Waterproof Running Jacket (trail / ultra?) advice
13 watchers
Oct 2020
8:00pm, 12 Oct 2020
13,797 posts
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Homer
el bee
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Oct 2020
10:36pm, 12 Oct 2020
4,021 posts
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Kieren
Homer & Fozzy - good points - it's always pretty humid in the UK. In theory tech like eVent should breath / wick better but the personal star reviews I read imply it doesn't last too long. If anyone has any experience with Gore-Tex Active it would be great to hear it. I have a friend that has run the Arc of Attrition Ultra a couple of times - I'll have to try to catch up with him to see if he noticed any gear trends |
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Oct 2020
7:48am, 13 Oct 2020
13,798 posts
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Homer
I've had eVent jackets and I feel they breathed better than goretex in their day, but gore tex seems to have moved on more over the last few years There is nice review of the Montane GT Active that I think is pragmatic. Kinda sums things up. If you don't expect the impossible then GT Active is pretty good. I think often in review people are expecting too much. "Gore-Tex Active is both subjectively and in lab tests, one of the more breathable fabrics out there, but the nature of running and other high tempo activities, is that unless you run very cool, you’ll still overwhelm the fabric with hard use. Montane has improved things a little with the provision of neat, minimal and easy-to-use pit-zips, but realistically you will sometimes find yourself hot, sweaty and steaming. The same is true of other running shells, it goes with the territory, so don’t expect the impossible." outdoorsmagic.com Terry Abraham is a well known reviewer and basically says...'meh...overhyped' terrybnd.blogspot.com This is how I feel about Active Shell. I had a Rab Active shell and found it too warm for running and not comfy enough for full-on storms so I reverted to a lighter shell for running and a heavier one for mountain. At the mo', I use this for running if I'm expecting the weather to be awful inov-8.com And this for no-quite-so-bad-rain alpkit.com And this for mountain (bought in a big sale!) arcteryx.com So, I don't feel that GT Active is bad, just maybe better for other people |
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Oct 2020
7:48am, 13 Oct 2020
13,799 posts
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Homer
(can you tell I spend too much time on waterproof jackets)
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Oct 2020
7:52am, 13 Oct 2020
13,800 posts
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Homer
(and any other outdoor kit....boots and I go on forever)
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Oct 2020
9:26pm, 22 Oct 2020
4,026 posts
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Kieren
Thanks Homer - great tips and advice. After reading a bit more, it's generally agreed gore-tex should endure the years best of all fabrics but is a real hard shell. I think I can compromise on durability a little and look to softer materials like pertex shield + (3 layer). Hoping to take a mini break and do some country walking so my decision might be forced by a combination of what is on sale and what will suite a day hike. I was hoping to avoid multiple jackets but maybe a less packable jacket can still be tied around my waist? It seems that the tech all seems to work on temperature and humidity being less on the outside of the jackets to draw out moisture. My run yesterday (in T-shirt) was 16 degrees C, with 99% humidity & 14'C dew point. I wasn't cold but I don't think any waterproof would work very well in those conditions? The hydrophilic systems sound on paper like they should work better than PTFE classic membranes. It should work better as the wearer is more active / hotter. It turns out Toyota makes good waterproof membranes / 3 layer hydrophilic fabrics - OMM and Alpkit use them. Potentially other brands too, so if I can find a list, I'll have a wider net to bargain hunt. (Gleanots https://www.t-gelanots.com/). |
Oct 2020
9:35pm, 22 Oct 2020
4,106 posts
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K5 Gus
Is it the OMM Kamleika ? Reduced from £190 to £120 in a size small, and choice of 3 colours outdoorgear.co.uk |
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Oct 2020
10:51pm, 22 Oct 2020
4,027 posts
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Kieren
Thanks Gus. That looks good. I might buy it to try - I sit on the cusp or small / medium at the moment but not sure how a runner's fit mixes into that. I'm not sure which bit OMM use - Gelanots has a number of different products & lots of bands don't mention that they use them. I suppose you might guess by looking at the HH / breathability ratings for each at the link (if it works this time t-gelanots.com Alpkit make reference to Toyota and Amaterrace in an old blog post but don't call it out on the product pages alpkit.com |
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Oct 2020
9:57pm, 24 Oct 2020
4,031 posts
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Kieren
So I ordered a small, blue OMM Kamleika for £130 from OMM. Wiggle has the green one for £115 but that colour was vetoed by my partner and the only other colour was black which I don't want for visibility reasons. I didn't move fast enough on Outdoor gear which did have a cheaper price in that colour / size. Anyone, as there are a few watchers on this thread, in the next post I will go over my buying decision in case it helps anyone |
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Oct 2020
1:23am, 25 Oct 2020
4,032 posts
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Kieren
Buying Decisions =========== The Shortlist: 1. Alpkit Gravitas alpkit.com * £160 & weighs 170g in M (no reductions) * 3 layer with unknown PU membrane - maybe Toyota (gelanots) * 30K MVTR breathability and 20K HH waterproofing 2. Salomon Outspeed 3L 360 salomon.com * £230 (reduced items £150 reduced) weight 185g in L * 3 Layer AdvancedSkin membrane * 30K MVTR breathability and 20K HH waterproofing 3. Inov-8 Stormshell inov-8.com * £180 (no reductions) & weighs 175g in M * 2.5 layer pertex shield (I had thought it was the pertex shield+ 3layer) * ?? MVTR breathability and 20K HH waterproofing 4. OMM Kamleika theomm.com * £190 (£115 - 130 sales) & weighs 255g in ? * Fabric layer = no idea. Maybe 2.5 or 3. membrane is wrapped in knitted nylon for stretch * 20K MVTR breathability and 20K HH waterproofing ================== Dumping heat was a concern. I have a wind jacket that I get hot in, so expect any waterproof to be a better heat barrier. I like the Alpkit but was concerned about being able to dump heat. The cuffs are elasticated, so only the main zip and breathability rating. The salomon looks decent. Both that and the Inov8 have a clasp to zip open the jacket but hold it together. The hood is not adjustable and elastic cuffs with no vents concerned me about heat build up. The inov8 has good heat dumping features but is really expensive for a 2.5 layer. Ultimate Direction does a 2.5 layer that seems better value. If it was on sale, I might have picked up an inov-8. Their more heavy duty jacket was in sale but only in black. The OMM is heavier than the other jackets and I am not sure about the fabric. Reviews say it soft on the inside, so maybe a 3 layer? What appealed were the extra features that weight gives, like velcro cuffs and pockets - both of which can be used to vent / dump heat. I think that will be more important than breathability alone (which requires a micro-climate to work). They say they use 37.5 tech theomm.com to aid in cooling. I'm sceptical of the claims but other brands seem to use it so maybe it does work. 3 of the brands here appealed being UK / Welsh brands. I suppose (maybe incorrectly) that the products probably get a lot of testing in the UK weather, so humid rain, not that cold etc. I think I would be happy with many of these, of course price was playing a factor - all were over budget, so when the OMM went on sale it became more compelling. I have no idea how it packs but one reviewer on jackets said she would tie the jacket around her waist, so there is that option. ------------------ Both the inov8 and salomon have wider backs so the jacket will fit over a race pack / vest. That was an appealing feature but I don't own one and probably wont for the foreseeable future. |
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