Bushwalk Australia

I bought a MD Deluge Gore-Tex jacket last week and now having second thoughts about breathability and general performance for bushwalking. It is a very basic design, mesh-lined and has no pit zips or other ventilation. Also bought MD Grampian rain pants and unsure about those either. Does anyone have experience or opinions with either of these?

http://www.mountaindesigns.com/online-store/products/Mens-Deluge-Jacket.aspx?prodID=14932

http://www.mountaindesigns.com/online-store/products/Mens-Grampian-Pant.aspx?prodID=1532

I originally posted this in the rain jackets thread but looking for opinions if anyone can help. I'm trying to decide whether to keep or return them, which I can do within 30 days of purchase.

I would as a minimum return the jacket and get a Macpac Traverse, only an extra $70 for last years colours on Clearance.

get something with better ventilation, with pit zips and or vented pockets

The Grampians are a good choice for a cheap and light overpant for use on tracked walks. If that is not your usual style of walking then I'd suggest something harder wearing, though, if you are willing to replace them regularly then some bushwalkers I know (who do a lot of off track walking) are very happy with their performance.

The Deluge is a jacket that has been primarily designed for travel, commuting, day walking with a small pack. As it is a mesh lined jacket, any significant friction (from a pack for instance) will cause the membrane to be worn from the inside which obviously is not ideal.

I'd recommend returning the jacket and considering upgrading to the Cumulus for a multi-purpose travel/walking (tracks not scrub) jacket or the Alto for something capable of handling some scrub and years of wearing with a heavy pack.

Hope this helps you find the right jacket/pants!

Dee,
Mountain Designs Hobart.

Pro shell might be a tough material but the Alto and Nimbus both have mountaineering cuts too short for a bushwalking jacket. It's a bit of a shame because it would offer a bit of competition for another big name brand at the high end in OZ if one of them had a slightly longer length. Obiously paired with a decent set of pants this isn't such a big deal.

If I was buying a bushwalking jacket from MD's I'd probably get a Melaleuca or Loongana in Repel at a more reasonable price or a Cumulus in Performance Shell just to have the extra inches at the bottom. The MD's clearence store might be worth a look.

what about other brands that use membranes other than gore tex. there are more breathable membranes out there,
if the dwr is is good and they have ventilation you'll be getting a more breathable garment alround.
I won't use gore tex for a jacket shell because there are better membrane alternatives, like event, dryq, neoshell. omnidry.
i've got a columbia omni dry and it leaves gore tex for dead for breathability, can't comment about event, i've used it but it didnt do much better than gore tex, and my omni dry had pit zips where my event didnt. plus the dwr worked a lot better on the omni dry.
so performance can vary from brand to brand based on different design features.

abceight wrote:If I was buying a bushwalking jacket from MD's I'd probably get a Melaleuca or Loongana in Repel at a more reasonable price or a Cumulus in Performance Shell just to have the extra inches at the bottom. The MD's clearence store might be worth a look.

Just to clarify, the Cumulus jacket is a Paclite shell, not a Performance.

Remember that breathability is not the only function of a jacket. I agree that that there are other membranes that do it better than Goretex, but are they as windproof, waterproof and durable? Some membranes are better than others in different areas. Goretex is not the be all and end all, but they are known and tested, and come with a nice little guarantee.

I use the MD Alto and a pair of Grampians for all my tracked walks, and the Grampians have served me well off track as well. They certainly lasted a lot longer than a pair of Mountain Hardwear overpants that I purchased for a much higher price (I only ever used them on tracks too). I find the Alto great because it offers more versatility. I can use it on my bike or on my walk into work, as well as when I'm bushwalking. My longer cut Hydronaute jacket is really only good for when I'm walking, absolutely hopeless on the bike!

My advice is to decide exactly what you want in a rain jacket. Do you want it to be breathable, or would you rather have a tough, waterproof shell, and sacrifice a bit of breathability? The fit is also important. You need to be comfortable in your jacket.

Jared

pazzar wrote:

abceight wrote:If I was buying a bushwalking jacket from MD's I'd probably get a Melaleuca or Loongana in Repel at a more reasonable price or a Cumulus in Performance Shell just to have the extra inches at the bottom. The MD's clearence store might be worth a look.

Just to clarify, the Cumulus jacket is a Paclite shell, not a Performance.

Jared

Whoops I was thinking of the Stratus

Thanks guys for all the opinions. I returned the Deluge jacket etc. I already own a Pallin Vista 3 layer GoreTex Pro-Shell jacket. It's great but relatively heavy and bulky. Also have Berghaus Gore-Tex Paclite pants. I have a bush regeneration trip planned this weekend that will need to be kept as light as possible. So my idea was to follow lightweight principles in what gear I take (already planning to take GoLite Pinnacle pack and Terra Nova Laser Competition 1 tent). My other limitation was a budget of $250 for both jacket and pants. That said I investigated a number of jackets, not necessarily Gore-Tex, but needed to be "breathable" fabric. I looked at the old season Macpac Traverse eVent, which is a nice minimalist jacket but $270 was stretching beyond the budget. The more suitable MD's jackets were also about $100 more than I really wanted to pay. At the end of the day (literally) I stumbled upon a suitable jacket in a very unexpected place - the clearance section in Kathmandu . Armstrong V2 Gore-Tex Paclite shell. Has pit zips and a number of smaller technical features. Ideal fit and very lightweight. It may do some off track work but is primarily for emergency use and as a windshell for around camp in the evenings. Discounted down to $180. Also went back to MD's and bought Columbia Thunderstorm II Pants (Omni-Tech fabric), which were on sale for about $56-00. Seem lightweight and claims to be breathable (note earlier comments about Omni-Tech to that effect). Will see how it all goes, although I'm really hoping the rain disappears and I won't need either of them .

Strider wrote:I would as a minimum return the jacket and get a Macpac Traverse, only an extra $70 for last years colours on Clearance.

traverse is a pretty short jacket, made for multisport racing, only a small pocket, and thin light fabric over most of the jacket