wife an Arcteryx 3 layer goretex jacket and she also did not get wet whatsoever. These both featured 3 layer waterproof layers with double taped seams. The temps caried from 40s up to 60s so we layered or opened pit zips accordingly. The difference is we were moving so we did not need much for warmth. I only wore a merino top and the rain jacket most days. The jacket really isn’t noisy, it’s very light weight, flexible, and fits well but with room to layer like I normal

Everything I read leading up to our trip said that if your rain she’ll has less than 3 layers you will be mostly dry but it will get damp after time. If I was going to drop the cash for such expensive pierces of clothing I wanted to make sure I was staying bone dry, and we did! I’m not rain jacket expert and I can’t speak to the long term quality of this gear, but I was very impressed and glad I bought foot stuff. We both ski out in oregon where it can be super wet and slushy rain at times so a good rain shell like these are a necessity.We didn’t have them last year andwhen it’s 30 deg and wet snowing and all your clothes are getting soaked it makes for a miserable wet and cold day. View attachment 77242

My only complaint, which I shared in another thread, is that my chest pocket wasn’t taped seam and so the inside of that pocket got a little wet, but not internally where the jacket touched my body, just the pocket. I spoke with black Diamond and they said that it should be taped and I should return it. View attachment 77241
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Yes, I read through your earlier thread about rain gear. There was a lot of good information in there.
 
I have some old cheap soft shell rain gear from red head I think….. but lately 3 times this season I used my small turkey tree umbrella & stayed really dry. Did an all day sit early November in a cold rain……. Thanks @GCTerpfan
Stayed plenty dry enough that my wool did the trick. Oh & get a pack cover………all that is less than $40 & you’ll be dry ish all day
www.academy.com

HME Products Tree Stand Umbrella | Free Shipping at Academy

Keep the sun and rain at bay with the HME Products Tree Stand Umbrella. This umbrella can be mounted to most trees and features a camouflage print to blend in with ...
www.academy.com www.academy.com
 
I've used and like that tree stand umbrella.

I've never had expensive rain gear. Even if I don't get rain on me, I sweat profusely in rain gear, so I usually go for a poncho that offers ventilation.

Is setting up a pop-up blind an option for you? The thought occurs to me that it might be nice to set up a hub-style even if you don't necessarily intend to hunt out of it; you can hunker down and wait out a rainstorm or light a few candles and warm up if you're chilled, or something.
 
Iron_llama said:
I've used and like that tree stand umbrella.

I've never had expensive rain gear. Even if I don't get rain on me, I sweat profusely in rain gear, so I usually go for a poncho that offers ventilation.

Is setting up a pop-up blind an option for you? The thought occurs to me that it might be nice to set up a hub-style even if you don't necessarily intend to hunt out of it; you can hunker down and wait out a rainstorm or light a few candles and warm up if you're chilled, or something.
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Good thought on the blind but where I hunt it would probably draw in other hunters. I have one and had it set up on that club I was in several years ago. I had it way off in thick cover and it was good for nasty days but several of my friends had them and they had theirs out in the relative open and had a lot of issues with guys hunting them when they were not there.
 
Sorry I should place more emphasis on how good that rivers west jacket is that I linked.

It’s awesome and has held up well. It’s quiet enough I’ve worn it on occasion when it’s not raining and need good wind protection, or didn’t have what I needed on me for the hunt.

Can recommend.

I’ve got some bibs for sale in classifieds that are same shell material.
 
kyler1945 said:
Sorry I should place more emphasis on how good that rivers west jacket is that I linked.

It’s awesome and has held up well. It’s quiet enough I’ve worn it on occasion when it’s not raining and need good wind protection, or didn’t have what I needed on me for the hunt.

Can recommend.

I’ve got some bibs for sale in classifieds that are same shell material.
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Thanks. Good to get more feedback on the frontier. I saw that you had the bibs for sale. I think they would be too big for me. I'm a 30 inch waist. I can get by with a medium if it is something I know I will layer under.
 
I have a snugpak patrol poncho that I like. Fits over the top of my pack if I’m Oscar Mike. I’d say it’s durable but not invincible. If you hunt briar areas and stuff it’ll probably tear. I also have a military poncho and you could basically parachute with it’s that tuff. The downside like others said is you can get wet if you don’t have it secured correctly. But if you’re hunting nasty stuff that’d be my choice.
 
I picked this jacket up off ebay the other day for a good price. I got it in yesterday and was thinking if we got a good soaker today, I would try it out. Well, the rain cleared out early so far, so I got impatient and just put it on and got in the shower and turned it on full bore. I would hate to be out in a rain hitting as hard as that shower was blasting. I would not want to be in a tree under those conditions, dry or not. Pretty impressed.
 

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Not all rain gear is the same. Some of the price is tough to take but if you are dry, is it worth it. Some of the Kuiu stuff is great. The new First Light set is supposed to be awesome. Marmot Precep is good and Halley Hanson is absolutely bomb proof. Diving into this subject will make your head hurt. There is a good Back Country Bowhunting podcast with the designer from Canis about all this. Good listen and may help you make a decision.
 
If you want to be forever dry, you need those pvc yellow fishermans jackets. But you’ll sweat your ass off so it will be counter intuitive. If you want some breathability, the higher the waterproof mm rating is, the better it will work but less breathable it becomes. I’m not sure if all hunting rain gear lists it. I know ski clothing does. 5k is more comfortable for warm weather but wont be soak proof. Where as all the way up to 20k is bomb proof but heavier and not something that will breath.

I have had all manner of jackets and pants. I have found something like Badlands Bail to be great to pack and use in a pinch for some suprise showers lasting an hour or so, or light rain all day. But for anything downpour or soaking, I have found my Kuiu rain shell is pretty reliable. I think its called chinack or something like that…
 
bowhuntr09 said:
Stay inside where its dry! <- lessons from an old timer ;-)
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I’m in your camp on this one….maybe because we are both old!. Over my life I have found that a huge investment in rain gear needed to actually stay somewhat dry doesn’t generate the returns for the money spent. I put in quite a few days in perfect weather for each deer killed and I have found that rain does not reduce the average by any significant factor, actually quite the opposite. I have found that money to be better invested in better gear for the perfect days vice the few opportunities to go out and get wet. I certainly understand someone with limited opportunities, that cannot afford to pick and choose the days they hunt, wanting gear to maximize their opportunity in the woods. For me that situation will occur when I go out of state to hunt, where I will want to be in the woods every daylight moment, rain or shine. Otherwise, I no longer hate those deer enough to get wet trying to kill them.
 
2Sloe said:
I’m in your camp on this one….maybe because we are both old!. Over my life I have found that a huge investment in rain gear needed to actually stay somewhat dry doesn’t generate the returns for the money spent. I put in quite a few days in perfect weather for each deer killed and I have found that rain does not reduce the average by any significant factor, actually quite the opposite. I have found that money to be better invested in better gear for the perfect days vice the few opportunities to go out and get wet. I certainly understand someone with limited opportunities, that cannot afford to pick and choose the days they hunt, wanting gear to maximize their opportunity in the woods. For me that situation will occur when I go out of state to hunt, where I will want to be in the woods every daylight moment, rain or shine. Otherwise, I no longer hate those deer enough to get wet trying to kill them.
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Well said! I used to be the type that would hunt no matter the weather, rain, sleet, snow….even got chased out by lightning. Not anymore!
 
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