Rate your Rain Gear

100Suns

The last few days presented excellent opportunities to test manufacturers' claims regarding the waterproof properties of their garments. I acquired the following recently which were road tested over the weekend and this morning:

Craft Rain Bootie. Wiggle €27. Claims to be 'the best available'. 1/10. Gets the 1 for a velcro strap at the top to impede the progress of water down your leg into your shoes. I might as well have wrapped ultra-absorbent kitchen roll around my bare feet.

Last winter I used:

Pearl Izumi 3mm neoprene shoe covers. 8/10. They will keep the water out for >1 hour but are not waterproof.

Showers Pass Pro-tech rain jacket. 7/10. Keep the rain out very well but if you are pushing hard of >1 hour the inside gets a little steamy.

ednwireland

my pro endure / tarmac neoprene overshoes 7/10 (water sill comes in the top)

but 10/10 cos i only paid about 15 euro for each pair on sales - have anew pair sitting at home for whn my old ones self destruct.

i.ve given up on rain jackets i just sweat too much and end up wet anyway

captain P

dhb ladies waterproof trousers 7/10... Not the most comfortable - and (much like most waterproof clothing) they are not breathable so they get very sticky when you're warm on the inside & cold on the outside :mad:! But, they do keep you dry!

The waterproof cover that comes attached to the deuter bag I have is great for keeping my stuff bone dry.... and is bright yellow too 10/10!

I need a pair of overshoes to wear with normal runners... I'd be very grateful for any suggestions....:rolleyes:

mfdc

Sealskinz 6/10
Water doesn't go through them, but it does soak down the top. If you're wearing legwarmers or pants or something that covers the top of em, they're perfect. If not, you'll have two bags full of water around your feet within 20 minutes of the rain starting. They do stay comfy though even when full of water, much better than cotton socks so that is a plus.

Rapha Classic/Lightweight Softshell 5/10
Water resistant not water proof, fine for a shower but in heavy rain they soak through within 5 minutes. If your arms are bare under them I find that they're very unpleasant to ride with when wet, arms get cold fast. Throw a pair of armwarmers on under them though and they're fine. You'll still get wet but you'll be warm.

dhb waterproof trousers 1/10
I got these and used them once, it's like wearing a binliner. They are totally waterproof to be fair, but considering how fast they fill up with sweat it totally defeats the purpose. Even though no rain gets in you'll still be soaked, and the feeling of wet plastic on the legs is absolutely awful.

daragh_

100Suns wrote: »

Craft Rain Bootie. Wiggle €27. Claims to be 'the best available'. 1/10. Gets the 1 for a velcro strap at the top to impede the progress of water down your leg into your shoes. I might as well have wrapped ultra-absorbent kitchen roll around my bare feet.

+1. I have these and they are less than useless.

ray o

Endura Venturi Overtrouser - 10/10 - Expensive but comfortable and keep the rain out

Endura Road Overshoe - 10/10 - Using these for the last 2 years with no bother. I think others have had issues with the zip but i've had no trouble even stretching them over commuter/MTB shoes

seamus

dhb Amberley Jacket: 9/10; Plenty of storage, 100% waterproof and very comfortable. It loses a mark because it's just too unbreathable and you overheat even in subzero temps. That said, I've never though to use the air vents!

Altura NightVision Leggings: 7/10; Perfectly waterproof, but no pockets of any type and an odd construction which makes them quite restrictive around the knees. Also very expensive for a pair of leg-keeper-dryers. I tend to only wear them when it's really bucketing down (like today) because they stop you from riding properly. They'd be fantastic for MTBing.

Endura Neoprene Road Overshoes: 10/10. Waterproof to the last, very warm and protective. They're an insanely snug fit, which means they take some practice at putting on, like wetsuits for your shoes. They're still consumables, like all overshoes - one of mine is ruined, the zip is broken (though the velcro still holds it on my foot - stayed dry this morning), so I'll have to replace it in the next couple of months.

edit: I also have one of these to cover my backpack, which does the job perfectly. But €30 seems insanely expensive for what is a piece of light tarpaulin with some elastic on it.

cdaly_

Endura 3/4 bib tights 8/10: Soaked on the outside, dry inside. Lost two points 'cos you have to undress to pee.

Gore 'Windstopper' rain jacket 8/10: Same as above but sleeves don't seem to be as waterproof as the rest. Good news is it seems to be a bit looser than it did last year and I don't think it stretched...

blorg

For the jacket the dhb Wickham eVent is fantastic, 10/10. I imagine other jackets made from eVent are the same. 100% waterproof while being the most breathable waterproof jacket I have ever had. Washable without damaging the waterproofing (it has a label saying "wash me regularly".)

Sealskinz socks are good but I am not so sure on the gloves. They seem relatively waterproof but the problem is they are not very thermal in very cold weather while still causing your hands to sweat in not so cold weather.

I have good experience with BBB WaterFlex overshoes which do keep the rain out. The main problem with them I have is that they do not last; I would go through maybe two pairs a year or more. For the road pedals I have some Addidas ClimaProof ones that seem good.

cipo

Re: ovrshoes!!!

