Robin Trower - Into Dust
COAT - Berghaus Temperance II
Still available HERE
Alan Sloman did a review a long time ago, you can read it HERE
NOW, I have good and bad reviews on my coat, and I suspect that it may have been my own stupid fault.
I have since been told by many learned ones, that is was not breached, and that it was condensation caused by not having at least 2 layers underneath it, just a base layer.
This may be the case, but it wasn't on the last 3 times I wore it.
I very, very, very rarely wear anything other that a base layer or a Paramo shirt under the coat.
It did not wet out with this combination on previous occasions.
I RUN HOT.
Why would I want to wear extra layers and get even hotter?
I am sure there is an excellent lecture in Physics arriving in a comment shortly
BUT, It is a bloody waterproof.
It ought to be bloody well waterproof.
OK, I may prove to be wrong.
Maybe I should wear a base layer, a shirt, a fleece and a Thinsulate gilet underneath it to isolate me from the outside.
Maybe I would be drier.
Maybe I would die of excessive heat exhaustion.
But in my opinion, I should have just given it a decent wash and reproof before I took it.
It breached on the shoulder straps and the waist belt.
It did it early on.
Other than that, it has been an extremely good, and surprisingly good jacket.
Now, I do not need to be informed about superior jackets, that are state of the art.
I will NOT be buying a new Jacket.
I have this one.
I have a lightweight Montane waterproof for running and stuff, although it is in YELLOW
(when my ribs don't hurt like they do now after falling of my bleeding bike (again) on Saturday).
I have 2 Paramo 3rd Element Jackets that are also excellent.
I have an aged Rab Latok in RED, that with continued proofing still functions just fine, and I may revert back to it, because it has much better weatherproof zips.
I have children at college that need cars and fees and all my money.
I am driving a 150,00+ mile 02 plated Ford Focus.
I AIN'T gonna be buying 'owt else ok.
This was just my experience.
Maybe this year I should have taken the Paramo.
In the conditions, it would have been just fine.
TROUSERS - BERGHAUS PACLITES
Apparently opinion is mixed on these.
They have never failed me.
They have excellent venting
They are waterproof.
Lucy has a pair and they also work for her.
Walking, and standing still by a cold and very wet rugby pitch for hours.
They are indeed an excellent item
AND.. If you can pick em up ate £52 like I did then what can you complain about?
OK.. That's it.
Go for the comments...........................
I agree with everything you've said (that won't happen again, I promise...) about gear, it is just such a personal issue, what suits one will not suit another. I haven't tried shoes and I'm not likely to. My Meindls were working for me this year, I'll give them another bash 'next time'. Love, love, love my Paramo, and my Paclites. I have a Montane Quattro jacket which I wore on my first Challenge, I wore a baselayer and my Montane Dynamo softshell underneath. I may have glowed a bit, but the dampness was mainly between the soft and hard shells. I suspect it was moisture from the glowing, but the merino baselayer and soft shell wicked well and then the hard shell didn't breathe, but I wasn't soaked underneath, so maybe it worked? I just didn't like the effect and am too delighted with my Paramo to change back.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, as you say, it's all individual.
2014 for you?
Thanks Louise.
ReplyDeleteI am indeed going to apply for 2014.
I am not sure yet if this will be a solo or joint venture.
Just need to get no 9 out of the way.
Maybe I will be lucky in the draw.
:-)
You can say that again....:-)
ReplyDeleteI recently bought myself a jacket almost identical to the Temperance, not because I dislike my Paramo gear (far from it), but because there are times when the Paramo system isn't very effective.
I've had 3 situations where my Paramo has failed me:
The first two were (I think) due to me not being particularly active and therefore the 'system' failed to function properly. These situations weren't dangerous, just a damned nuisance.
The last failure was rather more worrying. I used a freshly washed and re-proofed Velez on TGOC2012 and it functioned perfectly. The Velez was then put away (hung in a wardrobe for 4 months) before being used again on backpacking trip in the Lakes. It rained on Day 2 of the trip, not heavily, just good English precipitation. The Velez failed big time and I was a seriously unhappy bunny - I was completely wet through. That could have been a very serious situation, fortunately I was heading for home that day and it wasn't particularly cold. It could very easily have been a lot worse, as it was I was just VERY uncomfortable.
I still love my Velez although I'm not sure if I'll use it for my long trip next year. I'll need to have a good long think.
Oh, and my Berghaus PacLite overtrousers are the dog's danglers.
JJ
Considering the Velez had only been used in anger for two weeks (albeit 4 months earlier) I would have expected the waterproofing to last rather longer than that.
All hardshell jackets fail sooner or later. Manage being wet is all there is to do. Kids hey. Cost the earth. Bless them.
ReplyDeleteAs you know, I wear exactly the same jacket. Same age, same colour.
ReplyDeleteIt has never failed me.
Rain is generally about 2 deg C. You say you run hot. What I believe is happening here is that the dew point will be at your shirt, so the warm air around your wonderfully hot body (sigh...) is condensing out on your shirt.
Wear a thin fleece and this moisture will simply be transported through the Gore-Tex, never reaching your hot body.
Of course, you might be running hot because of your increased girth. Lose a bit more weight (I know you're doing jolly well) and you'll run cold like me. The you'll need the thin fleece and Robert's your Aunty.
:-)