Waterproof gear?

[jape]

The link works OK outside of China, Naim, try again?

When I was young and used to climb mountains, good quality climbers gear of various brands was both waterproof and warm, however, nothing that was 'breathable' was ever satisfactory. We spent a lot of time unzipping and cooling down, even in snow storms! Goretex was OK but I agree, not as good as they claim, in that it was not all that breathable or waterproof. I have tried various over-suits and sets of rain gear in recent years, both construction worker and motorcycling types. Some is OK for cold and wet but not hot and wet, some is OK for hot and wet but not cold. The best value so far is a cheap Aldi motorcycle over-suit which is indeed 99% waterproof at speed. The 1% of leaks is around the vents of course. But to stay warm, you have to leave the linings in and then you are wet from inside. Cannot win!

Thin plastic bags are as good as anything for feet and hands over normal gear, good for feel and flexibility and cheap to replace when they inevitably tear and 'wicking' under garments do help with bodily comfort. If it is wet and warm, I now prefer to get wet and dry off later; if cold, I prefer to stay dry and over heat a little. Good helmet vents cool you down quite well as you can lose a lot of heat from head area.

I keep a bit of real chamois leather handy for wiping rain and moisture from inside and outside of face screen/goggles/shades. A strip sown to the index finger of your glove is handy for a quick wipe in rain so you can see. These days, if it pours, I find shelter.