That is amazing, here’s a hardy young fellow wearing it on what I presume is the summit of Snowdon…

That is amazing, here’s a hardy young fellow wearing it on what I presume is the summit of Snowdon…

I think you are mistaken. Summit of Snowdon would have more people around.

Actually, assuming that is Goretex, that’s not a bad idea in principle. We get a lot of rain, and not everyone wants to look like a mountaineer, so I reckon there’s a good market for breathable waterproof jackets that don’t look crap.

That however isn’t one of them 🙂 What happened to raincoats?

I remember many, many years ago as a macho 14 year old being perversely proud that as a percentage of body weight I was carrying as much kit as a Royal Marine….. 🙄

It could be quite practical actually, if you had a part-time job as a lollipop person.

I’ve met plenty of DoE groups on their expedition camp and they never seem overly burdened by their packs. Always seem to be enjoying themselves…..

Probably either stoned, drunk or high on pain-killers 😉

What happened to raincoats?

Good point actually – and links in with the earlier cagoule comments … my cagoule in the ’70s felt like I was wearing a huge tarp tent – the only things missing were the guy ropes and pegs. Many raincoats were actually better made than ‘cagoules’

Late ’70s/early ’80s and raincoats were still de rigueur for some elements of the post punk/goth generation – and very useful they were too in the gloom of Northern Drizzle. And you could sit down without getting a wet bum, and could also be useful for alfresco shenanigans – the same can perhaps not be said for some of the modern short mountaineering jackets! 😆

And you could sit down without getting a wet bum, and could also be useful for alfresco shenanigans – the same can perhaps not be said for some of the modern short mountaineering jackets!

Also bike rain capes seem to have vanished, you used to get ones which covered the back wheel and handle bars all in one, for a totally dry cycling experience….

Also bike rain capes seem to have vanished

Carridice still make them:

https://www.carradice.co.uk/products/rainwear

Go and look at the CUK forum. Cycle capes there are their version of wood burners/Audis here.

D OF E puzzles me as well. Huge sacks and always walking along the roads doing 3 sides of a circle!! to go in a straight line. Not allowed, I was told by one group, to leave the road as they couldn’t be checked up on. Ah well

Best one I had was a group who hid from me the fact they had portable DVD player with them…

Don’t think Mrs Dubs has had that one.

Her favourite is all 3 members of a tent bringing a family sized jar (yes jar) of Dolmio with them…

footflaps – Member
…Also bike rain capes seem to have vanished, you used to get ones which covered the back wheel and handle bars all in one, for a totally dry cycling experience….

I use one. Gets round all the business of the perfect waterproof AND breathable jacket.

Simply wear a breathable jacket and if it rains, the cape goes on. Dry and warm, what’s not to like.

But if you don’t have mudguards, forget it.

I’ll add myself to the list of people finding this the most interesting part of the thread. So what’s on the list? Are all of them effectively self-sufficient even though they’re walking in groups (to a campsite)

Almost. If you’re sharing a 2-man tent then you need to pack the tent up and carry it between you and your tent-mate. You also need to carry your camping stove, food, mess tins, clothes, toiletries, first aid stuff, map, compass, etc. Pretty much the only thing you don’t carry is two or three days worth of water.

At the end of the day you’ll probably be back at the campsite you started from where you’ll set your tent up again for the night.

As said, it’s often cheap (or cheap, borrowed) kit, which is heavy and bulky. But not many parents are going to spend thousands kitting out their kids in fancy goretex jackets that won’t fit them in 6 months time, or lightweight Ti camping stoves that will never get used again. And then you’ve got people who’ve never done anything like this before who are trying to gauge how much food they’ll need, and will usually deliberately overdo it than risk ending up hungry on the last night.

Just come back from a very windy and damp walk, where the temperature was between 5 & 7 degrees. My 15 year old Gore XCR fabric Summit Series jacket did me proud. Still waterproof, windproof and highly breathable – so highly useable well into its second decade. Well worth the £300 – £350 it cost new IMHO.

My original North Face is about 17 years old now, comes out when working outside or the others aren’t available.

It’s still good, think it was about £180