Raingear

[brennanms22]

Looking for some guidance, playing Ireland in June and Bandon in August (tough life, I know) but I need to invest in some raingear. Any recommendations? I’m comfortable investing in quality. Thanks 

[bellken]

I don't know about the weather in Ireland in June, but, Bandon in August may not need rain gear(dry season in the PNW). If you really want to spend money on rain gear, Kjus (3L(L-layer) products) and Galvin Green are a couple of brands to look at. A lot of people swear by Goretex products (Galvin Green), but, other waterproof breathable membranes are comparable and work as well. There are a lot Zero Restriction fans as well, and, they make a wide range of products. There is a lot of information in the Best Rain gear thread - 

and a lot of it still applies. I live in the PNW, and, have an assortment of rain gear. I have 2.5L and 3L products, and, when, it is cooler and rainy, I prefer the 3L products( ie. Goretex(3L) vs Goretex Paclite(2.5). 3L products have a layer between the waterproof breathable membrane and you. 2.5L products have waterproof breathable membrane next to your skin. 

 

One idea is to buy rain gear in Ireland (I have no clue how expensive it is there, but, it would be a neat souvenir). I tend to buy rain gear, when, I find a good deal, which, is how I have ended up with multiple pieces of rain gear. If you are a size M, globalgolf has some Galvin Green jackets on sale. You would, also, get more recommendations about rain gear, if this were in the Golf Styles forum vs the Golf Bags/Carts/Headcover subforum. 

[Abh159]

The thread bellken posted is a great resource to start.

 

It's good that you are willing to "invest" in quality, and hopefully you know what that means. Really good rain gear can set you back anywhere from $500- $1,000, but it should last close to a lifetime. That is assuming it still fits 😉.

 

 

[Bdmac79]

IMO, you get what you pay for.  I suggest looking at Galvin Green, Kjus and Zero Restriction. 

[hammergolf]

Two words GORE TEX. Whatever brand you decide, make sure it’s gore tex. Budget golf is a GREAT place to buy previous years rainwear. Really good pricing on great stuff.

Edited January 23, 2023 by hammergolf

[Maroon_19]

I've been looking at Proquip.  Their Stormforce PX7 suit has some really good reviews.  Scottish golf wear company.  They should know about golf and rain.

[hammergolf]

On 1/23/2023 at 12:37 PM, Maroon_19 said:

I've been looking at Proquip.  Their Stormforce PX7 suit has some really good reviews.  Scottish golf wear company.  They should know about golf and rain.

Agreed, Almost every caddy I’ve ever had in Scotland and Ireland wears Proquip. They deal with the rain more than most people, so that says a lot to ne.

[MattM97]

What are your guys thoughts on second hand rain gear? I don't find myself playing in the rain much but still want the gear. The issue for me is that I'm a very weird fit and paying full price for something that may not fit is something I don't want to do. Figured can buy something second hand, give it a try and if I really like it pay full price for a new one if I need to. 

[Abh159]

7 minutes ago, MattM97 said:

What are your guys thoughts on second hand rain gear? I don't find myself playing in the rain much but still want the gear. The issue for me is that I'm a very weird fit and paying full price for something that may not fit is something I don't want to do. Figured can buy something second hand, give it a try and if I really like it pay full price for a new one if I need to. 

 

Unless you are buying something that is on "final sale" I don't see any reason why you couldn't return it if it didn't fit. 

 

Second hand might work, but the issue there is you don't know how the previous person treated it. If they didn't wash/dry it correctly then the waterproof properties could be compromised.

[MattM97]

2 minutes ago, Abh159 said:

 

Unless you are buying something that is on "final sale" I don't see any reason why you couldn't return it if it didn't fit. 

 

Second hand might work, but the issue there is you don't know how the previous person treated it. If they didn't wash/dry it correctly then the waterproof properties could be compromised.

 

That is true but all of the gear I'm looking at like Zero Restriction is quite expensive. Unless I look for a final sale item or something lesser but still decent for the amount I play in the rain. I do have a set of pants from Under Armour I got on sale so I guess I could always just look for a sale.

[bellken]

32 minutes ago, MattM97 said:

What are your guys thoughts on second hand rain gear? I don't find myself playing in the rain much but still want the gear. The issue for me is that I'm a very weird fit and paying full price for something that may not fit is something I don't want to do. Figured can buy something second hand, give it a try and if I really like it pay full price for a new one if I need to. 

I always buy new, and, usually on sale. 2nd hand rain gear could be ok, but, if it was abused or not taken care of, it could be a waste of money.