They all seem to allow water to seep in slowly due to the opening at the top no matter how snug they fit at ankle / calf area.....

On long spins, when I know it's pissin / gonna piss... Wrap bike shoe in a little cling film up to top of socks, then put overshoes on!!! Makes a big difference....

Also place bottom of tights outside top of the overshoes after zippin em up ... This holds out water for a bit longer too!!!

Tia the season for this kinda talk!!

Lovely commute this morning, not as many as usual out!!! ;-)

tawfeeredux

Montane Velo H2O jacket: 6/10. I have 2 of these & when I bought the first I would probably have given it a 9/10. Very lightweight, waterprooof & breathable, it seemed an almost perfect cycling product. No pockets in it though which lost it a point. But the waterproofness wore off after about 6 months, and I thought initially this may have been down to the way I'd stash it in the bottom of my bag/pannier. So I got another, took better care of it, but the waterproofness wore off even quicker. Use them now as windproof jackets & they do that quite well. I was tempted to buy the newer version (i.e the one that's linked here) but saw it in the Great Outdoors shop recently & it appears to be of the same material with just the addition of a hood & extra reflective piping.

Very timely thread btw, I was just thinking over the weekend that I need to start thinking of winter gear.

100Suns

cipo wrote: »

Re: ovrshoes!!!

On long spins, when I know it's pissin / gonna piss... Wrap bike shoe in a little cling film up to top of socks, then put overshoes on!!! Makes a big difference....

;-)

Rubbing vaseline on the overshoes works well too. The only down side is grit and dirt sticks to the vaseline and your feet gain about a kilo each per 10k.

ROK ON

Pro H20 overshoes. Grand.
Rapha neoprene overshoes for cold wet weather. Excellent.
Endura Night Vision rain jacket. Totally waterproof. Has side zips for breathability. Great on commute would be too hot on long spin.
Rapha Stowaway raincape - fine on long spin. Breathable but not waterproof in a deluge.

Hungrycol

Lookwell jacket - 7/10
Lookwell trousers - 8/10
Lookwell gloves - 7/10
Alpinestar boots - 9/10
Shoei helmet - 8/10

Oh did I mention I came in by motorbike today? :pac:

ten speed racer

ROK ON wrote: »

Endura Night Vision rain jacket. Totally waterproof. Has side zips for breathability. Great on commute would be too hot on long spin.

I would have said the same until today--for the first time, water came through the arms. I've had it for a couple of years, so I guess the waterproofing has finally gone.

seamus

Rare enough to get two soakings in the same day. I'll have to see if my gear rates the same on the homeward trip!

snollup

Lidl rain jacket 8/10. Just in from short spin in it and bone-dry underneath.

iregk

Got the lidl one for 17.99 last week. Top notch, lovely fit and did the job great against the downpour on saturday.

G rock

anyone any thoughts on gore-tex boots? thinking of getting a pair for commute (with SPDS). Wet legs etc i can deal with, soggy feet are another matter altogether.

Cork24

got my stuff in Lidi their few weeks ago so have just tried them out in the Wind seem to do fine

Beasty

G rock wrote: »

anyone any thoughts on gore-tex boots? thinking of getting a pair for commute (with SPDS). Wet legs etc i can deal with, soggy feet are another matter altogether.

I use them during the winter - however waterproof they are, they cannot prevent seepage from the top, and hence in very wet conditions you are unlikely to keep completely dry. However I used them in combination with some very thin thermal socks and sealskinz, which kept my feet dry most of the time, and perhaps more importantly, warm. Indeed my feet were absolutely drenched on both commutes yesterday, but it did not bother me too much, as the temperature was quite mild.

ten speed racer

G rock wrote: »

anyone any thoughts on gore-tex boots? thinking of getting a pair for commute (with SPDS). Wet legs etc i can deal with, soggy feet are another matter altogether.

I have a pair I was planning on sticking up on the adverts. They are certainly fully waterproof and have gators to help stop seepage. I bought them for my commute, with the intention of also wearing them in work; however, the sole is too stiff for anything other than short walks.

djbproductions

Sidi Inverno MTB SPD Boots: 8/10 Great mtb boot that although not 100% waterproof they work really well, although better to wear full length waterproof trousers to stop water getting in tru top.

Specialized Aqua Veto: 1/10 Usually rave about their gear but this is the worst jacket I have ever owned. Wore it for 1st time yesterday in the heavy rain, might as well have worn just my tee-shirt, I was soaked. Have sent an email to them to ask why its advertised as "waterproof".

Specialized Sub-zero Gloves: 9/10 Perfect to keep hands dry and have extra internal glove for winter to keep fingers warm when it gets really cold.

Turbulent Bill

blorg wrote: »

I have good experience with BBB WaterFlex overshoes which do keep the rain out. The main problem with them I have is that they do not last; I would go through maybe two pairs a year or more.

+1, these are the business. Most of the neoprene overshoes seem to be designed for warmth and offer little or no waterproofing - if they get wet they just act like a wetsuit. The water runs off the outside of the WaterFlex, and it has a decent ankle grip/padding to stop most of the water running down your legs.