# Good Rain Gear?



## secureland (Nov 15, 2008)

I'm thinking you guys and gals in the PNW know this subject.

I'm looking for rain gear (coat/pants) that I can work and hunt in. 
It has to be rugged for the branches etc.

What do you guys recommend?



Thanks for any replys!


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## forestryworks (Nov 15, 2008)

i'd get something breathable

i used to do alot of backpacking in wet areas and gore-tex stuff seemed to hold up fine, so i'm sure it'd do alright for hunting


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## slowp (Nov 15, 2008)

When it is wet and cold, I wear tin pants and fleece tops. I just plan on getting wet. The new synthetic stuff dries out pretty quick when you are back in the truck. Before fleece, I wore a heavy wool shirt over wool mix top, and carried a dry top to change into at noon. I don't like wet feet so either wear good leather boots, or rubber calks.
If I'm not moving, I'll put on a rain coat. I also have some rubber rain pants.
They have a tear in the derriere from scaling in the fell and buck. We used to find Army Surplus rain pants for $5.00 and they lasted, along with many duck tape repairs, a couple of years. 

The recreators from Seattle wear the gore tex stuff. I have some gore tex for walking on trails and such.:blush:


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## RPM (Nov 15, 2008)

Say no to Gore-tex if you want to work in bush out here on the wet coast. The nylon that most Gore-tex jackets and pants are made of are not durable enough for bush work - you'd shred the stuff in a day especially if you are falling, working the rigging, and general stomping around inthe woods. The nylon that those jackets and pants are made of are not heavy enough.

I have two sets - one rubber - Helly hansen like for the monsoons and a lighter (but heavier) nylon type for the rest of the year. I wear wool pants in the snow once it gets drier and colder. I hate being wet too and find, like slowp mentioned, that you mix and match to suite the day and the type of work you are doing. Always carry some dental floss, shoe goe and duct tape in your truck for repairs.


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## Humptulips (Nov 16, 2008)

I wear Tingleys. Very durable and will keep you dry unlike the gore-tex. Of course if you have the heavy rains like we had last week you're going to end up wet at the end of the day. There a little noisy for hunting in though.

Some like tin clothes but I despise them. Put them on in the morning and you have them for the day even if the sun comes out and buy them extra extra big because they shrink a lot.


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## Backwoods (Nov 16, 2008)

Good rain gear depends on the day.
Some days you want a light through away set just to keep the light rain off. Other days like this last week when you can watch the rain gauge fill up and over flow you want the 30 lb set that you get at the shop down at the local harbor.


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## TimberMcPherson (Nov 16, 2008)

A good mate of mine is a logger and keen hunter on NZ's south islands west coast. Its really wet and rugged down there and he swears by this stuff. 
http://www.swazi.co.nz/


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## slowp (Nov 16, 2008)

Humptulips said:


> I wear Tingleys. Very durable and will keep you dry unlike the gore-tex. Of course if you have the heavy rains like we had last week you're going to end up wet at the end of the day. There a little noisy for hunting in though.
> 
> Some like tin clothes but I despise them. Put them on in the morning and you have them for the day even if the sun comes out and buy them extra extra big because they shrink a lot.



I like the pants, but they are slowly ravelling up. I hemmed them and that lasted about a week. They are heavy and you have to wear at least a light pair of long johns underneath. When I switch to regular jeans, it feels like I can run up the hill so easily. The wax (and I've used boot grease too) gets on the pickup seat when the was is newly applied and you'd best be careful in the office. I like them better than the rubberized rain gear. They have less of a sauna effect. Once again, I think this is their last winter but I said that last year. And you are stuck in them if the sun comes out. Unless you work by yourself like I do and can carry a pair of jeans to change into.


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## Burvol (Nov 16, 2008)

Saw schaps work just fine with a pair of Big Bills w/ long johns. For the top (it has to be really dumping) I just use a good old HH no pocket, collared logger rain slicker. Trust me, I cut in substantial rain every winter. The schaps slick most of the water off. Ya, you get a little wet, but nothing that is too bad for 7 hours or so. I would wear tin pants if I was on a rigging crew though.


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## slowp (Nov 16, 2008)

Tin pants and chaps are miserable. Legs do not want to bend. I become a robot style walker. For me, it is only long enough to get a tree out of the road. If I plan on road clearing for a few hours, it is Carharts and chaps.


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## 046 (Nov 16, 2008)

any pic's /links to this gear?



