Barbour Jackets - how waterproof?

Barbour Jackets - how waterproof?

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Discussion

beanbag

7,346 posts

240 months

Tuesday 16th September 2008
quotequote all
I've always wondered what the fascination is with Barbour jackets???

They look awful from my POV and as mentioned, they are sticky and very uncomfortable when wet (I borrowed one for a day out)....

Asterix

24,438 posts

227 months

Tuesday 16th September 2008
quotequote all
J111 said:
Asterix said:
J111 said:
Asterix said:
J111 said:
yes I agree. On a warm wet day a waxed jacket is a pretty sticky place to be, and they don't dry quickly. There are also advantages to being able to chuck your jacket in the washing machine, and your other half may appreciate the fact that, unlike a wax jacket, it won't smell like wet dog.
Surely you dry it on your Aga?
That would be rather dependent on owning an Aga. A built in twin oven doesn't really have the same effect scratchchin
I just assumed, sorry wink
I think you need to readjust your stereotypes - vulgar parvenu, not landed gentry wink
Ah, I see. More 'Vinnie Jones' than 'Crockett & Jones' smile

As far as how they look - I think a battered Barbour is a wondeful thing with loads of character - However, I agree with a new one - all stiff and cardboardy (another new word for the day!).

BoRED S2upid

19,644 posts

239 months

Tuesday 16th September 2008
quotequote all
Sciroccology said:


Drizabone? Had one a few years back (before I lost it, grrrr) and it was brilliant at braving the elephants.
How do you loose something that big?.

rhinochopig

Original Poster:

17,932 posts

197 months

Tuesday 16th September 2008
quotequote all
Sciroccology said:


Drizabone? Had one a few years back (before I lost it, grrrr) and it was brilliant at braving the elephants.
That was what I was going to get until I had a look for reviews on it. I only found one, and to paraphrase it said it was rubbish.

I noticed barbour do a similar version, and a lot of people rate barbour quite highly.


Re the other post, regarding why not get another goretex or similar. All these garments are not that waterproof. The manufacturers put too many zips and seams in them and they all leak in really bad weather - I'm in the our local Mountain Rescue team and between us we've probably tried nearly every make and they all leak. In really bad weather most of us just wear two shells which is about as waterproof as you're going to get and still retain some level of breathability. The only exception that any of us has found is Helly Hansen sailing gear (which is too heavy).

Therefore, I fancied a change, and given that it's the dogs that do the strenuous exercise and not me, I fancied a Stockman style coat so at least most of my legs stayed dry.

Sciroccology

29,908 posts

229 months

Tuesday 16th September 2008
quotequote all
BoRED S2upid said:
Sciroccology said:


Drizabone? Had one a few years back (before I lost it, grrrr) and it was brilliant at braving the elephants.
How do you loose something that big?.
For "lost", read "left behind when the wife kicked me out and started throwing all my stuff into a skip".

Oh, and it's "lose", by the way wink

Digga

40,207 posts

282 months

Tuesday 16th September 2008
quotequote all
rhinochopig said:
I fancied a Stockman style coat so at least most of my legs stayed dry.
Yes, agreed 100%, when the weather is being properly British, you either need a long coat or waterproof overtrousers at teh very least.

Sciroccology

29,908 posts

229 months

Tuesday 16th September 2008
quotequote all
rhinochopig said:
Sciroccology said:


Drizabone? Had one a few years back (before I lost it, grrrr) and it was brilliant at braving the elephants.
That was what I was going to get until I had a look for reviews on it. I only found one, and to paraphrase it said it was rubbish.
Really? I must say my experience was completely the opposite. Don't really need one these days (no dog to walk) but would have one again in a flash.


And I'm not suggesting that they would make great "flasher macs". Although they probably would.

rhinochopig

Original Poster:

17,932 posts

197 months

Tuesday 16th September 2008
quotequote all
Quinny said:
Digga said:
What about a Belstaff?
Now you're talkingyes

But have you seen the price of classic Belstaff Trialmasters on ebayyikes


I must have thrown half a dozen away over the yearsrolleyes
Have you seen some of their new jackets though - they look they've been designed by Gay Nazis. I refer you to the "Dark Trench". The city coat looks ok, but is too smart for what I want.

http://www.belstaff.net/index.php?option=com_virtu...


Digga

40,207 posts

282 months

Tuesday 16th September 2008
quotequote all
Sciroccology said:
rhinochopig said:
Sciroccology said:


Drizabone? Had one a few years back (before I lost it, grrrr) and it was brilliant at braving the elephants.
That was what I was going to get until I had a look for reviews on it. I only found one, and to paraphrase it said it was rubbish.
Really? I must say my experience was completely the opposite. Don't really need one these days (no dog to walk) but would have one again in a flash.


And I'm not suggesting that they would make great "flasher macs". Although they probably would.
Where's Rod Rammage - he must have an opinion on macs?

Fivepercent

382 posts

186 months

Tuesday 16th September 2008
quotequote all
dave_s13 said:
Fivepercent said:
.....
It breathes far better than coatings like Goretex.
.....
http://www.ventile.co.uk/
I may be wrong but Goretex isn't a coating, it's an actual material. And, if you put it through the washing machine it regains it's factory fresh waterproofness too - in fact that's what Goretex recomend in terms of keeping it working.

In a similar vein anything made with eVent fabric will be good.

