Actually I'm interested in ventile experience too. I personally don't know anyone with it so very little understanding of how it performs. My impressions are basically not great for wet and mild UK but great for cold climes. I've heard polar use of it is still popular. I also thought it was stiff when dry and positively rigid when wet. I also thought it would have that kind of damp feel inside when fully wetted out in heavy rain not wetting through just a clammy dampness. It's one fabric I used to be interested in trying out because I was a gear freak but now I'm more fussy wanting kit that works for me.
Wet weather gear - kit talk
- Thread starter Paul_B
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And so based upon what you said about the Epic fabric technology I have at last found some useful info on it, to be quite hopeful of it's performance after viewing ;
https://nextec.com/military/
Oh and my old Survival Aids double Ventile Arctic Ranger was eventually tossed in the bin by my mother of whom though it looked tatty, and yes it did for the cuffs were fraying and it had a patched hole in the sleeve where a crampon spike went through it and the zip was also in need of replacing, and in fact why it was in the care of my mother of whom was supposed to be machining in a new zip, to know the 'hurt' at it being disposed of was more because despite it's limitations it had become a bit of an old friend.
But in terms of Ventile, I won't be going there again.
It's a journey to find your best kit. One wrong step gets put right with the replacement purchaser only to find you've gone a bit too far the other way. If you follow my gist. At the end of the day you'll end up with it that's good for certain things and certain conditions, for other situations you'll have more kit. Some kit suits all conditions so you mix and match according to need with maybe a couple of pieces, usually base layers, that you always wear when in the outdoors. When it's really cold I'll always wear my Helly Hansen prowool. The be wool has holes in it but the inner polypropylene is still intact so it still works perfectly for me. I also love my patagucci capilene boxers, bought when I had the spare £50 for a pair of boxers!!!!
I agree on the kit for different conditions thing as that is my observation too, where given budget constraints I am limited in my purchasing power to be through that limitation be creative in what I will consider, to even take delight in converting stuff myself for instance, a pair of M65 style work pants, Blue Castle brand I think, they are impregnated with home made Greenland wax cased in with a hair dryer and given the success of that venture I will be doing the same to my cargo kilt as when hiking in better conditions of which is most of the time I wear a kilt.
Kilt? I knew some postie's who were kind of grafted into their shorts all year round but I can't imagine kilts are good with British hill weather's propensity for wind. Might be ok for you in hot early summer months but not the people around getting a different kind of view to that expected! lol
Honestly I've not had a problem with what one would think wind might do to unbifurcated lower wear, of which given it's a cargo kilt, stuff in the cargo pockets tends to anchor stuff down. And to also report when it gets wet in the inevitable rain, it doesn't cling to the legs and is wholly comfortable as long as the waist portion remains dry of which it does given that bit it well covered.
Waterproofs...... ahhh the holy grail of the outdoorsman! 
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Check this very informative YT video about layers. To be truly comfortable (dry inside and out) is all about layers IME. The adding or removal of layers of clothing, depending on your activity level is a much better way of staying comfortable and dry rather than relying on a single garment to do the job effectively.
Anyways, have a gander at this. Brilliant advice.
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.Check this very informative YT video about layers. To be truly comfortable (dry inside and out) is all about layers IME. The adding or removal of layers of clothing, depending on your activity level is a much better way of staying comfortable and dry rather than relying on a single garment to do the job effectively.
Anyways, have a gander at this. Brilliant advice.
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I have never found Ventile stiff when dry - it is by far the most comfortable performance fabric I have worn 
I have made trousers, overtrousers, jackets and smocks from it, some single, some double fabric.
Worn over wool in winter I have been warm dry and comfortable, in summer over cotton or linen - a little warm at times but not too bad but cotton underlayers do wick in the damp....
These days, due to age and old injuries, I do not visit the open hills in bad weather but my Ventile copes with pretty much everything else.
If I could afford it my entire outdoor clothing range would be in Ventile
As I make my own clothing I choose all the features I want/need and have no excess features - plus the fit is just as I want it which helps a lot!
In my eyes Ventile is the ideal outdoor fabric ... except for the price!
I have made trousers, overtrousers, jackets and smocks from it, some single, some double fabric.
Worn over wool in winter I have been warm dry and comfortable, in summer over cotton or linen - a little warm at times but not too bad but cotton underlayers do wick in the damp....
These days, due to age and old injuries, I do not visit the open hills in bad weather but my Ventile copes with pretty much everything else.
If I could afford it my entire outdoor clothing range would be in Ventile
As I make my own clothing I choose all the features I want/need and have no excess features - plus the fit is just as I want it which helps a lot!
In my eyes Ventile is the ideal outdoor fabric ... except for the price!
The weird thing is last week I was hillwalking with the family in the Lake District carrying all the kit waterproofs, Hexi stove mug, food. In the heavy drizzly rain (rained for about an hour) just wore a Adidas nylon t- shirt. Never felt wet because I was walking and when I stopped for a break when the rain stopped my t-shirt felt dry. Knew if I had put on a waterproof I would be more wet from inside the coat with the effort of walking up the hills.
My point is for all the waterproof kit out there unless it lashing it down, where you would probably seek shelter anyway all waterproofs are good cheap, surplus or expensive. Have used cag in bag coats as an emergency quick carry to goretex and Buffalo coats.
Judge the conditions you are in and use your common sense, what to wear.
My point is for all the waterproof kit out there unless it lashing it down, where you would probably seek shelter anyway all waterproofs are good cheap, surplus or expensive. Have used cag in bag coats as an emergency quick carry to goretex and Buffalo coats.
Judge the conditions you are in and use your common sense, what to wear.
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Seconder for the umbrella! Used it in the jungle (rain) and the desert (sun) to great effect and of course home in jolly old blighty. Its de rigueur for the English gent!
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I don't knnow about brollies in the outdoors. I know people use them and like to applaud their benefits. But, apart from leaving you one-handed, I find that , when up mountains in the wind, the rain can tend to come at you more or less parallel to the ground.
Then you just turn yer brolly vertical and point it into the wind..Just make sure you have a more expensive and sturdy backpacking umbrella and not a cheap flimsy one.
But the brolly is at it´s best when the rain is like on and off with short showers and one can not decide if rain jacket is needed or not.
But the brolly is at it´s best when the rain is like on and off with short showers and one can not decide if rain jacket is needed or not.
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There's asymmetric brollies where the longer tail part is free to rotate to be on the downwind side. Apparently it's too make it more durable in wind. Claimed to survive storm force winds together with the wind vents.
You used to get silverised brollies for high UV locations.
Personally I use a brolly around town where it's more sheltered. I find that don't offer much protection and I always wear a waterproof when using one which defeats the point sone see I'm then I reckon. I'm tall and even big golfing size umbrellas don't stop rain hitting legs and lower torso. In truly wet conditions I'm likely to be in full waterproofs when in the great outdoors.
You used to get silverised brollies for high UV locations.
Personally I use a brolly around town where it's more sheltered. I find that don't offer much protection and I always wear a waterproof when using one which defeats the point sone see I'm then I reckon. I'm tall and even big golfing size umbrellas don't stop rain hitting legs and lower torso. In truly wet conditions I'm likely to be in full waterproofs when in the great outdoors.
When it comes to waterproofs, I think the design is probably as important as the fabric. Good design features that lead the water away from the body and potential problem areas can compensate for not so good fabrics and less well thought-out features can ruin an otherwise good piece of clothing.
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