Bibs

[JIMI]

Hey,

What are the best bibs? They all seem very expensive, so I want to do a little research before buying. I like the Arc'teryx half pant half bib pants. Can't remember the model name.

Anyone have advice?

[Cpt.Caveman]

Jimi is that you? I hear you are coming up for air soon!

[jon]

I've got Lowe Alpine half bibs that I bought a couple of years ago. They are the Triple Point stuff and are really light, and are a lot cheaper than the Gore Tex. Reinforced ankles, full side zips and really cool suspender buckle makes them really easy to take on and off. What I like best about having light weight bibs is that they work well in the warmer winter conditions we see here.

[Beck]

DON'T JUST GO BUY BIBS MADE OF GORETEX! Try something softshell! You'll be a lot happier in some fine Schoeller Dryskin Extreme Bibs or salopettes (Check out MEC's Scholler salopette) or Patagonia's new Regulator fabrics- Unless you're climbing a slush fest or in totally tough rain, Scholler will keep you warmer and drier than any Goretex product and at less than half the price- What's Gore tex XCR stand for- X-treme Cost Ripoff!

 

A case in point: just yesterday I was up on a SAR action on Mount Adams yesterday, looking for some dude in a total blizzard, 60 MPH gusts, ice rime, heavy snows, FULL conditions. the rest of the team wore Gore or related products, I wore scholler pants and a Patagonia Regulator Jacket. Less than two hours into the search, my fellow Mountain Rescue bros were largely wetted out, inside and outside their shells. You know, dripping wet. I was mildy moist, little bit of wet out just above the gaiters and knees. By the end of the day I was STILL dry inside, just a touch moist from sweat but felt very comfortable in the soft shells I was wearing, the rest of the team looked like wet cats in an Icebox- no, not quite that bad!!

 

Try some scholler pants, you can get em for 100 bucks or so, sometimes less (I found some at a Bertram Mann store for 25 bucks!)

 

you'll be very impressed with the performance of these new age soft shell fabrics- Beck

[Terminal_Gravity]

Thanks Beck,

Can you make a similar reccomendation for outer jackets? And are these fabrics wind proof?

[genepires]

Beck is right on. You have to ask, what conditions will you be in? What do you need? I only use the goretex in the summer (when it is raining hard and I have to stand around in it ) and boarding in bounds. For alpine stuff in the winter, stick to more breathable stuff. If it is raining in the winter, you should be going home anyway.

[Wallstein]

Beck-

What Patagonia jacket are you talking about?

I am looking at getting the Stretch Speed Ascent jacket. I wasn't sure if it was waterproof enough for the pnw.

[Bronco]

I had to rap through a smallish waterfall last weekend and was wearing my Scholler pants. Mildly damp. Dried quickly depsite brush belaying through wet folliage. Good stuff. No complaints yet. $42.00 on ovestock.com (Moonstone contortin pants)

 

Very satisfied customer.

[David_Parker]

Ok I'm convinced and am searching for a good deal on some schoeller pants and possibly a jacket. Any ideas where to find a good price? Bronco, no go on overstock.com....at least right now.

[Dennis_the_Menace]

Beck - did you find the dude or what?

[Bronco]

Yep, sorry David they appear to be soldout as well as on sierratradingpost.com. MEC has some softshell bibs and pants quite a bit cheaper than the Pattagucci stuff.

Beck - you and your homies did a great job finding the lost dude on Adams in those conditions!

[Beck]

I was wearing the Patagonia Dimension Jacket, for those of you familiar with Scholler, it's like Scholler on Steroids, real Gorilla Skin, they make pants in the same material, I can't say how pleased I've been with Scholler fabrics and now this new Dupont fabric Patagonia is using- I think Marmot's got a suit made of the same stuff called the Rock suit, didn't see it in the retail store yet. Jim, sheriff of Yakima County and SAR coordinator on the Adams rescue likened it to us "herding the guy in"- he was camping up high over the weekend when the weather closed in ansd he woke up in whiteout conditions near the lunch counter somerwhere around 8,000 feet.

He had a FRS Radio and contacted some hunter who alerted Yakima Co.- His tent collapsed on him sometime Tuesday AM and he had to cut himself out of his tent and sleping bag to escape.Without shelter he had no option but to begin descending in the whiteout. We arrived Tuesday AM and we were in contact with him on the radio and helped steer him down and out as we cut track for him to follow if he ran across it. Lucky guy, those radios aren't a failsafe but it really helped out on this one.