Ventile - your opinions

Chris the Cat

Full Member
Jan 29, 2008
2,850
14
Exmoor
Both are great (Gtex and Vent ) both have their limits.
-10 or colder, you cannot beat Ventile for me.
In the Uk my single layer Snowsled smock over wool is great in the woods in the cold.
However, if I was not able to dry out my Ventile, say a three nighter with rain on two of those, I would wear an old issue Gortex over wool.
Double Ventile for me in the High arctic but Not in freeze/thaw conditions.
All the best.
Chris
 

rg598

Native
I am very anti-Ventile when it comes to needing rain protection while traveling through the woods. For me, Ventile is a soft shell. Like any soft shell, it blocks the wind, and repels water to some extent. However in terms of keeping you dry, it can not compete with a proper hard shell like Gore-Tex.

The big down side for me however is not the fact that it is not waterproof, but rather that it is way too heavy and bulky for what is more or less a wind shirt. The more waterproof you try to make it (double Ventile, etc), the heavier and larger it becomes. For me a rain jacket has to be easily portable. It has to pack small and be light weight. Ventile is neither.

To make things worse, the way Ventile repels water is by absorbing a bunch of it and then having the fibers swell up. It works much like a canvas water carrier. The huge downside of that is that it becomes exponentially heavier. Wearing a double Ventile jacket that has been in the rain for a few hours is like putting a few bricks in your pockets. It also then takes forever to dry, and once wet is no longer breathable.

If you plan on just walking about for a bit, or sitting somewhere in the woods close to home, where you will be wearing the jacket the whole time, then it is great (unless you get caught in prolonged rain). However if you are traveling through the woods on foot while carrying your gear on your back, then for me Ventile is a non starter, especially if it will be raining.

I have no experience with the particular jackets you listed, so I can't say much about them specifically.
 
May 23, 2012
60
0
Highlands
Eeeek
That's one of my concerns Nomad !!!! £590 on x2 different ventile smocks - that aren't what it sounds like they're meant to be :( I've still got that voice on my shoulder - is this wise ?? :/ & £590 from my budget for new bits is a big bite !!
 

Chris the Cat

Full Member
Jan 29, 2008
2,850
14
Exmoor
Pick up a second hand single layer Ventile and see for yourself!
If you spend any amount of time out in our woods you will soon find out what the 'fan' of Ventile are on about.
If not, you easily sell it , it realy holds its value.
Most of us ( or a fair few of the 'bushy' types I know, inc. me! ) have both, which seems to me to be the way to go.
NO one coat does it all ( I use an oilskin around static camps in the wet sometimes )
Best.
Chris.
 

treadlightly

Full Member
Jan 29, 2007
2,692
3
65
Powys
Just to add a couple of things. I prefer single ventile over double as it is much more versatile,dries quicker and double is only marginally more water resistant, and it is, as Chris says, at its best in severe cold and dry conditions. I took my Sass smock skiing a couple of years ago and at -12 it was brilliant over wool.

Consider John Fenna's phrase - (I paraphrase!) "it's about water management not about being water proof".
 
May 23, 2012
60
0
Highlands
I've still got a cheap Dutch & my Norwegian issue gore-tex

I've just ordered x5 German navy 100% wool shirts (new) €5 each !!!! :) from a site I shop at - wool shirt & pullover + ventile = ok !!

The scientific test for Liathach is : put on a dummy & sprayed with 3cms of water an hour for 4hrs & it held up no issues - so it passed the tests in a rain chamber :)

If its good to make fire hoses (where you can't have leaks) it'll be good for me :)

I also use a Ridgeline Monsoon euro 2 - which I adore :D
 
May 23, 2012
60
0
Highlands
Well,
I emailed Hilltrek & here's my decision :

Liathach : in heavyweight ventile, charcoal + black reinforcements & all extras + new design hood & scooped back - lined with black Nikwax pump liner :)

Braemar : double ventile, olive green + bronze liner, all extras, scooped back + new design hood :)

Its a done deal !!! :)
 
Last edited:

Nonsuch

Life Member
Sep 19, 2008
1,862
1
Scotland, looking at mountains
Having had a few Ventile and Gore tex jackets over the years, I have concluded that the king of tough bushcraft-style jackets is a Gore tex Swazi Wapiti, or a Swazi Tahr if you like a smock with no pockets. Or maybe a Harkila Pro Hunter if it is really cold.

