Rain Gear, Help?

choosing rain gear, is like choosing the right winter gear

after working in a sporting good store for years and back country snowmobiling for years as well.....i know a thing or 2 about good gear

buying the right gear to keep you WARM and ALIVE in the back country is essential

couple KEY things to look for:

1. taped seams - an ABSOLUTE MUST. Remember the sh*tty rain gear a few years ago that the US Ryder Cup team had....um yea...no taped seams. Open stitch means water leaky ;)

2. breathability - it must be made of a material that will allow moisture (that is body heat moisture) to be wicked away. Think of a garbage bag..yes it will keep water out, but will not let your body breathe, which causes moisture INSIDE the jacket.

3. Venting - ok so why does a rain jacket have to have zippered venting? See above regarding breathability

4. Fit - it must fit your properly to work properly. You must be able to freely swing a club, yet be snug enough to not let water get in.

A rain suit is something you buy like every 5+ years. Yes you dont play in it that often, but when you do, you want your a$$ to be dry

Don't be afraid to spend a few bux

My suit RETAILED over $1100 and is pretty much the BEST Sun Ice has to offer....but i waited till an end of season sale, and paid $500 for it all.

Have you used ReviveX?

When your rainsuit can no longer bead water, it's time for revival.

I wash my rain gear, then wash it in the ReviveX.

I've used it on Sun Mountain Rainflex and it has renewed its repellency. 

Thank You very much for this thread. I have been keeping my eye out for the expensive rain gear that has been TRIED AND PROVEN by someone in this blogosphere. I just can't seem to pull the trigger on paying $250 plus for rain gear that will not keep me dry for all 18 holes. I have noted the shoes. Thanks again.

OK -- Get a ZR Top and Rainflex Pants

Spend your money once -- this place has great prices on ZR 

http://shop.vendio.com/harder/category/94/

I live in Wales, UK and let me tell you its always raining. Subsequently that means i play at least 50% of my golf in the wet. So i thought i'd spend abit of money and invest in some top quality wet weather gear.

I ended up buying Galvin Green Gore-Tex Jacket and Trousers. Cost alot of money, about £300 (or $460), but after playing in monsoon weather at Celtic Manor course for 2 days and coming off the course dry as a bone it was so worth it. In fact, id go as far to say the best investment i've made since playing golf. Both the jacket and trousers are 100% waterproof due to the Gore-Tex, wind proof, warm yet breatheable and a big factor for me was that its a great fit and very quiet. Plus there supposed to be washed regularly. Alot of waterproof gear gets messed up after a wash, the Galvin's are supposed to be washed.

To be fair, if you play in the rain alot like me or you just want top quality wet weather gear i recommend Galvin Green. Expensive, but they'll last you years.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SVTGolfer 

Exactly what I was looking to get out of this thread! Someone who plays in the rain A LOT, and only you Europe guys get to do that A LOT. Hahaha, thanks man. I appreciate the imput.

 

What kinda gloves do you use in the rain? 

I use Footjoy Weathersof golves in the rain. I find they hold up abit better getting a little wet than the Sci-Flex gloves i usually use. The thing is, i have a Sun Mountain Waterproof Bag so my grips dont get wet while their in the bag. I carry about 4 or 5 Wethersof gloves on me and take my golve off straight after every shot so it doesnt get too wet. An because my waterproofs are Gore-Tex they stay dry when in my pockets. I also have a small towel on a clip that i clip to the inside of my umbrella and i wipe my hands and grip with that before and after every shot.

I tried using the winter/rain FJ gloves but i found them really uncomfortable gripping the club.

I'm a huge fan of Zero Restriction gear, it is on the expensive side if you buy retail, but I think it is the best golf rain wear available.  I have worn the shorts, pants, 1/2 sleeve top, full top, pullover windtop, wind vest and have had not issues.  Also, I have not paid retail for any of it!  The Golf Warehouse always has ZR stuff on sale, most of it marked 50% or more off of MSRP, I have also seen a lot of ZR stuff on eBay for a considerable discount.  I don't wear my gear a lot, but there is nothing like having a round of golf cut short because of the rain.

Also, to save space in my bag, I put my rain wear in a vacum seal bag, pull out all the air and my top and pants fit in a space about the size of a Klenex box.

