Epic waterproof clothing failure

itboffin

As I'm only doing a short commute ATM I'm wearing normal clothes & shoes but this mornings biblical downpour persuaded me to put on waterproof over trousers and my new cycling jacket with seal skin gloves and overshoes.

Rather smuggly and warm I left the house hopped onto the mtb and into the now ocean that was my road, first fail was forgetting my clear specs - ouch muddy rain water in the eyes, next up was that sudden feeling of not being able to breath as the buff covering my mouth and nose became soaked.

Lovely muddy farm rain water now in my mouth too.

That I can live with, next up the realisation that I'm actually getting wet on my legs and body, feet okay so far. Two miles from home I'm soaked all over, epic waterproof fail!!!

No need to worry about the muddy rain eyes now though as it's now falling so hard I can't see in front anyway, lucky for me this is only a 4.5 mile trip then I'll be on the nice warm train, where I can attempt to savage my attire......

Hmmmm it would seem not! Even though I checked before leaving FGW have signal problems, Which sees me stuck on an unmaned station for an hour in the rain.

Anyway eventually the train arrives and much to my delight three or the nine carriages are first class and the rest seem to be full of empty reserved seats.!

Grrrr

Next stop Paddington where for once I think, no I won't get totally soaked again, I'll take the five stop tube journey, oh silly me. Tube arrives on time, everyone gets on it jerks backward and forwards in a kinda learner driver style then stops in the nearest tunnel for sixteen mins, yep I counted em! No one seemed to mind in fact they looked like this is a perfectly normal event, so I joined them.

Eventually after 28 mins we arrived, all 2.7 miles.

On the train home now I wonder what travel adventures await.....

meanredspider

Sealskinz gloves are the worst "waterproof" bits of kit I've ever had the misfortune to wear - total rubbish

jimmypippa

I do have a pair that does work, but looking at the reviews, I think this is possibly a fluke.

They do eventually soak through, but they are windproof and I'm only spending about an hour each way.

I've become a convert to "mountain caps" under the helmet in heavy rain - it keeps my glasses clear.

Pertex dries quickly and is windproof.

Typical review:

GREAT MONEY WASTER

[plus point] Would Burn for longer than most gloves.

shouldbeinbed

I lent a pair of £25 sealskinz gloves to a colleague for a charity ride & they got lost, he replacrd them with a pair of £5 Aldi winter weight ones. I am pretty pleased TBH the Aldis are a much better glove all round.

dhope

meanredspider wrote:

Sealskinz gloves are the worst "waterproof" bits of kit I've ever had the misfortune to wear - total rubbish

I like mine, they've been completely waterproof so far

meanredspider

jimmypippa wrote:

They do eventually soak through, but they are windproof and I'm only spending about an hour each way.

Are you going to live long enough for them to dry out?

I wouldn't mind but in the dry my hands sweat so much they get soaked. If it rains, by 20 mins into my ride my hands are soaked and cold. But drying them (or trying to) is something else!!! It's almost as if the designer read the brief wrong and they are designed to hold water.

Slime inners
Endura Meryl shorts
Endura MTB overshoes
Sealskinz Waterproof gloves

My hall of shame of useless biking products (all bought, coincidently, from Alpine bikes whose buyer must be well into crochet. Or Croquet. Or Cricket. But certainly not cycling)

jimmypippa

meanredspider wrote:

jimmypippa wrote:

They do eventually soak through, but they are windproof and I'm only spending about an hour each way.

Are you going to live long enough for them to dry out?

I wouldn't mind but in the dry my hands sweat so much they get soaked. If it rains, by 20 mins into my ride my hands are soaked and cold. But drying them (or trying to) is something else!!! It's almost as if the designer read the brief wrong and they are designed to hold water.

Slime inners
Endura Meryl shorts
Endura MTB overshoes
Sealskinz Waterproof gloves

My hall of shame of useless biking products (all bought, coincidently, from Alpine bikes whose buyer must be well into crochet. Or Croquet. Or Cricket. But certainly not cycling)

I have about 3000 sq feet of office space that has radiators, and which I can use as my personal drying room. Carefully putting the gloves on the radiator allows them to get mostly dry in as little as 5-hours :roll:

Montane featherlite pants are great -windproof, pack up small and dry in minutes.

pastryboy

I had :

waterproof jacket
waterproof gloves
hi-viz snap bands to stop the sleeves of my jacket moving above glove level
waterproof trousers
thin waterproof overshoes
thick windproof/waterproof overshoes

I arrived at work completely soaked through - I had a few dry patches on my base layer but that was it.

