I hate raincoats so much.

[otterlybonkers]

That simple really. Sick to death of them, year in year out.

I don't like jeans so tend to wear skirts/dresses and always think waterproofs look dreadful with them and are never the right length. I also don't like or suit big anoraks or parkas (so a big no to Seasalt for me!), they make me look like a depressed sleeping bag.

Anyway it poured down yesterday, and feeling defiant I wore a short skirt with tights and boots, and instead of a raincoat I wore a short quilted jacket with no hood. Popped on a hat and scarf and just thought sod it.

walked for an hour each way to post office., got drenched, but the weird thing is, I dried off quicker and was more comfortable than when I do the whole waterproofs fandango. Seriously. My tights dried quicker than jeans or leggings ever did so that my legs never got damp or cold. My hair was neatly trapped under the woolies and my jacket dried out just as easily as a proper waterproof.

I thought 'why bother'?

Honestly I have a freakily expensive Arcteryx hip length waterproof and some so-called rain repellent leggings - both of which i generally get wetter and more miserable in that tights and a regular jacket. I came home drier and less cold.

Not sure what point of my post is, apart from thinking I wont be buying in to technical gear again.
I would love to just chuck on a wool coat with a hood and face the elements than wear crinkly cold rainwear. It gets wet - dry it later.

Am I the only one who cant stand parkas and rainwear?

www.pasottiombrelli.com/en/pr-1551?utm_source=IGShopping&utm_medium=Social

This one is one my wish list unfortunately this one and all the other beautiful umbrellas that they have are very expensive.

If you have the dosh a proper Mackintosh is totally waterproof, warm - detachable wool lining - has a hood and is a chic shape. Very expensive but a lifetime purchase.

I can recommend the Tilley tec wool hat, warm, waterproof and doesn't restrict your vision like a hood. With the flap down protects your hair as well.

uk.tilley.com/collections/winter-hats/products/ttw2-tec-wool-hat-1?variant=41005323944113

Also like a Fulton dome umbrella but they are longer than a standard one and so less easy to hang off a bag when not needed

I always felt the same way. But last year I invested in a North Face anorak which has zippers from under the arms to the elbow which you can basically create air vents with and it's a complete gamechanger. I staydry and simulataneously don't feel like I've been wrapped in cling film.

What about a wax jackets? Barbour do lots of semi technical but still a bit stylish parkas/ jackets.
I despise proper technical wear and save it for walking up mountains. Big fan of hats. Do like a parka though. I can’t get on with umbrellas so prefer a hat and a big hood.

Thanks for the suggestions, I love that hat but cant see it suiting me, I'm more of a beanie person really.

Another thing about technical gear is that unless you wear leggings or skinny jeans the jackets really look odd. Theyre mostly hip length so my arse is hanging out, even though its not that bad an arse I don't want it jiggling in the breeze swaddled in lycra.

I have an old Barbour which I do wear on occasion, cant say I find it warm though.

Throw lots of 💷💷💷💷💷💷at a proper mid calf length trench - it will do the job, last forever, go with any outfit and make you feel very glamorous and a bit mysterious

Bertiebiscuit

Trench coats love them to look at on other people I am down to 3 sitting in the wardrobe unworn because they don’t keep me warm . When it’s damp and wet do they keep you dry ? Saw one in All Saints I had seen looking stylish on a mysterious women but is it weather proof and the cost is eyewatering to my reduced budget.
Charity shop purchase one of those Danish makes that is waterproof cotton its a bit big but its fully waterproof certainly not stylish. Bought a Rains one but the fabric is too syth for walking around in without ending up clammy.
Crikey I feel like this amount of detail about rubberised products might appeal to fetishes
But my best purchase was in the 90s , YMC jackets . I bought a lovely pack a mac that was actually stylish sadly it perished . They did such lovely jackets often out of waxed cotton and technical traditional fabrics very utility trend as in functional but stylish and the fit was always exceptional . The brand seems to have become something less edgy these days sadly its all smocks and a bit twee.