Burvol said:


> Saw schaps work just fine with a pair of Big Bills w/ long johns. For the top (it has to be really dumping) I just use a good old HH no pocket, collared logger rain slicker. Trust me, I cut in substantial rain every winter. The schaps slick most of the water off. Ya, you get a little wet, but nothing that is too bad for 7 hours or so. I would wear tin pants if I was on a rigging crew though.


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## Spotted Owl (Nov 16, 2008)

Grundens works great. I use this stuff in the rain like we had last week. You know, the stuff so heavy that you have a solid wash comming off your hat. for most normal days I use poly long handles and king of the mountain wool. You can move well and you are wet but you are warm and they don't get to heavy when soaked. Both are spendy but both are rugged and last a long time. Grundens has stuff that you can layer, stuff for heavy rain and light and conditions inbetween. The wool is just that wool. This stuff doesn't turn into a 60 pound pair of britches and a 80 pound upper layer. You will get wet but you will still be able to move and will be warm. Even fairly comfy with your orange legs protectors on too and not to combersome. Ifyou have to get into real nasty nasty nasty junk I will use old surpluss wool. It works is cheap to buy holds up well but that junk gets damn heavy and cumbersome. I have a set from the last job we were crawling over barb wire, junk cars and old dump sites. Nothing would have lasted long in that mess other than the surplus wool.


http://www.grundens.com/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=27

http://www.kingofthemountain.com/http/

Remember if it is gonna work good, last as long as possible and be worth having, it's gonna cost. The wool in the link is awful spendy but it works very well for working in the brush with or without a saw. It also keeps you pretty warm when wet and is very easy to move in. I have had my wool for years. Grundens I ran into commercial fishing and that is also very tough gear when a sleeve can go thru a hydraulic pot rope winder/puller and not tare, rip, or split that is tough stuff.

Don't forget what everyone has said so far. In the rain enough or on a hard rain day you will be wet no matter what you have on. Some days the rain is so bad it seems like you would be less wet if you jumped into the creek in the bottom.


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## Jacob J. (Nov 16, 2008)

+1 on the Grundens. It's as good a rain gear as you can ever get. I've never seen anything Gore-tex that would hold up to working in the brush, but it's good for running equipment.


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## Tree Sling'r (Nov 16, 2008)

I seldomly wear rain gear, I sweat too much. Filson pant's and Meindl caulks is pretty much it. I did start wearing Under Armour tops with a hickory shirt. Pretty much make sure I have a dry set of clothes in the pick up after work.
If I am just out in the rain, I wear some gear, but falling, limbing and bucking it just gets in the way.


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## ak4195 (Nov 16, 2008)

I still use an old Grundens heavy duty coat when neccesary,rotted out snaps,and the left arm is well ripped from catching hooks at the roller while hauling back many many hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of halibut in its day.
That being said,Id never buy a new one to run around the toolies with,to noisy for hunting and its out of its elliment for serious brush work.Helly Hansen are cheaper,not as tough,but for working i tend to think of gear as expendible.Id rather tear up a HH than a Grundens.
Keep a set of large sewing needles n floss in your gear bag for repairs.
I love my surplus wool pants over poly underwear with chaps on top for working.The top half is a bit harder,mix n match wooly/fleece/poly,depending on conditions,with the ole grundies slicker on top.Your gonna get wet,its just a matter of cold n wet versus,somewhat warmish n wet.
For hunting Id go for the fancier camo gortex or some sort of beathable so called water proof coat.Wool is so much more quiet,but then again your soakin up water.

ak4195


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## mile9socounty (Nov 16, 2008)

When I worked in the brush thinning and tree planting. I used the gortex bottoms I high jacked from the Marine Corps. They worked pretty good for me, no tears yet. For a top? Hoodie and a flannel or hickory over that. Just make sure to have dry clothes at the end of the day.


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## Backwoods (Nov 17, 2008)

When the hat starts soaking thru it is time to throttle the mill down and grab a rain jacket. However, waterproof boots are a must or the end of the day whistle will sound just a bit earlier then normal. As long as the feet are warm and dry and the fingers are warm the mill runs late into the evening dusk whether it be rain, snow, fog, wind, or sun.


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## slowp (Nov 17, 2008)

I still don't understand this. I went into an independent, outdoor store in a town on the Oregon Coast to buy rainpants. The guy steered me to the womens' rack and told me that was what I needed. I looked and it was so flimsy, I told him it would be lucky to last 5 minutes. I wandered over to the mens' section and started looking at the Helly Hansens. He was upset, saying that is what the men wear. When I headed over to the Grundens, he really got emotional and said those were ONLY for the fisherMEN. Since he was the only place near with good raingear, I bought the Hellys. I really don't know what the problem was. I wonder if he's still in business? He did sell good fishing gear.


