I am looking at the Gravitas lightweight rain jacket but I’m not sure which size to go for. Normally I would be ok with L but the pictures of it make it look a bit “fitted” or slimline. Has anyone got this jacket care to comment, or on how Alpkit stuff generally runs?

Thanks!!

I’ve got one – it’s trim but not super fitted. I’m generally medium – 32″ waist, 38″ chest, wider than average shoulders – and the medium fits me fine. It’s more fitted than their down jackets, I’d say, but then you’d expect it to be. It’s not skin tight.

Thanks. How do you find the jacket? I am wanting something to carry “just in case”.

Does it have a drop tail at all? So good for biking as I need a new jacket

Just got one of these as my just-in-case. Google Mountain Warwhouse codes and you’ll get it for about £30 which is probably aboit what it’s worth.

Kept me dry a few times now:

Gravita jacket

What it doesn’t say on the page is that itnfolds into a pocket built into the back.

Thanks. How do you find the jacket? I am wanting something to carry “just in case”.

Only just got it, not used in anger yet. Seems well designed, and should be as the designer there is ex Rab. It’s decently light and packable, should be ideal for pack and deploy ICE use I think in a superior, top-drawer sor tof way.

It does have a drop-tail, yes, but more of a two to three inch all-round one that the sort of really aggressive version you sometimes see on road cycling waterproofs if that makes sense.

I’ll come back one I’ve used it a bit. I carried it around for a 20k run yesterday in anticipation of a cloud-burst that never came. Today’s overcast murk looks promising though….

and a super thin PU membrane

which means its waterproof until you wear it at which point the membrane wears off and it’s just a nylon shell….

No way would I pay £120 for that.

footflaps – Member
and a super thin PU membrane
which means its waterproof until you wear it at which point the membrane wears off and it’s just a nylon shell….

No way would I pay £120 for that.

It’s a three-layer fabric, the membrane is sandwiched between lightweight face and liner/backer fabrics to stop that happening. It’s the same principle used in plenty of waterproof fabrics including Gore-Tex and eVent, the membrane isn’t exposed directly.

It probably won’t last as long in abrasive use as a heavier fabric, but that’s the downside of lightweight kit. Rab’s equivalent sort of three-layer jacket costs around £200 btw.

It’s the same principle used in plenty of waterproof fabrics including Gore-Tex and eVent, the membrane isn’t exposed directly.

Yep, you are right. However, there is a big difference in that GoreTex maintain very strict quality control over products using their fabric and you’d be very unlucky to find a duff one which won’t give years of good service

You should be able to pick up a Paclite GTX shell for £120 eg SportsPursuit etc…

A non branded cheap membrane jacket is worth about £40-£50…..

It depends on the fabric. I don’t know what Alpkit has used specifically but if it’s from a specialist company like Toray or similar, it should be pretty decent.

I’ve never seen anything comparable to the Alpkit jacket for £40-£50 – do you have some links? We’re talking three-layer waterproof fabric with an overall garment weight of 160g or similar.

Edit: I guess if the jacket’s not worth the dosh, people simply won’t buy it.

Have to say it looks pricey to me, you can get stuff form the likes of Montane for less if you look around and without much effort. And added durability is a bit pointless in what will only ever be an emergency jacket.

Apart from the fact 99% of gore products are out of date and old technology (even active shell) compared to new innovative companies such as the fabric company what alpkit are using.

Yes goretex is waterproof, that’s easy to achieve, what’s hard is making it breathable. Event was miles ahead of gore for this for years. Now you have these super light 7D fabrics that are hugely waterproof but also massively breathable. Bar the extremely limited use and new gore hardface fabric, gore doesn’t come close to 40,000 breathability rating such as the alpkit jacket.

It’s a three-layer fabric, the membrane is sandwiched between lightweight face and liner/backer fabrics to stop that happening. It’s the same principle used in plenty of waterproof fabrics including Gore-Tex and eVent, the membrane isn’t exposed directly.

I assumed it was similar to what other companies call 2.5 layer fabric.

gore doesn’t come close to 40,000 breathability rating such as the alpkit jacket.

Pretty much irrelevant when you are trail running in the rain, in both you’ll end up a sweaty mess.

If the conditions are that bad that a waterproof is necessary, then it’s waterproofness is top of my list.

Wear a bin bag with a hole for your head then, a £5 Pak a Mac from the market will be enough for you

well if we are going to get into a ‘which waterproof is best’ argument…

http://andy-kirkpatrick.com/articles/view/the_truth_about_breathable_waterproofs

Rik that’s what a lot of hardcore trail runner do! Only disadvantage is no hood, but you can always get a Disney poncho 🙂

I think it’s about time we re-appraised our need for waterproofing and the ridiculous quest for breathability. It’s horse sh*t, if you are in torrential rain nothing will breath, so your decision is (1) do you use a proper waterproof and get sweaty or (2) go for a Gabba type product where you get warm and wet?

I generally agree with Andy Kirkpatrick’s take on the whole thing.

(1) do you use a proper waterproof and get sweaty or (2) go for a Gabba type product where you get warm and wet?

Except that Windstopper, which the Gabba is made from, is actually a effectively waterproof ePTFE membrane. The only reason a Gabba isn’t technically waterproof is that the seams aren’t taped. Windstopper is actually less breathable than quite a few waterproof fabrics. Go figure. 🙂

Anyway… everyone functions slightly differently, some people run really hot, some run cool, some run, some walk, some ride bikes fast, some slow, everyone has different sweat outputs etc. What you say may be true for you, trail running, but may not be the case for someone who runs generally cooler, moving more slowly,

One thing Andy K has right is that really breathable shells let your layers underneath dry out faster when you back off.