Gear

Hi there y'all (Am not American).

I have a great and fantastic mountain coat which keeps all the elements off me but in slight warm environments I have to strip down to a tee to wear the coat else I boil.

What I am after is a lightweight reasonably priced waterproof coat that I can wear to keep the elements off and preferably folds into itself.

I carry a 20L bag for most walks and in the winter I dig out my 35L to accomodate all the heavy wintery bits and pieces.

So what would someone recommend and of course, why?

"Reasonably priced" means different things to different people. ;O]

OK ok, about £100ish I paid £180 for my mountain coat (in sale).

What about a PacLite (or similar) shell? I've just bought a TNF Apex softshell (can't remember the exact model) but it keeps off most of the elements and combined with a Lowe base layer it was plenty warm enough.

I then carry an old (6 years) Lowe Triple Point shell for when it really starts to rain.....

Thanks Chief, I will investigate :)

Cheers!

The Montane 200 is in your price range if that's the sort of thing you're after.

Ah the Montane 200, seems ideal in what I imagined...thanks both.

http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/pp/Mens/Jackets/RAB_Latok_Alpine_Jacket.html


The Rab Latok Alpine is a superb jacket; on offer for £89 you cant go wrong.

I payed £160 for mine so I'm feeling slightly annoyed at the sight of one going for less than £90.

Just to note Rab sizes are fairly small, I have a large and I'm not the worlds most enormous person...

I use a Patagonia Rainshadow, costs £99 SRP but Ive seen it online at £55.

I really like it, not too much of a technical fit so I can wear it round town on bad days without looking too silly. Apparently the H2No membrane is more breathable than Paclite (apparently!) and the jacket has pit-zips anyway. Also got nice hood-adjuster cords that run down the inside of the jacket so they dont whip your face in the wind.

I used it for a week last summer in the Swiss Alps and intend to do the same again this summer. It goes on all my day hikes with me.

You should be able to pick up the excellent Berghaus Pacite Extreme Jacket for that price. I've certainly seen it discounted to £99 in a few online places.

I paid £130 for mine, 3 years back and it's been excellent. Really light, certainly waterproof, and a couple of handy pockets which double for ventilation. It's got a neat hood, which folds away making it ok for cycling/mtn biking too.

Spacky - still looking? You can email me if you are, I have the Montane and the Rab in stock.

Thanks

James.

I would also recommend the Marmot precip. Weighs v.little, compresses well, sheds rain, not too sweaty, and cost a mere £45 on sale from snow and rock. To be honest, for £75 I'd consider it a bargain, it is one of the few waterproofs I've tried that also looks quite stylish as well as working.

An update I said I budgetted £100, well I ended up spending £165 on a Mountain Equiptment Paclite Firefly . I have kept the labels on as I am not too sure of this coat, Its mainly to do with the rucksack.

I tried a montane200 and found the material was light but flimsy, I could see myself getting snagged on a bramble and "Adios montane".

I forgot to add all, I do end up cutting through foliage here and there especially on some remote paths so the montane200 on inspection looked liked it would die horribly.

How does one repair damage to Gore-Tex/eVent clothing?

My girlfriend has a Berghaus PacLite jacket and she came dangerously close to some barbed wire with it! To look at the material appears to have a rip-stop construction but is it just a case of patching any damage, or can you get them properly repaired?

Where the manufacturer doesn't have a repair centre, we send garments to these people (address off google):

Maintain Outdoor Repairs
01228 674410
Harker Industrial Units
Carlisle, CA6 4D

We're based in Cambridge so I assume this is one of the only, or just a very good place as its a long way to send stuff!

Otherwise, Berghaus can also repair if you take it back to the shop. Can't remember the kinda prices you'd be looking at.

Oh, you can also get self-repair patches

At least I know know should anything ever get damaged!

I'm assuming TNF have a repair centre somewhere, just in case?