Any suggestions as I've no idea what I'm looking at, currently have a superdry article windcheater but the stitching is giving up an it just absorbs water. Looking to spent upto 80 at most
Even in the worst weather my Altura jacket has never let me down. It's hig-vis, but I think they do normal colours as well.
Check sportsdirect, they always have some some nice jackets/coats with ridiculous discounts... if you're lucky to find one that isn't an odd size. I nabbed a proper Helly Hansen winter rambling jacket for less than £40 last year.
Is it any good? As said I had a Superdry so I know nothing! Had a nose on theres lots of branded ones I spotted a Salomon LA Cote Insulated an a couple of Helly Hanson ones. I'm thinking some kind of lining for warmth would be useful most of the time itll be used for work so ill just have a shirt underneath.
All I know is that i took one to Iceland in winter, stood at the bottom Seljalandsfoss Waterfall in minus 14 degrees - remained dry and warm.
I use a Dare2B ski jacket and it's lightweight and effectively weatherproof. Can be had for some bargain prices too.
Go Goretex or go home. If you want cheapest-of-the-cheap, there are plentiful Army Surplus Goretex jackets available on ebay and elsewhere. They're not the height of fashion but they're sturdier than anything else you could get for the price, and you can get them in solid colours (not just DPM).
+1 for the craghopper. I've had one for around 2 years now and it's brilliant. Really warm, breathable and can be stripped down to a fleece + a lightweight waterproof jacket. Or you leave it as a whole as a warm waterproof. (hence the 3 in 1). The hood on the Craghopper is worth mentioning too; it's a oversized one with a peak to keep the rain out of your face and has lots of tabs/velcro to wrap your face up. I think I paid £99 at Go Outdoors.
Ill have to have a look at that Craghopper in the flesh so to speak. Had a nose in the surplus store, they have Helikon ECWCS Gen 2 jackets in grey an black brand new, Hydrostatic pressure of 10K which is just bonkers the guy there though said they are not the warmest of jackets as usually they would have carrier plates etc underneath which makes sense. The had some RN Foul weather jackets with lining one in my size but it was a class 2 with a huge stitched patch down the left side which the guy agreed would leak constantly, all the rest were XXL. The Helly is a bit too far out my price range annoyingly JRS, I had a look at the Dubliner and similar which don't look bad. Muchurios, I had a Precip ages ago but got rid as it was really sweaty they still the same?
If you want a jacket that's completely waterproof and tough as old boots, look for a jacket designed for sailing. There's few environments more harsh than the sea - salt water, rain, wind, sunshine, cold nights etc.
While not really a jacket, you could also check out Helicon fleece with membrane, personally it serves me fine anywhere in 10..-15C range, up to ~20 if I'm stationary for long periods of time. Or just use a waterproof poncho . That helicon ECWCS jacket is intended to be used as soft shell, you need other layers for cold weather (the whole ECWCS concept).
don't worry about brands. Nowadays a lot of brands that used to be amazing for waterproof jackets (Berghaus, Jack Wolfskin, Peter Storm, Craghoppers, Gill, Helly Hanson, Henry Lloyd etc etc) have become trendy recently which has pushed the price up a crazy amount. This wouldn't be a problem, but most of them on the high street are for just jackets with the name on for people to walk around town with. If you want something to actually use for very wet weather or mountaineering etc, then check out some proper sailing jackets (you can search for the above brands, but make sure they are not high street shops). Alternatively, have a drive to somewhere that is a village around a mountain or by the sea. A lot of the time they have little shops that sell clothing for the weather they usually get. You can get some great bargains, but do be prepared to sometimes pay more as some are set up to pull down the pants of tourists.
