Ridgeline smock

pip

Well-Known Member
I bought a ridgeline smock two weeks ago. I wore it last weekend whilst stalking an FC lease and found I got damp due to condensation. I then wore it all day yesterday in the p*****g down rain and low and behold, as well as not being breathable, it's not waterproof either! That goes for the trousers aswell. Has anyone else had this experiance with this coat and trousers? I will be contacting the seller tomorrow.
 
i have had mine over a year now very dry no rain got in yet as for condensation you really need to layer so you dont sweat in the first place ,send it back for a dry one and layer up ,i like mine for the cost im sure there are better jackets but at alot higher cost, atb wayne
 
i have had mine over a year now very dry no rain got in yet as for condensation you really need to layer so you dont sweat in the first place ,send it back for a dry one and layer up ,i like mine for the cost im sure there are better jackets but at alot higher cost, atb wayne
+1
with Wayne on this ,I am also considering one of the zip up ridge line jackets too .
 
i have had mine over a year now very dry no rain got in yet as for condensation you really need to layer so you dont sweat in the first place ,send it back for a dry one and layer up ,i like mine for the cost im sure there are better jackets but at alot higher cost, atb wayne
I thought the whole point of a breathable jacket was to let moisture escape. I get hardly any condensation with my Harkila. I think its a case of you get what you pay for. Anyone got any experiance of the swazi smock?
 
I dont think you can compare a harkila against a ridgeline , all these type jackets are the same they cannot breath as quick as you let out sweat if you layer properly you dont sweat in the first place if im walking i only need a thin shirt on but if sitting any length of time i take a jumper. I couldnt afford a harkila so baught what i could afford at the time its still going strong so for just over a hundred pounds im pleased but yes its no harkila, atb wayne ps i would think the trousers are probably only good for sitting in a highseat where they are windproof and waterproof any sort of stalking and i think you will get wet.
 
Harkila is goretex ridegline isn't , so it won't breathe as well.
But the its about 3 times cheaper.
You need to layer up with the correct, technical clothing underneath .
 
A while back I posted a thread waterproof,breathable etc,most seem to stay waterproof for a good while,breathable....... Not sure there is such a thing,if you are walking hard or lugging a carcase around it won't stop you sweating,I think most coats are windproof,I find the trousers wear out faster,I've a removable layer in them,only use when wet,they too come apart at the seems at top of the legs due to sweating and sticking too you when you sit causing them too come apart.
 
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I've had a Ridgeline for 18 months now, I found out right away, it's not breathable, after an evenings lamping on foot. I was bloody sodden with sweat, and the sleeves were wringing wet! I still use it, but for sitting out or lamping from a pickup, and I've found it to be waterproof. I'm wondering if the Deerhunter Tempest Smock would be a better option for around the same money?
Kev.
 
I bought a ridgeline smock two weeks ago. I wore it last weekend whilst stalking an FC lease and found I got damp due to condensation. I then wore it all day yesterday in the p*****g down rain and low and behold, as well as not being breathable, it's not waterproof either! That goes for the trousers aswell. Has anyone else had this experiance with this coat and trousers? I will be contacting the seller tomorrow.

Cheap alternative to the real thing guys I'm afraid! Trade it in for the real deal a"Swazi tahr" can't beat them, awesome coats!!
 
Before you go spending your hard earned on various fancy smocks take a look at the mil surplus windproof smocks. They are available in olive green, DPM and the new and lighter MTP patterns so there is something to suit nearly everyone. They are robust, the pockets are ideal for the stalker and you can pick them up on ebay for anything from 99p for the DPM ones to just over £30 for the olive ones which seem to be less common. If you must spend a pile of money then Arktis/Country Covers make a smock based on the windproof smock with a few small modifications which you can pay £200+ for, Arktis/Country Covers get a very good reputation for making good gear but I prefer to pay 99p for a mil surplus one and throw it away when I trash it.

