keepin dry n the rain

[pips4bucks]

Cabelas Rain Suede. Breathes well and is 100% waterproof. Quiet in the woods also. No pockets etc in the way of shooting my bow. $100 gets it done.

  Got some now and it works nice, especially since it's packable.

With any rain gear that's going to keep you dry on the outside, if you're doing a lot of walking, you're going to get wet on the inside just from sweating you A** off.

My next set will be Rivers West.

[Instinct]

Alright ill check out those products but was also thinking bout the military gortex. Any thoughts or general expierence wth the stuff

[Magnum_Willys]

The light Rivers West over the latest Under Armour - and use hunters anti-perspirant on feet and underarms.  If it gets really cold throw a light fleece pullover under the jacket. 

[jackmaster]

The light Rivers West over the latest Under Armour - and use hunters anti-perspirant on feet and underarms.  If it gets really cold throw a light fleece pullover under the jacket. 

i second that, rivers west is expensive but well worth the money and it comes with a life time warranty, you can get light weight or heavy weight, just make sure you get the style that you can unzip the armpitt, and no worrys, as for the string hitn the jacket, pin it back with duct tape"the fix all".

[bwhntr350]

Wow, am I alone? I am from Forks and have never worn rain gear or anything water repellent while hunting. If warmer weather, say Sept., I wear light and hike lots. Colder weather I will layer up in wool.

 I feel like a 'tard, now, in a way, but still, as much as I hike, I just can't see me in rain gear.

[PolarBear]

You are not alone.  Unless it is raining, close to freezing and I am going to be sitting in a treestand for a couple of hours, I just wear my regular fleece hunting clothes and put up with it.  I have yet to find a set of good waterproof and quiet rain gear so I just don't bother with it.  I've tried all the different Cabela's variations of "quiet" rain gear (Mt 50, Rain Suede, etc) and have sent every one of them back.  To me they sound like I am opening a bag of tater chips.  Being quiet is more important than being snuggly warm and dry.  You can't sneak up on a big buck if you are restricted in movement and your clothes are make you sound like you are wearing a tarp.

[buck man]

I Thing Cabelas mt-50 is the best all around for bow hunting. Not cheap but worth the price.

[Coastal_native]

So Coastal, it sounds like you have spent a tremendous amount of time in the woods. Any good information you care to share? I am not so sure I want to spend the money for some of the rain gear that I have been looking up on-line. Way too many options also.

Unfortunately I have no good info for staying dry on the west side, especially if you are constantly up moving through understory brush and/or brushy reprod.  The only thing I've found to be a deciding factor when I choose gear for west side conditions is the resistance to tearing.   For fall-winter weather I've been using Cabelas silent suede w/ dry plus (spendy).  It has proven to be more durable than most other gear I've used, but water will still find it's way in after a day in wet brush.  If I was to stay still or walk through open country I'm sure most products would keep me good and dry even in the worst rain.

I spend at least three days a week in wet, rugged country putting many miles on my gear while working.  One thing I can say for sure is that weather proofing is temporary and we should be thankful that we only put our expensive "rain proof" hunting gear to the test for a small amount of time during the year...It would get spendy otherwise.

[Jeffrey]

Rivers West...for several years now.  I have the medium weight with zippers under the arms, and the pants have zippers on the outside of the thighs for when you are walking around.  I mostly sit in a tree stand in the late season.  It is windproof, waterproof and stretches. I slid down a shale mountain side on my butt and legs a few back and thought for sure the pants would be ruined...not a mark on them!!!

[Bunny Thumper]

Anyone use sitka gear? Is it worth the $$$.

[halflife65]

I buy the Sitka Gear stuff when it's on sale.  I have 90% pants and jacket, Mountain Pants (original and the new soft shell kind), the original Mountain Shirt and the original Celsius Vest.  (All stuff labeled "original" has been updated, at least somewhat, and is probably better than mine but I still dig the stuff.)  I would like to get Jetstream jacket, though.

It's good stuff and I've had good luck with it.  However, I've yet to find the rain gear for the price that I want to pay, so still waiting to see if it will go on sale (with UA, Kuiu, Russel Outdoors, and now it looks like Badlands is getting in the mix hopefully the price will go down.)

The ultra-light stuff (Stormfront Lite) didn't hold up well for a friend of mine.  We went to a 3d shoot a couple of years ago when the stuff just came out and went looking for an arrow and blackberry tore the crap out of the legs - little pinholes all through it - and a string slap delaminated the arm and water just blew into the coat.  If I was going to get the rain gear from Sitka it would be the more heavy duty stuff - Stormfront or Coldfront.  I just don't know it it's worth the outrageous price tag.

Sitka did treat him well and made it right with him, though, he just had to give them a call. 

[sakoshooter]

Correction: Mine's Cabelas Dry Plus. Very quiet also.

[frostman]

The same set of Rivers West gear that I shrunk also got punctured with industrial strength blackberry vines chasing after 15 elk in a reprod area. They say it is puncture proof, ha!. The Northwest and the Frostman proved them wrong. I agree with Coastal, you WILL get wet on the Westside. Expect purgatory. This ain't shopping.

[sakoshooter]

My bowhunting partner was dead set on a Rivers West such and such jacket and pant a couple months ago untill he talked to someone at their main office and was told that none it was breatheable. If you're just sitting in a stand or standing in a boat and not doing any hiking, it'd probably work fine but with all the great breateable stuff out there today, it's the only way to go for an active hunter.
Gore-Tex or similar fabric is hard to beat, period. And it's made in almost any configuration you can imagine these days.

[iRem]

It is so hard to keep dry when you use Scent Lock Camo and it's raining with 80% humidity! I always struggle to stay warm if it's cold and cool when it's hot with scent lock camo if it's raining or sunny out! I am getting wet with perspiration and usually not from the rain. The type of gear that I use is waterproof and 'Breathable' and still struggle to stay dry regardless. I have not found the perfect combo for the last 25 years of hunting and especially for a bow hunter. I can never hunt with out some kind of variable do to weather.  GOOD LUCK!