best rain coat

[mimitabby]

I got my size medium Showers Pass yesterday and got to try it out today, expecting rain and it's below 40 degrees.

I LOVE IT! And So far, it has prevented the rain from falling. Neat trick.

If you have slightly wide shoulders, I suggest you get at least the medium.

[DebW]

Have any of you taken a steam iron to your Showers Pass jacket after washing it? The directions say you're supposed to do that so it retains its water repellency. I washed mine once and didn't iron it and it seemed to repel water fine, but I washed it again today and am wondering if I'm being dumb by not ironing it. I REALLY hate to iron, so my inclination is to take my chances, but the jacket is so expensive I'd hate for it to not be useful in the rain.

The theory is that ironing or running it through a dryer will refresh the DWR (durable water repellent) status of the fabric. I haven't done this to any of my raingear, so I'm only passing along theory. If your jacket wets out (ie. the outer surface becomes saturated) or you see that water is not being shed but soaking in, then you need to renew the DWR because a jacket will not breathe properly (pass vapor through) with liquid on the outside of the fabric.

[mimitabby]

The theory is that ironing or running it through a dryer will refresh the DWR (durable water repellent) status of the fabric. I haven't done this to any of my raingear, so I'm only passing along theory. If your jacket wets out (ie. the outer surface becomes saturated) or you see that water is not being shed but soaking in, then you need to renew the DWR because a jacket will not breathe properly (pass vapor through) with liquid on the outside of the fabric.

So Deb, are you saying I could have ironed my old raincoat and it would have revived, or is this just true for this particular brand?

[DebW]

So Deb, are you saying I could have ironed my old raincoat and it would have revived, or is this just true for this particular brand?

It should be true for any breathable raingear. The raingear shouldn't leak because of aged DWR, it would merely become non-breathable in a hard rain. If it really leaks, then either the waterproof coating is worn off or the goretex is old or contaminated. I'm not an expert on goretex.

[Velobambina]

Mimi - My Showers Pass jacket arrived on Friday, which was a damp rainy day here, so I took it out for a test ride. Luckily, I got my ride finished between rain showers so I didn't get the chance to try its storm-worthiness (will get plenty of opportunities in the future, so I'm not disappointed). It was warm -- 65 degrees -- and very humid. Everything Nanci said about the jacket's venting system was right on target. What a pleasure not to get overheated in a rain jacket. I didn't think I'd like the color but as a Pittsburgh native, I always wear Gold/Black with pride!!

Now I'll have to find the iron! Hopefully, we didn't get rid of it in our last yard sale. haha.