Wet weather work clothing

The rainy season is upon us here in the Willamette Valley of Oregon. I spend most of my days outside working on a variety of 'farm'ish' type stuff(fencing, clearing brush, bucking trees, burn piles, fixing the truck and other equipment). It's very active work and I generally have no trouble staying warm. I have a decent rain jacket and plenty of synthetic and wool base/under layers, but I do need some new pants. I generally like to wear the Carhartt bib overalls, so I've been looking online at their shoreline bib. My local Coastal only has the pants, but I haven't been able to get there to check'em out. I stopped by Cabelas yesterday, but they don't stock them. I did try their guide wear bibs, but they were a bit bulky and I was heating up just standing around.

Does anyone have any recommendations for some waterproof, durable, breathable bottoms? I'm not overly concerned about price since I'll wear these 80% of the time between November and May, I just want something good.

Thanks
Chris

Hey Chris, I farm for a living and went with the Carhartt Mayne lightweight bibs and have not been disappointed. They are pretty durable despite the light weight, and they definitely keep the rain out. Only thing is make sure that you order a size smaller than you usually ware, they run large. I ware a size large but ordered a size medium, and I still have plenty of room for layers. Good luck.
Dave

https://www.froggtoggs.com

I have used a few different products from froggtoggs in the past and have not been disappointed.

X2 on the froggtoggs, also check www.duluthtrading.com

X3 on the Togs

KDXSR5 said:

https://www.froggtoggs.com

I have used a few different products from froggtoggs in the past and have not been disappointed.

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Love mine. I have the least expensive top and bottom set they make. They were on sale at Cabela's a few years back for about $29.00. I know plenty of guys who buy them for motorcycle touring, too.

Tommy

Chris_the_wrench said:

"...waterproof, durable, breathable..."

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Waterproof / Breathable

Choose one.

This subject has been discussed ad nauseum on another discussion thread site I frequent.
You can shell out a ton of money for fancy-schmantzy "Arc'teryx" or "Patagonia" (aka "PattaGucci") gear, but none of it is going to be durable enough for what you're doing.
You can check out Filson stuff - the "tin cloth" is bulletproof, but takes a long time to break in, and it's heavy.(After applying an entire can of Filson's "Oil Wax" to this cruiser, it came in at just over 4 pounds.) On the plus side, it is absolutely bulletproof. Jackassing around cutting up some brush I threw the chain on my Stihl and the chain bounced off the sleeve of this tin cruiser:



Finding a good pair of outdoor pants is akin to searching for the Holy Grail.

My girlfriend found these Eddie Bauer "Stormchek" pants on a close-out for $1.00 (that's right: ONE dollar.) She had to take in the waistband so they'd fit. They did okay on a mid-winter hike through vine maple and huckleberry and salal. A bit on the heavy side. Very warm. Pretty durable. This model was discontinued and they replaced it with something else.



Years ago I found these "Mountain Sewn" rain pants (made in White Salmon, Washington) on a clearance sale. The company is apparently no longer in business. With a wash with Nikwax "Tek Wash" ( http://www.nikwax.com/en-us/product...roductid=268&gclid=CPGOjpzLrtACFZGIaQodGjcCWw ) they're absolutely waterproof, although they don't breathe worth a damn and they're not what you'd want to be wearing crashing through slide alder and heavy brush. The side zipper allows venting. They've been up to the tops of a lot of peaks, including St. Helens:



After spending a couple months picking through all the racks at Sportco, Cabela's, Filson Company, and REI, I finally chose this pair of Fjallraven "Keb" trousers. These are the cat's meow. Takes the old Filson waxed-cotton-canvas idea to a whole new level. Lightweight (17 oz.). Water-repellent (The first photo was taken after a test run in the pouring down rain through the brush down at Pt. Defiance Park.) Fairly durable: they did fine crashing through vine maple and huckleberry on a a few off-trail ventures. Spendy. Worth every penny.



Bear in mind that I'm more focused on hiking than "work" stuff, but the same issues exist. If you're playing with chainsaws and heavy equipment, thin nylon isn't going to cut it. Take a look at Fjallraven's website. Take a look at Filson's website.
Consider than any garment made of nylon (or other tight-weave synthetic) can be made water-repellent with that "Nikwax" product if you use it properly - I've done it with an old Marmot parka and my old LL Bean anorak with great results.

I'll close with saying that I've seen some positive comments about "Frog Troggs" among the hikers, but most of them consider it to be a "disposable" product - not as durable as some others.

Best of luck on your search. Hope you are able to find something that works for you.