 

Zero Restriction rain gear is pretty common, so, you should be able to find it in a shop near you to try on. fwiw budgetgolf has some ZR rain gear on sale.

[MattM97]

10 minutes ago, bellken said:

I always buy new, and, usually on sale. 2nd hand rain gear could be ok, but, if it was abused or not taken care of, it could be a waste of money.

 

Zero Restriction rain gear is pretty common, so, you should be able to find it in a shop near you to try on. fwiw budgetgolf has some ZR rain gear on sale.

 

Yeah I can see that now, regular clothes ok for 2nd hand but rain gear probably not.

 

I did look at Budget Golf and doesn't look like much in my size but that's fine I'll keep a look out. 

[thezinfan]

1 hour ago, MattM97 said:

 

Yeah I can see that now, regular clothes ok for 2nd hand but rain gear probably not.

 

I did look at Budget Golf and doesn't look like much in my size but that's fine I'll keep a look out. 

If you don't mind me asking, what's your approx. size?

[MattM97]

4 minutes ago, thezinfan said:

If you don't mind me asking, what's your approx. size?

 

So I'm kinda between sizes now at like 2XL or 3XL and going down as I'm trying to lose weight. But I do have really long arms and a wide back so for jackets sometimes I size up 1-2 sizes so I can move and not many brands offer anything that big or if they do they don't fit that well.

 

I know Galvin Green goes up to 5XL but that's like 3XL for every other brand based on measurements. 

[bellken]

2 hours ago, MattM97 said:

 

So I'm kinda between sizes now at like 2XL or 3XL and going down as I'm trying to lose weight. But I do have really long arms and a wide back so for jackets sometimes I size up 1-2 sizes so I can move and not many brands offer anything that big or if they do they don't fit that well.

 

I know Galvin Green goes up to 5XL but that's like 3XL for every other brand based on measurements. 

if you were looking for rain pants, budgetgolf has a couple of good options Ping Zero Gravity and Sunice Narooma for under $90. I don't typically look at XL sizes and bigger, but, the Ping Zero Gravity caught my eye (great deal, if they are your size). 

[thezinfan]

2 hours ago, MattM97 said:

 

So I'm kinda between sizes now at like 2XL or 3XL and going down as I'm trying to lose weight. But I do have really long arms and a wide back so for jackets sometimes I size up 1-2 sizes so I can move and not many brands offer anything that big or if they do they don't fit that well.

 

I know Galvin Green goes up to 5XL but that's like 3XL for every other brand based on measurements. 

It's not the level of ZR, but you might want to check out Footjoy Hydrolite. Seems to have a lot of room in the chest/back. Easy to find to try on. 

[thezinfan]

3 minutes ago, bellken said:

if you were looking for rain pants, budgetgolf has a couple of good options Ping Zero Gravity and Sunice Narooma for under $90. I don't typically look at XL sizes and bigger, but, the Ping Zero Gravity caught my eye (great deal, if they are your size). 

Great price on the Naroomas.

[MattM97]

9 minutes ago, bellken said:

if you were looking for rain pants, budgetgolf has a couple of good options Ping Zero Gravity and Sunice Narooma for under $90. I don't typically look at XL sizes and bigger, but, the Ping Zero Gravity caught my eye (great deal, if they are your size). 

 

Thanks maybe I'll look for a backup set or point it towards my friends who always complain when it rains. But yeah I'm usually looking at the biggest sizes for every brand.

 

8 minutes ago, thezinfan said:

It's not the level of ZR, but you might want to check out Footjoy Hydrolite. Seems to have a lot of room in the chest/back. Easy to find to try on. 

 

For the amount of time I play in the rain the FJ stuff is probably plenty good and much easier to find in store to try one so I may just get one of their jackets and call it good for a while or until they become too baggy for me.

[2bGood]

It might be living a bit dangerously, but it you are easy to fit stuff, don't buy gear before the trip. In June and August you are going to find some deals on rain gear likely and I am sure you want some souvenirs from the courses you are visiting. Nothing better than gore tex jacket from one of the rainy rounds at a course in Ireland. As an aside Bandon's clothing prices are all suggested retail or better. The cheapest gore-tex I own I picked up there on sale. 

 

For my money I lite Gore Tex Paclite stuff. It is stretchy, very light, and is lower price. It tends to come with less features and no lining etc. That is fine by my as it makes it easier to adjust layers and not be too warm.  I have seen it used iii , Galvin, Sun Ice, Under Armour and Zero Restriction. 

