Rain Gear-What to buy?

[Eeyore]

Alright so I have just about every gun I could ever need but the idea was put forward by a friend that I need to stop buying guns and get myself some good gear.

He was right.

So I picked up some a micro fleece and heavier fleece for much colder days, but I am still lacking when it comes to rain gear.

I know Gortex keeps you dry but I'd rather not wear a bight blue or yellow rain suit while playing.

What is out there for poor weather play?

[Brian McIlmoyle]

GORE-TEX

nothing more need be said..

many Surplus shops have serviceable surplus Gore-tex shells

Brit DPM is easily found, German Flectarn .. these will be the cheapest options

then you get into more expensive hybrid performance fabrics..

the sky is the limit

[Eeyore]

Originally Posted by Brian McIlmoyle

GORE-TEX

nothing more need be said..

many Surplus shops have serviceable surplus Gore-tex shells

Brit DPM is easily found, German Flectarn .. these will be the cheapest options

then you get into more expensive hybrid performance fabrics..

the sky is the limit

Are these DPM and Flectarn, smocks or jackets or ponchos? Do I need Gore-Tex pants?

[Brian McIlmoyle]

simple Shells , with hoods , amply sized to go over layers

I run with a pair of Gaiters.. and only have the pants for hard core downpour or when in defense.

Check out Seals Action Gear for other options, stealth suits, and such

[Coresair]

You should check Prefair out Tom. I got a DPM smock last winter as part of a cheap alternative for a WW2 impression : http://prefair.ca/products/?s=366

Your best bet is to just drive down there and check out what they have!

[seabass]

If your feeling real spendy you could pick up an arc'teryx coat. My alpha jacket is coyote brown an compresses to the size of 3 M4 mags. Its water proof. The pits zip to ventalate. Bit you gotta be willing to drop some serious cash but totally worth it

[obsolete]

I have Gore-Tex gear, US Army ECWCS (Extended Cold Weather Clothing System) and British MVP (what the Brits call their Gore-Tex).
I have Gen I ECWCS in US Woodland (full set pants and jacket) and a jacket in 3 color desert. I have a British MVP jacket in desert.
I also bought an aftermarket jacket from Otte Gear in CADPAT which is really nice equipment but very expensive stuff.
The ECWCS stuff can be had from surplus stores or eBay and the prices vary. You kinda have to watch and bid what you want to pay on the chance you might get it or not. It is my experience the Desert stuff goes cheaper than Woodland.

If you do some research on ECWCS you will find it is intended to go over the cold weather gear (with liners) and I have worn it this way but it also works fine on it's own over a t-shirt or fleece.

I camp a lot as well as airsoft so I could justify the expense as some of these items can get a bit pricey, but I'm not going to tell you about eBay I'm sure you already know how that works. If you are making a trip to the US I'm sure many surplus places would have it.

Oh year forgot to mention, Gore-Tex is awesome for keeping you dry, but it is noisy. You will make a "swish" noise every time you move so you probably won't get any knife kills.

[Drake]

+1 ECWCS GoreTex.

[MiniMcNabb]

I found prefair lacking in affordable shells. However they have a large selection of other things like fleece, bdus and those condor softshells.

[Azathoth]

Literally the best investment in gear I made was a pair of quality long johns (arc'teryx), tied or second would be the sealskinz socks,

Add Micro Fleece tops.

Their is a an alternative to Gore, I can't remember the trade name but it's a silicon based product out of Japan which is suppose to be far superior, and then eVENT made by some other company, I believe GE which is comparable.

What size are you? I have a gore hardshell that i got that is FAR too big for me that I would like to trim out of my closet to fit more arc'teryx stuff.

If you are layering up a lot, even with GORE products on you will need a layer with a pit zip. GORE is breathable but it's not THAT breathable.

We had some really bad (read good) winter weather in our area 2-3 years ago and running so playing outside in January in -20 to -30 was possible. My layering system was

-Base Layer IE Long john stop / wicking layer
-Mid weight layer
-Softshell - can be the GORE layer depending on if it's wet and cold, or dry and cold. With these 3 layers on and standing still you should just start to feel cold
-Moisture layer, your GORE, eVENT layer, can sometimes be merged in with the 3rd layer depending on the conditions. Something to consider is the durability and ruggedness of your clothing. You don't want to wreck your nice GORE jacket by snagging it on something

[Eeyore]

Originally Posted by Coresair

You should check Prefair out Tom. I got a DPM smock last winter as part of a cheap alternative for a WW2 impression : http://prefair.ca/products/?s=366

Your best bet is to just drive down there and check out what they have!

I was there last night, they informed me their cheapest DPM was real gear and cost $400. I will have to research a bit more before making my purchase.

[Jimski]

I use a DPM rain suit (coat + pants) that's completely rainproof and that I got for cheap at a surplus (something like 40$ )

the problem for me was to decide wether I wanted to carry the rig above or under the raingear, I chose a very light rig (belt only) under the raincoat.I tried a vest on top of it and it also works...

also I noticed using a hood is mostly a hassle with all the head gear, so instead I use a boonie hat that will prevent the rain from going in the goggles, and a scarf that I change for a dry one when it gets too wet.

[Brian McIlmoyle]

Originally Posted by Eeyore

I was there last night, they informed me their cheapest DPM was real gear and cost $400. I will have to research a bit more before making my purchase.

RIPPED

I got a DPM Soldier 95 Gore-tex Shell for $60 in Toronto.. in fact I have 2 of them.. and a German issue Flectarn Shell, I picked it up for $60 as well

[pugs144]

As mentioned, you don't need to spend an extravagant amount on a hardshell; rather spend the money on a really good softshell with accompanying base layers (they're key). For me, I've found Goretex doesn't pump out moisture fast enough during high exertion activities and I often overheat so I prefer to wear a softshell instead. I pretty much only whip out the Goretex during sedentary activities.

[Eeyore]

Well if Prefair isn't gonna cut it I guess I will check out IG.