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

[The scout]

this is an area us "coasties"are experts in

[Fl0und3rz]

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.

X2.  If it's really wet or pouring, I wear the Grunden's olive colored bib and coat, over a wool or synthetic mid layer.  Paired with a Rivers West waterproof boonie hat, the only thing that will result in wetness is moving too fast and sweating.

When it is not so wet, I will pack a milsurp woodland poncho as a decent lightweight and field-expedient rain gear. It works well to cover your pack, rifle, and a good portion of your legs as well as torso to keep the moisture soaked plants off you in the thick stuff.

[Wyobuffalo]

I've been using Rivers West gear the last few years and have been very satisfied with the performance. I've been able to minimize the sweating on the jacket and pants by slowing down my walking, and using the ventilation zippers. The only product I bought that didn't perform well were a pair of their gloves that got soaked through after a couple hours out in steady rain.

[FLIZZ]

After a long time of hunting Western WA, I've some to realize that nothing is Western WA WATERPROOF.  buy some First Lite 100% marino woold Kanab pants and a marino base layer/ First lite top. Is it waterproof? NO. Will you stay completely comfortable even soaking and remain scentless? YES. This year clothing wise was the most successful season of my life because I made the switch to wool. Trust me on this one! 

[vandeman17]

My best waterproof gear is my vehicle. If there is even a hint of mist in the air then I just road hunt.... 

Actually I have found that Riverswest gear has kept me the most dry. I have had some long days in the stand or blind in rain and snow and they always seem to do the trick. Only issue is they can be a bit warm and don't breath all that well on longer hikes in and out.

[jeepster]

Best bet for the money is Grundens Weather Watch. No camo patterns yet but they have black and I just spray paint them. Best waterproof gear that isn't PVC and rugged as all get out.

As a fisherman, i second the grundens..... Kept me dry on the Bering sea.... Should keep you dry hunting..... If it don't, I wanna know what kind of hunting you are doing!

I like my military surplus goretex jacket and pants.... Can't beat it for the price

[RadSav]

Wow!  Sounds like the OP got a bad set of gear.  We were in the same stuff.  Four hunters, three with Sitka and one with Rivers West.  Only hunter to get wet was wearing the Rivers West.  If you are fit and trim the Kuiu is a great product.  If fat and dumpy like me it doesn't fit as nice as the Sitka.

If you really want the best raingear out there for being both active and dry you will probably need to forget about camo and go to mountaineering gear.  I've seen a few mention Marmot, but I have seen nothing yet to even come close to Arc'Teryx.  But for top & bottom price of $1,200 it better be good!  Then again you would probably go through three sets of Sitka or Kuiu before you'd wear out a single pair of the heavier mountaineering rainwear.  Trade off in everything I suppose.

Three of us on my last far north trip.  One in Sitka (me), one in Kuiu and one in Arc'Teryx.  After five days of solid rain only one dry guy and that was the guy in Arc'Teryx.  Both the Kuiu and the Sitka did much better once we added some loft between the shell and skin.  Not sure why that made such a difference, but it did.

[ICEMAN]

......  Only hunter to get wet was wearing the Rivers West. 

Huh, maybe a labelling defect, should have read "Rivers Wet"?  Or "Shivers Wet" ?   

[billythekidrock]

Best bet for the money is Grundens Weather Watch. No camo patterns yet but they have black and I just spray paint them. Best waterproof gear that isn't PVC and rugged as all get out.

As a fisherman, i second the grundens..... Kept me dry on the Bering sea.... Should keep you dry hunting..... If it don't, I wanna know what kind of hunting you are doing!

I like my military surplus goretex jacket and pants.... Can't beat it for the price

Grundens are great for fishing or sitting, but not for still hunting in wet/humid conditions. Soaked from the inside out.

[trophyhunt]

Wow!  Sounds like the OP got a bad set of gear.  We were in the same stuff.  Four hunters, three with Sitka and one with Rivers West.  Only hunter to get wet was wearing the Rivers West.  If you are fit and trim the Kuiu is a great product.  If fat and dumpy like me it doesn't fit as nice as the Sitka.

If you really want the best raingear out there for being both active and dry you will probably need to forget about camo and go to mountaineering gear.  I've seen a few mention Marmot, but I have seen nothing yet to even come close to Arc'Teryx.  But for top & bottom price of $1,200 it better be good!  Then again you would probably go through three sets of Sitka or Kuiu before you'd wear out a single pair of the heavier mountaineering rainwear.  Trade off in everything I suppose.

Three of us on my last far north trip.  One in Sitka (me), one in Kuiu and one in Arc'Teryx.  After five days of solid rain only one dry guy and that was the guy in Arc'Teryx.  Both the Kuiu and the Sitka did much better once we added some loft between the shell and skin.  Not sure why that made such a difference, but it did.

Sounds like a true test of rain gear right there!!  I will check out the Arc'teryx but man, for 600.00 bucks each piece?  I agree with you billy, great fishing gear but waaaay too much sweat inside the rubber gear.  And as far as rivers west, I have a set of those also, pant and jacket.  Rivers west is not for walking very far in, unless you move very slow in my opinon.  It doesn't not breath at all even with the under arm zippers open, great for a nasty day in the tree stand though!!

[ICEMAN]

Sometimes when it is really really soggy, I swear I would switch over to my waders or a wet suit, just bite the bullet and get clammy on the inside and shed any additional water.   I duck hunt in waders all day and could generally care less if it rains. Never elk hunted in waders though...

[jackmaster]

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

dude if your giving away a rivers west jacket i will gladly take it off your hands. i live in graham but i will be happy to drive to belfair to get it. call me if your serious. brandon 253 677 0791 thanks

[jackmaster]

its simple, there is no 100% rain proof gear out there that doesnt have its pros and cons, your always gonna over heat or sweat if your moving to fast. imo you need to buy a size and half bigger than normal, it will allow for more breathing, and then its about layering, if your still huntn and sweating your boys off then your moving entirely to fast, if your the type that just sweats at the slightest movement then a differant layering system is in order, you would be suprised what you can find at the military surplus store for pretty cheap. when it comes to rivers west, well you dont hike in the stuff, get to where your going strip down and wait till you get cold, put a regular long sleeve t shirt on and a loose pair of regular pajama bottoms not those fleece ones neither and move slow, when your in the timber you only take 2 or 3 steps and stop to glass anyways so you shouldnt over heat. if its super cold out get a feild jacket liner, they are designed to keep you warm yet cool and even if you soak it with sweat you wont feel it or notice it 

[jbeaumont21]

Not sure what kind of Sitka the OP was using but I ran into a problem with the Dounpour line in forest camo last year and had a great experience with their customer service.  You can read about it my post here:  http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,114730.msg1549424.html#msg1549424

[steeliedrew]

I didn't read through this entire thread to see if any suggested Rivers West at all but I've put my Rivers West camo through some extremely nasty, wet fern jungle downpour hunts and I truly love that gear.  Sunday was no exception.  Just a plain old nasty day. Rivers west camo was great. However, The Danner jackal boots I was wearing that are supposed to be goretex...leaked like a siv!