As a fellow Oregonian, I would recommend Filson, I have had Filson gear for years wore when I worked in the woods, wear it hunting and working around my place doing a lot of the same chores you described. It lasts for ever!

Modoc said:

"As a fellow Oregonian, I would recommend Filson..."

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It was not by accident that Filson was the first product line I mentioned.
I'll be wearing that old cruiser tomorrow and Friday pruning some trees.

I have used goretex, froggstoggs, some newer/better that goretex super fabric(cant remember the name) filsons tin cloth, plain old carhartts. Keep coming back to carrhartts because all the truly water proof fabrics don't breath when doing heavy work. They don't breath well when doing light work either. So your wet, or you sweat which is a stinkier wet.

So i just have a few pairs of carhartts and when one starts getting wet through I change it out for another and place it on the rack by the fire.

I do wear some ballistic nylon splash gear with tek wash while cold/cool weather canoeing, and I do sweat doing it but its a matter life/death on the water, especially in early may rains in the boundary waters.

I should have mentioned - on the Filson:
Filson has contractual agreements with their vendors and will not undersell their dealers.
If you buy directly from Filson you will pay full MSRP.
Best deals are at retail dealers. I got a hell of a deal on that old cruiser from a chainsaw shop out in Elma because I picked up half a dozen hickory work shirts with it.

USGI gortex. Works very well and is rather cheap online.

Thanks for all the replies, I have some more options to explore now. Cabelas had some of the frogs in stock, but they were very lightweight(pack into a small sandwich bag) type. I was looking at filson gear at the saw shop a few weeks back(hats that day). I will check out these other brands as well.

Have any of you tried the files on oil/wax on Carhartt duck? I've read a few how - to threads and I might give that a try on some bibs I already have for a immediate $20 solution/try.

Thanks for your time.
-Chris


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four.cycle said:

After spending a couple months picking through all the racks at Sportco, Cabela's, Filson Company, and REI, I finally chose this pair of Fjallraven "Keb" trousers. These are the cat's meow. Takes the old Filson waxed-cotton-canvas idea to a whole new level. Lightweight (17 oz.). Water-repellent (The first photo was taken after a test run in the pouring down rain through the brush down at Pt. Defiance Park.) Fairly durable: they did fine crashing through vine maple and huckleberry on a a few off-trail ventures. Spendy. Worth every penny.

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I have never seen/heard of this brand. I've been fortunate to travel to Norway a few times, looks like I'll have to check out their store in Oslo my next time there.

Thanks
Chris

Modoc said:

As a fellow Oregonian, I would recommend Filson, I have had Filson gear for years wore when I worked in the woods, wear it hunting and working around my place doing a lot of the same chores you described. It lasts for ever!

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For those of you who wear Filson gear:

How do you wash it? Get the sweat, diesel fuel, bar oil, stank out? Don't care much about stains more cleaning the smells out.

Do the pants shrink at all? Will they fit the same in the dressing room as they do after a month or two?

Any taller guys wearing the bibs? A few reviews say the suspenders are too short, I'm 6'3"

Thanks again
-Chris

Chris_the_wrench said:

Thanks for all the replies, I have some more options to explore now. Cabelas had some of the frogs in stock, but they were very lightweight(pack into a small sandwich bag) type. I was looking at filson gear at the saw shop a few weeks back(hats that day). I will check out these other brands as well.

Have any of you tried the files on oil/wax on Carhartt duck? I've read a few how - to threads and I might give that a try on some bibs I already have for a immediate $20 solution/try.

Thanks for your time.
-Chris


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As mentioned before, the froggtoggs are pretty light and some consider disposable. If you are going to be in thick brush they will get torn up pretty quick. Other than that, they are light, breathable, and waterproof.

I am not a big "outdoor" guy, but I am surprised no one mentioned any of the commercial fishing gear, like Helly Hansen.

theoldwizard1 said:

I am not a big "outdoor" guy, but I am surprised no one mentioned any of the commercial fishing gear, like Helly Hansen.

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My first waterproof/breathable (okay, so that's the byline) was a Helly Hanson I used for cycling. A bit of an odd fit in the shoulders, but it kept my dry in the rain and breathed during cycling. Wore the heck out of it and finally the zipper failed, but not the fabric's performance.

Helly Hansen was very popular in Alaska. I used it for everything from roofing to hunting in the rain. Some of my bibs are older than I am. They are very abrasion and puncture resistant, but I would occasionally cut them while handling tear off that had sheet metal in it (literally like a razor). They were easy to repair with a hip wader patch or regular contact cement. They also make a fabric garment with elastic in it that is stretchy. They are way more comfortable than the heavy vinyl, but not quite as durable. I prefer the stretchy ones 10x more though for working. None of them are breathable, and I handled that by never wearing cotton or wool and making sure the rain gear was baggy. This allows air flow inside to dry you out. Take your jacket off when possible also because if your armpits can ventilate you won't sweat as much.

