Need light weight Rain Gear

[Whitetail77]

Sitka, Kuiu, anything else I should consider?

[DerekOlson]

I just bought the kuiu Yukon rain pants and coat. They are very breathable and light. I will know more when I get back from using it sept 10. Before I was using Marmot and was really light but not very breathable thus sweating a lot. The kuiu is quieter I found over the Sitka. Also when it's cold and snowing I have used my sledding Klim gear. Worked really good.

[brendan's dad]

Arc'teryx, pricey but good.

[Roughneck Country]

Also might want to concider Helley Hanson Impertech, however it is only good for some rain it won't hold up to sustained rains. In AK it rained everyday and the jacket got permiated and I wrang it out daily. Wouldnt stay dry for more than 2 - 3 hours in moderate rain.

Had a $20 pair of bass pro brand rain pants, 100% water proof and held up to the bush. Actually best rain pants I have ever owned and still using them. My buddy had a top of the line cabellas brand and it was shredded after the first couple days branches tore it to pieces. Probably good for tree stand whitetail hunters

[Lefty-Canuck]

Cabelas has some decent gear, the Alaskan Guide stuff is good for wind and rain but it's quite spendy.

LC

[pdfish]

It depends on the use. Need it for a tree stand archery hunt or a potential long range rifle hunt? I have the Yukon line by Kuiu and its great stuff but definitely not the most quiet.

[BigJon]

Originally Posted by Roughneck Country

Also might want to concider Helley Hanson Impertech, however it is only good for some rain it won't hold up to sustained rains. In AK it rained everyday and the jacket got permiated and I wrang it out daily. Wouldnt stay dry for more than 2 - 3 hours in moderate rain.

Had a $20 pair of bass pro brand rain pants, 100% water proof and held up to the bush. Actually best rain pants I have ever owned and still using them. My buddy had a top of the line cabellas brand and it was shredded after the first couple days branches tore it to pieces. Probably good for tree stand whitetail hunters

Your impertech soaked through? It's a relatively thick layer of polyurethane. You sure you didn't sweat it up?

To answer the OP. Helly impertech is the only "lightweightish" rain gear I've used that hasn't soaked through in sustained rains. I've spent a lot of money on goretex gear from high end manufactures and it all leaks and after the fabric is saturated it doesn't breathe as advertised. Having said that I still use goretex and other breathables.

I have heard that event rain gear is supposed to be the best but have not tried it.

[JohnB]

Originally Posted by brendan's dad

Arc'teryx, pricey but good.

I picked some up this summer, very light.

[******]

It depends on the application. If you are heading to the Yukon or NWT and you expect to live in rain gear for a week then Kuiu or Sitka are great bets. For hunting the mountain areas of alberta and BC (Wilmore, Rocky mountain house, Grand Prairie, Kootenys, North central BC) as well as any other places around here I go with the packable cabelas stuff. The kind that stuffs into its own pocket.
Will it keep me dry on a 15 day sheep hunt in the Yukon? No.
Is it breathable? No.
Is it $600+. No.
So why don't I but the pricey stuff? I don't really need it.

Most of the time I layer with a base and mid layer. Then a soft shell jacket. I have the Sitka jetstream now. It is water resistant and more than enough to keep me dry for light rain and the odd shower. If it gets bad I toss on the hard shell stuff and deal with it for a few hours. The soft shell jacket is something I can wear from July through october with the right layering. A lot more bang for my buck.

[Mateo]

Garbage bag with holes cut out for head and arms. Pants will be a bit more tricky. Ultra light weight , poke holes if you need it to breathe, comes in blaze orange, white for winter camo, or black for hiding in the shadows.

*AO disclaimer, this is a joke*

[Triple droptine]

I have a set of the Core4Element and they worked great in Quebec last year. Light, quiet and not super expensive. I picked them up on Camofire.com but I don't think they are selling core4element stuff anymore.

[Whitetail77]

I'm going on a caribou hunt in northern Manitoba, so will be in the tundra for the most part. Some bush, but not much. Also trying to gear up for an eventual dall sheep hunt. I want something good quality that isnt really bulky that will last me as long as I need it to.

[Roughneck Country]

Originally Posted by BigJon

Your impertech soaked through? It's a relatively thick layer of polyurethane. You sure you didn't sweat it up?

To answer the OP. Helly impertech is the only "lightweightish" rain gear I've used that hasn't soaked through in sustained rains. I've spent a lot of money on goretex gear from high end manufactures and it all leaks and after the fabric is saturated it doesn't breathe as advertised. Having said that I still use goretex and other breathables.

I have heard that event rain gear is supposed to be the best but have not tried it.

100% sure it soaked through. Sleeves were the worst part, forearms were soaked to the elbows everyday. Back stayed pretty dry but also eventually soaked through. I didn't put the jacket on until we were stopped and set up for glassing so I know it wasn't sweat. I wish I actually had my $10 Marks work warehouse rain poncho instead, doesnt breath but also doesnt get sauarated

[brother1]

I was looking for the same thing myself. I bought some Natural Gear lightweight stuff off of CamoFire a while back....used it the other day for the first time on my quad, sat on a wet seat, was riding in my yard for maybe 10 minutes...my crotch was soaked and looking inside the jacket the seams and zipper were all leaking as well. 100% waterproof, what a joke! Everyone pumps up the Impertech stuff but it's not the lightest stuff around, obviously it can leak as well...

[3blade]

I have Sitka, its worked awesome for 4 seasons, very quiet for rain gear. But as others have said, gortex of any kind will not hold up to hours/days of continuous rain. If you can handle the noise of a plastic poncho it will keep you drier. Same for legs - the Sitka pants + waterproof hiking boots will keep you dry if walking through wet grass and the occasional creek, but not wading through swamp for miles. That requires neoprene waders.

Also, light weight means easily damaged. Take care of it.