The best waterproof jacket/ smock?

[IronMike]

This is the jacket I got…..

 

Lhotse Jacket

WWW.MOUNTAIN-EQUIPMENT.CO.UK

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For those requiring the very best all-round performance and absolute protection for mountaineering in all weathers.The...

 

These are the trousers……

 

Lhotse Pant

WWW.MOUNTAIN-EQUIPMENT.CO.UK

---

Essential hard shell leg wear for mountaineers requiring full protection in the worst conditions.With GORE-TEX PRO 80D...

 

 

but I gave about £450 for the pair. Still a big spend, but have been used for 3 years now and still going super strong with no rips or tears etc.

[Mark Bolam]

Danny Mac bought the Lhotse when the weather turned really wet last autumn, and really rates it.

 

It is expensive though.

 

I just bumble along in my rapist looking ex-army goretex dpm shell, a farmers Sealflex, and my knackered Pfanner Ventura ex-40000mm.

 

If you’re climbing or grafting hard you’ll be wet either from rain or sweat.

There’s nothing that will stop both.

 

I prefer sweaty wet because I like being warm!

[Dan Maynard]

I bought the Bear Valley Alpha jacket on special offer, it does have useful arb features like high pockets above your harness, long back, long sleeves. It does a pretty good job keeping rain off, maybe a bit thick though so only for cold rainy days.

 

Mostly I wear a cheap top from GoOutdoors, less worried about the holes and cuts. Doesn't keep me dry, but at least warm whilst it's raining.

[Brill]

On 30/01/2023 at 15:24, Joe Newton said:

This, pretty much. 

 

Also you can have breathable or waterproof. Both just doesn't work. 

 

Swazi make some good shit.

Dam true from fencing for a long time once thing they do well in new Zealand is rain gear there’s company like ridgeliine I think most know and kiawaka also bushbuck is one I think I know kiawaka have gotten huge and I’m sure they do hi vis if needed I’m not sure on the others. They will be a lot looser fit so good for ground crew but not sure with climbers and again if your really going for it yourll

still get hot and sweat a lot in them just the nature of the beast. 

[Silverhooker]

I used old army surplus and ebay barbour coats for years, always bought cheap. Best I've ever been is warm and damp, which is better than dry and roasted(super sweaty) or wet and cold !

Sadly nothing perfect and wear and tear in arb is very high so stuff gets knackered really quick. I guess its trial and error and finding your personal "Goldilocks" position out of wet/cold/hot .

[dan blocker]

On 31/01/2023 at 08:30, Mark Bolam said:

Danny Mac bought the Lhotse when the weather turned really wet last autumn, and really rates it.

 

It is expensive though.

 

I just bumble along in my rapist looking ex-army goretex dpm shell, a farmers Sealflex, and my knackered Pfanner Ventura ex-40000mm.

 

If you’re climbing or grafting hard you’ll be wet either from rain or sweat.

There’s nothing that will stop both.

 

I prefer sweaty wet because I like being warm!

As Mark says, your either wet “from rain or sweat” if your doing manual tree work? Buy some fancy expensive jackets and trousers if you like but prepare to have it scagged the first time you start throwing some narley barked oak about or scrambling through a big black thorn to get to the base of a tree. I go cheap and many? Carry a couple of spares to change at break time along with a fresh tea shirt or other top underneath, and a towel to dry off and away to go - again😳. And when really soaked and moral is really low - into spare dry kit for the trip home.
Did a tree job recently on a small development site where we were soaked by 0930? About 11 we went into the site hut for a bite to eat and a tea. The youngest of us (25) was like a drowned rat, the other two of us had spare kit and proceeded to dry off and put some dry kit on. The younguns bottom lip nearly hit the floor. Gave him a tenner to pop to Tescos garage to get some coffee’s, otherwise I thought he was going to throw the towel in(which he didn’t have!) I’ve been telling him for years to bring spare kit - he does now? He’s also stopped gobbing off about working with a couple of geriatrics!

[Mr. Squirrel]

On 31/01/2023 at 08:05, IronMike said:

This is the jacket I got…..

 

Lhotse Jacket

WWW.MOUNTAIN-EQUIPMENT.CO.UK

---

For those requiring the very best all-round performance and absolute protection for mountaineering in all weathers.The...

 

These are the trousers……

 

Lhotse Pant

WWW.MOUNTAIN-EQUIPMENT.CO.UK

---

Essential hard shell leg wear for mountaineers requiring full protection in the worst conditions.With GORE-TEX PRO 80D...

 

 

but I gave about £450 for the pair. Still a big spend, but have been used for 3 years now and still going super strong with no rips or tears etc.

I think I paid £250 (on sale) for a berghaus goretex pro shell which started off life in the mountains and ended up at work. Lasted me 13 years though and worked better than any of the ex army or other kit I ever used. I binned it this year as it was, understandably, nakerd. But my 7 year old mountain equipment jacket was waiting in the wings and I use that now. Works well. 
Breathable membranes can only do so if the surface fabric isn’t soaked through, so semi regular washing and reapplying the dwr finish is a massive help. Even then breathability is most effective sub zero. 
Mountain equipment and montane both do decent kit and you get a fair bang for your buck, relatively speaking. Just don’t get some ultra light running jacket or it’ll fall to bits refuelling the saws I imagine.