Looking for some recommendations on good rain gear that is quiet. Not looking for insulation, just looking to stay dry. And silent when drawing the bow back. I found some really nice stuff in the bargain cave at Cabelas several months back, but didn't buy it. Should have, but didn't. I don't think it was the MT050, but it was dead silent. Anyway, doesn't have to have Cabela's name plastered on it. Just looking to see what everyone here would recommend.

I have about given up on that oxymoron that any rain gear is quite. I know that when its dripping it will work. The MT50 is pretty good but if your hiking it doesn't have pit zips that is my biggest complaint. I bought a GORE-TEX Paclite jacket from Campofire that I really like its pretty quite but thin. I use the Mt50 rain pants. Are you tree stand hunting or walking?

Impertech is pretty quiet from what I have experienced.

goretex and waterproof should not be allowed in the same sentence....

rost495 I agree but gortex for hiking is still better than sweating in rain gear. For bowhunting its still quiter. I have the impertech jacket and really liked it this fall in rifle deer season but I was not putting in 8 miles day like elk season. If I was setting in stand all day I would go with impertech.

I dunno, I got soaked in goretex a few weeks ago. Got through to all my clothes. Really wet. Less than 32 degrees, rain and snow blowing and no real way to dry out. Thankfully I had other dry gear in the boat....

Wet is wet. I figure the sweating can dry out by body heat but once the goretex gives up, for me anyway, I'm wet all the way to the bone and that sucks.

I should mention that in 5 days we had 4 hours of no snow or rain....

It all depends if you have to bust through wet foliage all day. You'll get soaked in 20 minutes if you have wet brush rubbing up against gore tex.

I've done some pretty long hikes wearing Impertech. I'll be damp from sweat, but it is light years ahead of being soaked. But, not all guys sweat at the same rate too. I found that being in good to excellent shape helps.

Being in Tennessee, I'm mainly stand hunting. For me, the pit zippers are nice to have regardless of stand hunting or stalking. So, point well taken. Never heard of Impertech. I'll make sure and check them out. I know nothing is absolutely silent, but I have tried some outfits that are no more quiet than a suit made of 80 grit sandpaper.

What we use to do... wear regular rain gear.. and strip a light fleece top over it. Unless it was cold and the gear crinkly from cold and stiff, the fleece did what you needed it to mostly.

+1 on the Impertech by Helly Hansen. I'm still using an Impertech jacket that is ten years old. I caribou hunted in it on the Ambler River in 2001 and it held up to the brush along the river and never leaked.

Ed

There is no such thing as quiet raingear. If it is quiet and you are in real rain for any lenght of time you are going to get wet. If you are a stand hunter they make umbrella's and they work provided that it isn't windy and blowing sideways.

+ 1 for HH. Helly Hanson Impertech is great. Hard to beat. Quiet and comfortable. Buy it, you won't be sorry. I you think there is no such thing as quiet rain gear, then you've never worn HH Impertech...I wear it bow hunting all the time. You won't ever get wet wearing Impertech.. Try it, you'll like it.

I have used it. Nothing is quiet and waterproof. There is a big difference in rain in Ohio and that of Southeast Alaska. But with that said here is how breathable materials work and why they are not waterproof. The fabric is laminated with add your favorite here ________ (gore-tex) as everyone knows that name. This laminate has tiny little holes in it that are small enough that water from the exterrior will not soak thru due to the large particulate size. But does allow moisture (sweat) smaller particulates thru. This is how the fabric breaths. All Laminates have a psi rating the more pressure on the fabric the more water will be able to be pushed thru the breathing holes. This is why some people ask why do my gore-tex boots still get wet? Because as you are walking/hiking it brushes against stuff (snow, sticks, tall grass, ect) pushing the water thru the membrian. Seeing as how rubber or plastic isn't really what I would call quiet nor breathable there really isn't such a beast as quiet breathable rain gear. Does that mean that there isn't products out there that won't keep you dry in some instances? No of course not.

A difference in rain between Ohio and SE Alaska?? Rain is rain, it might rain more in SE Alaska but it's still rain. I've tried many different types of rain gear and Impertech is hands down the best out there. Breathable and waterproof shouldn't even belong in the same sentence when it comes to rain gear, there's no such thing.

Checked out the Impertech on HH's website. Looks good. And cheaper than super-packable, lightweight, no stink, scentblock super dooper gear. I just have to find some place that might have it on the rack so I can try it on. Not many places in this area that would carry Helly-Hanson. Any tips on how it runs size wise? Long in the in-seam, big through the chest, so on and so on. I like the bibs rather than the pants and just wondering how they generally fit through the chest and in-seam. That is, if anyone here has the bibs. I typically wear 34/30 pants and large in any kind of shirt or coat.

Thanks guys for the tip.

I'm curious about this. I noticed that several companies now make goretex waders. How can the waders keep you dry but goretex clothing lets you get wet?

Goretex is not a waterproof membrane, so in waders there must be another part of the design that's waterproof.

I really like my Rivers West stuff, and one reason is that it's soft and quiet.

Raingear is highly personal- what works for one person might not for another. It's also very tied into how physical the activity is. I wouldn't advise RW stuff for guys who sweat like crazy, or who need to hike 8 miles into their spot in warm conditions. However I usually move pretty slowly, or sit, while hunting.

While hiking is a whole other thing. You need breathability and/or lots of venting, both of which can compromise waterproofness. The RW stuff is typically vented well (don't buy a piece if it's not!!!) but isn't breathable.

But it is quite waterproof. I've literally sat in puddles in my pants and those things have had the crap beat outa them.

RW stuff is also very durable.

Helly Hanson Online has a very detailed sizing chart for chest, inseam, waist, etc. Seems to run close to size. Order online (hellyhansongear.com), I got mine in about 4 days. If it fits, great, if now send it back. You'll know if the sizes run close to what you'll wear. I was pleased too with the prices. Much cheaper than I expected. You can pay $300/400 for some rain gear. I think my pants and top were like $110, and $90. Good price for the quality. I was disappointed though to see they were made in China. But then, try finding anything made in U.S. anymore. 90% of what you buy at Cabela's is imported. Guess that doesn't matter that much anymore. Imported doesn't mean poor quality anymore. Lots of good products are imported. You'd be surprised when you look at the tags. Most comes from oversea.