Wet weather gear?

[sonofsammo]

As I knew I was going to be playing on Sunday and the weather promised to be cack, I bought this.
https://urbanairsoftuk.com/product/highlander-tempest-waterproof-jacket/
Thought I'd do a brief review of it.
It's sh*t.
In fact, that's an insult to poop.
It's beyond cacka. Not breathable in the slightest.
Because it was so cold I had a tshirt and micro fleece underneath - after an hour of playing I was that wet from the inside out I thought I Was swimming.
I had to change clothes - and I could wring my Tshirt out. and very nearly the fleece. And the inside of the jacket looked like I'd poured a gallon of water all over it.
I was gutted.

The jacket is suitable for standing still. And never moving. In torrential rain. That is possibly the only use for it. 
Or you could zip it up and tie the arms together to use it as a bin bag.

So, as I seem incapable of making an appropriate buying decision for wet weather gear, what should I get?
What do you all use?
If a topic exists already, please point me in the right direction, but I searched and couldn't find what I was looking for.
TIA.
 

 

[Dentonboy]

Oh dear. Highlander. Ouch. 

For really wet weather, Goretex. But you will get hot in it if moving a lot. I had some Goretex Adventure Tech US kit and it worked well.  You can get washes that make fleeces water-resistant. I don't know what the most breathable material is that will keep you dry is, but Goretex would be my first line of investigation. 

For feet, SealSkinz socks are brilliant. 

After selling my Adventure Tech kit, an act I now regret, I have Patagonia PCU L5 kit, which is generally good at keeping my dry-ish, but it is breathable and dries quickly. 

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F183089897695

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F302674304879

 

[Skara]

Gore-Tex is da wae..

Seriously, you live in the UK, the British army has the best waterproofs, why didn't you buy a GTX dpm/mtp jacket for literally half the price?

Regarding PCU stuff, get the level 6, it's a proper membrane, while level 5 jackets are only coated with DWR chemicals, which will eventually come off with time..

 

[Iceni]

Get a poncho.

It'll keep the water off.

And you should find it flaps about enough to not create a sauna.

 

[steakandpotato]

In my experience British Army-made/supplied gear seems very good against rain/snow. I do not actually own any specific 'waterproof' clothing (infact it's just called windproof) but having played in snowy temps and bullshit rain, I can attest that it works.

 

[Skara]

Windproof labelled clothing will shed light rain, but they don't hold for long..

Proper waterproof labelled gear, like Gore-Tex, Sympatex and other membranes will actually keep you dry no matter how heavy the rain is..

You just have to layer correctly and abuse the ventilation zippers to avoid sweating..

 

[sonofsammo]

I think my problem is that being on the large side and unfit, I run rather hot.
So I sweat. A lot.
For non airsoft I use paramo stuff, which seems to work well, but I think even with that I'd get too hot whilst playing.
I think I'm more concerned with staying warm than getting wet (aside from the chaffing issues).

 

 

[Dentonboy]

Staying warm without bulk = merino wool. 

Cannot beat it. 

 

[Skara]

I am fat (1.75m x 90kg), I avoid overheating by staying relatively light..

Last Sunday we had a tournament, there was a really light rain, some wind and the temperature was about 4/5 degrees (celsius), I only wore a t-shirt and my a-tacs fg shirt..

The first 30 seconds were terrible and made me want to kill myself, but then I started warming up and everything went fine after that..

This also depends on how much you like/hate the cold..

 

[sonofsammo]

I am fat (1.75m x 90kg), I avoid overheating by staying relatively light..

Last Sunday we had a tournament, there was a really light rain, some wind and the temperature was about 4/5 degrees (celsius), I only wore a t-shirt and my a-tacs fg shirt..

The first 30 seconds were terrible and made me want to kill myself, but then I started warming up and everything went fine after that..

This also depends on how much you like/hate the cold..

I'm not a great fan of the cold, as my joints stop working.
On Sunday it was about -2. brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!
I'm 5'9 and 262lbs (1.75m / 119Kg), so very fat :-(
I'm going to go on the hunt today to try some gear on.
I don't want to spend a fortune on it, cos I'm hoping that I'll start shrinking a bit now I'm exercising again.
 

 

[Lozart]

I am fat (1.75m x 90kg)

No, no you're not. A little overweight maybe (I don't know your build) but not fat.

I'm not a great fan of the cold, as my joints stop working.
On Sunday it was about -2. brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!
I'm 5'9 and 262lbs (1.75m / 119Kg), so very fat :-(
I'm going to go on the hunt today to try some gear on.
I don't want to spend a fortune on it, cos I'm hoping that I'll start shrinking a bit now I'm exercising again.
 

I have been in your shoes (literally - 5'10" was 18.5st) and yes, the biggest issue is not overheating in anything even vaguely waterproof.

I think you're right to not spend loads if you're planning on serious weight loss but there comes a point where you hit the point of diminishing returns. Anything decent you buy will retain its value better for that day when you smugly post it for sale as "no longer needed, it's too big for me now"!

The Pentagon Artaxes softshell is good, lightweight and not too hot. It has huge pit vent zips too which help enormously. Pair that with a good, wicking base layer (Go Outdoors do a lightweight on in their HiGear range that is good and importantly, cheap) and you should be good to go. ALways remember that anything that feels nice and warm in the shop will be WAY too hot when you start running about so think light. Best things are to hit the trigger points for discomfort - fingers and toes go cold when they get wet so seal skinz socks and a decent pair of gloves are mandatory!

 

[Skara]

British GTX stuff is inexpensive..

You can get a GTX paclite jacket for what? £30 (€35), last paclite jacket I bought for camping costed me £300 (€315)...

I'd personally avoid soft shells, they're warm but not really waterproof..

 

[steakandpotato]

Advice on the 'two many layers' thing - Get some clothing than wicks sweat. Trust me, it'll help bucket loads (pun intended)

 

[D-Knight]

I've used £7 camo poncho keeps me warm and dry, comes with its own pouch. Just stuff it in a pocket and pull it out when its getting too wet, it has two press studs under each arm to attach the sides. I'm an overweight 198cm tall guy and this has plenty of room.

Keeps me warm and dry even with a fair bit of side wind.

 https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Waterproof-UK-Army-Hooded-Ripstop-Festival-Rain-Poncho-Military-Camping-Hiking/401146417829

 

[sonofsammo]

Thanks for all the ideas guys 

Have any of you used either a special 6 shirt or a sleeka?
I'm wondering if they might be a good option...