The best waterproof jacket/ smock?

[Sviatoslav Tulin]

I use berghause fellmaster GoreTex,120 euro ,very good jacket .

[slack ma girdle]

I've had the solidur water proof jacket from Chris forestry for 18 months,  and it is still waterproof.  Good value at less than £100

[Rich Rule]

30 minutes ago, hesslemount said:

Interesting replies and kind of what I expected. Anything greater than £200 has to last a few years or is too good for Arb work. I get the breathable/ waterproof trade off. Swazi stuff looks brilliant but way too nice for tree work. Interesting on the “over priced shit” comment as I’ve yet to find a highly priced Arb waterproof that’s better than a £60 berghaus (or similar) waterproof 

 

Ive had a Swazi workwear Karona for a few years now.  I have reproofed it once and it is still going strong.

 

 

[Bocca]

Most of the arb coats don’t rate their waterproofness on the standard scale. But if you’re buying some of the mainstream brands steer clear of anything less than 10,000mm waterproof rating. You will be amazed how many of the £400+ NorthFace/Berghaus type jackets say waterproof but are rated 3,000mm which is basically someone sneezing near you. 

 

I’ve got an Arbortec Breathflex Smock. Lasted about 8 months in Manchester rain before it started losing its waterproof-ness. That being said it’s very durable and hard wearing and can withstand a lot of abuse. 

 

I now have a Dare2Be jacket from GoOutdoors. Rated 20,000mm and was £50. More like a cycling jacket so very lightweight and breathable. I wear this when climbing if it’s pissing down and save the Arbotec for days when I’m on the deck and it’s more likely to get abuse from brash etc. 

 

[gand]

Heard nothing but praise for Pfanner Nanoshield. Pricey, but believe it's got a high waterproof rating 

 

 

 

 

 

[George Nicholls]

I’ve found high street charity shops the best source of waterproof jackets, you can purchase about 4 for £20 which should last a good few winters.

[skc101fc]

4 minutes ago, George Nicholls said:

I’ve found high street charity shops the best source of waterproof jackets, you can purchase about 4 for £20 which should last a good few winters.

....and when the pockets have filled with chip and shavings, just hand them back to the shop and pick up the next one on the rack !

[Excels1or]

If its going to be wer enough to wear a jacket I use Guy Cotton light weight oil skins

[IronMike]

Harkie and Arbotec smocks are boil in the bag hot in my experience. Echoing what others have said, there isn’t a great middle ground as you either keep the rain off and sweat your knackers off, or keep relatively cool and the rain gets in. I spunked some serious coin on some Mountain Equipment goretex offerings, but they were from an outlet called Magic Mountain. Properly tough, 3 ply mountaineering waterproofs. Massive hood that goes over helmet, longer at the back, pretty much bulletproof. Have worked in some seriously horrible weather and been ok. But, like waterproof boots, they are inherently flawed due to the holes already in them I.e where your head and arms poke out! 😂

 

I spent years working in outdoor retail selling waterproofs etc. You can spend an unlimited amount on gear and it’ll still not be perfect. Pick your compromises and see how you get on. I’d definitely recommend Magic Mountain for cheap gear (relatively speaking) and service.

[IronMike]

After all that, I’ve just looked at their website and they don’t have any ME waterproofs in currently 🤦🏻‍♂️ keep your eyes peeled though as their stock changes regularly.