Worst was a Stella for Adidas raincoat that let the rain in through a seam down the back of my neck in a trickle. I used to do a lot of Hill walking at weekends and was trying to look less Hillwalkerish !
I bet the Danes and Swedes have great outdoor gear brands by independents but you are beginning to liberate me from the quest for waterproof clothing that I actually like.

I’ve got a poncho from Decathlon that I take when walking

In the city I prefer a wool coat- my dense classic duffel or Gloverall pea coat

I do have a rain coat for when it’s pouring thought

I also feel that way about trenches.
I had a Burberry trench around 10 yrs ago, it was a thing of beauty, yes, and a perfect fit, but it didnt have a hood, and it never, ever kept me warm or dry. It matched the actual weather about twice a year so I eventually sold it on.

I thought about one of those long, long Lighthouse raincoats with the cape shoulders, but im 5'4 and might look like a bin bag in it. And because I like to wear long skirts, it might all become a bit too swishy!

I love my wool coats I must admit.
Apart from them I seem to have gone back to my Barbour stuff recently as it really works with skirts (I have a short fitted quilted coat and a sleeker style wax)

I think we all have a different view of what a 'raincoat' is, too. For some a long Seasalt coat will suffice, but again I cant see it working with a calf length skirt peeping out.

Most stuff on the market seems to have been designed to work with either skinny jeans or leggings. And as less people wear skinny jeans, im wondering why coats and jackets don't re-jig to even it out.

Can you not wear a smart trench coat? That’d look fine with dresses
Hat and brolly. Sorted.

@daisystiener OPs latest post, just above yours, addresses her issues with trench coats.

has anybody ever tried waterproof socks? I hate my feet being wet but find wellies cold and uncomfortable.

I'm the same OP. I choose clothes based on what I want to wear and coats for their prettiness. I don't go hiking up mountains and don't want to dress in that style, so I don't.

I have plenty of clothes, if I come home soaked I get changed.

If a coat gets wet I hang it to dry and if is still wet tomorrow I take another. If it's dripping everywhere it goes into the washing machine on a 30 degree 15min wash with some shampoo, which tends not to destroy anything, it'll drip less after its been spun and at least any water coming off it is clean.

I find adding hat/scarf/gloves can turn an autumn season coat into an outfit warm enough for winter and I keep multiple sets of these too to match my coats, plus umbrellas.

Perhaps if you're minimalist with only one of everything my approach wouldn't work, but I've never chosen clothes based on their technical ability and always been fine. I find dressing purely for the occasion/activity/weather to be such a cold and impersonal way of going about things. I prefer to dress for my mood and personality first and those other things second.

@ambereeree

has anybody ever tried waterproof socks? I hate my feet being wet but find wellies cold and uncomfortable.

Try neoprene lined boots, game changer but not cheap. Otherwise proper wool socks (not too tight) over normal socks with standard wellingtons works for a max 4h in freezing temperatures.

@ambereeree

has anybody ever tried waterproof socks? I hate my feet being wet but find wellies cold and uncomfortable.

Wellies are awful. I'd go for proper leather boots with a waterproof breathable membrane.

I used to ride horses so I only know those brands. You can get plenty that looks like ordinary hiking boots or trainers but the sole is different for riding in. Designed to also be comfortable for walking in all day. Expect to pay upwards of £100 and replace every few years if you're going through mud, less often if not.

I had Sealskinz waterproof gloves once. They're ok but not that warm (I need extra warm gloves so prefer knitted ones).

@otterlybonkers

I also think that the more 'technical' rain wear and outdoors brands are taking the piss. I lived for years in an area which had quite a few of them and they are mostly aimed at visitors and tourists.

