Waterproof jacket recommendation for Alaska?

[nicbic97]

Getting ready to purchase gear for Alaska and I know waterproof jackets are recommended for Alaska. Any suggestions for a good waterproof jacket under $100?

 

[antlawn]

You should be able to find good quality jackets at a Bass Pro Shop or Cabelas. If there isn't one near you, they both have online stores. You should be able to get 3 good jackets for less than $100 total.

You will LOVE Alaska!!

 

[disneyfaninaz]

LL Bean, Columbia Sportswear. If you don't care what color, a lot of coats are being clearanced right now on their websites.

 

[AMB1]

We all took LL Bean 3-in-one jackets and thought they were perfect. I ordered them in the off-season for about $99. It was very useful being able to pull the fleece out.

 

[wiigirl]

LL Bean, Columbia Sportswear. If you don't care what color, a lot of coats are being clearanced right now on their websites.

x2 for Columbia!

 

[bliscum]

If you go into Vancouver a few days ahead there is a great store there called mountain equipment co-op. I love this store. Have great outdoor gear especially rain with light gore text to heavy.

 

[IBelieveInTheMagic]

I bought us each a Northface waterproof jacket before our cruise last June. Make sure they are water proof, not just water resistant. The ironic thing is - we didn't get a single drop of rain the entire 9 day vacation which included two days prior in Vancouver so we never got to test them out but I'm not complaining

Heather

 

[lanewinree]

Keep an eye on REI.com and SteepandCheap.com's outlet sales. They'll often have very high quality outdoors apparel (including raincoats) that are geared towards serious outdoorheads at heavily discounted prices.

Some good brands often there are Marmot, Merrell, North Face, and Patagonia. REI's in-house brand is high quality as well. When a sale is going on, you can get a good coat for anywhere from $80-$120.

 

[Ravenne]

Another vote for Columbia here. My ski apparel (3 in 1 system jacket and ski pants) are Columbia brand and they've served me very well in keeping me warm and dry and they're pretty lightweight too. They're not necessarily cheap but I always buy on clearance either at a sporting goods store or at their outlets. Now is a great time to check for clearances. REI is also a great resource for outdoors gear. They tend to have great customer service as well.

 

[coloradocutie]

Another vote for Columbia here. My ski apparel (3 in 1 system jacket and ski pants) are Columbia brand and they've served me very well in keeping me warm and dry and they're pretty lightweight too. They're not necessarily cheap but I always buy on clearance either at a sporting goods store or at their outlets. Now is a great time to check for clearances. REI is also a great resource for outdoors gear. They tend to have great customer service as well.

ditto REI. You are in Tennessee so you probably won't frequently be using a huge heavy parka once you get home. Go for layers and you will be fine. Get layers that you can use later on… we layered with long underwear, a fleece and a water resistant/proof outer layer/ soft shell. I do not know if you ski but we just used that mentality and it worked great for both cold moist days as well as warm Alaskan days. Enjoy your cruise!!!

 

[NotUrsula]

A roomy fisherman's slicker on top of a regular winter jacket or two layers of fleece should do you just fine, and won't take up nearly so much room in luggage (put fleece in a space bag to press the air out.)

 

[Ravenne]

ditto REI. You are in Tennessee so you probably won't frequently be using a huge heavy parka once you get home. Go for layers and you will be fine. Get layers that you can use later on… we layered with long underwear, a fleece and a water resistant/proof outer layer/ soft shell. I do not know if you ski but we just used that mentality and it worked great for both cold moist days as well as warm Alaskan days. Enjoy your cruise!!!

Yes, ditto especially on the layering and long underwear. Walmart should be clearing out their thermal and UnderArmor type underwear stuff by now. I've seen name brand ones go for as cheap as $2 each piece for kids, and $5 for adults. The high temps in AK during the summer is around 40s and occasionally, 60s so there may not be a need for thermals, but if you can score them on clearance for a few bucks, it doesn't hurt to have them.

 

[dbarker]

Scotchgard is your friend.

 

[TornadoNut]

If you are looking for Hard-Core, you-will-never-get-wet, stay-warm, awesome jackets, then look at Helly Hansen. This is the same stuff the guys on the Bering Sea use. It's a little more spendy, but well worth it.

If you don't want to pay Helly Hansen prices, then look at Frogg Togs. I use these when I head north of the border (Hi Canada!) and fish up there. Very warm, and I always stay dry and warm in them. You should be able to find a full set (Jacket and Pants) for around $100.

With my Frogg Toggs, I was on a trip to Ontario a few years ago - it rained almost every day we were out there, temp was around 45 degrees, so it was cold cold cold. I stayed nice and toasty warm in my Frogg Toggs, but I wasn't overly warm either - they are nice and breathable. I've been out in the total pouring rain, and in my Frogg Toggs, nice and warm and dry. I also have some Columbia gear, and if it's going to be nasty out, I go for my Toggs. They hold up better, and keep me totally dry.

I would look at either of those, simply because if you want to be out and about and stay warm, I figure if it's good enough for the guys on the Bering Sea, it's good enough for me.

 

[Tenkawa]

Options:

REI is great for gear, but only in the US.
Columbia sportswear is really good, but pretty pricey unless you go to their outlet stores (Which can be very reasonable)
In Vancouver, Mountain Equipment Co-op (MEC.ca) is very good.
In a pinch, if you are downtown in Vancouver, there is an Atmosphere (Used to be called Coast Mountain Sports) in downtown a couple blocks from the port if you need it, but this will be name brand, so not the cheapest (not completely outrageous though).