kevch25, on 07 October 2010 - 01:36 PM, said:
mister2cool, on 05 October 2010 - 01:49 PM, said:
I have the Adidas 3 way convertible ClimaProof jacket that I got from GG a few years ago for an insane price and it is absolutely THE BEST rain jacket money can buy. This is the one with 3 rubber strips on the shoulders to prevent bag straps from slipping.
I have worn it in many occasions with heavy down pours and water just beads off like on glass, yet the fabric is very soft and doesn't make any annoying sound when moving. The best part is the inner removable vest that hugs to your body. It keeps a gap between the outer shell & your body so you don't feel the cold rain, AND it holds the front of the jacket in when you bend forward to hit your shot, so no bulging where your arms and hands need to be.
I also worn this at Barclays when I did volunteering and I was mistaken for tour player a few times.
No doubt that this jacket was crazy expensive retailing at $300. But I have to say it is the best if you have the money to spend.
I'm interested in trying to get my hands on the adidas 3-way convertible climaproof storm fit jacket. I realize it's a few seasons old and it's near impossible to find any retailer or even ebayer that has a Small! Any idea where to pick one up or does anyone have a Small they'd like to sell?
Here is the newer model of this
from TGW. Doesn't look like it comes in size Small though. Personally I like the older design better, but I am not about to shell out $280 to find out if I was wrong.
TW1973, on 09 October 2010 - 01:10 AM, said:
What everyone needs to understand is how most of these so called waterproofs are made.
Basically everything that is not Gore Tex is a PU (polyurethane) membrane combined with a DWR (durable water repelency) coating. There are varying levels of DWR and the problem with a PU membrane is that you always face a repelency vs breathability compromise. The thicker you make it, the more waterproof but it then becomes less breathable. The manufacturers spread this stuff like butter on toast and then rate the product with a mm rating based on the membrane thickness.
Polyurethane membranes have inconsistent pore size which make the products performance inconsistent. Another issue PU garments face is their extreme volatility to solvents. If your non- Gore jacket comes into contact with mosquito spray (solvent) for instance, it will break down the membrane to a point where it will leak almost immediately.
The PU membrane will also crack and fray when stretched and break down when washed adding to the usual short effective life span of any jacket that is not Gore Tex.
I see value in inexpensive garments with a PU membrane for short term or light use water repelency. the price of these items usually allow you to own a few different colors or styles but if you want a real waterproof, you need to fork out the $ for Gore Tex.
The most useless category in outerwear is expensive (over $200) jackets that use a polyurethane membrane. This includes FJ, Sun Mountain, Cross, Sun Ice, Adidas, Mizuno, Callaway, Proquip, etc. etc. etc.
If you notice, companies like Zero and Sun Ice have a Gore license and sell a Gore Tex product however they market and push their proprietary fabrics that are a PU membrane because the margin they can make is much higher.
These items usually have a high style content but if you play in regular or heavy rain, the product will fail in a short period of time. They just bank on the fact that no one follows up with the 1-3 year warranty these companies issue at purchase.
I am sure you have lots of expertise in fabric and know what you are talking about. However, it might be too quick to call all these other proprietary fabrics "useless" when many of us have already demonstrated that they have worked perfectly as expected. Surely no one can argue the performance of Gore Tex. It has been the ultimate "Buy it and Forget about it" rain protection. Because of it's higher cost, or license fee, companies will keep trying to come up with cheaper alternatives. That's how competition works, isn't it? Hopefully someone can come up with a new fabric that can end the domination of Gore Tex and we can all benefit from it.
BTW, my old Mizuno rain gears that were Gore Tex didn't hold up nearly as well as the Adidas. It required constant ironing to reseal the fabric.
Edited by mister2cool, 10 November 2010 - 11:58 AM.
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