FWIW I've got a rather nice North Face Goretex snowboarding shell and it is amazingly good quality (cost 100 quid off ebay america- £450 new!! - it was a lucky find).
I thought that Goretex was PTFE filled with microscopic bubbles and then run through rollers. The bubbles burst and make the microscopic holes that are big enough for water vapour molecules but not water droplets. The sheet of holy PTFE if then bonded to the inside of the cloth that you want to make waterproof, usually something like Taslan. So Gortex isn't a material, it is the addition to the material of a thin coating of holy PTFE. If you look at a Goretex jacket you can see it as a creamy colour on the inside of the cloth.

Reidy10_0

1,123 posts

203 months

Tuesday 16th September 2008
quotequote all
Wax jackets are not very water proof when compared to Goretex.
If you are using it to withstand sever weather i would go for one of the new goretex barbour jackets that will perform better.
If you are just walking the dog in the rain for 30mins or so then the wax jacket will be fine.

When comparing price and performance I would go for the goretex everytime.

JonRB

74,404 posts

271 months

Tuesday 16th September 2008
quotequote all
Wax jackets stink. The only thing more smelly than a wax jacket wearer is one who smokes as well. And has BO.

No, actually, I'd rather smell someone's BO straight from their armpit than smell a wax jacket. yuck

JonRB

74,404 posts

271 months

Tuesday 16th September 2008
quotequote all
rhinochopig said:
Have you seen some of their new jackets though - they look they've been designed by Gay Nazis. I refer you to the "Dark Trench". The city coat looks ok, but is too smart for what I want.

http://www.belstaff.net/index.php?option=com_virtu...
"Your page is blocked due to a security policy that prohibits access to category
Glamour & Intimate Apparel."

WTF???

rhinochopig

Original Poster:

17,932 posts

197 months

Tuesday 16th September 2008
quotequote all
JonRB said:
rhinochopig said:
Have you seen some of their new jackets though - they look they've been designed by Gay Nazis. I refer you to the "Dark Trench". The city coat looks ok, but is too smart for what I want.

http://www.belstaff.net/index.php?option=com_virtu...
"Your page is blocked due to a security policy that prohibits access to category
Glamour & Intimate Apparel."

WTF???
rofl

Well there you go, I told you some of the jackets looked like they'd been designed by Gay Nazis

pdV6

16,442 posts

260 months

Tuesday 16th September 2008
quotequote all
Fivepercent said:
dave_s13 said:
Fivepercent said:
.....
It breathes far better than coatings like Goretex.
.....
http://www.ventile.co.uk/
I may be wrong but Goretex isn't a coating, it's an actual material. And, if you put it through the washing machine it regains it's factory fresh waterproofness too - in fact that's what Goretex recomend in terms of keeping it working.

In a similar vein anything made with eVent fabric will be good.

FWIW I've got a rather nice North Face Goretex snowboarding shell and it is amazingly good quality (cost 100 quid off ebay america- £450 new!! - it was a lucky find).
I thought that Goretex was PTFE filled with microscopic bubbles and then run through rollers. The bubbles burst and make the microscopic holes that are big enough for water vapour molecules but not water droplets. The sheet of holy PTFE if then bonded to the inside of the cloth that you want to make waterproof, usually something like Taslan. So Gortex isn't a material, it is the addition to the material of a thin coating of holy PTFE. If you look at a Goretex jacket you can see it as a creamy colour on the inside of the cloth.
Semantics.

Goretex is made pretty much as you describe IIRC. A sheet of goretex on its own will be perfectly waterproof and breathable but not very strong, hence it is normally bonded to a tougher shell fabric. Heavier-weight jackets will have an absorbent fabric lining as well to wick up sweat moisture that hasn't yet escaped through the goretex layer.

Calling it a "coating" implies in most people's minds that it's something you can spray on or dip the fabric into to make it waterproof, whereas in fact the goretex layer is one of the constituent parts of the construction of the jacket; calling it a "fabric" (whilst not being strictly accurate) gives a much better understanding of how it actually works.

Most waterproof coatings (such as wax, in the case of a Barbour) wear off and need to be re-applied, whereas goretex just needs to be washed in order to unblock the pores and thus restore its breatheability (if that's even a word!).

Fivepercent

382 posts

186 months

Tuesday 16th September 2008
quotequote all
Barbour make or have made 2 Ventile jackets.
The Endurance and the Arctic Endurance.

They will be expensive but will be the business.
And in reply to your original question they will be waterproof to immersion standards.


BigLepton

5,042 posts

200 months

Tuesday 16th September 2008
quotequote all
BoRED S2upid said:
BigLepton said:
Mine is very waterproof, though you do get a little tin of wax to re-waterproof it every so often. The big pockets at the bottom are so waterproof that when you put shot rabbits in them, no blood escapes so they have little blood drain holes to let it out.

HTH
Nice image.

Blood drain holes what a selling point.
Beats the hell out of a pocket full of blood! biggrin

I bet you'd eat the rabbit stew I made out of them too!

rhinochopig

Original Poster:

17,932 posts

197 months

Tuesday 16th September 2008
quotequote all
Fivepercent said:
Barbour make or have made 2 Ventile jackets.
The Endurance and the Arctic Endurance.

They will be expensive but will be the business.
And in reply to your original question they will be waterproof to immersion standards.

I appreciate the effort searching for that, but I have to say it conjures images of Dwayne Dibly - Tad too trainspotterish.



Bad-Gerbil

227 posts

187 months

Tuesday 16th September 2008
quotequote all
So glad I found this post. Only this morning, I was looking for a new outdoor jacket and the
recommendations here, will come in useful. Thank you.
BG