They are basically polycotton but you can wash waterproofing into them and they are sufficiently waterproof (4 - 6 hours at least in heavy rain) for most stalking. If you need to go out for many hours on a really wet day then buy a mil surplus goretex jacket to wear UNDER the smock so you keep all your pockets etc. These are available in a range of cammo patterns including DPM, flecktarn and even MTP and you should get a decent one, perhaps even a new one, for £25 or less.

The polycotton smocks are also as breathable as you will get. Recently I shot a wee sika stag and too off my shirt and smock to gralloch him. I hung them on my sticks in the order I took them off and so when a torrent of rain appeared from a blue sky not only did I get soaked but my shirt on the sticks got soaked as well. By the afternoon I was dry under the smock but where I'd tucked my shirt into my Harkila waterproof trousers it was still wet even after taking the wee stag to the butcher and driving home.

One tip for those people bothered with condensation - if you happen to usually wear a fleece under the jacket then consider washing some of the waterproofing you can get for fleece material into it. Most of the condensation occurs where the cold outside air meets the warm moist air at the surface of the goretex jacket. So, it is most wet on the inside surface of the goretex jacket. If you are wearing various wicking materials directly under the goretex then this water can wick back to your skin. If, however, the fleece you are wearing under the goretex happens to be waterproof then the damp air can get out through it but the water from the inside of the jacket can't soak back in to your skin. Of course this doesn't stop you retaining moisture inside the fleece etc. but it helps a little bit and might be useful for those people who have bought Ridgeline gear.
 
I've used my Ridgeline smock for 2 days of beating this week, both on the wettest days. No water through, but on day 1, with just a t-shirt on underneath, I got some condensation buildup. Yesterday was a bit colder, so I wore a fleece as well as a technical t-shirt. Plenty warm enough and no moisture on the inside.
 
I'v posted before on this subject . . . . As a rule the Ridgeline smock is not that breathable, but if care is taken with what you wear under it, to my mind it is a good jacket for the money.
In terms of it being waterproof I have found mine to be perfectly watertight even in the heaviest of rain.
 
I wore a Ridgeline Monsoon 11 up and down in the Wicklow Mountains recently in cold and foggy weather,the smock did really well IMO.
 
I had a Ridgeline jacket, Mallard ? bought after someone on here sang it's praises.
It is the least breathable jacket I have worn, and to top it off not waterproof, water resistand at very best.
I spoke to someone at the midland fair about it, take it back they said, bloke beside me had his on, they changed it on the spot.
Mine came from Uttings by mail order, I sent it back and asked for either replacement or full refund.
They chose to refund on it, but I lost the original p&p which was about £7 + the cost of sending it back, another £10 as
Uttings insisted I had to send it both insured and traceable.
I will never buy another waterproof that is not Gore-Tex and never again by mail order, and never anything from Uttings.

To be honest the most successful tops I have ever owned were a Buffalo Special 6 for damp and windy weather topped of with a single layer Ventile smock if it got truly horrible.
For proper wet weather an older Barbour double layer Ventile Jacket over a fleece, none of these have ever let me down no matter what the weather or what I was doing.

Neil. :)
 
Swazi smock is top gear though at a price, though a fully zipped jacket is easier for getting off when everything is wet and muddy.
 
I found the ridgeline monsoon II impossible to wear in the summer even when just wearing a wicking top underneath it, far too hot and as wet as an otters pocket inside.

I have recently worn it in the winter with just a wicking top underneath when walking and it was fine and by adding a fleece when standing / sitting it is also fine, no issues and protected me well from the wind.

As far as layering options, what would you recommend especially for sweaty betty's like me?
 
i just bought a riverswest smock, not wore it yet has anybody any experiance of these.not to expensive either
 
I have Ridgeline Grizzly, smock style with hood but with a full length Zip. Easier to regulate heat. Comfy, sort of fleecy outer and pretty good in the rain too. Apparently not taped seams, but that hasnt caused me a problem yet. I really like it.
 
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