I vote for Zero Restriction rainwear also; great stuff, have used it in Scotland during a downpour and it kept me dry and comfortable. A little pricey but you get what you pay for;

Quote:

Originally Posted by SVTGolfer 

How thick are your guys jackets? Obviously you want it loose enough to play in but tight enough to be effective. The jacket and pants set I have now (Nike) are pretty thin, so they fold up real easily in my bag. And once I read that "lumpuckeroo" put his in a vaccum bag, it made me think that perhaps "a real" rain siut, not mine, is quite a bit thicker than what Im using. Im starting to think I bought a "mist" suit and not a rain suit. Hahaha

My Galvin jacket and trousers have a lining inside them. Its not like a thin pullover (tho you can get one that is a one layer pullover). The thing that makes them so good in terms of being "Waterproof" is that they use Gore-Tex membrane.

From the Galvin Green website:

• Totally waterproof. Guaranteed To Keep You Dry™.
• Maximum breathability that enables the release of excess heat and moisture.
• Durable waterproof protection.
• Perfect fit and maximum freedom of movement, specially developed for golfers.
• Soft and smooth outer materials that provide comfort and excellent drape characteristics.
• Extremely hard wearing and long lasting.
• Easy to wash and maintain, just regular machine wash and tumble dry.

Tech facts

The GORE-TEX® membrane contains over 1.4 billion microscopic pores per square cm. These pores are 20,000 times smaller than a water droplet, but 700 times larger than a water vapour molecule, which makes the GORE-TEX® waterproof from the outside, while allowing perspiration to escape from the inside.

I had never heard of the Zero Restriction gear prior to this thread, but after looking on the website it seems they use Gore-Tex in their jackets aswell. Thats probably why their so recommended also.

I think in a nut shell, if you want to buy some wet weather gear that will garentee to kee you dry go for some that use Gore-Tex waterproof membrane.

I definitely need to invest in some rain gear.  I'm that guy out there that will just go get soaked, but it would probably get me out there in the rain more often if I had it.

When I was camping all the time as a kid, I remember we used to spray the seams of our tents with some kind of silicone application (comes in a spray can).  That worked wonders in the rain and water did not get in anywhere. 

I still use it on my boots all the time and it is fantastic, thinking about trying it on some jackets.  There are tubes of seam sealer as well where you just spread it onto the seams so there is no chance of leakage.  That could probably help you get the best performance out of your current suit.

I have a Sunice Goretex jacket and a pair of Mountain Designs Goretex pants. I have a Berghaus Goretex cap as well.

You have to spend good money to get quality raingear, but I promise you, it'll be one of the best golfig investments you make.

If you are on a budget, forget about taht driver that's the same as te one you bought three years ago and get some Goretex rain gear. It'll last a lifetime and you'll be glad you did. 

If you aren't buying Goretex  you are wasting your money.

Any FootJoy or Nike or Adidas or whatever that claims to be "breatheable" is not in the same league as Goretex. You will sweat. You will get wet. You will have wasted your money.

For rain gear you need to buy from companies that specialise in wet weather and outdoor gear. 

I'll say it agian. GORETEX.

Go out, spend the bucks, it's well worth it. For 100$, you bought a water resistant suit. Put it this way, my FootJoy rain pants cost me 250$. My FootJoy rain jacket cost me 300$, but both are seam-sealed and guaranteed for life not to leak. Foot Joy take anything back, customer service is A1. Staying dry is well worth the extra bucks.

As for rain gloves, the FJ rain gloves are good, as well as the Zero Restriction ones. The wetter they get, the stickier they get.

Have fun!

Quote:

Originally Posted by imtomtomim 

I definitely need to invest in some rain gear.  I'm that guy out there that will just go get soaked, but it would probably get me out there in the rain more often if I had it.

 

When I was camping all the time as a kid, I remember we used to spray the seams of our tents with some kind of silicone application (comes in a spray can).  That worked wonders in the rain and water did not get in anywhere. 

 

I still use it on my boots all the time and it is fantastic, thinking about trying it on some jackets.  There are tubes of seam sealer as well where you just spread it onto the seams so there is no chance of leakage.  That could probably help you get the best performance out of your current suit.

You can buy DWR (Durable Water Repellant) spray to praw over your jacket/trousers/shoes. Its basically creates a film around your garment that stop its from soaking water up.This tends to be on most if not all "waterproof" attire. Its not really a long term plan because eventually it degrades and you will need to apply more.

But in terms of being truely waterproof, its not in the same league as Gore-Tex. Gore-Tex is a membrane that is inside the clothing. Water can not pass through the Gore-Tex membrane. My Galvin Green jacket actually has a film of DWR on it aswell to make it 110% waterproof.

Another difference is that DWR gets removed when you wash it, or at least it eventually will. Gore-Tex can be washed 100x and will still continue to work.