This is a good place to look if you want to know about Ventile fabrics. It's very good stuff.
http://www.ventile.co.uk/ :mrgreen:
http://www.ventile.co.uk/ :mrgreen:
FYI Ventile
- Thread starter Tony
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Ventile is good - I've worn my old west winds smock for years and years. Wore it under my combat jacket when i was a soldier and now I wear it as my out layer all the time.
Its been dragged around the world with me and never let me down - but down believe all you hear about their waterproof properties. Single skins are shower proof and doubles more so but I have been soaked in mine and they are slow to dry.
Having said that I'd never choose anything else for my outer layer in any enviroment say the tropics (maybe)
Its been dragged around the world with me and never let me down - but down believe all you hear about their waterproof properties. Single skins are shower proof and doubles more so but I have been soaked in mine and they are slow to dry.
Having said that I'd never choose anything else for my outer layer in any enviroment say the tropics (maybe)
I wore a Snowsled Ventile smock in awful Scottish weather last year and was very surprised at the performance. The key, I think, is to wear the right stuff under it. With a Marmot DriClime top as my base layer I found that the tiny amount of water seeping through never seemed to reach my skin, and I was always warm and comfy. I habitually wear the smock when hiking, but also every day for the journey to work. Well, it wasn't cheap and I like to get a return on my investment...
The relatively slow drying times of Ventile have been improved by new proofing treatments like Grangers and Nikwax, and I think I'd only worry about that for very cold and wet conditions. Since it's so versatile and comfortable I also found that I carried less clothes, offsetting the slightly higher weight of the cotton when compared to synthetics. I do own other waterproofs, including a very experienced Paramo jacket and a Buffalo Mountain Shirt, but the Ventile smock is the one I reach for most of the time these days.
The relatively slow drying times of Ventile have been improved by new proofing treatments like Grangers and Nikwax, and I think I'd only worry about that for very cold and wet conditions. Since it's so versatile and comfortable I also found that I carried less clothes, offsetting the slightly higher weight of the cotton when compared to synthetics. I do own other waterproofs, including a very experienced Paramo jacket and a Buffalo Mountain Shirt, but the Ventile smock is the one I reach for most of the time these days.
West-Winds sell a range of Ventile clothing - fairly pricey, but damn good stuff! 
http://www.west-winds.co.uk
~AntarcticFire
http://www.west-winds.co.uk
~AntarcticFire
