I know we have some outdoorsy type people here, so a nudge in the right direction would be appreciated.
To cut a long story short - just back a week's walking holiday in the Pyrenees, and found my standard raincoat and jumper too hot and bulky to wear half the time, and too heavy and bulky if put in the pack. Never seemed to be quite right.
Planning another trip for a week in August, in the UK, just gentle walking of the Hadrian's Way, so perhaps new kit would make it more pleasant.
I know there are a gadzillion makers and choices, but my question for the panel is, which of these options is worth pursuing:
1) A thin layer, a fleece of some sort, and a waterproof jacket?
2) A thin layer, no fleece, but a warm waterproof jacket with zips?
3) One of those "3 in 1" type things that seem to combine a fleece and jacket, but perhaps involve lots of general on and offery every time the sun goes behind a cloud?
4) Something Else I don't know about; if it's not listed above I don't know about it.
And is it really going to cost me some hundreds, or is that largely marketing and adequate can be done for less?
|
As a walker of the not particularly serious kind I would spend my money on a decent waterproof jacket, preferably Goretex. The other layers can be a shirt or teeshirt and a cheap fleece - don't waste a lot money on these a visit to discount walking shop will find something suitable for not very much or you may already have something suitable.
Hadrian's' Wall is magical - don't miss Vindolanda and the Roman Army museum.
|
Agree with CGN. Goretex is brilliant but quite pricey. Cheaper brands such as Regatta produce stuff that's perfectly good for three seasons in UK.
Tee or more technical wicking undershirt with a polycotton or cord shirt over then fleece. Remove or add layers as required.
Best to avoid jeans as they soak up water, take an age to dry and can chafe. My own preference is Rohan Bags. Too expensive at list price of nigh on £60 but the Rohan Souk (discount area in their web shop) usually has least year's colour at under £30.
|
>> Tee or more technical wicking undershirt with a polycotton or cord shirt over then fleece.
>> Remove or add layers as required.
I use a cheap Karrimoor 'technical' t-shirt for running, and it's a heck of a lot better than a normal cotton t-shirt.
www.sportsdirect.com/mens/mens-base-layer
|
|
As above. Rohan's kit is very good and you can get some right bargains. I am wearing a pair of their excellent jeans as I type. Very very light, dry in no time - well made cracking kit. I paid 70 quid for them (minus a 20% discount) which I believe may be current.
|
Agree with all that. Craghoppers Kiwi trousers are cheaper than Rohan, I buy when on offer and never pay more than £20, and the Regatta equivalent are also fine. Main thing is they get wet but aren't heavy and dry quickly. Jeans are awful. I don't bother with waterproof overtrousers in reasonable temperatures, only worry about wet legs when it's proper cold.
A decent waterproof jacket is a boon. I have a Rab in Event fabric which is fine, herself has a Sprayway Gortex one like this goo.gl/byhtW which I think is better value and just as good. They are lined, but not 'warm'. That and a thinnish fleece, plus suitable footwear and a day sac are OK for us. The fleece or the waterproof, or both, will go in the sac.
Plus me sunhat and glasses of course.
Incidentally, I think it was legacylad who recommended Grisport Dartmoor walking shoes. I bought a pair and they are the best I have ever had. If I can get away with them instead of boots I will.
|
Earlier this year I finished working at an outdoor gear shop, so had access to all sorts of kit. I have backpacked and wild camped since I was 16yo and am amazed at how technology has made this pursuit so much more enjoyable.
My own preference for top outer wear is the Paramo Velez Adventure Light smock. Totally waterproof, highly breathable with 2 large side zips so when you warm up they can be undone and the pack buckle fastened inder the front of the jacket. Large front pouch pocket for lip salve, energy gels etc. Can be machine washed in Nikwax Tech Wash, left in the machine, then reproofed in Nikwax TX10 before tumble drying on a low heat.comes out like new every 6 months. I have an old smock which is at least 20yo, plus a heavier one for spring skiing and a 5yo new Adv Light which I use throughout the year. If it really gets too hot, then it is light enough to carry, but if I knew I would be walking in such conditions I would take a waterproof/windproof shell made out of Event fabric. I find this to be just as waterproof as any Goretex, and more breathable.
A cheap quarter zip fleece, used in conjunction with Icebreaker base layers. Lightweight (150) S/S tees in summer, L/S 150 weight in winter, maybe 200 weight for cold weather skiing. And the Icebreaker boxers are brilliant. Synthetic base layers stink after a few days and I find, surprisingly, that the 100% merino Icebreaker does not chaffe. Teko merino socks to finish off, remaining warm if they get wet. Lots of different thicknesses available, but I use lightweight all year round.
I gave up wearing boots years ago, unless I need to fit crampons for serious stuff. Luckily my ankles are ok without support, even carrying 15k of gear...tent or tarp, 4 days food, stove etc, so I use Salomon XA Pro's..goretex lined in winter,unlined in summer, in conjunction with Superfeet footbeds which cradle the heel and support the arch. Simple but effective and they last for years and years. I use them in my summer trail shoes, winter mountaineering boots & ski boots...different footbeds with different volumes for individual footwear.
hope this helps..contact me via the mods if your require further info.
Regards
|
...contact me via the mods if your require further info...
You mean there's more? :)
|
- don't miss Vindolanda
>> is that the curry house at the end of the street?
|
>> - don't miss Vindolanda
>>
>>
>> >> is that the curry house at the end of the street?