 

Here is good write up on the versions of Gore Tex for golf:

 

https://www.todays-golfer.com/features/equipment-features/2018/january/review-gore-tex-vs-paclite-vs-stretch-c-knit-/

 

[warmhughes]

Have heard weatherman umbrellas are the way to go

https://www.weathermanumbrella

[thezinfan]

12 hours ago, 2bGood said:

It might be living a bit dangerously, but it you are easy to fit stuff, don't buy gear before the trip. In June and August you are going to find some deals on rain gear likely and I am sure you want some souvenirs from the courses you are visiting. Nothing better than gore tex jacket from one of the rainy rounds at a course in Ireland. As an aside Bandon's clothing prices are all suggested retail or better. The cheapest gore-tex I own I picked up there on sale. 

 

For my money I lite Gore Tex Paclite stuff. It is stretchy, very light, and is lower price. It tends to come with less features and no lining etc. That is fine by my as it makes it easier to adjust layers and not be too warm.  I have seen it used iii , Galvin, Sun Ice, Under Armour and Zero Restriction. 

 

Here is good write up on the versions of Gore Tex for golf:

 

https://www.todays-golfer.com/features/equipment-features/2018/january/review-gore-tex-vs-paclite-vs-stretch-c-knit-/

 

Really good article. I learned a few things!

[thezinfan]

13 hours ago, MattM97 said:

 

Thanks maybe I'll look for a backup set or point it towards my friends who always complain when it rains. But yeah I'm usually looking at the biggest sizes for every brand.

 

 

For the amount of time I play in the rain the FJ stuff is probably plenty good and much easier to find in store to try one so I may just get one of their jackets and call it good for a while or until they become too baggy for me.

Good luck on your weight loss. I went through a weight loss last year. I made a mistake of buying some new smaller clothes early on, then ended up even smaller so I had to sell that stuff and re-buy. Definitely hold off investing in GalvinGreen, ZR, etc... until you get to where you want to be. Then you buy some fancy rain gear and cool belts to celebrate. 🙂

[MattM97]

4 minutes ago, thezinfan said:

Good luck on your weight loss. I went through a weight loss last year. I made a mistake of buying some new smaller clothes early on, then ended up even smaller so I had to sell that stuff and re-buy. Definitely hold off investing in GalvinGreen, ZR, etc... until you get to where you want to be. Then you buy some fancy rain gear and cool belts to celebrate. 🙂

 

Thanks yeah I have some Peter Millar gear that was too snug for me start of December, half isn't too bad now, and hopefully when I tee off in the spring it all fits me. But yeah don't want to spend a ton of rain gear only for it to be falling off me end of the season, but that's a good problem to have lol. 

[TreeHugger73]

On 1/30/2023 at 4:05 PM, MattM97 said:

What are your guys thoughts on second hand rain gear? I don't find myself playing in the rain much but still want the gear. The issue for me is that I'm a very weird fit and paying full price for something that may not fit is something I don't want to do. Figured can buy something second hand, give it a try and if I really like it pay full price for a new one if I need to. 

I have purchased used GORE-TEX raingear made by a reputable company that backs it w/ a lifetime warranty. So far, so good. And, I have some recourse if it does have issues down the road.

 

Now that the GORE-TEX patent has run its course, many people have made really good clones of it. It was nice back in the day where the best answer was always, "bite the bullet and get GORE-TEX." Now there are other good options out there, but its hard to know which are legit and which are not. It just sucks to find out the latter 4 holes into a trip to Scotland/Bandon. 

[wolverine_man]

I just picked up a short-sleeve, full zip Galvin Green Gore Tex jacket for a song on the Bay, in great condition.  I also just ordered a Kjus Gemini jacket to see what the rage is all about.  I have tried both on so I know my size. I have been using an Arc'Teryx Zeta SL (Gore-Tex) with hood, and it has done a great job in very rainy conditions, including my recent trip to Pebble. It's just a little warm in anything above 55 degrees. I am hoping the short sleeve GG will fit that purpose better, as the sleeve openings should allow for better ventilation, in theory.  I am also still using Arc'Teryx Beta SL (Gore-Tex pants) for now. But between the 3 jackets, I think I should have a good option or two to take with me to Scotland next year.  I do like the idea of buying the gear when you arrive at your destination, if budget permits. And you don't need something unusual like a short length pant, like I do. I have an Imperial Waterproof Pebble Beach hat that I just got on my trip that worked very well, and is a great souvenir.