I have given up on waterproof clothing. From now on it's wear as little and just keep spares at work.

As the above poster said, a lot of stuff seems to hold water than eventually it just breaches the material.

The only thing I've founded to be decent is my Altura waterproof shorts but they don't help if a bit of water gets on your back and runs down.

jimmypippa

My wet-weather legwear is not very fashionable, nikwaxed tracksters and nikwaxed featherlite pants. That is good for about 40-mins heavy rain, butthe main point is htat it does dry quickly afterwards.

I've just replaced the tracksters with a new pair, as they were wearing a bit thin after about 12,000-miles cycling.

meanredspider

jimmypippa wrote:

:

Montane featherlite pants are great -windproof, pack up small and dry in minutes.

yup - I like them too - especially if you reproof them from time-to-time and "recharge" the proofing with a spell in the tumble drier between reproofs. I have the top and the trousers. I keep the top in my belt bag (along with an emergency foil blanket) in case I have a wreck or mechanical breakdown out in the middle of nowhere.

That said, I've taken to relying on windproof stuff more these days (Gore and Assos) as most waterproof stuff (like the Sealskinz gloves) just ends up as boil-in-the-bag.

ride_whenever

itboffin wrote:

that sudden feeling of not being able to breath as the buff covering my mouth and nose became soaked

So you waterboarded yourself :shock:

jimmypippa

meanredspider wrote:

jimmypippa wrote:

:

Montane featherlite pants are great -windproof, pack up small and dry in minutes.

yup - I like them too - especially if you reproof them from time-to-time and "recharge" the proofing with a spell in the tumble drier between reproofs. I have the top and the trousers. I keep the top in my belt bag (along with an emergency foil blanket) in case I have a wreck or mechanical breakdown out in the middle of nowhere.

That said, I've taken to relying on windproof stuff more these days (Gore and Assos) as most waterproof stuff (like the Sealskinz gloves) just ends up as boil-in-the-bag.

They aren't supposed to be waterproof, but proofing the pertex allows it to shed water for some time.

I've just got the windproof jacket (montane velo) not the waterproof version. It seems pretty good too - I was using up some amazon vouchers from Christmas...

The Buffalo pile and pertex approach has a lot going for it, - but I don't think it is suitable for cycling, as I guess it would be too hot .

jimmypippa

Not that I have developed an obsession with staying comfortable in the wet.

Possibly not helped by the fact that my main hobby is hillwalking (which usually happens to be in the Peak at the moment)

itboffin

ride_whenever wrote:

itboffin wrote:

that sudden feeling of not being able to breath as the buff covering my mouth and nose became soaked

So you waterboarded yourself :shock:

Hey what goes on in the countryside stays in the countryside

meanredspider

jimmypippa wrote:

Not that I have developed an obsession with staying comfortable in the wet.

Possibly not helped by the fact that my main hobby is hillwalking (which usually happens to be in the Peak at the moment)

I've done a few Munroes myself and it's nice to stay broadly warm and broadly dry.

I know Pertex isn't meant to be fully waterproof but it does a reasonable job in the short term.

Butterd2

meanredspider wrote:

Slime inners
Endura Meryl shorts
Endura MTB overshoes
Sealskinz Waterproof gloves

My hall of shame of useless biking products (all bought, coincidently, from Alpine bikes whose buyer must be well into crochet. Or Croquet. Or Cricket. But certainly not cycling)

+1 to that.

paulus69

meanredspider wrote:

Sealskinz gloves are the worst "waterproof" bits of kit I've ever had the misfortune to wear - total rubbish

I think calling them waterproof is inaccurate, although I have found them amazing for keeping my hands warm when they are wet and unlike some waterproog gloves I've used they aren't bulky and hence you retain alot of your dexterity

MichaelW

Sealskinz gloves suck but their socks are most excellent.
My current gloves are windstopper fleece which is pretty comfy even when wet.
I prefer the Montane waterproof pants to their pertex ones. In winter, Pertex just soaks through.
For the top, a Paramo jacket will keep you dry and comfy in cold rain all day long. They dry out within 15 mins unlike goretex which wets through then takes hours to dry. Most test reviews use a new jacket for a week. In reality, you end up with a well used jacket that hasnt been washed in weeks/months and the beading degrades.