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## forestryworks (Nov 17, 2008)

slowp said:


> I still don't understand this. I went into an independent, outdoor store in a town on the Oregon Coast to buy rainpants. The guy steered me to the womens' rack and told me that was what I needed. I looked and it was so flimsy, I told him it would be lucky to last 5 minutes. I wandered over to the mens' section and started looking at the Helly Hansens. He was upset, saying that is what the men wear. When I headed over to the Grundens, he really got emotional and said those were ONLY for the fisherMEN. Since he was the only place near with good raingear, I bought the Hellys. I really don't know what the problem was. I wonder if he's still in business? He did sell good fishing gear.



what a whinebag... did you give him any cheese to go along with the whining?

damn, a sale is a sale


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## secureland (Nov 17, 2008)

slowp said:


> I still don't understand this. I went into an independent, outdoor store in a town on the Oregon Coast to buy rainpants. The guy steered me to the womens' rack and told me that was what I needed. I looked and it was so flimsy, I told him it would be lucky to last 5 minutes. I wandered over to the mens' section and started looking at the Helly Hansens. He was upset, saying that is what the men wear. When I headed over to the Grundens, he really got emotional and said those were ONLY for the fisherMEN. Since he was the only place near with good raingear, I bought the Hellys. I really don't know what the problem was. I wonder if he's still in business? He did sell good fishing gear.




Based on the advice and research it appears that the Hansens or the Grundens look good.

Around $100 for an uninsulated Grundens coat, (sound right?)

Also, slowp I'm wondering if the jerk in the store had a higher profit margin on the goretex. Maybe you should have told him that if you sit in a store all day the gore-tex might work!


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## ak4195 (Nov 17, 2008)

Understand that the uninsulated(unlined) coats are very light,dry extremely quick without the cotton backing,but the downside is they rip easier too,so kinda depends on how you intend to work and how thick your underbrush is.
If your determined to get the unlined,a cheaper alternative might be the Guy Cottons or Cofish,the latter I believe used to be the sole importers of grundens for yrs,before they started making there own knockoffs.

ak4195


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## secureland (Nov 17, 2008)

ak4195 said:


> Understand that the uninsulated(unlined) coats are very light,dry extremely quick without the cotton backing,but the downside is they rip easier too,so kinda depends on how you intend to work and how thick your underbrush is.
> If your determined to get the unlined,a cheaper alternative might be the Guy Cottons or Cofish,the latter I believe used to be the sole importers of grundens for yrs,before they started making there own knockoffs.
> 
> ak4195



Good advice,

If it's warm and raining I don't need one. It's the cold rain that I'm worried about. I thought I could get a thin outer shell and save money, but If the lined ones are more rugged I should probabaly go with that. It never fails when doing firewood I'm getting caught on something.


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## Humptulips (Nov 18, 2008)

Grundens are to stiff and heavy. A little less so with Helly Hansen but the same problem. Hot too.

Take the time to check these out.
Tingley The Iron Eagle* Raingear 
This is one tough suit. It’s an exterior coated polyurethane on nylon, very abrasion and puncture resistant and yet very lightweight and 100% waterproof. Ideal for working in a forest environment with heavy brush, sticks and snags. Note: Because of the materials unique construction, the Iron Eagle* is a little nosier than most raingear. More Iron Eagle* features and benefits: • Generously cut for maximum freedom of movement. • 5.5 oz. material weight with 2mil exterior coating for a total of 10 mil thick. “Thermo-O-Rad” sealed seams that are not going to tear out and can be washed over and over again without coming apart. • Unique snap lock suspender buckles with heavy duty crossover straps. • Mildew resistant. • Storm fly front that seals out wind and rain. Snaps are guaranteed not to fail. • Sizes: SM-XXL. • Available Yellow or Green. Yellow Bibs w/snap fly. Green Bibs w/no fly.


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## toddstreeservic (Nov 18, 2008)

You can find a gov surplus military goretex jacket for cheap. They are really durable. I cut the useless liner out of mine and made it lighter. Pit zips for ventilation. Cheap, durable, breathable, waterproof. Cuffs are large enough to put jacket on without removing gloves.


