Recommended waterproof hooded wind breakers for Best of Eng in 14 days btwn May 22-June 4? I'm in Sicily now with several days of very cold high wind with horizontal rain. Blizzard on our Mt Etna stop. Umbrella worthless in high wind rainstorms/sleet. I'd planned on a light nylon windbreaker with sweater/down vest layers and umbrella. If we can expect very windy rain even if just occasionally I need to bring something with a good hood and much more water resistance. Suggestions? North Face/Columbia/REI/etc? Which models for a man? And want to keep it lightweight as possible.
Posted by
Lynnwood, Washington
8382 posts
I really like my Columbia raincoat. Good quality and a good hood. I wear it all winter layered over a fleece jacket. I know very few people who bother with umbrellas where I live. A good raincoat with a hood makes so much more sense.
Posted by
Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, USA
13944 posts
If you have something like an REI or Cabelas near home I'd go try on a bunch. I'm currently very happy with a Cabelas XPG waterproof jacket. I always travel with a waterproof jacket which will also be windproof and have worn this one for 3 trips over 2 years to France and UK. I am not sure if Cabelas is still making the XPG or if they are calling it something else. My SIL was on their website yesterday and found them deeply discounted. Not sure what the men's fit is like.
Many here like the Marmot Precip. I used one for a couple of years and decided it was not cut roomy enough. I want to have room to zip up a small cross body wallet under the jacket if it is raining hard so that's why I switched to the Cabelas. My old Marmot also had very crinkly loud fabric while the XPG is a softer, quieter fabric if that makes a difference to you. The Marmot was small enough to fold up into a ziplock bag and stick in my purse whereas the XPG is a bit more bulky than that.
To me the water resistant jackets are worthless in a rain....they just stop the water for a few minutes then you're wet.
I'm doing the Villages of Southern England that starts May 21 so I am expecting some rainy days. I did the Best of England in the Fall of 2015 and we had a few rainy days but I'm not sure I remember a lot of wind. I was in Cornwall last Fall and it was rainy and ~very~ windy but that was when a tropical storm was blowing thru.
Posted by
Lewisburg, PA, USA
346 posts
I have a very nice combination jacket from Cabellas. Waterproof/windproof outer shell with a removable Polar Fleece lining. It has worked very well from Iowa to Scotland. If you want full coverage, REI has some nice ponchos that will also cover your backpack. We also invested in some plastic sleeves that will cover the full lens extension of our Nikon with a small telephoto lens. Don't forget waterproof bags. You can get those at, shudder, Walmart.
Posted by
Seattle, WA
16283 posts
My husband I both love our Patagonia Torrentshell jackets.
http://www.patagonia.com/product/mens-torrentshell-rain-jacket/83802.html
They have kept us dry in wet and windy conditions from Scotland to New Zealand to Patagonia.
Regular price is $129 but there are usually various sizes and colors on sale on websites. Try REI Outlet. If you are an REI member, the 20% off members sale applies to one full-price item and one outlet item. Good til April 6.
Posted by
Central Connecticut, USA
1103 posts
We were on the Village of South England tour in May 2017. One day we were out on the moors in the rain. We had waterproof jackets and quick-dry pants from Eddie Bauer. The people wearing bluejeans were envious of the fact that we dried out within an hour. We also had waterproof shoes, although it didn't help that much because the rain drained into the tops of the shoes!
Posted by
Tallahassee
5 posts
Outdoor Research Ferrosi Hooded Jacket is a legend. My go to piece in damp weather 30 to 70 degrees. If it's on the cooler side you'll want a baselayer underneath and you might get a little chilled if just standing around as it's very light. It's a soft shell so it won't keep you dry in a downpour.