Most computers come with Microsoft Sock Dryer application.

Nigel Bennett

I remember years ago, on a club run in a summer downpour. One of the lads looked quite smug, and jeered at the rest of us about us getting wet. He had put into action a Cunning Plan. This involved wearing under his outer layer, one of those huge plastic bags you get from the dry-cleaner's, with a hole for his head.

When he collapsed with heat exhaustion at the side of the road a few miles later, for some reason nobody else stopped. I suppose we could have informed the Emergency Services, but of course nobody had a stamp.

El Gordo

I figure the more you wear the more there is to get wet.

Well, not quite. It's not like I ride naked or anything. However hard it's raining all I'll add is a gortex jacket. Proper mudguards mean at least the water's only coming at you from above (where it's clean) rather than from the road (where it's full of farmyard stuff) so you can keep your mouth open for breathing purposes.

It doesn't really matter if your shorts and socks get wet, just change them when you get to work. It's only commuting so you're probably out less than an hour and you're always moving so don't get cold.

Hillwalking is different as you're out for ages and not working too hard so it's good to be dry. You're also miles from anywhere so should you keel over from hypothermia it's a bit more serious.

jimmypippa

Ah, I do have the simple pleasure of changing into warm, dry socks at work. It makes it almost worth getting wet feet just for that.

Blacktemplar

"Waterproof clothing" ????? ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha

In the same category of oxymoronic statements as: "Moisture-wicking base layer" as far as I'm concerned.

Even if you spend obscene amounts of dosh on some top-of-the-range Gore jacket and merino base layer (and I have, believe me), if you're putting any kind of effort in and you're a sweaty b@stard (and I am, believe me), then you will always end up soggy no matter what you wear.

Maybe that's just me though :oops:

ride_whenever

Waterproof clothing is only worth it when it's really cold. then you can just about avoid sweat build up.

The rest of the time I tend to wear a gilet with a merino baselayer as that allows your arms to act like radiators.

Cafewanda

Blacktemplar wrote:

"Waterproof clothing" ????? ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha

In the same category of oxymoronic statements as: "Moisture-wicking base layer" as far as I'm concerned.

Even if you spend obscene amounts of dosh on some top-of-the-range Gore jacket and merino base layer (and I have, believe me), if you're putting any kind of effort in and you're a sweaty b@stard (and I am, believe me), then you will always end up soggy no matter what you wear.

Maybe that's just me though :oops:

Hi twin!

(No spending hooge amounts though. Not yet anyway) :roll:

itboffin

jimmypippa wrote:

Ah, I do have the simple pleasure of changing into warm, dry socks at work. It makes it almost worth getting wet feet just for that.

Are they yours? :roll:

Gazzaputt

My Sealskinz gloves are water tight.

meanredspider

Gazzaputt wrote:

My Sealskinz gloves are water tight.

They are obviously cheap Chinese copies...

itboffin

Clearly i've lost the plot and gone an bought some more waterproof over trousers :?

unixnerd

Sealskinz gloves suck but their socks are most excellent.

Their hats are superb, never had water come through it even in over an hour of heavy sleet.

rolf_f

Some sealskins gloves are apparently crap. The ones I have are fine. To say that 'sealskins gloves are crap' isn't very helpful unless you've tried the entire range!

I believe the worst ones are the 'All weather gloves'. Badly named - they sort of imply that they are good for ultra cold, wet conditions but the idea appears to be that you can wear them in warmish or cold conditions - and they are actually not great at either.

jimmypippa

Rolf F wrote:

Some sealskins gloves are apparently crap. The ones I have are fine. To say that 'sealskins gloves are crap' isn't very helpful unless you've tried the entire range!

I believe the worst ones are the 'All weather gloves'. Badly named - they sort of imply that they are good for ultra cold, wet conditions but the idea appears to be that you can wear them in warmish or cold conditions - and they are actually not great at either.

looking on other forums, it seems as if quality control is a problem.


When they work they're pretty good.