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## ChainsawMilling (Jan 1, 2020)

I’m in the PNW, Vancouver Island and I just came across this rain gear thread 12 years after the last post. You’d think a ‘silver bullet’ solution or product would exist by now. My friend who is both a climber and production faller (primarily old growth) is keen on the best gear in all aspects of his life: Surfing, Skiing, Falling etc. I asked him what fallers do on those days when the rain is so dense you can swim through the air. He said “curl up into a ball and cry”. There is no escape. No gear can stop the rain while breathing out a gallon of sweat or withstand the bush while fitting like a track suit. These guys pick gear that can do 1 or 2 of these things well and compensate for the difference with sheer grit and balls.


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## catbuster (Jan 2, 2020)

Well, if it’s above 55 or so I just plan on getting wet. I put on a Tingley jacket when it gets cooler... Mostly because I got it for free and it’s high vis. The hood comes off, that’s what the full brim hard hat’s for. When it’s really cold... Well, I dressed for it and put the jacket on over it.

Other than that, my Grundens are still stiff, uncomfortably hot when it’s warm and very dry. I haven’t used Helly Hansen stuff, seems to work for plenty of offshore guys. Frogtoggs and the gor-tex stuff is still destroyed by brush, even 12 years on.


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## Deleted member 110241 (Jan 4, 2020)

That's how I do too, if it's warm enough I'll just get wet and change to dry clothes before heading home. 
When it's colder I use proper rain gear, breathable materials are fine for fishing and hunting.


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## motorhead99999 (Jan 4, 2020)

If it’s warm I don’t wear rain gear. If it colder and raining or heavy wet snow I like my carhart shorliner gear. I also have a carhart jacket I think it’s called rugged cut that I spray with tent sealer and also works good and seems tough


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## Asawbum (Jan 4, 2020)

Has anyone made themselves a tin cloth hickory shirt???
Has anyone made own tin clothing? My best friend is a bike fiend and made his own tin wax. If you do up broken in pants I have read it works well. More flexibility than stiff new super spendy stuff.


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## HumBurner (Feb 8, 2020)

secureland said:


> I'm thinking you guys and gals in the PNW know this subject.
> 
> I'm looking for rain gear (coat/pants) that I can work and hunt in.
> It has to be rugged for the branches etc.
> ...




Filson Tin


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## young bucker (Oct 20, 2020)

A lot of the fallers here in bc west coast..we use the helly Hansen rain gear..simple non insulated coat which weighs nothing and dries fast..and bibbed pants..some guys use the drawstring pants..cheap and they hold up pretty good for tromping around the shalal.


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## Mr. K (Dec 1, 2020)

This post is quite old, but I have a couple ideas that could possibly benefit someone looking for help with the rain/sleet/snow. I picked up an old Bemidji wool flannel in a thrift store, which I think some people would label as a 'shirt jac' or something like that. And, since I was in the Boy Scouts back in the day I remembered that the old timers would wear an all red wool kinda jacket, so I got one of those in a couple of sizes bigger than I needed for layering. Anyways, I went hunting in the Upper Peninsula here in Michigan and no lie, it rained every day non stop for a week. Well, sometimes the rain turned into a sleet/wet snow deal. I am talking about October of 2018 in Baraga county if anyone is from there, they will testify. It wasn't the first or last time that part of the world gets a week straight of rain and/or snow. I wore that Boy Scout wool every day and it shed the water like a duck, it never even got heavy. I was grouse hunting too, going through thick stuff on purpose and it didn't even get close to tearing. Everything else I was drying in the sauna but the wool coat. The moral of the story is that very fine neatly woven wool does an excellent job being durable and shedding water. The Bemidji wool is a looser weave, and so it is even more breathable, but it is close enough to waterproof too, I am pretty sure it was made in the 80s or 70s based on the logo. I haven't figured out a good solution for pants yet if its wet snow, I just try to wear the best fleece long johns I can find so that I don't shake too much to make good cuts.


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## cookies (Dec 7, 2020)

Looking at old photos of loggers they all wore wool pants/shirts/jackets/socks/hats down here in florida during hunting season its not uncommon the have 38 degree days with heavy rain and most wear leather boots with wool socks for their feet. The younger generation tends to go for gore tex uppers and lowers or coveralls but the older folks use wool pants and shirts/sweaters the finer woven the better and when asked how old the clothing is they almost all say older than you are LOL. Now the important part is after the hunt those older guys are comfortable and warm so they start having lunch or dinner and chat but everyone else is clamoring to get into dry clothing. Its funny because to older I get the more I find I like wool and the way its comfortable even in warmer temps.


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