I’m seeing lots of new high end rain gear this last two years with really soft touch hard shells that don’t make noise but still have the 20,000 water proof rating. I got a Slate Sky and am really enjoying this new age materials they are using for the 3-layer H2NO.
Thanks for the comment and the question! I've had the Outdoor Research jacket on during a 2+ hour hike in what I would call a steady, moderate to heavy rain and it definitely did the job keeping me dry.
Thanks for making the video. My only question is what is the actual waterproof efficiency of each of those jackets. That’s pretty much my number one priority as I am looking for a jacket to be out hiking in the rain for multiple hours. Thanks!
Thanks Paul. The one I can speak to directly on how well it does with waterproofing is the Outdoor Research Jacket. I've had this one since making the video and this past fall, I hiked the Camino De Santiago in Spain where we encountered heavy rain on múltiple days. On at least 3 of those days, we hiked in the rain 4 to 7 hours and the Jacket performed incredibly well! Prior to the trip, I washed the jacket with Nikwax (used the Tech Wash followed by TX.Direct Wash-In, parchase at REI and followed Directions). I did not have any wet-through on the Jacket. Temperatures were in the high 50 / low 60's on one of the days when we hiked for 7 hours in the rain. I had some dampness inside from sweating :(, but that is to be expected. The pockets double as air venta to dump heat and I found that to be useful. Hope this helps!
My apology at not replying earlier! I am not aware of restrictions that would prevent this. I purchased mine at REI, and believe they do ship internationally, though not sure if they still have it in stock.
Greetings and my apology for delayed response. I have the Outdoor Research Optimizer and absolutely love the jacket. Recently have been using it as a shell over an REI Magma 850 Down jacket OR....Arc'teryx Atom LT Hoody (review forthcoming) on bike rides down to 28 degrees. Great wind block. Also have had it on backcountry trek this summer on the Four Pass Loop in Colorado (check out the Trek highlight on my site) as well as on a 14'teener climb south of Denver.
