Been using traditional GTX/event jackets up till now and thinking of experimenting with lighter stuff...
While the zpacks WPBCF would be nice its pricey and i wont risk it with such a fragile material (compared to goretex

So im thinking of getting the driducks
is this http://www.froggtoggs.com/#outerwear/driducks/DS1204/

the one you all use??
Mike

That is it. The Ultra Light is what most people here use. My Size XL weights 6.5oz for the jacket and 5 oz for the pants. They run pretty big, I am typically XXL in everything I wear. The pants run especially large.

I researched it from old threads and such and it appears the Dura Lite Driducks would be more durable, some people use them but I think they are quite a bit heavier although I never was able to get a weight on them, never found any to look at in person. In the reviews there is a very positive review on the Dura Lite with a guy wearing one on a saltwater coast, he is wearing a blue jacket in the picture, his are Dura Lite but I think the majority of the rest of the reviews are the Ultra Lite. I wish they would separate them out in the reviews section. I read a review on amazon or something where someone said something to the effect of 'I am a light backpacker and bought these Dura Lites, they are not what people buy for light backpacking, these are quite heavy, get the ultra light instead'.

Tyler,

I saw a pair of the driducks duralite the other day in person. They are considerably thicker and they do seem to weigh a lot more. They do look a lot better than my gray DD trail suit though :) I thought about buying a pair for when I know there will be rain on a weekend trip. This was instead of purchasing a Patagonia torrentshell parka and pants. I do think they would be lighter and definitely cheaper than that option. I have been carrying the DD emergency poncho when there is only a small chance of rain.

Heath -

I thought the same thing...

Get the DuraLite for cold/rainy conditions, the UltraLite for cold/most likely dry conditions or possibly warm chance of rain, then go with a poncho for warm, low/no chance of rain.

I wish someone would get a weight on the DuraLites.

As far as the poncho option I was thinking about carrying two clear plastic emergency type ponchos. I have been reading about people doing the whole Appalachian trail with a couple of them. You can repair them with duct tape, you can carry a spare, you can create sleeves with a little tape. These are the ones that fold up into the size of a wallet or smaller. I have not weighed one yet but I have heard something around 2 oz, carry a spare 4 oz and about $1.99 each. I saw some good looking ones at Dick's Sporting Goods.

Tyler,

I think the plastic poncho option would work. I just can't get myself to use a non-breathable poncho for some reason. I know they would have venting at the arms and neck but to me I would blame any sweating on the poncho causing it :) I hope the breathable cuben works out so that ZPacks could make a breathable groundsheet/poncho that would be tough. Expensive though

Yeah I can see your point.

In there interest of making this thread more complete, the DriDucks Poncho as far as I know is 1 size fits all, 8.5oz.

I ended up with the emergency poncho instead. It is thinner and lighter. I figured that I would go with it since I would only take it when I didn't expect a lot of rain. Mine weighs 2.8 oz. The regular would provide better coverage and probably is more durable.

10x

so how fragile are these things?
can you hike off trail with reasonable confidence?

it seems like you are saying take them only if chance of rain is small or not continuous rain...so if im going to say hike in scotland where it basically rains 365 a year then stay with goretex/event?

M

I haven't used mine yet. They are more durable than I thought they would be but if I was expecting rain my entire trip I would at least consider the DuraLite version versus the UltraLite. I don't think you should plan to do a lot of off trail hiking in the UltraLite, like I said I have no experience here but I have read multiple sources that said no.

Keep in mind this is $20 rain gear for top and bottoms. If $20 rain gear was just as good or better than a $500 shell set NOBODY would buy the expensive shells.

My use for the UltraLite is going to hiking on nice trails when I don't expect rain. If I expected a constant rain I would buy and look at a pair of the DuraLite or 'real' rain gear.

I forgot about the DriDucks emergency poncho. Well heck that seems like it is a great option versus the clear plastic emergency ponchos if they weight roughly 2 oz.

As far as the durability of the DriDucks Emergency Poncho, how would you say it compares to one of those clear plastic emergency ponchos? Tougher or more fragile?

Its much more durable than a clear emergency poncho. I think the frailty of driducks is often overstated. I would not want to use them where I would have abrasion on rocks, but for normal on trail backpacking, they are fine. If you do get a tear, I hear they duct tape well.

Edited by alexdrewreed on 02/15/2012 07:57:02 MST.

I think for rain that lasts for days the main issue with driducks would be the fabric wetting out. Event or Goretex would have an advantage here. I agree that the durability concerns are exaggerated. At least on the jacket if you're trail hiking. The pants are a different story altogether.

I've never had them wet out, unlike Goretex. They breathe really well (somewhere between Goretex and Event). As mentioned, the big problem is durability. As mentioned, the pants are way more likely to wear out than the jacket. Unless you are bushwhacking, you will get little holes, which as was mentioned, are fairly easy to patch.