I've worn Filson before but for the cost and weight I prefer carhartts. Scotch guard or nikwax will make the cotton duck repel water instead of absorbing it for working when it isn't a downpour. I've you generate enough body heat and don't use a heavily insulated jacket, you will dry out the shoulders on your own while you wear it.

I also prefer not to wear waterproof pants. If you are mostly standing, your jacket's bulk will act like an umbrella for your legs.

I just learned to be comfortable when wet because I was either getting rained on or sweating. Fleece is nice because its breathable and even drenched it doesn't hold much water against your skin. Wool will continue to insulate, but it holds water almost as bad as cotton, and that just leads to chafing and blisters.

I can't imagine being comfortable in carhartt bibs in the heat of Oregon while working, but I wear them in the winter for doing snow removal when it gets below about 10 degrees. Everything stays dry then, but I would think they would get saturated with water and really heavy if you tried to wear them in heavy rain.

Chris_the_wrench -

Fjallraven is actually out of Sweden. They have a couple retail outlets here in the US, but those are (from what I was able to gather) mostly catering to the "hipster" market - a few models of their trendy backpacks and a couple models of jackets.
I dealt with them via email - they only deal online unless you're able to get to one of their US retail outlets. Service was top-notch - really good people to deal with.

On the Filson "tin cloth" stuff: you don't wash it. You just brush it off and put more of their "Oil-Wax" on it and let it develop a patina. That tin cruiser of mine is all dark on the front from pitch and tree bark from muscling full rounds of wood I was bucking up. I suppose you could spray it down with a garden hose and let it dry, but if there's enough wax in it the water won't penetrate it.
The only Filson pants I own are a pair of the heavy Mackinaw wool field pants, which are way too warm for around here unless there's a foot of snow on the ground, so I can't speak to your question about hem length. Mine are just barely long enough. (I wear a 36-inch inseam generally.)

Only Carhartt stuff I own is a couple cotton canvas work jackets that were given to me. They're not waxed or treated. One's an old beater I use for outdoor work. Kind of keeps me dry until it soaks through. Generally by then I'm done for the day anyway so it's not a big deal.

Only Helly-Hansen I have is a set of the rubber rain gear. Doing trail work out on the coast in it was like being inside a sauna (in early April!) But it did keep the freezing rain from beating on me.

My favorite piece of Filson is the Tin Bush Hat ( http://www.filson.com/men/hats-and-caps/tin-cloth-bush-hat.html ) I've had to take it up and get it stretched - I have a fat head - and I've re-waxed it a couple times. Great hat. Keeps the rain off my head. Can be rolled up and stuffed into a pack. Somebody I know from another online discussion site uses hers for a water bowl for her dog. She is a logger up near Randle, and swears by her Filson stuff.
Usually if you talk to guys who are out killing trees for a living that's the direction they'll point you - really about the only thing that will put up with that kind of abuse.

On the shrinkage question - just call Filson on the phone. They're first-rate when it comes to customer service.

-BK

Let me add -
owensT7's comment above is spot on.
Don't think you need the warmest, insulated gear for this climate.
My purchases of Filson's Wool Mackinaw Field Pants ( http://www.filson.com/men/pants/mack...eld-pants.html ) and their Double Mackinaw Cruiser ( http://www.filson.com/men/coats-jack...xtra-long.html ) were overkill for this climate. The only time they see any use is if I'm in the mountains post-holing through four feet of snow.



Working outdoors in ambient temperatures of 40°-50° F here in the lowlands - even up to 1500-1800 feet elevation - you can get overheated in a hurry.
Don't think you need the heaviest, insulated stuff for work wear.

And avoid cotton undergarments. Invest in some good synthetic stuff. I own a mess of Patagonia "Capilene" stuff and I love it. Usually the lightweight stuff is more than enough even in dead winter.

And: HAT. You lose about 10% of your body heat through the top of your head.

Chris_the_wrench said:

Thanks for all the replies, I have some more options to explore now. Cabelas had some of the frogs in stock, but they were very lightweight(pack into a small sandwich bag) type. I was looking at filson gear at the saw shop a few weeks back(hats that day). I will check out these other brands as well.

Have any of you tried the files on oil/wax on Carhartt duck? I've read a few how - to threads and I might give that a try on some bibs I already have for a immediate $20 solution/try.

