Good Walking / Hiking Coat required

Andy90

Andy90

Andy90

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5 Feb 2008
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I'm in the market for a good waterproof and warm coat and some overtrousers, one of those 3 in 1 types, fleece with a good outer. Problem is there seems to be a massive amount of them out there and there seems to be differing views on quality etc.,

I do a little wildlife and landscape photography out into North Wales, nothing too silly like climbing cliffs but can be out standing on a hill somewhere, so it needs to be waterproof. Warm is also good :)

Colourwise well dayglo and really bright reds and yellows are out (doesn't go down well when you're standing in the middle of an RSPB reserve frightening the birds!), looking at Greens / Browns / Black / Navy blue or charcoal colours etc., but not camoflage.

Pricewise - not a problem but has to be reasonable so no jackets costing a grand!

Any ideas or brand suggestions?
 
Persoanlly I'd avoid anything that is a 3 in 1 affair, it's better to just pick and choose the individual layers which suit what you want best.

Take a look at the snugpak military range, they are olive green so not DPM and pretty warm. Then just pick a good gore-tex jacket to go over the top, if you want the best look at Arc'teryx, Norrona or Swazi, nowhere near cheap but very good :)

Think about a merino wool base layer too if you don't have one already.
 
chipperhead said:
I'm just looking at getting a waterproof jacket, I've just completed a swift water rescue course by Rescue3 and the instructors there all swear by Paramo gear.
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My parents have been avid mountaineers for decades, and they say they have never been as dry or comfortable as when wearing their Paramo coats. So that was all the convincing I needed (Although I did try just about every hardshell out there just to be sure), so I now own a Paramo Pajaro. Great coat. Expensive, but well worth it for the comfort. It is completely waterproof, very comfortable and nature friendly as it comes in a 'moss' colour and rustles far less than a hardshell.

So my vote goes firmly with the Paramo Pajaro or Paramo Halcon.:)
 
I had a good look at Paramo gear when I was in Covent Garden in London a few months ago because I had heard good reports about it. I can't say that I was impressed. Personally, I chose a Mountain Equipment Changabang jacket although I wasn't crazy about any of the colours and it was more expensive than Paramo.

Layering is the key to walking gear to be honest.
 
In Sunderland we have a Army Store Shop where they sell Army clothes, hiking boots, coats etc etc! Long way for you to come for a coat lol but im sure there will be one in your area somewhere.
 
As others have said, just get decent ripstop gore-tex jacket and get some decent base layers.

Personally I prefer base layers with high wicking and tend to steer clear of fleeces, but each to their own.
 
if looking at hardshells make sure to check which type of material it is. You pay more for goretex, but it's usually worth it. Got a North face jacket with fleece about 6 years ago using their own brand hyvent system (I think that's the name) and in light rain sure it's ok, but on Skiddaw in gale force winds and torrential rain I ended up soaked through! Now have a Mountain Equipment Kongur jacket which is a 3 layer pro shell goretex. Can thoroughly recommend Mountain Equipment, good stuff.
 
Badgi said:
... Personally I prefer base layers with high wicking and tend to steer clear of fleeces, but each to their own.
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The only problem with "technical" base layers is that they tend not to have a zip. As a result, it is that much harder to fine-tune your temperature.

After many years of trial and error, I use a "technical" high wicking T-Shirt (ideally with a short zip), a Micro or WindStopper fleece with a full length zip and an outer water-proof layer if appropriate, suitable to the ambient temperature.

If it is really cold (e.g. skiing) I may wear full thermal underwear in place of the T-Shirt.
 
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