For me, Ventile is great but has a few drawbacks. It rips easily - I have ripped every Ventile garment I have taken rough-shooting. It also frays and goes tatty quickly. I find it pretty waterproof in double or semi-double format, but was able to stand my double Ventile jacket up by itself after a day in the rain. Lining Ventile with a pump liner sounds like a good idea but pump liners get smelly and Ventile doesn't like being washed, so what to do? And if all you want is a very tough light-weight wind-shell then the Paramo Fuera comes in "our" colours and is unbeatable.

I still love Ventile 'though!
 

Rod Paradise

Full Member
Oct 16, 2008
725
1
55
Upper Nithsdale, Dumfriesshire
A bit more spendy than the Braemar but a similar cut, plus the extra waterproof liner ..

http://www.countryinnovation.com/clothing/jackets/kestrel-smock-1.html

They've gone up in price a fair bit since I got mine but I'd recommend them to anyone

I got the Country Innovation Rover on sale on here & I love it!! Never been wet through it, don't mind the weight of it & all the pockets I could ask for.

Will look out for a single layer for warmer days, but when the winds driving the rain horizontal & I put the dog on the lead in case she blows away it's the coat I go for.
 

big_swede

Native
Sep 22, 2006
1,452
8
42
W Yorkshire
If I had a random coin for each time ventile questions show up, I would have a substantial coin collection. Try a search here, it is really helpful actually. (Sorry for playing the role of grumpy old forumt vet, but somebody has to).
 

tamoko

Full Member
Jun 28, 2009
281
16
Zuerich
bushcraftru.com
Perhaps You can help me to find right fabric, i do not know if VENTILE will work for this task.
What i am looking for, in first line not waterproof fabric, but something for summer time, fabric which can protect against insect and tears.
"Cotton duck" work well but very hot in sommer if you work.
Mosquito net go easily broken. Some danim or satin looks like good option, but heavy, nomex?

Back to VENTILE, which will possibly work in summer? L34, L24, L19, L28?
Any opinion for different type of VENTILE?

Other question, which type of VENTILE used for Arctic tent?
 

rg598

Native
Perhaps You can help me to find right fabric, i do not know if VENTILE will work for this task.
What i am looking for, in first line not waterproof fabric, but something for summer time, fabric which can protect against insect and tears.
"Cotton duck" work well but very hot in sommer if you work.
Mosquito net go easily broken. Some danim or satin looks like good option, but heavy, nomex?

Back to VENTILE, which will possibly work in summer? L34, L24, L19, L28?
Any opinion for different type of VENTILE?

Other question, which type of VENTILE used for Arctic tent?

In my experience, if you are hot in cotton duck, you will be just as hot in Ventile of similar thickness. If you are looking for an outer layer that will protect from tears and wind, an army surplus cotton outer i sin my opinion the best way to go. They are tough, they breathe very well, and are much, much cheaper than Ventile.
 

rik_uk3

Banned
Jun 10, 2006
13,320
27
70
south wales
If I had a random coin for each time ventile questions show up, I would have a substantial coin collection. Try a search here, it is really helpful actually. (Sorry for playing the role of grumpy old forumt vet, but somebody has to).

They shout at me when I say similar :naughty:

SAS-Smock.jpg

http://shop.tacticalthings.com/product_info.php?products_id=37
 
May 23, 2012
60
0
Highlands
In the end I opted for :

Braemar double L19 ventile + all extras / olive (out) stone (inner)

Liathach L19 ventile + Nikwax pump liner stone + black reinforcements

Both with press studs on flaps & cuffs

4/6 week construction time !!! :(

But I'm happy :) I'm using natural fibres & a local company !!

Total spend (a large) £594,00. Jod
 
May 17, 2013
1
0
Colorado, USA
Dear Jod,

Would you mind sharing how you like each jacket and how the perform? I am very interested in either the Liathanch or Glencoe (double ventile) and can only afford one. I am looking for a jacket that can handle whatever the Colorado Rockies throw at me, year round (underlayers will vary as needed). Ideally 6 or more hours of dry aerobic activity in rain or wet snow.

Thank you in advance.
 

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