Any hunting gear out there waterproof? My sitka wasn't!!

[trophyhunt]

I have the sitka gore tex rain gear as well as a few buddies and none of us have had good luck, we even called a rep and he said buy the even more expensive stuff it has better features....... Pretty disapointing for what you pay....

You are correct, pretty disapointing. It's not like the medium stuff is cheap, I expected more from sitka.

[C-Money]

I bought some goretex bibs and a matching coat from Browning  back in '97. Best hunting suit for wet and cold I own. From Pennsylvania, Wyoming, Oregon, Idaho, and Washington, Warm and dry. I have hunted in heavy lake effect snow, Down pour rain, temps below zero, and I have been very happy with my Browning clothes.  I am sure Sitka brand is more expensive than Browning, that is a real disappointment it did not work out for you.

[pips4bucks]

I've been using Rivers West gear the last couple of years.  It works great for me.  I've been in downpours, busting through wet brush, no problem.  One thing I like about it is that it has zippers under the arms for ventilation.  It's very quiet.

The down side is that some users affectionately call it 'Rivers Sweat', but you're gonna get that in any rain gear if you're doing any heavy physical activity.

 

[Thefisherman83]

I have had really good luck with the Cabelas MTO50 gear, a couple buddies of mine have as well. 

[James]

After decades of fishing, hunting, camping, hiking, and backpacking on the OP nothing is 100% waterproof, they are just various degrees of water resistant.  Many of the fancy expensive stuff starts out alright, but performance degrades with time/use.

The most waterproof is the real rubber rain gear, while heavy, bulky, and noisy it does work.  Easy proof is try to cross a river wearing 16” rubber boots, rain pants, and surgical tubing. That is my requirement for my rubber rain gear.

When I am in the rainforest for a week or so straight fishing/hunting/etc. living in the back of my truck I have various rain gear with me and take different stuff depending on what I am doing that day, where I am going, how much I am hiking, what the weather has been like, and what it is forecasted to be.  I have everything from ultra lightweight jacket and pants (1 pound for both) to heavy commercial fishing rubber rain gear and stuff in-between.

The key to using rubber rain gear is de layer and SLOW DOWN when you put it on, that will keep you from getting sweaty and clammy.


Oh, and alway put your cell phone and wallet in a ziplock bag.

[swanny]

Not to state the obvious, but were your pockets zipped up? I went and got a Christmas tree up FS70 our of Greenwater in that nasty weather on Sunday and forgot to zip up my pockets on my jacket. There was water in them, but I was bone dry on the inside. I was using a Marmot Pro-Shell GoreTex jacket.

[6x6in6]

Stormfront or Cloudburst line?  Other?
Call Sitka and tell them of your experience.  They will make it right!!!  877-748-5247

[Broken Arrow]

Here is a really interesting article about Gortex ratings. I thought all Gortex was the same....not so!

http://www.evo.com/waterproof-ratings-and-breathability-guide.aspx

[Slimdog350]

My buddy had an issue with the Sitka downpour set and he called them and they hooked him up with the new cloudburst set. I've had the apx set by Russell for about 3 years and it's great. It's basically a shell. Super light. The legs have a few holes from blackberrys , but no biggie. I've been in some nasty weather and it's held up good. I know some people like the rubber gear, but not me. It feels too bulky and uncomfortable. I like to cover a lot of ground and that stuff doesn't breathe. You should check out core4 also. Camofire has deals on there gear. You could pick something up cheap.

[The scout]

i use the cabelas dry plus ultra lite,not sure what it's acually called but it's the one that fits in the little stuff sacks for hiking.works awsome.whenyou take it off just give it a shake and the water just fly's off.no "quiet"fleece layer to soak up water.you just need to wear your warm clothes under them.sweats if you wanted or pj's.rivers west is junk and i have a coat that someone can have if they want it

[Curly]

Helly Hansen Impertech 

Not breathable like Goretex is supposed to be, but it is waterproof and not bulky like the heavier raingear.  It is fairly quiet to walk in too, since it is kind of soft.

When it is really, really raining...........I don't trust Gortex or DryPlus or any of the high tech stuff to stay waterproof.

[jackelope]

I'm running the old Sitka Nimbus stuff and it's awesome. Not the most breathable stuff in the world but that's a trade off I guess. I agree with the earlier comment about nothing being 100% waterproof, just different degrees of water resistance.

[PlateauNDN]

i have a mossy oak rain jacket with gore-tex liner and it worked really well this past weekend as i got dumped on by rain wind and freezing temps. for half a day of walking/hunting. i stayed dry and warm while wearing my cold weather mossy oak tops and bottoms under my regular camo pants and shirt.     worn them all numerous times and they still hold up well and comfortable.  and purchased them all at wal-mart.

[sirmissalot]

Sorry, but IMHO...for truly waterproof hunting gear, you need to get heavy rubber raingear, think commercial fisherman/crabbers gear.

It is a trade off as you know, shed rain effectively with truly waterproof material, and live with the bulky noisy nature of the material. Or, wear lightweight and quiet proprietary fabrics that are ineffective during heavy downpours.

 

There's a trade off with gortex in that its breathable, but its not 100% waterproof

[MADMAX]

Wool