After a decent jacket to do some walking in and use for wandering to the station when its lashing it down (like it has been this week). Needs to be nice and warm, completely waterproof and ideally have a hood.

No idea where to start other than my local outdoor shop but are there any brands I should be looking for / to avoid? Want to spend up to about £100 maybe.

Ta
Dave

mountain equipment fitzroy has primaloft lining so low weight and warm but no soggy down!

Large umbrella? Ultimate in waterproof breathable upper body wear.

Thanks for that f*cking useless suggestion. So when I’m out in the Pennines walking on a windswept hill, a golf brolly will be ok?

Cheers tang, will take a look…

Fitzoy isn’t waterproof, nor will it keep you that warm when soaked.

If you plan on doing anything active (which includes walking) much better to get a shell, and wear an insulating layer underneath.

What size are you after?

DaveyBoyWonder – Member
Thanks for that f*cking useless suggestion. So when I’m out in the Pennines walking on a windswept hill, a golf brolly will be ok?

Sarky B. That’s a bit different from “to do some walking in and use for wandering to the station”

A golf umbrella would enable you to do a Mary Poppins impersonation which may be handy.

But a good umbrella is otherwise a useful tool in UK weather even in the hills. It means you don’t have to keep getting in and out of waterproofs as the weather changes. Ask Nick Crane if you don’t believe me.

But a good umbrella is otherwise a useful tool in UK weather even in the hills

I reckon large umbrellas are next to useless in a country that often sees wind at the same time as rain.

And with waterproofs, you don’t have to get OUT of them when it stops raining.

whatever TK Maxx has in (Regatta and Craighoppers) IME, except anything by Trespass, as it’s rubbish. As my g/f found halfway up snowdon, even re-proofing it had f** all effect.

I was lusting after a berghaus coat for £180, but went to TK, spent less than a ton, came away with a waterproof softshell, waterproof coat, zip off trouser/shorts and some karrimor boots. All last years kit but a complete bargain…

An umbrella is a useless item when walking on the hills. Great for the station and in the valleys though.

I would get a thin lightweight shell jacket, long enough to cover your jacket, but compact for stowing easily in your work bag/backpack. I’d go for Event or Goretex.

Berghaus, Sprayway, North Face, Mountain Equipment are all good brands.

I’d carry a quality compact single button opening umbrella for the station walk too.

I’ve used an umbrella on the Isle of Harris in the hills and found it useful. Get the odd bit of wind and rain there.

Did a quick google and got this and this

Bear in mind I’m talking about a good umbrella, not those useless things that turn inside out in a breeze.

I was up in the Lakes a couple of weeks ago, and due to my missing frontal lobe I’d packed wife & sons waterproofs but forgotten mine. Went to Mountain Warehouse in Keswick and bought one of their “Mountainlife extreme” jackets in Isodry1000 for £69.99. Seems to work well for me.

Like this one here

Even good umbrellas get caught by the wind; poke people in the eye and don’t protect your lower body; block part of your field of view, especially when faced with a headwind; and tie up one hand.

For me they are very far from ideal!

missingfrontallobe – I had a similar experience to yourself. I was also in Keswick and had made the usual error of thinking ‘its still a part of England, Its Autumn. How bad can the weather be?” And subsequently put just a softshell in.

A quick trip to said Mountain Warehouse (well…. one of the multitude of ‘walking stuff’ shops) in Keswick procured one of these:

http://www.merrell.com/UK/en-GB/Product.mvc.aspx/M-A-F/23337M/0/Men/Apparel/Filters/Mens/Altair

For half price. And very nice it is too. Toasty warm. Completely waterproof. And you don’t look like you’ve been accidentally separated from a party of ramblers. Surely the worst look in the world 😉

Montane Atomic DT

Brilliant bit of kit, plus an active cut so works well on the bike / walking / hiking.

One of the best hoods I’ve seen on a jacket too.

Sorry, I don’t want a brolly. I want a jacket.

I’ll look into those options people and I ideally want one jacket, not faffing with shells etc etc.

If you want only one jacket then;

Endura Stealth
Something Paramo

You need vents!

the north face plasma thermal jacket, or their makalu, primaloft and hyvent. double your budget…

I hate Paramo. They look like 80s shell suit jackets all worn out and tired.

if you are a medium, this looks good.
http://www.themountainfactor.com/shop/product.php?xProd=14610&xSec=1809

I just bought a north face goretex proshell jacket, but I am not sure about recommending their hyvent jackets, or even their jackets at all.

Isn’t hyvent just a coating, as oppossed to a waterproof fabric structure?

I have had 2 north face paclight jackets and they only last a couple.of years commuting before having proofing issues from the fabric wear, but that could.just be the paclite.

I also had a north face xcr shell that I skied in but that also had wear issues after a few seasons.

It could all be goretexes fault, or maybe.they have grades of goretex and north face get the cheap grades…

The guy opposite me on the train on Monday with a hyvent jacket was inspecting it for.leaks and it looked pretty wetted out to me on the outside as well.

Some nice looking Berghaus and North Face stuff in Go Outdoors near me with some decent discounts so might go and have a look at the weekend…

Driza bone

Keela Munro http://www.amazon.co.uk/Keela-Munro-Jacket/dp/B002DPUCG2

Used by Mountain Rescue. Great jacket, waterproof and warm, only downside being that its slightly heavy compared to competition.

Stretch the budget a few quid. I have tried so many fabric and jacket brands (and my 10 outdoor instructor staff have tried even more). All of us have staff issue Paramo kit, and it is the ONLY stuff that seems to keep us properly dry and warm in a scottish winter (and summer!). It is warm, cosy and so easy to reproof. I am becoming a huge fan of it (bar the cut on old stuff that is ‘sack’ shaped…).
Our new Mountain Equipment trousers stayed waterproof for about a month on me….
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/PARAMO-VASCO-WATERPROOF-JACKET-RED-BLACK-SILVER-BLUE_W0QQitemZ350343998566QQcmdZViewItem?rvr_id=166151146139&rvr_id=166151146139&cguid=2152b59a12c0a0aa17c329c3ffddfc4d

Matt, you used any eVent stuff at your centre?

Yes. General feeling is it breathes well, is waterproof well BUT, doesn’t last as well and need cleaning in pure soapflakes, not our usual Nikwax. Montane want us to buy eVent next time and I am really not sure at all…

I can see how an outdoor centre would have different requirements. IIRC dirt can block the holes which affects it of course, and it supposedly doesn’t hold DWR as long. I did not know that you couldn’t use Tekwash with it tho.

I’d be asking for some guarantees from Montane if I were you 🙂