Looking for my perfect hard shell

 Dear Outdoormagic forum users,

At the end of 2009 I bought my first hard shell - a Rab Drillium. I thought it was the perfect jacket for me but sadly it wasn't. I quickly wore it out by nearly daily usage and walking through gorse and bramble.

I think I now know the sort of jacket I am after...

- I'm not bothered how packable/light it it.

 -  Mainly for walking, but I do still go through a lot of gorse and bramble.

- So very hard wearing (undestructable?!)

-Pit vents (I walk hot)

-All year Wales  usage

-Can take all day downpours as well as possible.

Does such a jacket exist?

 Any advice gratefully recieved.

Kind regards,

Mark

Well, this one certainly seems to want to be it, being designed for heavyweight hunting use and having massive vents. 'Interesting' price mind! The Dovre is slightly less insane costwise but still an awful lot.

More reasonably, sundry others. PHD ~300 - here - and Rohan here say. Neither is light, and I think both designed to be tough. Other options about.

Although to be honest I'd be a tiny bit sceptical about anything surviving for ever vs lots of brambles. 

Paramo (esp Hilltreks ventile shelled ones) would take it without real damage as pin holes not a major issue. Or maybe some very tough softshell for most of the time you're working in brambles?

Or is it too often pouring rain and brambles for that?

Some of them, yes.

I do a lot of bramble-bashing in poor weather in Wales as a SARDA dogsbody. For much of the year I use a Paramo Velez smock which has good venting features, but on a day like today I'd get pretty damp inside from sweat as well, at least when walking to a hidey-hole!

I would not bother with another standard hard-shell, whether gtx, event or whatever, but look at the Paramo-type tops, and the Brenig Mole mentioned. The Paramo and Paramo-type materials are very tough, my 5 year old Cascada trousers have been brutalised far more than the Velez smock and still have many years life in them.

Martin Carpenter wrote (see)

Or is it too often pouring rain and brambles for that?

Yes pouring and brambles at the same time!

Thanks for all the messages. I will investigate Brenig and Paramo.

What other brands do paramo-type materials?

>What other brands do paramo-type materials?

Cioch, a company based in Skye, make jackets and other items of clothing using Paramo's Nikwax Analogy fabric. They do custom made items as well, which is good if you're struggling to get something that fits well.

Cioch website

Also Hilltrek. They do do some microfibre shelled Paramo stuff too but I've linked to their Ventile shelled Paramo style stuff as that probably is the closest thing to invincible that you'll get.

(Well double ventile too of course, but I'd think the Paramo liner should be a slight improvement on that concept.).

I can second Kate's comments about Cascada trousers.

I have used my pair since 1992, pretty heavily, and they are still fine.

Unbeatable in cold-damp weather. Less good in hot weather.