Originally Posted By: Sky-Guy
I used several Columbia and Redington coats and eventually became dissatisfied after a long cold day of pouring rain, and both coats eventually becoming saturated.

Because of this reason, I've switched to wearing my snowboarding shell, which is an Arcteryx Sidewinder coat. It 's just a waterproof shell without any insulation, but that's fine because it will not get get wet, stay wet, or leak. I just layer with fleece or a hoodie for warmth underneath. These coats are long and also have an elastic powder bib which prohibits drafts and water from coming up through the garment from below.


Sky-Guy nailed it. Get on steepandcheap.com, rei-garage, or backcountry outlet and find a 20,000 mm waterproof or Gore-Tex shell. If you get cold, find a primaloft insulated jacket to wear underneath. Skip anything with a DWR coating as it'll wash off pretty quick.

I ended up finding some Acteryx ski pants at an REI garage sale for $33, and they've been the best rain paints I've owned.

http://www.backcountry.com/marmot-pallisades-jacket-mens-mar00lr

http://www.backcountry.com/houdini-4-ace-jacket-mens