[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]
Re: Rain Gear
I too understand the plight of the starving student (hopefully soon to be
the starving grad student) looking for good deals on gear.
Ultrex is a good suggestion. As a matter of fact, it doesn't work on the
same principle as Gore-Tex. Gtx is a waterproof and breathable laminate
put onto a fabric (usually nylon, but polyester holds it better over
time, I understand) which is then coated with a water-repellant to keep
the fabric from saturating.
In Ultrex, it is actually the fabric I believe, that makes it waterproof
and breathable. It is woven tightly, or whatever they do to it.
As a consequence, Ultrex is a little less waterproof, in general (although
there are different grades in each category) but requires less regular
maintenance (Gtx should be washed periodically and eventually will need
to be recoated, etc. over time it will probably delaminate but most
companies making Gtx gear offer a lifetime guarantee and will fix it for
you).
Campmor's Camp-tech and many other brands use a polyurethane coating
which is cheap but not as durable as either of the above. I have a
Marmot Gtx shell but I saved some bucks and went for the poly-coated
pants, which won't take as much of a beating from the way I use them
(hopefully!). Actually, my pants (probably around 50 bucks) are made by
Tashin, which is a big worldwide manufacturer of this type of rain gear.
I suspect they make Campmor's too (I saw them and they looked suspiciously
familiar).
In any case, when the coating wears off, I'll just use a Nickwax
recoating solution. I'll have probably shredded them long before then,
but I'm sure I'll have gotten my money's worth by then.
By the way, I only got the Marmot shell because I got a good deal on it,
I'm not a particularly big fan of Gtx. As far as I am concerned most of
the home brands are good too (Patagonia's H2No, Columbia's Omni-Tech is
OK, Helly Hanson's Helly-Tech is very good, etc). I also picked up a
heavier-duty Solstice shell for winter use made out of their proprietary
Microshed. I'm pretty happy and Solstice concentrates on making quality
gear that is more affordable than say, Pataguci - whoops,I mean Patagonia.
The more important thing is finding a shell whose design will keep you
dry (ie - the hood doesn't dump all the water down your neck, etc).
In any case I recommend looking through the Sierra Trading Post catalog.
They have really good deals (especially if you are a really small or
really big size that they can't sell quickly).
Whew, that was a mouthful, let me know if I can clarify anything
(maybe I did learn something working outdoor retail)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jeff Mosenkis,
University at Albany - Psych, Anthro, Judaic Studies
jm1360@cnsvax.albany.edu
"Welcome to the psychotherapy hotline. If you are obsessive-compulsive,
please press '1' repeatedly. If you are co-dependant, please have someone
else press '2' for you. If you have multiple-personality disorder, please
press '4', '5', and '6'. If you are paranoid, don't press anything, we know
where you are and what you want."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Follow-Ups:
References: