Wet Weather Gear

Wet weather gear is something I havn't quite got the grips with after 30 years of tramping. In the old days it was oil skin, then PVC. PVC was great for keeping water out but you would sweat like a pig inside it. Many trampers delevoped the technique of wearing their parka over top of their pack with only the hood on their body. When bent over under the weight of a Mountain Mule the body was at such an angle that you were sheltered from most of the rain in that position. Nowadays I find that with a bit of "middle age spread" I sweat a lot more than I used to so nothing will stop me getting wet under my parka. I wonder what the point of expensive Gortex is when I am soaked to the skin after wet weather tramping. At least water that comes from you is warm as opposed to what come from without. One thing I don't understand is this wetting out business. For Gortex to work supposedly the fabric is meant to stay dry and the water fall off like on a duck's back. I have never seen a Gortex parka do anything but wet out completely after about 5 mins in the bush. I am interested to hear about MacPac's new product and will await field experience with interest. I have seen too many advertisers herald the arival of a better breathable fabric in the past to get too excited yet.

Middle aged spread would be a delicate way to describe my condition. I often find myself gazing longingly at stock in the stores knowing they have designed everything for svelt young things and even the gear labeled 2xl or bigger was designed to fit an anorexic dwarf.

I find the opposite, I find most of the gear much to baggy and designed for people who carry extra bulk.

I got back in to tramping after about 15 years because I remember it as an affordable sport, which scuba diving while raising kids was not. So you can imagine my surprise when I found the bushshirt gone, layers in, and raincoats worth more than a weeks wages. So for me, wet weather gear is about staying warm. Dry in a storm is something that may happen in a hut, not on a track, and certainly not under my raincoat.

I spent 4 days walking the Pyke-Hollyford in a 300mm+ rainfall event over new year a few years back. Took a borrowed 'Tornado' jacket made by NZ Safety - about $180. Never got wet. At all. Not even down the neck or up the cuffs. Bit heavy. But it is possible, cheeply, to stay dry. If I recall correctly, the demons trail was closed by rain behind me - was the last one through for 24 hours on a late-night, 2hr15 forced march to Demons Trail hut to escape an overfull Hokuri Hut. McKerrow island was cut off for 4 days with a compliment of trampers on board!

Now I remember, 7am new years day there was a red hind peering in the window at Big Bay hut. Why do these things never happen on hunting trips?

This discussion has been most interesting. It certainly shows that one solution does not fit all. On thing that I think is at least as important as the waterproofness of the parka is its shape. Most interesting to hear the comments. I remember when they made PVC parkas with the hood too small yuk!. By the way, I rarely use the hood now. Much prefer my Tilley Hat http://www.tilley.com even in pouring rain. I was up in the bush yesterday on Mt Ngongotaha, in the pouring rain, puting in bait stations. You might think I was mad and you are probably right. But I was warm in my polyprop and I was never more than 10 mins away from the car which could take me home to a hot shower and a cuppa tea so I was quite happy. Interestingly I was not working hard enough to get up a sweat but I was in dense untracked bush. When I got home, there was a puddle of water in the bottom of my MacPac pack which indicates that there was a lot of water around. I was dry around my shoulders and down to about just above belly button. Below that was soaked, which would indicate that most of the water was comming from below. In tramping we seem to be victims of fashion which seems to be making shorts longer and jackets shorter. Once the ends of the shorts get wet it is like a wick and eventually soaks up to everything else.

Which brings us back to staying warm while you are wet. For myself being wet dosnt mean uncomfortable but cold is another matter. My biggest drive is to find light clothing that will give the best insulation and warmth when its needed, high wickability and quick drying is probably more important.

Agreed!

I do a power of deerstalking/ duck shooting every year and challenge the gear I use accordingly. Two brands I use end of story Huntech or Swazi big $$$$ but worth every cent