[Critter]

I really enjoyed the site and found it informative even before I made my public debut. This site has lots of information from people with more knowledge than even I have. I'm just more of an entertainer. I understand how some of the seasoned vets here would see me as the Hollywood poser type.

[Relax]

[Dane]

Relax....relax.

[Dane]

Forgive me if my experiences as an alpine climber aren't relevant to yours as a nursery worker. Perhaps you should ponder the relevance of your nursery work experience to a hiker's and mountaineer's forum.

[treeswarper]

[Kim Brown]

[summithound]

Genuinely interested in how your jacket holds up Critter. Please keep this thread updated over the next year. I once owned an Arc'teryx (sidewinder?) rain jacket but it really didn't meet my expectations for the money spent.

[Relax]

[Relax]

[Chief Joseph]

[trestle]

I didn't read all of the links posted by others but there seems to be (at least on this forum) some commonality; heavy sweaters are typically disappointed by ePFTE garments (gore-tex et al) and those who naturally sweat less (for a variety of reasons) find them acceptable. Disregarding the wear of the DWR and avoiding some sort of bio-mechanical argument, of course. YMMFV. I'm typically not a heavy sweater and have owned several ePFTE garments that offered satisfactory performance. But I've watched co-workers struggle with identical garments in identical conditions so I can easily accept the testimony of others who abhor the products de Gore. There are plenty of obvious similarities between nursery/greenhouse/logging work and hiking/backpacking/climbing and both tend to draw the same kinds of people; adventurists. We're all looking down our nose in this thread and no one can see anything.

[trestle]

Frankly this is great: Critter has a Gore-tex Pro Shell jacket from a top manufacturer and is willing to use it hard and post about it. BigSteve has a NeoShell jacket from a top manufacturer and is willing to use it hard and post about it. No winners, no losers, no right or wrong. Just some hearty bros using their gear and telling us about it. Freaking awesome.

[RumiDude]

People sweat, some more than others but we all sweat. There is no magic to get around that. Being fit helps reduce the need to sweat but it does not eliminate it. Sweating helps regulate body temperature. In the middle o summer with a nice cool steady breeze, I sweat and get my nice technical shirt wet with sweat. So telling uis that anyone who gets wet wearing waterproof rain gear is an idiot is a non-starter. There is no way to walk up a slope without exerting oneself at least a bit. That is going to cause most people to sweat. Ventilation and breathable garments can only mitigate the effects of sweating. And in addition to what is happening inside the waterproof clothing, there is the rain on the outside getting in. It gets in through the vents, zippers, and all the holes that your body parts stick out through. And yes, I have worked for extended periods of time in the rain in many different situations. When the work needs to get done, you work, sometimes strenuously. When the trail turns up, you have to hike up, sometimes strenuously. Generally, if one is bushwhacking up a steep slope, they are exerting much more than they would on a trail. My strategy in cool and cold temps is to have a wicking layer which transports and condensed sweat away from the body while at the same time not trapping the water vapor making the close in environment too warm. I use a waterproof/breathable shell to keep most of the rain and vent as much as is feasible dependent on the rain and wind. In warmer temps, my strategy is to vent as much as possible. Rumi

[Dane]

Relax, what you have to say is irrelevant to me...we can agree on that.

[Stefan]

The only and I do mean the only thing that will keep you clothes dry is.... Carrying spare dry clothes. When I know it is going to rain and I go cross country, I will bring 2 extra jackets and 2 extra undergarments. Most of the time, the cross country occurs at the beginning of the trip and you are going uphill. As long as you are generating heat, live with the wetnss. Then you get higher, and you experience less brush....that is where you change. It may be snowing or it may be slightly raining. You then eventually will get wet, and head back...into the brush. Then about 1/2 way through the brush you change again. Then you change again when you get back to the car. All the time, you are only changing the top. The bottom....well, your legs and feet can handle wetness a lot longer than your top and I never change anything below the hip.