Thanks for your time.
-Chris


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I have used the wax on the bottom part of the legs on my Carhartt bibs. It takes awhile and to be honest I didn't get to wear them after I did it.( I was working inside last year) So I can't say how it works but it definitely seems like it would.

If you have the time try it out. I would put them in the dryer for awhile and set the can in some hot water(think double boiler idea) and keep a hairdryer near by,

I had an Australian Outback coat years ago. That coat developed such a funky smell to it that I couldn't wear it anymore. I didn't wear it for work or store it in any bad conditions, it just started to stink on its own. I poured gallons of boiling water on it and washed it several times to no avail. I don't know if all the oiled products get like that or not.

I've decided to try a pair of the filson double tin bibs. I have to head into Eugene today for some other business, so I will stop at one of their dealers in town. No need for the wool pants for me, I do have some decent fleece I layer under shells or Carhartt bibs for ice fishing and when I travel through British Columbia in -35 temps.

I was sno sealing some of my leather work boots this morning and decided to try it on one of my older pairs of Carhartt pants. I heated the pants in the dryer for abit and plopped the sealant into a glass jar. I kept it pretty warm and liquidy with a heat gun and brushed it into the pants. We'll see how it drys/takes, I will probably use a nylon brush to knock of any extra wax.

I have plenty of good base wear gear I use for snowshoeing, skiing, cycling, etc, but the outer wear designed for those applications are great until I catch that one blackberry thorn or fence wire and there's a instant 12" slash.

Thanks again for the suggestions.
-Chris


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Chris_the_wrench said:

I was sno sealing some of my leather work boots this morning and decided to try it on one of my older pairs of Carhartt pants. I heated the pants in the dryer for abit and plopped the sealant into a glass jar. I kept it pretty warm and liquidy with a heat gun and brushed it into the pants. We'll see how it drys/takes, I will probably use a nylon brush to knock of any extra wax.

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Sno-Seal has some stuff in it that might not be the best thing for those pants (and certainly not leather.)
Best boot stuff ever: Obenauf's LP

The Filson Oil-Wax is some sort of concoction made with their "secret recipe". It has to be warmed up to apply, and you need to use a hair dryer (or a heat gun very carefully) to get it to really soak into the "tin cloth". I spent most of an afternoon re-waxing that old tin cruiser. Pitch and grease and stuff makes the oil-wax not penetrate as well - I wish I would have known that when i bought the thing and i would have doped it up with more wax before ever wearing it.

The Fjallraven wax is a completely different formula: beeswax and paraffin. (Not sure what the ratio is.) You can find recipes for cooking it up yourself on YouTube - way cheaper than paying Fjallraven $8.00 for a bar the same size as a bar of soap. It's essentially applied the same way: warm it up, rub it in, melt it in with a hair dryer (or heat gun.)

I would imagine the Fjallraven wax recipe (beeswax and paraffin) would probably be fairly effective on cotton canvas, which is essentially what their pants are - although they have a synthetic fiber mixed in with the cotton as well for more durability and flexibility. (Their trade name for it is "G1000".)
For that matter, the Filson oil-wax might also be suitable for that purpose.

Fortunately I don't deal much with barb wire fences any more, but the sticker bushes and vine maple and huckleberry off-trail are no less a hazard when it comes to pants. Devils Club - well ... not much you can do about that short of maybe chain mail or plate armor.

Hope those tin bibs work out okay for you.

Sorry to go off on a tangent here, but:
Both my shoe guy (who I've dealt with for over 30 years) and Dave Page of Seattle (who is REI's "shoe guy" up here) both have quite low opinions of "Sno-Seal".
I haven't used it for decades.

Check out Obenauf's LP. Way mo' betta.

I really like dry feet.
The Galibiers were purchased in January of 1976. They're still goin' strong. This is my second pair of Wesco's. The Timberlands finally fell apart, but I got at least a few hundred miles out of them and my feet were dry the whole time.

If doing really heavy work outside but not particularly abrasive i.e. working on machinery febcing building work the best thing you can really wear is a pair of shorts and a coat that hangs lower than them
With a pair of gaitors
Skin is water proof and breathable
And wet trousers are horendous to wear
All shepherds i know do this
Abd when i worked in New Zealand the vast majority would wear rugby shorts and a long jacket called a swandrii all winter and once you get used to it its far preferable to wet trousers

I read the OP and the first word I thought, was Filson.

Then I cracked up when I saw four.cycle was also from Tacoma.

Lots of good info in here.

When I lived in Maine all the commercial fisherman wore Grundens.