I have been pathetically drenched and cold in North Face, Arcteryx, Fjallraven, Mountain Equipment, and have had various merino base layers from these brands develop holes within weeks. I honestly think it is all a gimmick, just another lifestyle market focused idea to sell us more crap we don't need.
I also always wondered why anything calling itself waterproof or weatherproof would end at a woman's hip.
Most of the clothes, from coats to 'hiking tights' to technical layers are pretty much shaped only for the average male body. Too tight at the hip and enormous at the shoulder. I spent a while looking like an upturned triangle.

This about the shape! I have a raincoat that is comfortably loose over the bust and waist but tight on the hips. I am not pear-shaped. I have big boobs and broad shoulders. I was walking behind a slim tall woman the other day and noticed that her raincoat was exactly the same - loose everywhere except the hips. It’s really annoying!

TooExtraImmatureCheddar

The shapes are awful. I was discussing this with a friend a while ago: all of my hiking leggings s were far too long and wrinkled up to the knee, and I am not even petite. I had a Didriksons parka for a while that whilst very warm, had sleeves so long they drowned my 6 foot DP (male). And that was a women's size 6.

The hip length raincoats are ubiquitous. Usually in lurid bright colours (again, good idea if you are stuck up a fell) but require a shit ton of under layers to be of any use whatsoever.

I recall being in a shop in the Lake District and asked a member of staff how a certain raincoat would keep me warm, and he told me to purchase a merino base layer topped off with a zip up fleece to 'complete' the coat - the total price for these three items would have come to around £700.

So I wore these hip length things and looked like a weird triangle. Almost every top had the tight hips (including an Arcteryx fleece with hood that in a XS had room for six pairs of buxom boobs and perhaps a small lorry). And the hiking tights, which are basically glorified leggings with a pocket, were similarly fashioned - massive baggy legs and tight hips. Every time I wore them I developed IBS symptoms ....

Anyway, I saw this whilst searching for long coats to wear with dresses, and something appeals to me about it, but I am under no illusions - It is quite ugly!

Does anyone else wear these padded things with long skirts?

Oh this is an interesting thread, I hate raincoats with a passion but I’m often pushing a buggy and can’t use an umbrella. Is there anything you can spray on wool coats to make them more waterproof or water resistant ? Like those sprays you get for shoes?

I use scotchguard for non waterproof shoes, you have to do a couple of coats but then it's fine. I've also tried it on hats, but it works better on solid hats rather than knitted.

I'm surprised how many find their coats don't keep them dry though! Sartorially speaking I am not a fan of waterproof coats, but I could never give them up because they are so practical. My best is a secondhand men's schoffel waterproof that I bought a few sizes big because it fit both me and the baby carrier. I still wear it now - if I'm going somewhere nobody I know will see me

@OhRosalind

Oh this is an interesting thread, I hate raincoats with a passion but I’m often pushing a buggy and can’t use an umbrella. Is there anything you can spray on wool coats to make them more waterproof or water resistant ? Like those sprays you get for shoes?

If you buy a fabric with a tight weave and a bare minimum of fluffyness, like almost zero, you can probably waterproof it fairly effectively by painting on the rewaterproofing wax for waxed jackets. If you do this, the easiest way is to put on some old clothes, stand on some newspaper, wear the coat and have someone else paint you. Or you paint them, whichever. Then hang it up in an open doorway (so it's not touching anything except the hanger) to dry.

Well I think I have a rare allergy. I cannot wear anything which doesnt breathe otherwise I get really ill. It has the same affect as a patch test which doctors cover the substance in plastic to force it into the skin. I think clothing which doesnt breath forces whatever it has in between it and the skin, forces what ever is there into your skin. I may be wrong but I am pretty sure all rainwear is hazardous to health its just people dont know it yet.

Wool tweed is naturally full of lanolin, being made of wool. Back in the day cows’ urine used to be used as a mordant, I’ve got an indestructible tweed coat that belonged to my grandmother that still smells faintly of yak wee.

I’ve no especial love for raincoats (does anyone love such a functional thing?) but a trad Barbour jacket flatters most figures.