What a ridiculous suggestion. It was obviously a pizza parlour, and it closed about 1800 years ago. Since the Vindolanda tablets were found about 30 years ago, it's thought there might have been a pharmacy there too.
I went to Housesteads about 40 years ago. Haven't seen the Vindo museum, so will go in August when we are up there.
|
>> >> - don't miss Vindolanda
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> >> is that the curry house at the end of the street?
>>
>> What a ridiculous suggestion. It was obviously a pizza parlour,
And none of this cheese and pineapple pizza rubbish either. Authentic Doormouse and baked hedgehog.
Last edited by: VxFan on Wed 27 Jun 12 at 19:02
|
"It was obviously a pizza parlour"
Manned mainly by the Fourth Cohort of Gauls. Foreign workers wherever you go
|
Perhaps the Gauls quartered the pizza into three halves.
|
As is Haglofs, Paramo & Rab.
Fjall Raven do some lovely winter jackets, but too heavy for serious outdoor pursuits. More of a better value Barbour alternative.
|
|
I've got a seasonal mix of RAB jackets - One is a full Extreme down jacket, complemented by a fleece lined Cioch "bomber" jacket, warm and showerproof. I've also got an excellent Generator jacket - rated by motorcyclists because of its lightweight construction linked to superb Primaloft filling. This jacket is so thin it fits under my leathers. Incredibly almost defiantly warm though. Got it half price on a BMW site !
|
Primaloft is the ideal insulation for our damp UK climate.
Down, specifically white Hungarian goose, is good for dry Alpine conditions, although some companies unethically use down plucked from live birds.Not nice.
Primaloft One is, in my opinion, the best as it gives the highest warmth to weight ratio, and continues to insulate when damp. See Haglofs kit, although they use different types of Primaloft.
|
>> 1) A thin layer, a fleece of some sort, and a waterproof jacket?
For walking in Northumberland in August, I would go roughly with the option above. Lots of thin layers rather than a couple of heavy layers. If the weather is fine then a cotton T shirt coupled with walking trousers like Rohans or Craghoppers as mentioned above will suffice. Some can have the bottom half zipped off to turn into shorts.
And a microfleece over the T shirt. If it's abnormally cold then a synthetic or merino thermal worn next to the skin will wick much more efficiently, and remain warm if it's raining. Microfleeces are warm, light and pack small. You may want to include a fleece jacket in this list, to either add to or change the combination depending on conditions.
Then a shell layer like a breathable waterproof jacket.
All these things won't break the bank. You can usually pick them up cheap in sales.
|
|
Don't walk in the cold, wind or rain. Wear a t-shirt.
|
|
As mentioned Rohan's Souk is an invaluable source of very good gear. I have a Rohan microfleece pullover, bought in 2000 worn regularly for years - very warm despite its thinness, I finally accept that it's come to the end of its natural life - small hole in an elbow tells me it's time to let go. Brilliant bit of kit.
|
Outdoor kit hasn't half moved on, gone are the days when the choice was between 7oz or 9oz PU.....
My Paramo jacket (cant remember the model) is the best I've ever had, and I'd agree with what legacylad says about cleaning.
Avoid the 3-in-1 stuff - I used to have a Mountain Equipment fleece that zipped into a Berghaus Jacket, and it just never seemed right for the conditions, whatever configuration it was in, and putting it together was always more faff than you anticipated
Last edited by: borasport on Tue 26 Jun 12 at 18:46
|
|
Agreed. My Rab micro fleece will actually zip into the Pioneer jacket, but what would be the point? I can wear either, or both, without joining them together. Maybe I'm missing something.
|
|
It's easy to overdue this stuff though. It amuses me to encounter walkers with enough kit for an Antarctic trek on an East Anglian footpath.
|
Wherever you may wander,
Wherever you may roam,
There's always a french couple wearing sandals and disposable ponchos.....
|
Very many thanks all, especially legacylad for his comprehensive overview.
I'll be off to the local emporia/web shopping as soon as time permits.
|
I never walk unless I have to - but I've had a Sprayway "Cascade" jacket, with hood, for at least 12 years now. Cost a bomb back then (C£150), but its the best value bit of clothing I have ever bought.
Used it massively & it's still in excellent condition, unlike the Barbour waxed jacket which preceded it and wore out very quickly, with lots of holes where the fabric bent, particularly on the cuffs.
|
Best bit of Rohan other than trousers is my Essentials top. A 'pullover' but in polyamide with a chest pocket and pouch below accessible from either side. Cut long at the back so it still covers my ar*e even riding the tourer on the drops.
Just enough to take off chill of a spring morning chill but also OK for sun protection.
Actually continues a line that goes back to Rohan's early days and the poly cotton 'Moving On'.
Out of production ATM. wish I'd bought two when they were in the Souk.
|
Northumberland is the county of my birth and nurture and the essential hill walking kit when I was a lad was wellies / hobnailed boots and an old ex army greatcoat belted with baler twine a cloth cap and an emergency pack of Woodbines..
If you are heading for Northumberland I recommend taking a Larn yersel Geordie phrasebook...........
www.bbc.co.uk/tyne/content/articles/2008/07/07/geordie_feature.shtml
When I go back now Berghaus is my covering of choice.....
|
>>Gissies tetties and bagies<<
Wae'aye man!
|
Walking kit advice - CGNorwich
